Day 9 - Maintain a High Standard of Integrity

        Good stewardship has a lot to do with integrity. Agood steward maintains a high level of integrity with that which belongs to others. For instance, I have seen believers flunk the integrity test at fast-food restaurants. The cashier gives a person back an extra ten dollars in change by mistake. But instead of returning the money, the person puts it in his pocket. Then on Sunday morning he gets up in church and testifies how the Lord blessed him with an extra ten dollars last week. But the Lord didn’t bless that person; he just failed the integrity test. People who con other people all the time violate God’s standard of integrity. For example, have you ever heard someone pray at an altar next to someone who is known to have some money? The person praying might say, “Lord, you know my heart. You know my need. You know that it must be met by next week. Lord, send somebody who is sensitive. Send somebody who knows Your voice. Send somebody who is truly led by You.” If the listener gives money to the person who prayed, the recipient of the money might claim the Lord blessed him. But the Lord didn’t bless him; that person conned that money out of the other believer. There are people in jail today for just that kind of crime!

Dr. Leroy Thompson, pastor of Word of Life Christian Center in Darrow, Louisiana, says that the person praying may as well keep his or her integrity and ask the other person, “Would you please meet my need?” or “Would you buy me a new washing machine?” etc.9

Conning is a dangerous thing to do. Ananias and Sapphira tried to con Peter and the other apostles into believing they gave more to the Lord than they did. Peter said that they were not lying to men but to the Holy Ghost. You remember what happened to them, don’t you? They didn’t live much longer (Acts 5:1-10)! You can’t con people or violate your integrity and still

expect God to anoint and bless you. You can’t cheat on your taxes or steal supplies and materials from your employer and still expect God’s best. If you can’t be faithful in that which is another man’s, then who will commit to you the true riches (Luke 16:11)?

Kenneth E. Hagin describes three reasons why people don’t prosper the way they should be: Number one, some people haven’t prospered because they are lazy…. Then number two, others haven’t prospered and won’t prosper because of extravagance…. The number three reason folks are not prospering is closely related to reason number two: poor management.10

We need to be faithful in every area of life. We should be faithful with our time and with our bodies. We should be faithful to our employer, in our relationships, and in our church. We should be faithful in our marriages, which entails not just abstinence from immorality, but constant maintenance. And we should be faithful with our money. We should refuse to allow ourselves to live loose, lax, lazy lives. If necessary, we just need to “jerk out the slack and tighten the chain,” so to speak, in the area of stewardship. The principles of stewardship are simple:

• Stay extremely faithful with what you have.

• Stay informed about the state of your finances.

• Cut out all waste.

• Maintain a high standard of integrity.

The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). In addition, Luke 16:10 states that the person who is faithful in little will be faithful in much. So pay closer attention to stewardship. As you walk down this particular avenue of increase, you will enjoy the benefits for years to come.

9Leroy Thompson, “What To Do When Your Faith Is Challenged,” CM311 Audiotape (Tulsa: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, July 29, 1994).

10Biblical Keys to Financial Prosperity, 161-167.

Day 8 - Stewardship

Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her INCREASE.— Psalm 85:12

Another extremely significant avenue of increase is the avenue of good stewardship.

Don’t Overspend

A steward is a financial manager or treasurer of a household or estate. Being a good steward of your finances means that you have more money coming in than you have going out. You make sure you spend less than the total amount of your income. If you make two hundred dollars per week, but you have more money coming in than you actually spend, then you are exercising good stewardship. If you apply this principle of stewardship to whatever income you have, you will be much better off than someone who earns sixty thousand dollars a year but overspends. Just because a person has a larger paycheck doesn’t mean he is being faithful with what he has.

It is a sad thought, but too many are unfaithful and violate good stewardship with their finances. They get impatient, charge things they can’t afford on their credit card, and then end up paying more in the long run.  But most of the time the Lord wants us to wait more and pay less. He utterly does not want us to overspend. Therefore, there are some things that need to be considered in the area of stewardship.

Important Points of Stewardship

First, we need to be faithful with what we have. Even though our possessions may not amount to much in terms of material value, we still must take care of them. For example, the U.S. Army spends extra time conducting preventative maintenance checks and services so that equipment will last longer. This means fewer dollars spent on purchasing new equipment and more money to spend on other things in the long run. The same principle holds true for our personal possessions. We need to treat our belongings with respect and not allow other people to misuse them. As we conduct proper maintenance on the material things we already have, not only will our possessions last longer, but God will be able to bless us with more.

