MARCH 12, 2024
And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let [b]a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
- 2Kings 2: 9-10
Our God is a God of increase and multiplication. He is known to start with little and raise a multitude. In Deuteronomy 1:10-11, we see Moses speak to the people telling them how numerous they had become - like the stars in the sky. In today’s devotion we explore how God can multiply and increase us, why we should desire increase and the actions we can take to see the increase come to pass.
In Job 1:2-3, we see Job, a believer who was the ‘greatest of all the men in the east’. He owned animals by the thousands, had ten children and many servants. Given the description of who Job was and his possessions, the human mind cannot comprehend being greater than this. The challenge we have as Christians is we settle too easily. A little job opportunity that provides the barest minimum excites us and immediately, we forget the mighty One we worship. By Job 42:12, we see God double all of Job’s possessions that he had lost. All of this to show that we serve the Double Breasted one. No matter the position we find ourselves in, we should not settle. No matter your need, God will provide according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19), we only need the grace to receive.
Now, why should we desire increase? Firstly, as we begin to increase, the enemy is in dread, he is terrorized. The Bible says in Exodus 1:12, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.” Affliction is not an excuse not to grow. In fact, affliction should be a reason for growth. Once you begin to grow, multiply, progress, you confuse the enemy.
To become a thousand times greater, there must be a willingness to act – action activates increase and multiplication.
Another truth of increase is that it gives us a voice of influence in the most unlikely places. It gives us room to grow, and God will provide influence. Look at Joseph, he became a man of influence in Egypt because he grew in dream interpretation and management while in prison.
Thirdly, we should desire increase and multiplication because it releases a yoke breaking anointing. In Isaiah 10:27 (ASV), it says “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of fatness.”
There is a level of growth we will attain that the enemy cannot contain us. In 1Kings 17:50, David had grown so much in the skill of warfare and sling shot. He had grown in his relationship with God and his spirituality that he knew he could defeat Goliath. A time comes when you outgrow the problem because you are anointed to break the yoke of the enemy.
To become a thousand times greater, there must be a willingness to act – action activates increase and multiplication. These three main actions need to be present for multiplication and increase to occur: Audacity is the first act that can trigger increase. In 2Kings 2:9-10, Elisha asked Elijah to bless him with a ‘double portion of his spirit’. The audacity to even ask! Even though what Elisha asked was hard, he received because he was bold enough to ask. Believers must carry that same kind of boldness to ask, how are we to overtake our forefathers without the same boldness and audacity? We cannot come before the Father cowardly.
Capacity is the second act to trigger increase, which is - having competence to handle growth. Elijah knew the request was tough. He must have evaluated how spiritually sound Elisha was before granting the request. There had to be proof that Elisha had developed as a prophet and could handle his request. Our obligation then becomes to develop the skill sets that God has given us. It will cost us but it's worth it in the end.
Tenacity is the ability to stay put until you see the desired result – this is the third act of triggering increase. This is waiting on God until your desired result manifests, the wait reveals your true intentions. God reveals our innermost thoughts in the place of staying put. Strategies may change, but quitting is not an option.
May we receive the grace to be a thousand times greater in Jesus’ name, Amen
Song of Worship
I have a very big God– 1x.
Who is always by my side – 1x.
A very big God - 1x
By my side- 2x
Prayer - Dear Lord, give us the grace to want more for ourselves. May the boldness, competence and tenacity to increase a thousand times greater than our fathers be released upon us in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Bible in 1 year: Deuteronomy 19-21