Peter wrote:
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation.”
—1 Peter 1:3
Expectation aimed at timing breeds disappointment.
Expectation aimed at Jesus breeds life.
We’re going somewhere here. But first, I hope you can now see that every single person on earth is living up to, or down to, their own revelation of the freedom Jesus bought for them.
Do you get it?
Those walking on the narrow road understand exactly how free they are because they are constantly staring at the One who set them free. They understand that the law isn’t a list of rules. It’s a mirror to show you that you’re dirty. Jesus is the One who washed you clean.
Those of us walking on the narrow road understand that to “fix” the sin in our lives, there is nothing we can do at all. We just keep looking to the Father so He can keep doing what He promised He would do: change us from the inside out. We kill the root of rebellion by shifting our focus, and the fruit will wither on its own.
But those on the wide path will never fully see their freedom because they can’t stop focusing on their own chains.
However, there is one more key piece of information you’re going to need to keep you walking on this narrow path. You need to understand expectation.
In 1 Peter 1:3–4, we read:
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”
What Peter is telling us here is that because of the finished works of Jesus on the cross (sōzō), now we get to live with great expectation.
We get to expect miracles and healing in our lives and the lives of others.
We get to expect breakthroughs and deliverance from the things keeping us in sin.
We get to expect that all our needs will be met according to His riches and glory.
Is this getting you excited? It should be.
But there is a flip side.
While yes, we need to live with great expectations, we also need to know how to aim our expectations.
Let me show you what I mean.
When you and I talk about our expectations—for ourselves, another person, a situation—we normally expect what we want to happen, when we want it to happen and how we want it to happen.
Sounds accurate so far?
But when it comes to God, it doesn’t work like that. It can’t work like that.
You understand why, right?
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
—Isaiah 55:8–9
The reason it can’t work like our normal expectations is that God isn’t like us. His plan goes beyond ours. He sees outside of us. He knows how each prayer request being fulfilled or denied will impact others decades after we pray it. He knows what you and I could never know: tomorrow.
This is also why all He truly asks us to do is trust Him.
Trust that He sees beyond us.
Trust that He knows better than us.
Trust that His plan is better.
Because it always is.
So when Peter said, “Now we live with great expectation,” he did not mean expectations about the where, when and how.
We usually think in terms of the who, what, when, where and why. But when it comes to our expectations with God, only two things matter: who and why.
That is the key.
Who is the One doing the work.
Why is the reason He does it—because He loves us and already paid for it.
If you try to hang your faith on the other three—when, where and what—you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. And disappointment leads to a lack of trust. And a lack of trust leads to wandering eyes, a loss of focus on Him.
When you live on the narrow road, these two words are the steps you take to move forward:
“Thank You.”
That’s gratitude.
Before you receive something, say, “Thank You.” That puts you in a state of expectation. It has to. You just said thank You in faith. That means you actually believe it’s coming.
If I pray, “Thank You, Father, that my spouse’s back is healed, in Jesus’ name,” my expectation is, “God, You are the One healing them. However and whenever You do it is totally up to You. I’m just saying thank You in advance.”
The truth is, healing can come in a lot of different ways.
God can heal in a moment.
He can heal through doctors.
He can finish the healing in eternity.
Gratitude says, “Father, You are the healer. I trust Your wisdom and timing.” That keeps my eyes on who, not my calendar.
Sometimes healing looks like years of treatment.
Sometimes breakthrough feels painful.
Sometimes provision shows up as an idea, not a check in the mail.
If you were expecting the answer in the time frame you wanted, the way you wanted, your life will be full of disappointment. You will lose your trust in God and His Word, and eventually you will be right back on the wide road, begging God again, because you never saw what you wanted to see.
Ouch. I know that stings a little. It needs to.
So what do you do in that moment when the prayer isn’t answered the way you wanted and disappointment starts to creep in?
Here’s the shift: Pause. Stop replaying the when, where or how in your mind.
Say, “Thank You,” out loud. Even if your feelings don’t line up, open your mouth and thank God for already being at work.
Name the who. Remind yourself, “Father, You are the One who heals, provides and delivers. It’s not on me. It’s on You.”
Anchor in the why. Whisper, “I gave You my life. I trust Your plan over mine.”
That’s how you drag your eyes off disappointment and lock them back on Jesus in real time.
We need to decide right now:
I will not put unrealistic expectations on our Father. I will trust Him instead.
When we focus only on the who and why, we will never be disappointed.
How?
When my expectation is simply, “God, I know You are the One who is going to make this happen. I trust You,” my focus stays on Him. Not my calendar. Not my watch. Not my idea of how I want God to work.
If it happens today: “Sweet. Thank You, Father. That was fast.”
If it doesn’t: “No problem, Father. I trust that Your timing is perfect.”
We need to have all the expectation in the world on who and none on when, where and what.
To help you continue down the narrow path, the best way I can explain it is like this:
Expect nothing and everything at the same time.
Hold expectation in two ways at once:
By faith, it’s mine now.
By trust, I’m content with His timing.
That’s how you stay unshaken.