Another aspect of stewardship is keeping well-informed on the state of our finances. For example, a cattleman should be attentive to know the condition of his flocks. A farmer should know the state of his crops. An investor needs to stay updated on the status of his stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Regarding our own personal finances, we should always be aware of how much money we have coming in and going out. We need to know how much interest we are paying on our home, car, and other loans. We should be observant enough to know at any given time the pay-off amount on any loan. In other words, we have to take responsibility and stay

informed about the state of our finances.

Next, we need to cut out all waste. Do you remember the story about Jesus feeding five thousand people? He instructed His disciples to pick up the leftovers — twelve baskets full (Luke 9:17)! Was this because Jesus had a poverty mentality? No! He was teaching us something about stewardship. He doesn’t want us to waste the provisions He has supplied to us. Many people say that the desire to cut out waste comes from a spirit of poverty. But the truth is, it’s just practical wisdom. For instance, right before the recession of the ’70s hit, one president of an extremely large ministry was led by the Lord to let many employees go. This was a wise decision based on stewardship. Because he made the wise choice to cut out any unnecessary employees, he sailed through that recession without a financial struggle.

We may not always like the solutions God gives us to help us out of financial difficulties, but the Lord will be truthful with us in order to get us back on track. For instance, Jesus was truthful with the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was demon-possessed. But even though He referred to the woman as a “dog,” using the Jewish term for Gentiles, she just humbly responded, “Truth, Lord”:

MATTHEW 15:25-28 -Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not good to take the children’s bread, and to throw it to the little dogs. 27 And she said, TRUTH, LORD: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, “O woman, great is your faith: let it be to you as you desire. And her daughter was made healed from that very hour.

If we were wise, we would respond to God’s correction, reproof, and instruction with the same humility the Syrophoenician woman did and say, “Truth, Lord.” I know of a preacher whom the Lord once told to return his car to the car dealer after he had already made several payments on it. It was one of those difficult solutions the Lord sometimes gives to help one of His children get his finances in order. You see, the minister had wanted the car so badly that he had purchased it on credit without making sure the Lord wanted him to do it.

So with great remorse, the preacher obeyed God and returned the car. He didn’t want to do it, but instead of being rebellious and hardhearted, he submitted himself to God and did it anyway. That man’s obedience put him in a position to resist the devil. And in response to his obedience, the Lord caused great financial increase to come into his life in the months and years ahead.

The Lord may say something similar to us one day: “I told you not to purchase that thing, but you disobeyed.” He may tell us to return a coveted possession or sell a cherished piece of equipment that “we just had to buy.” If He does, we should respond just as the Syrophoenician woman did: “Truth, Lord.”

If you’re struggling with a burden of debt and can’t make some of your payments on time, don’t be irresponsible. Talk over the situation with your creditors. Do whatever you can

to work with them so you don’t end up with a bad credit rating. You need to humble yourself and make any adjustments God deems necessary to get you out of your financial troubles. Be mature enough to learn from your mistakes, start over responsibly, and apply that part of stewardship people often forget about: cut out all waste.

Day 7 - Put the Lord’s Work First

Let me explain one struggle I had regarding putting God first in my finances. While I was a student at Bible College, I attended a class on the subject of “Giving and Receiving.” The teacher, Rev. Keith Moore, instructed us to read the Old Testament minor prophet Haggai five times. As I read this book, I could not grasp the importance of the theme. Approximately twenty readings later, I still didn’t understand.

I struggled with the material like a child frustrated with long division. I just could not comprehend the concepts presented in that book of the Bible. And although I acknowledged the truths mentally, I did not believe them enough to put them into action in my life. Finally, about four years later, the Lord helped me understand through some other material by Rev. Moore that the theme of the book of Haggai is “putting the Lord’s house first.” In Haggai, the Lord asks a question through the prophet: “Is it time for you to build your house and make life comfortable for yourself, but yet my house lies in waste?” (Hag. 1:4). Of course, you know the appropriate response is “No!” The book of Haggai can be summed up with one scripture: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).

