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
