Increase

Friend, for you to always visit this blog every week to get God’s word into your spirit suggests to me that you desire to know more about God and to get stronger in your walk as a Christian. I have a strong feeling in my heart now that there is a need for you to do beyond what you are doing now spiritually.

Being a Christian for years without having a sphere of influence is the most disastrous thing that can happen to the saved. What do I mean by this?

A Christian who cannot point to areas where he is manifesting the light convincingly is not working according to the expectation of God. Remember the scriptures that says no one lights a lamp and put it in under a bowl? (Luke 11:33). Since you gave your life to Christ, you have received light which is the life of Christ according to the book of John. Therefore, heaven has an expectation upon your life! This expectation (s) is in sync with what God has made available to you. There is a plantation in you to minister to others spiritually. This is not about being a pastor or prophet; it’s an expectation on every believer.

What spiritual need can you say you can meet as a believer when the need arises in your environment?

Ananias was described in the scripture as a disciple, a student of the word. He was not one of the Apostles, however, when there was a need to heal Paul from his spiritual and physical sight, Ananias was up to the task. God found him usable. Definitely, that was not the first time Ananias would be hearing God, because it wasn’t strange to him that he could question God on the authenticity of Paul’s identity. There was a need and someone had enough supply.

This is what am saying: you need to increase in spiritual things. This could be being able to share the word, dividing it rightly; giving divine counsel; praying for the sick and they get healed; prophesying accurately; understanding why things happen the way they do and lot more. You can’t afford to be a Christian without a spiritual value.  

Yes! I also know you desire it. You want to really go deep with God, understand the word and be a solution. You desire results as you have seen in the lives of others. In fact, a number of times some people have asked me how I study the word in the quest to have an increase in their walk. The good news is that you are not alone, even Jesus’ disciples found themselves in this dilemma. They wanted results when it seemed all they tried wasn’t working.

They had been with Jesus but couldn’t understand how the miracles Jesus did could not be replicated by them. So, they concluded they were inadequate and believed it was because their faith wasn’t big enough. This sent them to the room of prayer just like you do, asking Jesus for an increase in their faith. The reply of Jesus gave us a glimpse of what is needed for an increase in our spiritual life. So, how can you get this desired increase?

“If you can have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you” Luke 17:6

There are two things I will show you from the scriptures that will be of great help.

USAGE

The response of Jesus is quite strange. They asked for increase, He was talking about having what they want increased in the smallest portion.

This is what Jesus is saying to them and to you now: The problem isn’t because what is available is small, but because of lack of usage. It is not a matter of the size but how they saw it! They desired an increased faith without knowing the growth to their faith will only come by using the one they have which they perceive as small. Increase comes by the virtue of usage. Just as the man given one talent never used it and he was cast away while the others who used theirs increased greatly.

Increase only comes when there is a usage of what you have. So, the question now is since you sensed you have a grace for healing the sick, have you ever prayed for anyone suffering from headache before wishing you could pray for a cancer patient? Have you ever talked to someone about what you sense God is showing to you about them before desiring to speak to nations? Have you ever tried explaining the part of the scripture you know but think is not “big rhema” to someone before? Have you given the word of prophecy to one person before and not until it happens you start saying “something in my mind told me”?

What exactly is that area you sense God’s grace? What have you been doing with that in the smallest way before thinking of increase?  

Those things you call little will remain little until you start using them.

AVOID MEASURING OF RESULTS

The little they had didn’t work not just because they didn’t have the intention to use it, but because their faith was weak. They knew they had the faith, however, it became weak because they were measuring it with the results of Jesus. If they didn’t have anything, they would not have asked for increase. To do anything phenomenal in the body, you must consciously desist from comparing what God has deposited in you with the result of another. If you engage in comparison, you will kill the faith inside of you.

Do you desire to increase in your sphere of spiritual influence? Use what you have got and don’t measure your effort with another man’s result.

Hope this helps?

Be Innovated

Olufemi Ibitoye