The Lord wants His house to be first. His Kingdom plan should be first. He wants His ministries and ministers to come first. He wants His projects to come first, such as feeding the poor and visiting those in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. At the time I was attending that “Giving and Receiving” class and reading the book of Haggai over and over again, I wasn’t putting the Lord’s interests first. Instead of laboring to help the work of God and the business of God first, I was most interested in paying my rent, my tuition, my car and insurance payments, and all my other bills. But later I learned from Scripture that believers should put the work of God before their own rent, utilities, and bills. For example, the Bible says in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands for what is good, that he may have to give to him who has need.” Until I learned this, I thought, I have to work to pay my bills and all my other expenses. All day, every day, I had the mentality that paying off bills is the purpose of work. But I discovered by the grace of God that I had been thinking and believing wrong! We need to work and we need to pay our bills.

However, our employment is an opportunity to minister, to serve, love others, befriend others, and eventually invite them to church. Not only that but our job is one place we grow and mature in areas like character, faithfulness, and the fruit of the spirit.

Learn To Be a ‘Distribution Center’. Now I realize that I am a distribution center, working so I will have the ability to “share” or to distribute a supply to ministries and those in need. A distribution center has items coming in and going out all the time. Paul said to the Philippian church:

PHILIPPIANS 4:15 - Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church SHARED with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

One meaning of the Greek word “koy-no-nos,” translated as “share” in the New King James Version, means to distribute.6 “Share,” according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, means to share with others; distribution, partner.7 So then, one meaning of share is to participate in both giving and receiving the way a partner does in a business deal. When we participate with God by receiving His blessings and giving to others, we are communicating or distributing as partakers and partners in the work of His Kingdom. This brings more light to Hebrews 13:16: “But to do good and to share [participate, distribute] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

The bottom line is that believers should go to work in order to be distribution centers.

1 TIMOTHY 6:17,18  - Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;

18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, READY TO DISTRIBUTE, WILLING TO SHARE.

            The Lord spoke to me in my spirit once, asking me this question: “How big of a distribution center do you want to be?” I replied, “A big one, Lord!” The Lord said, “It is up to you. You can be as a small shelf or a 60,000-square-foot warehouse. It all depends on how much you are willing to distribute in order to be a blessing to others.”

So we see that the first and most important principle of increase is putting the Lord first. God wants us to prosper financially! But our prosperity depends on putting first things first.  God wants to be first in our lives. He wants to be before our children, our spouse, our car, or our house. He even wants to be before our ministry or our job.

Achan committed idolatry by putting himself first. But we can flee idolatry by honoring God with our tithe, the first and the best ten percent of all our increase. If we have integrity we have to acknowledge according to Haggai 1:5-7, Proverbs 3:9, and Matthew 6:33, blessings are added to us as we obey God by honoring Him with the first portion. When we put the Lord and His works first, when we labor for the needs of others rather than for personal gain and material possessions, we avoid putting “holes in our pockets.” That’s when God can load us daily with His benefits (Ps. 68:19)!

Now, it’s important to understand that God is not a respecter of persons; He loves all people the same. He doesn’t love any one person better than another. His statutes are for all people, everywhere. So if this avenue of putting God first leads one person to improving God’s way, it will do the same for every person who walks down its path. And that includes you!

6W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), 177.

7James H. Strong, “Greek Dictionary of the New Testament,” The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 42.

Day 6 - Put God First

One way to avoid idolatry and to put the Lord first is by honoring Him with our tithe. In fact, Deuteronomy 26:2,10 says that we are to bring the first and the best to the Lord. In the days of Moses, God’s people would present Him with produce or livestock. If a person offered a lamb with a broken leg or an ulcerated, blind eye, he was severely rebuked for putting himself before God. In light of this Old Covenant type and shadow, remember that God wants us to present Him with the first and the best of our increase so we will have no other gods before Him. So put the Lord first by honoring Him with the tithe —the first and the best ten percent. If you choose not to give God the tithe that belongs to Him, don’t think that you will be that much further ahead in your life. When you know about tithing but are hardened, it’s not good for you. Somehow, someway, the devil will steal from you through unexpected expenses, crises, etc. We may think that we cannot afford to give the tithe. But the fact is, we can’t afford not to give the tithe.

The book of Haggai tells us that if we don’t put God first — and that includes honoring the Lord with our tithes — we will have holes in your pocket!

