INCREASE

May the LORD give you INCREASE more and more, You and your children – Psalm 115:14

There is a Blessing of INCREASE; the LORD is the Giver of it! Our God in heaven “does whatever He pleases” (v.3). In contrast, the idols of the heathen are lifeless “works of men’s hands” (v.4). They cannot speak, see, hear, smell, handle, walk, or mutter. They cannot bring increase of any kind (vv.5-8). But the LORD can be trusted as our Help and our Shield (vv.9-11). He is enthusiastic to bless us (vv.12-13). This is the basis for the prayer: “May the LORD give you Increase more and more, You and your children” (v.14). The prayer continues in verses 15-16: “May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.”

The Psalmist was absolutely certain of God’s ability to give Increase on a progressing manner. What do these teach us?

• Increase is of the Lord. God is the Ultimate Source and Giver of Irreversible Increase!
• Divine Increase is progressive – “more and more”: “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Pro.4:18). You can increase from your “Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The entire earth is our field to occupy for the Lord!
• Divine Increase is transgenerational – “You and your children”! You can enjoy Increase in perpetuity!  

David knew what Increase means: “Those that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Ps.92:13). Where nothing was planted, Increase is an illusion. The Lord Jesus also spoke of Increase as the Believer’s portion: “I am the vine, you are the branches: He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (Jh.15:5). Paul then declared: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1Cor.3:6). God is the Giver of Positive Increase! Indeed the greatest kind of Increase relates to Christlikeness – thinking, behaving, and becoming more like Christ. Now I understand when John the Baptist said: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jh.3:30).

Here are few truths about Increase: first, the Blessing births Increase: And God BLESSED them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth (Gen. 1:22)…Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it: have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen. 1:28)….And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. In all instances, the Blessing preceded fruitfulness and increase!

Increase always begins with Seeds. Increase answers to how you value and handle Seeds. The master key to releasing Increase is the Seed. Where there is no seed, there can be no harvest. Your seed is precious and critical. Your future and greatness are in your seed. Never waste a seed. Plant it carefully on fertile ground. Water it with prayer and faith until the harvest comes: “For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give her INCREASE, and the heavens shall give their dew…” (Zech.8:12). “You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side” (Ps.71:21). What is true for the Seed of Greatness is true for any other seed: the Word, Righteousness, Integrity, Service, and Money.

Increase answers to Inquiry and Intercession: “Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock” (Eze. 36:37). God is more eager to increase you than you are to be increased!  It’s time to inquire from the Lord the Plan of Increase He has for you. May this be your Season of Increase!