INCREASE

INCREASE IN UNEXPECTED WAYS :

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. - 2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV

When the Israelites were in the desert, God fed them with manna from heaven. It was miraculous provision; yet, they got tired of eating the same thing every day. They said, “Moses, we want some meat to eat out here.”
Moses thought, “That’s impossible. Meat out here in the desert?” That’s steak for some two million people. There were no grocery stores, no place to buy food. But God has ways to increase you that you’ve never thought of.

God simply shifted the direction of the wind and caused a huge flock of quail to come into the camp. The people didn’t even have to go after it. The food came to them. What’s interesting is that quail don’t normally travel that far away from the water. If there had not been a strong wind, the quail would have never made it way out there in the desert. What am I saying? God knows how to get your provision to you.

What do you need today? What are the desires of your heart? God’s grace is sufficient. He is able to make all grace abound so that in all times, you have everything you need. Trust Him to bring increase in unexpected ways!

FROM BELIEVING TO PERCEIVING :

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. – Romans 8:37

The Bible calls us kings and priests (Rev. 1:6) and world overcomers (1 John 5:4). For many of us, those phrases are still becoming real. We're still learning who we really are.

If you'll look in 1 Chronicles, chapter 14, you'll see that David had a similar problem. He'd been anointed king by the prophet Samuel when he was just a teenager. He'd known for years that someday he'd rule over Israel. Yet somehow, it hadn't really sunk in.

But look what happens in verse 2: "And David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel." Finally, it dawned on him! David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king. I can just imagine David saying to himself, "I'm king. I'm actually king! I AM KING!" At that moment, being king ceased to be something David had only thought about. It became something he really was. He could see himself king.

What does that have to do with you and me? Much like David, you and I have been given a royal office. But it's not until we believe it that we can exercise the power or authority that goes with that office.

If you're sick, you can yell, "By His stripes I'm healed," 50 times a day. You can hope for healing. You can try to believe for healing till your hair turns gray. But if you don't really perceive yourself as whole and healthy in Christ Jesus, if you don't see yourself as "the healed" instead of "the sick," you won't get any supernatural help. Yet once that realization hits you that you are, in fact, "the healed," no one--not even the devil himself--will be able to keep you from getting well.

Step over the line from trying to believe to actually knowing by dwelling on the Word of God. Read it and think about it. Practice seeing yourself through the eyes of the Word until the reality of your royalty in Christ rises up in you!

THE LINK TO LIFE

According to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. —Titus 3:5

By the time he was 16, Morris Frank (1908–1980) had lost his sight in both eyes. Several years later, he traveled to Switzerland where he met Buddy, the canine who would help to inspire Frank’s involvement with the Seeing Eye guide-dog school.

With Buddy leading the way, Frank learned to navigate busy sidewalks and intersections. Describing the freedom his guide provided, Frank said, “It was glorious: just [Buddy] and a leather strap, linking me to life.” Buddy gave Morris Frank a new kind of access to the world around him.

God’s Holy Spirit gives us access to abundant spiritual life in Christ. When we accept Christ as Lord, God washes our sins away and renews us “by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6 NIV). Once we know Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us experience God’s love (Rom. 5:5), understand God’s Word (John 14:26), pray (Rom. 8:26), and abound in hope (Rom. 15:13).

Today, as you think about your relationship with God, remember that the Spirit is your guide to life in Christ (Rom. 8:14).

Holy Spirit, Light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine.
Chase the shades of night away;
Turn my darkness into day.

The Holy Spirit guides us into knowledge and spiritual growth.

YOUR SINS ARE NOT BEING RECORDED :

HEBREWS 8:12 - For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

I once read a comic book which showed how a man lusted after a woman, then died of a heart attack and went to heaven. In heaven, he saw a big screen showing everyone present a recording of all the sins which he had committed while on earth, including the last one. How embarrassing!

Don’t worry, that is not going to happen to you in heaven. There is no big screen with front-row and circle seats for everyone to sit and watch your past sins. There is no video recorder in heaven recording your sins right now. Because your lifetime of sins has already been punished in the body of Jesus, God declares to you, “Your sins and lawless deeds, I will by no means ever remember!”

This is true even for the Old Testament heroes of faith such as Abraham, Moses and David. If you read Hebrews 11, which was written after the cross of Jesus, you will notice that there is no record of their sins or failures. Yet, their life stories tell us that they were far from perfect.

Abraham lied twice about his wife Sarah. He told Pharaoh, and later, King Abimelech, that she was his sister to protect his own life. Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, and hid the body in the sand. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and later arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. Yet, their sins were not recorded in Hebrews 11, only their deeds done in faith!

God is showing you that He does not record your sins or failures today. Instead, He records your faith confessions and deeds done in response to what His Son has done for you. Every time you sin, every time you waver in your faith, God does not record it. But every time you believe Him and respond in faith, He records it! That should not make you want to sin more. It should free you to love God more!

So don’t be conscious of your failures. If God Himself does not remember them, who are you to remember them? Be conscious instead of your righteousness in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and you will reign in life! (Romans 5:17)

GOD'S KIND OF LOVE :
Matthew 8:9-10, "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

There were only two things in all of scripture that caused Jesus to marvel. They were (1) the Centurion's faith and (2) the Jews' unbelief (Mk. 6:6). A faith that made Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, marvel is worth examining. This centurion believed that the spoken word of Jesus was sufficient to produce his miracle. He didn't need Jesus to come to his house. He had faith in Jesus' word. Therefore, we can see that the person who simply believes the written Word of God is operating in a much higher form of faith than those who require additional proof. Compare this centurion's faith with the "little" faith of Thomas in John 20:24-29!

Thomas refused to believe what He couldn't see or feel. Our five senses were given to us by God and are necessary to help us function in this life. But if we do not renew our minds to acknowledge the limits of the five senses, they will keep us from believing. Faith can perceive things that the senses cannot (Heb. 11:1).

The type of faith that Thomas operated in was a human or natural faith that was based on what he could see. Jesus said there was a greater blessing to be obtained. That greater blessing comes from using a supernatural, God-kind of faith that is based only on God's Word.

Jesus and God's Word are one (Jn 1:1, 14). Believing God's Word is not just putting your trust in some printed words on the pages of a book we call the Bible. There is much more involved. It is a relationship with a person, the person behind the words. Get to know Him through His Word.

GOD IS WORKING IT OUT FOR YOU :

'...God...calls those things which do not exist as though they did.' Romans 4:17 NKJV

You must believe what God says about you, over what everyone else says! Stop listening to those who claim you'll never amount to anything. You might've had a bad childhood, or a failed marriage or career. '...Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before [you].' (Philippians 3:13 KJV) The Bible doesn't say that we call those things which are not as though they are. Nor does it say others have the power to speak things which are not as though they are over your life. No, it is God, through His Word, Who speaks into existence His will for your life. And you should be glad about that. You wouldn't want anybody else to have power to determine your destiny.

Our responsibility is to line up our will with God's will. When we do, He empowers us to accomplish what normally would be humanly impossible. The Bible says, '...The just shall live by faith.' (Romans 1:17 KJV) Your faith is more important than your performance. Yes, when God decrees something, we get to participate in it. But in every case, it's God who performs it. The thing you're worried about performing, God says will be done through His power. Will you experience delays and disappointments? Yes, but ultimately you won't be denied, for God has decreed it.

You say, 'But what about all my unanswered questions or all the loose ends that need to be tied up?' It's 'a done deal' as far as God's concerned. 'All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.' (Romans 8:28 NKJV) Relax; God is working it out for you.