            HAGGAI 1:5-7 - Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourself, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Living with “a bag with holes” can be a serious condition. Just when you pay off the dryer, the refrigerator goes out. When you get the refrigerator fixed, your tires blow out. Then your roof leaks. When you get your roof fixed, the children get sick, and you have to pay their medical bills. The struggle with life becomes a never-ending cycle.

Esteem Earthly Things Lightly. In order to put God first, we have to esteem earthly

things lightly. It’s an absolute qualification for increase in this life. We should put spiritual things above earthly things. God is more interested in changing me than promoting and prospering me.

In the book of Joshua, God told Joshua and the children of Israel to possess all the cities that already belonged to them (Joshua 1:3,4). However, God said that the first one, the city of Jericho, belonged to Him. They were to take all the spoil and offer it as a tithe to the Lord.

JOSHUA 6:18,19 - And you, in any wise keep yourselves from the forbidden thing, lest you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the forbidden thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

            The Israelites marched around Jericho six days. On the seventh day, they marched around seven times and shouted until the walls fell down. All the spoil was to be presented to the Lord. However, a man named Achan did not esteem earthly things lightly. He kept a part of the first portion for himself: a wedge of gold, two hundred shekels of silver, and a Babylonian garment (Joshua 7:1,21). And because this one man had partaken of the forbidden thing (that which belonged to the Lord), the children of Israel lost the next battle in Ai (Joshua 7:4,5).

When it was discovered what Achan had done, all of Israel took him, his family, and all his belongings — oxen, donkeys, sheep, and tent — to the Valley of Achor. There the Israelites stoned and then burned them all (Joshua 7:24,25). This tragedy happened because Achan coveted the Lord’s portion. He should have put the Lord first. In addition, Proverbs 3:9,10 says, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase: So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.” Put the Lord first by honoring Him with your increase, and He will increase you with the increase of God (Col. 2:19). Matthew 6:33 says that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the natural things we need shall be added unto us. That means if we put the Lord before everything and everyone in our lives, we will receive added increase. What was this author trying to say? Put the Lord before everything, including money. In fact, I want to emphasize that point by saying this: If you pursue money without God and instead of God, you have just tapped into the “root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10), and you are going to get involved in sin.

Pray this: Father, I put you first in every area of my life, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Day 5 – Principle 1: Put the Lord First

JOB 8:7 - Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end should GREATLY INCREASE.

DEUTERONOMY 6:3 - Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that you may INCREASE MIGHTILY, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey.

PSALM 115:12-16 - The Lord has been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and

great. 14 The Lord shall INCREASE YOU MORE AND MORE, you and your children. 15 May you be blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth he has given to the children of men.

But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. — Matthew 6:33

The first and most important avenue that leads to increase in life is putting the Lord first.

There is a good reason why the first of the Ten Commandments says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3). God wants to be placed first before everything else in our lives.

God wants to be more important to you than your car, your house, your spouse, and your children. In fact, if the focus and attention of your heart and mind are on other things more than they are on God, He would rather that you didn’t even have those natural things. If you haven’t noticed this characteristic about God, then you don’t know Him well enough. He wants to be first place in your life. That is just the way the Lord is.

                Beware of Idolatry. Watch out when material things begin to possess you — when you “worship” something in this natural world by giving it the majority of your time, energy, and finances. God calls that idolatry!

Even though we don’t hear many sermons on the topic of idolatry, the Bible is extremely plain about the subject. For instance, the Bible says that Christians shouldn’t associate with those who are covetous or idolaters (1 Cor. 5:10; Eph. 5:5). It also says that believers should remove covetousness, which is idolatry, out of their lives and that idolaters shall not inherit the Kingdom of God (Col. 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:9). Not only that, but idolatry is listed in Galatians 5:20 right before witchcraft as a work of the flesh. Idolatry is similar to witchcraft in that the idolater thinks certain natural objects are more important and more significant than God. The person who thinks that way has a distorted, twisted, and wicked perception of what is actually real. In other words, he or she is living a lie. Our Creator doesn’t want us to live a lie. Which is why, in First Corinthians 10:14, He commands us to “…FLEE from idolatry.”

Pray this: Father, help m to go forward with strength and honor for you. I really want to increase for your sakes, for my family and for our church.

Day 3 - Spiritual and Natural Blessings

JOB 8:7 - Though your beginning was small yet your latter end should GREATLY INCREASE.

DEUTERONOMY 6:3 - Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that you may INCREASE MIGHTILY, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey.

