In order for us to have hope in something, we must first believe in something.
If you know me then you will know that I love TV and films. God really speaks His principles and parables through these mediums. Writing about faith brought me to the television series Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA.
Ramsay saves struggling restaurants by helping owners and re-building businesses. I was captivated by series 4, episode 5. In 2011, Ramsay was called in to help salvage Italian restaurant Davide, in Boston, Massachusetts USA.
The highly successful restaurant first opened in 1982, brought by brothers Frank and Anthony in 1997. Frank found out Anthony was embezzling money due to his drug problem over the first few years of the business. Anthony went to prison, leaving Frank with the responsibility of the brother owned dream, until his brother returned.
As the years went by and the unresolved issues mounted, Frank sank. This is where faith comes into the story.
“When Anthony left, Frank gave up.”
Franks wife
Frank’s hope was the dream of owning and running a business with his brother. When Anthony’s life changed, so did Frank’s.
“Tonight I saw something quite frightening. It wasn’t about the food. It wasn’t the complaints, and it certainly wasn’t the service. It was Frank. And here’s why, he is so burnt out that he has given up.”
Gordon Ramsay
No matter what Ramsay or the family did, Frank had to be the person who took steps to rebuild his OWN hope. Pastor Michael’s teachings on Cultivating a Spirit of Expectation is exactly what Frank had to do.
To cultivate something is to raise up, improve, develop, evolve, prepare or work on something. You have to actively do something in order to cultivate something; its's an action.
Frank lost his passion for both the business and cooking because of what he saw. He wouldn't even wear his chef's jacket! He literally gave up.
If you are to cultivate a spirit of expectation you must re-evaluate your belief system. You must question what you see because from it is determined what you believe, and therefore hope for.
You have to cultivate an inner strength and core belief on the inside.
When Jesus healed the blind man at Bethsaida, he asked him what he saw (Mark 8:22-26). His vision was blurred the first time; it wasn’t until the second time that he could see clearly. However, the man knew that Jesus would heal him. Just like the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48), she knew Jesus would heal her. Vision is key as it directs where you go.
Ezekiel spoke the word of the Lord over the dry bones; that they would live because God said so. He spoke the word more than once (Ezekiel 37).
Our hope must be built on WHO God is (Matthew 16:15). We must be confident in the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He WILL do and finish in us what He said He would (Philippians 1:6).
If your vision is dull, your heart grows dim and you won’t expect (look forward to, anticipate the birth of) something.
Sometimes we have to do what Professor X from X-Men: Days of Future Past did, we need to talk to ourselves. We have to re-address the things we believe (have confidence in the truth) because of what we currently see, as it can be influenced by our past and present; not our future.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)
Sometimes we have to keep speaking to what we do not presently see. We have to speak and believe, INTERNALLY, what God has said. We must learn to restore and have hope beyond what we physically see and mentally think to be true. Even David had to encourage himself in the Lord (1Samuel 30:6).
We must also be assured that what we are building, we will also partake in. We must build in hope (1Corinthians 9:10).
If we follow the necessary processes with the Holy Spirit in cultivating a spirit of expectation, we will become persuaded as Paul was in Romans 8:38-39.
To go back to the series, Frank slowly re-built his hope by changing his heart and mind. He reassessed what he saw; therefore what he believed.
He changed his mind (Romans 12:2) and learned to hope again through faith that the dream he once believed WOULD happen. He had to keep thinking and believing this in his heart and mind.
We must also have this mindset and heart attitude.
“Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 (Amplified)
BY STACEY SPENCER
Series clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbzJc8_eVEc and http://www.channel4.com/programmes/ramsays-kitchen-nightmares-usa