I’m expecting that the moment I pray, my miracle belongs to me right that second. And with the same breath, since I trust Him, I don’t need it to show up while I’m on earth at all. I am willing to wait until heaven.
Why?
Because I gave up my life and now Jesus lives through me.
Order Kelly K’s New Book “Beggar to Believer” on Amazon.com!
No one in the cemetery is worried about when or how their bills are going to get paid. They are dead. And so are we.
I gave up my life, my plans, my agenda, my wants, my desires, my opinions, my everything.
So whether the answer shows up on earth or in heaven, it makes no difference to me. My life is not my own. Each day, each word, each choice, each action is simply God living through me.
How could I ever be disappointed with a life like that?
Here’s the bottom line: If you’ve given your life to Christ, your life is not your own anymore. That means no wasted days, no wasted pain, no wasted storms. God is using all of it to shape you.
James could say, “I count it all joy,” because he trusted two things: who was in control and why he was still breathing.
When it’s a good day, say thank You.
When it’s a hard day, still say thank You.
Either way, your expectation stays fixed on the One who never fails.
That is what it really means to walk the narrow road. Not just heading toward heaven one day, but letting heaven live through you today.
Practical Steps for Walking the Narrow Road
- Morning gratitude
Before your feet hit the floor, whisper three simple thank-yous:
“Thank You, Father, for another day. I trust You and Your timing.”
“Thank You, Jesus, that You’ve already forgiven me.”
“Thank You, Holy Spirit, for guiding me today.”
Start there.
- A kingdom-first checklist
At least once during your day, stop and ask: Am I building my castle right now or God’s kingdom?
Whose name am I trying to make bigger, mine or His? Is fear or faith driving this choice? Where is my expectation aimed?
Write these questions on a sticky note or in your phone. Let them guide your daily decisions.
- A seven-day “Thank You” prayer experiment
For one week, shift your language. Every time you’re tempted to pray, “Please, God,” reframe it as:
“Thank You, Father, that You are already working on this.”
Keep a small journal of what happens. You’ll begin to see how gratitude changes not just your words, but your faith, your peace and your outlook.
Now that you know you are a believer and not a beggar, you’ve got the tools in your hands.
Gratitude.
A kingdom-first focus.
A new way to pray.
That’s how you walk the narrow road with expectation that never disappoints.
Stay in it. Stay sharp. Stay surrendered.
From Desperation to Devotion
Anonymous Report: Out of the blue one day, my teenage son came to me and shared that he had sleep paralysis. He sees things that are not really there. He hears things that are not there, and things attack him in his sleep.
I’m a pretty attentive parent, but I had no idea. How long had this been going on? How could I not see it?
Over the course of about a year and a half—through multiple doctor appointments and counseling visits—my son began to open up more. He said he didn’t really believe in God. He wasn’t sure whether he ever had.
I felt crushed, defeated, worried and terrified.
With everything going on in the world today, I wanted to help my son. But I was also scared to put him in the hands of some of the caregivers in the medical and therapeutic professions and in schools.
I was begging God:
“God, please help him get rest. Please protect my son. God, please, whatever is attacking him or making him ill, cast it out.”
I had stumbled across one of Kelly K’s videos on TikTok before this all started and joined the daily Bible studies in the mornings. Doing daily church together helped me get through this time. It truly changed how I pray.
Kelly taught us repeatedly that God won’t do what He’s already done. He already sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to save us, heal us and deliver us. That includes my son and that includes me.
I started praying differently:
“Thank You, God, that You love my son more than I could, even though I can’t fathom that. Thank You, Father, for healing him, for giving him sleep, for giving him peace. Thank You for giving me authority over my house to cast out any spirits that are trying to attack my family.”
As we went through doctors, tests, scans and counselors, things slowly improved. But as soon as I shifted to praying with thanks and believing the promises of God, my anxieties dropped dramatically.
I don’t know how I could have functioned if I had continued down the begging path.
My son hasn’t seen or heard anything that is not really there in quite some time. I believe this was a spiritual attack against my family. We have prayed together, and I continue to pray in belief and thanks for all God has done for us.
The healing was not instantaneous. But it was paid for two thousand years ago on the cross, and I will continue to thank Him for it.
My son still occasionally goes to a Christian counselor to talk through things that may be bothering him. But he does believe in God. He prays and talks to God.
I thank God for this church family and for Pastor Kelly helping us get through this scary time.
I am so glad I learned the lesson that I should not beg. There was no power in that.
Now I pray with the belief of what He has already done for me, and I am so thankful.
Kelly K is a husband, father, pastor, author, and evangelist with over ten years in full-time ministry. Thousands have come to know Jesus through his passionate, wisdom-filled messages of love, forgiveness, repentance, and salvation, which he shares daily. Before coming to Christ, Kelly worked as a musician and tour manager for some of the biggest rock bands in the world. After a near-death car crash while on tour, he gave up everything and turned to Jesus―never looking back. Today, he travels the world with a new purpose: to see lives transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. His new book, Beggar to Believer, is available on Amazon.com.