PSALM 115:12-16 - The Lord has been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and

great. 14 The Lord shall INCREASE YOU MORE AND MORE, you and your children. 15 May you be blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth he has given to the children of men.

Do you remember the account in Exodus 12 about the children of Israel when God delivered them from slavery and brought them out of Egypt? This natural exodus of the

Israelites was a type of Christians being delivered out of spiritual darkness and sinful life style. When a person is translated from darkness into the marvelous light of God’s Kingdom (Col. 1:13), he or she enters into spiritual abundance. But in addition to giving the children of Israel spiritual blessings, God also gave them natural blessings to establish His plan and Word. The Israelites left Egypt with money in their pockets and strength in their bodies. In fact, the Bible says that not one person among the whole group was weak or sick!

PSALM 105:37 - He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

The bottom line is this: If we keep His Word, we are putting ourselves in a position to greatly increase, to increase mightily, and to increase more and more both spiritually and

naturally for the sake of others!

Pray this: Father, help m to go forward with strength and honor for you. I really want to increase for your sakes, for my family and for our church.

Day 4 - The Foundation of Integrity

JOB 8:7 - Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end should GREATLY INCREASE.

DEUTERONOMY 6:3 - Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that you may INCREASE MIGHTILY, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey.

PSALM 115:12-16 - The Lord has been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and

great. 14 The Lord shall INCREASE YOU MORE AND MORE, you and your children. 15 May you be blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth he has given to the children of men.

We’re about to launch into a discussion of specific principles of increase God has established for us in His Word so that we can be a blessing to others. But first, it’s important to understand

that a foundation of integrity, loyalty, and love is necessary if we’re going to live a balanced perspective that includes others, and our spirit, soul, and body.

            You see, if we compromise our integrity as we try to progress forward in life, we’ll end up with the smallest portion of what life has to offer. For instance, suppose we use dishonesty, deceit, or fraud to increase our wealth. In that case, although we may acquire money, we will also find ourselves with less loved ones, fewer friends, and little peace of mind.

            This kind of prosperity is not the meaning of success. The man who earns a million dollars but destroys his health and sanity in the process is not successful. Likewise, the corporate

executive who alienates his family in his climb to the top is not a success. He can’t take his wealth with him when he dies, and he has estranged the very loved ones to whom he would leave it as an inheritance. However, when we give ourselves away, we will have so many more friends here and when we get to heaven. I think Jesus said it best when He said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone and you are gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9).”

Pray this: Father, help m to go forward with strength and honor for you. I really want to increase for your sakes, for my family and for our church.

Day 2 - God Can See His People Improving

Let’s investigate the Word of God to uncover if indeed God thinks improvement could fit in His process:

JOB 8:7 - Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end should GREATLY INCREASE.

DEUTERONOMY 6:3 - Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that you may INCREASE MIGHTILY, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey.

PSALM 115:12-16 - The Lord has been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. 14 The Lord shall INCREASE YOU MORE AND MORE, you and your children. 15 May you be blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth he has given to the children of men.

So do you believe God’s promise to increase and improve someone? Maybe He would increase one or two of His Children? Then someone should stand on these promises! Affirm them! Let’s believe them for our life! It may be hard for us to grasp the fact that the Lord is interested in causing increase to come into our life, however, the reason is so we can help others. But think about what you desire for your own children. Certainly you are not interested in seeing them work extremely hard and live broke until they die! We desire for our children to work hard and improve with better conditions. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

The Apostle Paul wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “…we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more” (1 Thess. 4:10). Paul was specifically talking about increasing in love here, but the same thing holds true in every area of our lives; God is urging us to improve more and more with momentum so that we can help others.

            Also, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John said, “Beloved, I desire above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as you soul prospers” (3 John 1:2). This verse tells us that our Heavenly Father wants us to improve in every part of our being — spirit, soul, and body in order to share with others and participate in what God is doing through others. Yes, God is interested in seeing us and our children improve in every area of life so that we can help others. That is good news!

Pray this: Father help me to increase for your glory and so I can love others more freely.

Day 1 – Increase a Brand New Thought

Introduction

“The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.” — Psalm 115:14

You have probably heard the old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well, that’s just not true. First of all, you and I are not dogs. Second, if we have stopped learning, we have stopped living. Regardless of our situation in life, we are always able to acquire new knowledge that can help us improve the quality of our lives. This devotion was written for those who have been missing much of the “good life” — the life of promises and provision God originally planned for them to enjoy. If you fit in that category, let the truths in this devotion help you receive God’s highest and best for your life — a goal you are fully capable of obtaining. However, if you already think you know everything you need to know on this subject, you may as well put this devotion down now; nothing I have to say is going to help you.

