THE INCREASE

How many of you are waiting for God to blow on you and to have something move along that has been spoken over you or that you have put in place in obedience to Him.

It may be that you have finished some education and you are ready to move into that great next phase of your career or promotion. It maybe you shifted to a new area in obedience to a word you have heard and you are waiting for the blessing.  You might have started that new business and you are waiting for it to grow. Now these and other actions may be over a one month, one year or ten year period but you are just not seeing the breakthrough.  You have done the work; you have been obedient but it is just not happening.

I have been in this place a number of times and I am now seeing momentum but not quite like I was expecting.  Over the last few weeks, the Lord has been reminding me of some things that I know but I forget in the day to day life I live.

He gave me one set of verses that I have read 100 times but this time I really sat in these verses for a period of time.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Very simple Paul planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase. 

I sat there and thought have I planted? Have I watered?

Yes! Then God will give the increase and His word is His word so I can expect that.

I thought further. 

Have I planted, have I watered in Gods plan for me and His kingdom?

Yes! Then God will give the increase and His word is His word so I can expect that.

I thought further.

Have I done all that I can with the planting and the watering?

Yes! Then God will give the increase and His word is His word so I can expect that?

I really realised in my heart that God will bring the increase not me. As I have mentioned many times in previous teachings, I have my role to do. I can’t expect the increase if I haven’t done anything.

In fact, the word goes on to say in the next two verses

1 Corinthians 3:8-9

Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labour.

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.

The increase will depend on whether I do some labour, some planting and watering.

I love the verse James 2:22

Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

In our house everyone knows this verse because I quote it so much.

The works – watering and planting. Faith grows through us doing something – works. Increase comes when we have planted and watered.

God build the house

Psalm 127:1

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labour in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.

This verse may seem contradictory to the earlier verses but it talks about us having to labour (plant and water) and it will be in vain if we do that in our own will, our own strength.  If we plant and water in obedience, for His kingdom and not in ourselves then He will build the house and it will stand. He will build (increase).

How many times have we tried to build the house ourselves? We may have planted and watered in obedience and then we pushed on to build the house in our own strength with our own agendas.  Sorry that house will fall and I can show you many ruins in my life from that type of increase.

He is telling me to let Him do the increase.

Many times over the last five to seven years I have been pushing into a word He has given me over my life. I have planted and watered but nothing has happened. God has asked me on many occasions”

“Have you done all you can?”

I have answered yes.

Then He has said “Then you will wait on me now to blow on it”

If we have planted and watered then we are in God’s hands. He gives the increase.

Another area that He highlighted for me through this verse was the importance of the body and the body working together. Paul planted and Apollos watered.

I wonder how many times I have planted and I have watered when in fact God wanted me to plant and He had someone else in the body He wanted to water before He would give the increase. Or how many time has someone planted something I was supposed to water before He would give the increase.

This is a perspective I will now carry with me in the way I look at things. I don’t have to do the full job all the time and in fact I maybe holding back the increase when I do this. God has us as one body for a purpose.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Our working as a body will bring increase. This verse is an example of Him bringing the increase when we obey His word.

I may have planted and it has been watered and He has given an increase but sometimes that increase is just to test how we will handle it. In fact God is working as a team with us and He wants us to go another step. The parable of the talents in practise.

Philippians 3:12

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

God has the increase for us already (it is done) but I push on planting and watering so that the increase can be released.

How often have I received some increase and then stopped when in fact He was testing me wanting me to go further. This requires closeness to Him, discernment to know His will in each case. He may have given me the increase and then I am to pass what I am doing on to someone else. In this case He maybe testing my heart as to whether it is for Him or me. He may have given me an increase to see how I would react and to know if I am ready for more.

Whether for these reasons or others the important point is that he gives the increase. He is God and He does what He does. God however gives us His word for direction and wisdom in these areas and He shows us who He is and How He moves.

Over the last few weeks in my quiet time in the morning I have been seeing a vision of myself come up to a golf ball on the green and putting it into the hole.

This is sign of completion a sign of the planting and watering being completed. So, I can expect the increase in His will and His time.

This morning I saw the same vision but this time I was ready to sink the putt but someone else came up and sunk the ball.

God was showing me to be prepared where I have planted in obedience to Him that others will come up and water it and sink the putt. He was asking me whether I was willing to let that happen.

If I believe that God builds the house, He gives the increase then I have to be prepared for anyone to water what I plant. If not, then what Kingdom increase am I holding back.

So, the answer is I will plant and water in whatever way and combination the Lord wants as it His increase I am looking for.