Peter's Experience

Today just like every other day is a day the Lord has made and I am here to talk to you about divine increase and we’ll be using Peter as our case study. And to set the ball rolling, I want us to know that the Almighty is a God of increase and He is interested in our increment. He created us into a world of no lack; a world that has all we need and would ever need to succeed and have a fulfilled life. He is interested in our prosperity and never wants us to fail. But then, you also need to realize that you are not qualified to experience this level of success and all the good and wonderful things that He has made possible for us through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on the communion table unless you belong to His family.

The fact still remains that He loves sinners but the sin in them is what He hates and as long as we live in sin, we can't fully appropriate His blessings. So therefore, let’s make up our mind today to live aligned to His ways so that we may begin to experience divine increase like Peter did. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and he will give you everything you need. God is interested in your increase. He created human being in His own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground".

The truth is, God wants us to flourish and as long as we seek him, we’ll find him. Now let’s take a look at our case study for a minute, Peter was someone that experienced God's divine increase. He labored all through the night but couldn't catch even a single fish. He worked really hard day and night and didn't have anything to show for it but Jesus stepped into his case and his story changed. Now the question is, why did Jesus figure him out from so many? First and foremost, Peter was a chosen vessel of God. You know, it wasn't as if he was the only fisherman there but he was a vessel unto honor fit for the master's use. Apparently, he is a royal priest, a holy nation, God's very own possession. Jesus knew that he could show others the goodness of God, for he called him out of the darkness into his wonderful life and if you take time to study the scriptures well, you will realize also that he was a man of character.

You know, before God can give you anything, He has to see your character is that which glorifies His name. Basically, you must be a man of integrity to start with. In addition to that, you must be humble, diligent and trust worthy just to mention a few. If you don't have a good character, you cannot be a vessel unto honor fit for the master's use and He cannot deposit the oil of increase in your life. According to the bible, Jesus discovered that Peter had the tendency to do the work of the last hour. He had commission and the basic truth is that we all are commissioned to go out into the world to save souls; to go and turn around destinies but it's so sad because people are no longer committed to carry out the works of the creator. However, Peter’s case was different as Jesus saw commitment in his life. He knew he had worked so hard but was still so dedicated to his purpose even though he had nothing to show for it. Now the ultimate question is, how committed are you to God's work?

And moving on from that, I want us to realize whatsoever we have is what God will use to our increment. Moses had a rod and it was with this rod that the Israelite were set free. Let us also remember the poor widow whom all she had was just a pot of oil which she gave to Elijah and not knowing that little gesture of hers was going to provoke a supernatural transformation in her life. You know, she didn't know the pot of oil was going to change her destiny, thereby transporting her from a level of poverty to prosperity. Now let’s look at Peter, He only had a boat and that was what changed his story. Jesus wouldn't have been able to borrow his boat if he didn't have one, would He? Ostensibly, whatever you have is what God will use to your increment so don't under-mind whatever you have no matter how small or big it may be, it will someday come to serve its purpose. Furthermore, let us not forget that Peter was also dedicated and Jesus saw the leadership trait in him. While Jesus was in his boat teaching, Peter sat down and that only shows that he was a hearer of his words.

Truth be told, God will not deposit his anointing into you when you're too busy for Him because He knows that you wouldn't make use of it well. You have to dedicate yourself and your time to Him. Be a part of his kingdom and see how things would turn around and begin to work for your own good. I want us to realize that Peter didn't just get the miracle we all read about today. He didn't just wake up one morning to experience that life changing encounter he had with Jesus Christ. You need to realize that he had struggled and worked through the night but still couldn't catch a fish. He had someone on a sick bed at home and also had his children's school fees that were yet to be paid. In other words, he wasn't going through the best of times until Jesus stepped into the case and changed his story. Now tell me, what is that thing troubling you that seem so hard or maybe you're the hardworking type and yet you have nothing to show for it? Well, I want you to know that God is able to turn your situations around and just as Peter's story changed when Jesus stepped into his boat, the Almighty will visit you today and give you a new song. Amen

Kay Magnate