21 Days of Increase is for the developers, producers, builders, and students in life — people who want to live their lives in God to the fullest extent possible. These are the people who are aware both of the necessity and of their personal responsibility to learn and grow in every area of their lives, every day of their lives. My intention when I wrote this devotion was that you would take this message of expectation and encouragement personally and then apply it practically to your life. Each concept contained within these pages has been cautiously considered and each expression carefully evaluated to make sure it lines up precisely with God’s Word. Hopefully, you are not concerned with how fast you can read this devotion in order to get out of it and on to other things; rather, you should concern yourself with how much the devotion can get into you. In fact, reading this devotion several times will give you the additional motivation and enlightenment you need to accelerate your progress to an abundant way of life! Let’s begin.

Increase Is God’s Thinking

Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end should GREATLY INCREASE. — Job 8:7

God wants us to continually improve in every area of our lives. Improvement always has been His idea for us. And He hasn’t left us to figure out how to increase. However, He is more interested in seeing us mature in character, integrity, and the fruit of the spirit than accumulating stuff.

You see, in His infinite wisdom, God developed avenues that lead to increase in the earth. He set into motion certain paths of production for the benefit of humanity, and He is pleased when His people begin to utilize these divine principles to help others. His paths are filled with resources giving us power, strength and ability to bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfill the law of Christ (Psalm 65:11, Galatians 6:2).

God has established these principles, but we must put them into practice. He has paved the avenues that lead to increase, but we must make the decision for ourselves to walk down those pathways of His wisdom.

If you really want to know the truth about the subject of making life better for others, much of our progress depends on whether or not we walk down the avenues of increase presented in the Word. In other words, our ability to prosper others in this life depends on our willingness to operate according to the law of love.

            God uses His Word to set the standard by which we should operate: It has to be by faith or he is not pleased at all. We gain a sense of fulfilled responsibility, peace, and joy when we begin to operate in God’s love and walk in his will by faith instead of seeking methods of man.

Pray this: Father, help me to increase for you and others. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 18 - God is our Personal Present Tense Provider

And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.   .   . And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided” (Genesis 22:8, 14).

I will never forget how the Lord provided for Danille and I while I was in college. We both agreed and believed in unity that God lead me to Bible College to prepare for a life in ministry. We believed that God would take care of all of my tuition, matriculation, administration, transportation and parking fees. The school required the entire fifteen thousand dollars before the first day of class. So we borrowed the money.

We believed that we could pay the entire loan off in 9 months. We did not have cable television. We did not go to the movies one time. We did not go out to eat one time. There were many times when we could not go anywhere because we didn’t have gas even to go to a friend’s house for dinner. We did honor the Lord with the whole first ten percent of our income, but we lived very frugal along the way. In fact, the Lord provided groceries for us from the local food pantry every Friday.

Down to the wire it came. Two months before school was out, we still owed three thousand dollars. One month before school got out we owed two thousand dollars. The week before school got out we still owed two thousand dollars. We finally paid the entire two thousand dollars one day before graduation. I graduated with a bachelors of arts degree the very next day totally debt free. God is our source. He is Jehovah Jirah. He is our personal present-tense provider.

Don’t be discouraged if you face necessities, lack or shortage. Continue to pray for Jehovah Jirah to provide for you. Even if you pass the dead line, don’t give up, continue to put your hope in God and put your total trust in Him. He is our Jehovah Jirah our personal present-tense provider.

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, I thank You for paying the awesome price to redeem me. I invite You into my life to be my personal provider. You are my Jehovah Jirah! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 17 - God is Able

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Eph 3:20).

I love the story of a pastor’s little boy by the name of Paul. When he was only twelve years old the pastor took his son to Africa. The little boy promised his daddy that one day he would return to Africa to help the poor, sick people of this particular village, as a doctor. The little boy returned home and struggled and struggled through school. Paul went back to Africa in high school and then again in college. So many times he wanted to quit. He finally made it through medical school and he became a surgeon in one of the best hospitals in Arkansas for 17 years and then opened his private practice.

