HOW TO RECEIVE THE INCREASE PART 2 – CREATING CAPACITY FOR INCREASE
THEME: HOW TO RECEIVE THE INCREASE
TOPIC: CREATING CAPACITY FOR INCREASE
PS 71:21 For thou shall increase my greatness and comfort me on all sides
Our year of supernatural increase, enlargement and all round comfort.
We had discussed previously on how to receive an increase and enlargement. This as I said comes by the law of association and connection. We saw how the association of Joseph and Portipher blessed Potiphar, Lot’s connection with Abraham blessed Lot and Laban’s testimony on how the presence of Jacob had blessed him. May God connect you with a carrier of such grace in Jesus name.
2Ki 4:1-7 KJV 1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
The woman was the wife of one of the sons of prophets. He died without settling the debts he incurred.
This man was among the 7000 prophets in the days of Elijah that did not bow down to Baal. According to the wife he served the Lord .
Even though he was a prophet, and served the Lord faithfully, heard from God, had ministered to people and prophesied to people yet he died a debtor.
This was a prophet. The fact that somebody is born again, filled with the Holy Ghost and tongue talker does not eliminate issues, that is why every believer must avail himself of knowledge, financial management. My people perish for lack of knowledge Hos 4: 6
Not only that the creditors had come to take the two boys he left for bondmen to work out the debt their dad was owing.
By the enactment of the law, Ex 21: 7, a creditor was entitled to claim the person and children of the insolvent debtor, and compel them to serve him as bondmen till the year of jubilee should set them free
This was too much for the poor woman and she ran to the senior prophet Elisha.
Who do you run to in times of trouble? Some people prefer to take their troubles to friends, neighbours, family and colleagues. But this is what Hebrew says:
Heb 4:16 KJV Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
This year help shall locate you in Jesus name.
Every yoke of debt, lack and insufficiency is broken forever in Jesus name.
Elisha asked her what she wanted to be done. Did she need money to pay the debt? Did she want Elisha to plead with the creditor to let go of the children? What can I do for you? May the woman would have answered one of the questions but Elisha went ahead and said what do you have in your house?
Why was Elisha asking for what a poor woman had in the house? It is because
1. God uses what you have to solve problems.
2. If Elisha had paid that debt the woman would still come back for sustenance. It will be a vicious cycle for Elisha and the woman.
The woman said she didn’t have anything in the house except a jar of oil. She felt that there was nothing and that little oil amounted to nothing but that was what God was looking for.
It was the same thing at the time to feed the multitude. He asked where they could get bread. Andrew told Him about a small boy lunch pack.
Joh 6:8-9 KJV 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Please don’t look down or despise that thing. Don’t despise that small thing. It may be the means or instrument that will bring breakthrough.
Job 8:7 KJV Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
Zec 4:10 KJV For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
The little you have shall receive grace for increase and multiplication in Jesus name.
This woman is wonderful. it appeareth that she was left very poor, yet spoke very respectfully of her late husband all along. Most women don’t have respect for their husband once the money is no longer there. In fact the respect some women have is directly proportional to the financial capability of the man.
What do you have in your own house? When i say your house i mean your physical house and this one you are carrying around. Your body is your house. There is something there that can change and turn things around.
May your mind be open to receive ideas in Jesus name.
Elisha asked her to go and borrow vessels and specifically warned her to borrow plenty in fact as many as she could get.
Elisha had said borrow not a few.
Why did Elisha tell her this? Elisha knew that increase was coming. What she had was a little oil but increase was coming so he asked her prepare for it, get ready for it, borrow from your neighbour plenty vessels.
What you have may be little like this woman but get ready for an increase.
The woman believed the man of God concerning the little oil. She did not question the wisdom behind the words of Elisha.
2Chr 20:20 KJV And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
She did so and as she was pouring the oil in the vessels the oil began to flow, all the available vessels were filled up and she asked her son to bring me one more vessel, the boy said no more vessels and the oil stayed. It ceased flowing.
Who stopped the flow of the oil? Many people will say it is God. It is not true. If there were vessels and buckets available the oil would have continued to flow. The available vessels determine the quantity she could receive.
Thank God for the jars that were filled. I believed that the woman would be angry with herself and the boys when the oil stopped flowing saying why didn’t you guys borrow more. But praise God that was the last time she ever borrowed to live. Elisha asked her to pay her debt and live or do business with the remaining. After this encounter you will not borrow again in Jesus name.
Lessons from the account
1.It is our responsibility to create capacity for increase.
2. We are the one that determines how much increase we will experience in life by the preparation we make ahead of time.
2Co 9:6 KJV But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
3. We can put a limit to what the unlimited God wants to do in our lives.
Psa 78:41 KJV Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
4. We increase by our faith.
Faith is the substance of things hope for the evidence of things not seen. It didn’t say it is the evidence of things not in existence but evidence of things not seen or apparent to the physical senses.
Heb 11:1 KJv Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If you go to the bank for a loan and they ask you for a collateral, you may tell them that you have a landed property. Can you bring your land for the bank to see if it is true or not? No Sir. What the bank expects from you is evidence that you have a land that truly belongs to you. So you come with your title deed sealed. That title deed is the evidence. The Amplified Bible defines faith as a title deed. It is not the land but the proof of the land.
Heb 11: 1 AMP Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
That woman received an increase by faith. We too can receive an increase in every area of life by faith. But what must we do and how do we go about it?
Isa 54:1-3KJV 1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; 3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
This text is talking about Zion. Isaiah 53 talks about the passion of the Lord Jesus and all that He suffered for us. However, Isiah 54 talks about the benefits that come as a result of the suffering of Jesus. Now the writer was talking to Zion to get ready because more of the Gentile nations are coming into the kingdom and there will be so many that Zion will not be able to contain them.
In order word he said enlarge your coast by creating capacity for increase. Increase is coming, so make preparations now. Get ready.
This is contrary to what many people believe or how they operate in life. They want to physically see it first then they can now start making preparations. Many people are men of senses. They reason by five senses. They have been trained to operate with the five senses. But in the economy of God it is a different ball game.
2Cor 5:7 KJV (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
One of the evidence that you really trusted the LOrd and have faith in Him is when you wald the talk.
God wants you to demonstrate your faith by enlarging your coast.
How do you then receive the increase? Act your faith. Demonstrate your faith.
Jas 2:18-20 KJV 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
It could be as small as creating space in your present store or garage, renting another store, buying materials in readiness of major things like marriage or dedications, buy suit; flower, rings; etc. Going back to school to get higher degree, learning new skill, learning how to drive and develop your mind. You are made for more. You can be better than this. I can do much better than what I’m doing.
Start telling people, start making plans, talk to the surveyors, land agents, get your drawing, price the cars, start saving, get the picture of what you desire. Make preparation, tangible preparation that people can see and possibly laugh at you that you are crazy.
Why will they laugh at you? Because faith is not always sensible, it is ridiculous and abnormal and until you are ready to do things that are not normal you are not ready to walk by faith. 2Cor 5: 7 For we walk by faith and not by sight.
The increase is from God but our part is to create capacity for the increase. And the kind of capacity you have determines how much you get filled
1Co 3:6 KJV I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Where preparation meets opportunity, it is a miracle that follows.
Prayers:
Every yoke of limitation over my life is broken in Jesus name.
Every law of limits, prohibition and confinement operating in my life be annulled in Jesus name.
I receive increase, enlargement, expansion without limitations in Jesus name.