After Pastor John Osteen died, his son Paul shut his private practice down and moved his family to Africa. Today, he is the associate pastor to his little brother Joel at Lakewood church in Houston. He still takes trips to Africa and performs surgeries to poor, diseased villages just like the ones he visited in grade school, high school, and college. When you feel like quitting and giving up remember our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we could ever ask or think (Eph 3:20).

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, I thank You for Your great awesome ability. Sometimes I want to quit.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but I know You are able to help me make it through. Help me to be confident in Your love, grace, and ability. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 16 - God is Faithful

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thess. 5:24).

            I love the story about an American missionary to Mexico. He abandoned everything to relocate his wife and three little children to the place where he felt God calling him to minister. After a couple of years with no success they returned to the USA to raise financial support. Again the family had no success. They returned to Mexico with little to nothing.

Shortly, after the husband was killed in an accident. The wife decided to stay in Mexico and continue their dream of reaching a community for Jesus Christ. One of the young boys grew up to be an amazing communicator, singer and musician. Today this lady watches her son Marcus Witt fill soccer stadiums all over Latin America as he sings and preaches the love of Christ. When things get tuff and they will get tuff, always remember our God is faithful.

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, thank You for being faithful. Thank You for Your consistency. I worship You and I praise You for Your faithfulness. I love You for Your faithfulness, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 15 - God is The Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4, 14).

The Word is God. God is His Word. They are the same. If I wonder, “what is the mind of God?” in any situation or circumstance, all I have to do is look to the Word. God and His Word are one.

We believe in prophesy and we believe in counseling. However, the Bible says there is no greater word of prophecy or word of advice than the written Word. It’s ok to share your hurts and pains, however make sure you consult with the Word for counsel, comfort and healing. The Bible is the food we eat daily. This is the water we live by. This is the air we breathe. The Bible is the bricks we build our house on. A good dose or diet of the word is beneficial. It is inhaling God’s nature, character, and thoughts. A good meal from the Bible is refueling with His life, energy, love, peace, tranquility, and serenity.

For every situation of life, the Word is our foundation. When it comes to marriage, the Word is God’s method. When it comes to raising kids, the Word is God’s way. When it comes to stewardship, the Word is God’s plan.

The Word of God is never out of date or out of style. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one jot or title to fail. God never thinks contrary to His Word. He cannot be separated from His Word. His nature, His character, His attributes are all seen in the Word in Christ. His actions are seen in Jesus Christ’s life while on the earth.

A professional therapist is extremely beneficial and in some cases vital. He or she could be tremendously helpful and might be necessary. However, never neglect your faith and devotion. Most therapists would agree that faith and hope assist in wholeness without hindering.

What is the first thing I should do when faced with obstacles? Call all my friends, my parents, my old teachers, and all my neighbors? Should I nurse, curse and rehearse how bad things are, or should I consults the Word of God? Run to prayer and the Word. We know what to do but it is so much easier, earthly and natural to tell everyone how bad things are. God’s Word is His way and will. God’s Word is His understanding, light and path.

Let us not live by bread alone (Matthew 4:4). His words are full of grace and truth (John 1:14). His words are Spirit and they are life (John 6:63). Let us be like new born babies and desire the sincere milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2). Thank God we have His Word.

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, I receive Your word as You speaking to me. When I need to know what You think, I can turn to You and Your Word. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 13 – God is For You

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

I love the story when Elijah prays for his protégé to have his eyes opened by God. Elijah and Gahaziah were surrounded by enemy armies dressed and armed for battle. Elijah told his apprentice, “Climb up the hill and see if help is on the way.” Gahaziah came back and said, “No help coming.” Elijah told his apprentice, “Climb back up the hill and see if help is on the way.” Gahaziah came back and said, “No help coming.” This happened six times. After the sixth time Elijah prayed that God would open his eyes so that Gahaziah could see that there is more with us than there are with the enemy. God opened his spiritual eyes. On the seventh time Gahaziah came back and told Elijah that the armies of the Lord are innumerable and plentiful.

            I want us to pray that we would see that we are on the winning team. We are on the bigger team. If God is for us and on our team, we are always the majority.

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, thank You for being for me. I worship You in the reality of it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 12 – God is In You

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

In the twentieth century, T.L. Osborn was responsible for leading millions of people to Christ. T.L. Osborn said, “The greatest concept you can hold is that God is in you.”

            Smith Wigglesworth was mightily used of God. It is reported that he prayed for thirteen people to come back to life during his lifetime. Every day Wigglesworth would say, “I’m a thousand times bigger on the inside than I am on the outside.” Why? He believed that God, the greater one lived inside of him.

            John G. Lake lost four of his siblings and both parents to illnesses before he found his faith in the living God. Lake soon moved to Africa to be a missionary. Lake had over 20,000 medical records reporting that people were sick with certain diseases but the doctors gave them a clean bill of health after prayer. Every day Lake would look into the mirror while he was tying his tie. He would point to himself and say, “The power of Almighty God lives inside of that man.”

            I like what Marilynn Hickey used to say every morning on her show “Today with Marilynn,” “Today is the best day of my life because Jesus Christ lives big in me today.”

            Think about it. The greatest power in the universe lives in us. The greatest power in all of history lives in us. The same power that conquered the grave lives in us. The same great power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11). The most powerful person in all eternity lives in us (Colossians 1:27). His creativity, authenticity, originality, ideas, insights, innovations, inventions are in Him. We are in Him and He lives inside of us. We are not God but God lives in us with all his love, life, peace, healing, and victory. He is provision, protection, promotion, prominence, and prestige. He lives on the inside of us. He is omnipotent (all powerful) and He is in you. Shouldn’t this effect something? Let’s burn for God.

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, thank You for being in me. I’m a thousand times bigger on the inside than I am on the outside. Today is the best day of my life because Jesus Christ lives big in me today. The power of Almighty God lives in me. I’m changing Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Day 11 – God is on You

I want to congratulate you for making it half way through this devotional journal. Here are three things to think about:

1.      One man said to me recently, “I have never finished anything I started.”

My response, “Faithfulness is in you. We are now finishers in Christ. But our goal is a life-long relationship with Jesus Christ. We are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness with the desire to hear Him say, ‘Well done good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of the Lord.”’

2.      Someone asked, “Will this devotional journal make you a disciple?”

My response, “Discipleship is a never ending process. Even if a person goes through a full year of intense training, he or she is still not finished.”

3.      Someone asked, “How long will this take?”

My response, “I hope you understand that this is a relationship that will never be over. I hope you are not trying to check the block and finish this book so that you can move on to other things. I hope you want growth to take place in your whole heart and entire life.”

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD (Luke 4:18-19).

First, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us to preach good news to the poor. In Jesus’ day people thought that being rich was a sign of God’s favor and being poor was a sign of God’s judgment. Religious people would look down on you if you were poor. Jesus said, “Absolutely not true.” Jesus changed the climate, culture and attitude. He said, “I “love” the poor. Let me “lift” the poor. I want to “teach” the poor new ways of living. I want to “help” the poor and provide for them.”

            Second, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us to administer Healing to the broken Hearted. People are going through challenges, crises, depression, debt, and all kinds of heartache and pain. Jesus wants to use us to mend their hurts.

            Third, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us to proclaim freedom for the prisoner. Could you love prisoners or the spiritually imprisoned? Jesus says, “I accept them. I love and embrace them. Now let me change their heart.”

            Fourth, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us to give sight to the blind. In Jesus’ day, the blind were thought to be blind because of some sin they had committed (or their parents committed). The religious leaders thought the blind deserved to be blind. The religious leaders taught that they deserved good eyes because they were so holy. They also taught that blind people deserved to be blind because they were so dirty and despicable. Jesus came to heal and show mercy to people who were physically handicapped and spiritually condemned by religious leaders. Our job is to pray that the blinders are removed. When the door opens bring people to Christ.

Fifth, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us to release the oppressed. Jesus came to set wrongs right. He came to help the helpless. Give hope to the hopeless. He taught His students to come to Him when they are burdened and He would give them rest (Matt 11:28-29). He came to bring social justice, rid affirmative action, gender biases, and racial prejudices. He searched for hurts to heal and needs to fill. We are His body in the earth today.

Sixth, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us to proclaim the Year of Jubilee. In the Old Testament, Jubilee was a time when slaves were freed and all debts cleared. Jesus came to tell people that they can be free and that all debts are paid. Our obligation is to encourage people to turn to God today.

Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.

Journal one whole page. 

Pray this Prayer: Father, thank You that the Spirit of the Lord is on me. I worship You in the reality of it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!