This is Your Year of Increase

 

 

Do you know people who are stuck in a rut; it is a season in your life where you almost don’t expect anything to happen; you don’t grow and there is nothing in you that wants to move forward. Negative thoughts keep bombarding you and you think you have reached your limit and that you will never accomplish the dreams that are on the inside of you.

Those are lies from the devil and you know it. God is a God of increase; he desires for you to increase in every area of your life. He never wants us to go backward; only forward. He wants us to grow and go from faith to faith and from Glory to Glory.

Of course there always will be seasons when we don’t see a lot of growth, seasons where we have to dig our heels in and fight for what we believe God has put on the inside of us.

God’s plan for us is increase. Has your heart been calling for increase? I hope so, because that is what I believe for you. I believe I am writing to the right people. I believe that every spiritually healthy believer is hungry for increase these days.

People who are on fire desire to increase spiritually to rise up to higher places and shine for God wherever they are. They want to increase to live effectively and bear more fruit for the Lord and His Kingdom. Increase in overcoming things in their own life and gain the victory not just spiritually but physically, financially, and in every other area of their lives.

That is a good thing, but it is meant to be so, it is a God thing. He has put those desires on the inside of you; it is His will for you to increase on every side! When we increase, God gets more glory and His Kingdom advances.

Not to us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy and loving-kindness and for the sake… The Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. Psalm 115:1,14

Increase is part of our destiny. It is God’s plan for us. Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t open more doors of increase for you? We all know how frustrating this can be and kept wondering why God doesn’t open more doors of increase for us.

I remember at times that my husband and I stepped through what seemed to be an open door of opportunity with our hopes high up but then our hopes got smashed on the ground. We could see the potential for increase right in front of us, things just didn’t work out. But that is no reason to give up oon our God-given dreams of increase.

On the contrary, it’s reason to press into them with even greater fervency with prayer. We need to persist and keep working with God; we need to continue to pray without giving up and the increase that is promised us will eventually come. We have God’s Word on it!

Prayer always goes before any work of God and prepares the way. When prayer goes before us, our labors begin to prosper. That’s if we want to increase, we must always make prayer a priority in our lives. Prayer prepares the way of the Lord!

Our prayers licence the Holy Spirit to go ahead of us and get our paths ready to walk on. They fill in the pitfalls the devil has dug for us and bring down the mountainous obstacles he has piled before us on our way to increase.
I remember the time when my husband and I were ready to move back to The Netherlands to build a bible school. We were sent out by Ps. Billy Joe Daugherty. We were so excited to go and of course there was this anxiousness in us if everything would come together for us.

The first weekend in Amsterdam we felt led to go to a church we had never heard about; I sat beside somebody and started talking about why we were in Amsterdam. Long story short; this man was a graphic designer and offered us to the entire website and all our graphics that we needed to be done, our brochures and catalogue for the bible school all for FREE.

Then the pastor offered us his offices to us to have the bible school in for FREE for the 1st year. Then another friend of us offered us to have all the copy word that we needed done for FREE actually for the entire 5 years we were in The Netherlands. Then we had a place to live for FREE; we lived there for almost 3 years and after that we lived in a very cheap accommodation until he left the country again. On and on, everything was provided. We believed for 50 students to come in the 1st year; they did supernaturally.

This all was because prayer had provided the way. When prayer has done its work, the plan of God unfolds right in front of us and the glory of the Lord is revealed for everybody to see.

Paul is a great example for us in, maybe I will touch on that another time. But he didn’t make it a secret that he prayed a lot and spoke with tongues more than everybody. 1 Cor.14:18

So, let’s follow Paul’s example. Let’s send our prayer out ahead of us. Let’s wait for God’s plans to unfold in every sphere of life. It is a way that God almost always works. As much as we want Him to, He doesn’t rid us of our problems at once. He doesn’t take us from rags to riches or from utter failure to 100% success overnight.

He usually does for us what He did for the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land. He drives out the giants little by little before us so that we can increase little by little and inherit the land. 

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Your Destiny is Calling You

by Olga Hermans

 

Life is beautiful isn’t it? Do you really realize that life is given to us the moment we were born? I remember the times that I lived life just as it came to me; one day at a time. I dreamed of big things, I desired to create awesome things and they were all so real to me. This of course was when I was this little girl without any idea what the future would hold for me. I only knew life as it was and the way I dreamed about it.
But then things started to happen, not all for the good. So, I had to grow up and become mature; grasping life as it was at that particular moment. My parents died when I was way too young, my two sisters got very ill and there I was, standing in the middle of my life and not knowing where to go or what to do.

I married the love of my life and we received two beautiful children; our family is quite close, we all have a heart for God and want to serve Him with passion and a purpose. What about you? Isn’t that what you want? Of course it is.

Your destiny is calling for you; are you able to hear it? Some people have drawn back from what they thought God was calling them to do, because at some time in their lives, they responded to it and things didn’t work out as they hoped. They jumped out to what they thought the Lord was drawing them to do and they ran straight into a wall.

If that’s ever happened to you, don’t worry about it. You’re in good company. Some of the greatest faith heroes of the Bible didn’t respond to God’s call exactly like He wanted them to at first.

You remember Moses? He was called to be a prophet and to serve as a deliverer for Israel. He sensed that call in his heart and wanted to get after it with everything in him and ended up murdering an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. That was of course not something that God had in mind. Moses had to be straightened out in the back of the wilderness; God helped him and everything worked out like God had it and Moses fulfilled his destiny after all.

Moses wasn’t the only one; look at Samuel. He had problems hearing the voice of the Lord; he thought he was hearing the voice of his mentor, Eli. God didn’t give up on him until he matured so fully in God that everything he said came to pass.

That is very encouraging isn’t it? It’s wonderful to know that no matter how many mistakes we make, if we will keep on responding to the leading and guidance of the Lord; He will keep working with us. God will stick with us until we get it right.

We can learn something from these two people. When you sense a direction, you have to find out from God the exact details. Don’t just go ahead and do something on your own (like Moses did) and don’t run to friends (like Samuel did) or read another book. No, draw closer to the Lord. Get His wisdom by fellowshipping with Him.

It is when we really take time to fellowship with Him that we receive the understanding of what He wants us to do. Of course, we need to be encouraged by others, but we can only get a clear picture of our destiny by coming personally into the presence of the Lord again, and again, and again.

I read somewhere that the Lord works with us almost like an artist who is painting a picture. He begins by sketching a few broad strokes on the canvas of our hearts. Initially, we might not even know what those strokes mean. But every time we get back to Him, He adds a little bit more definition.

He takes His Holy Ghost paintbrush and adds a few more details until, eventually; He has painted within us the most beautiful picture we have ever seen.

But here is what most people do; they give God a few scattered moments here and there and expect God to reveal their destiny to them. You don’t have to give Him great, massive quantities of time, but we need to give Him periods of undivided attention. Times when we focus exclusively on Him.

I have heard so many people say, “I guess if God wants me to do anything major for Him, He’ll tell me. After all, He knows where to find me.” Yeah, He knows where to find you alright: at the movies, at the football game, in front of the television or in the mall. But it is not His job to run after us and apprehend us in those places. On the contrary, it is our job to run after Him.

Will you do that? Will you take time that you are only focused on Him, will you set time apart to hear and recognize His voice? Instead of hoping and guessing that He will come running after us and saying things like: “God will get me where I need to go.” You press in to lay hold on what you know you need to do.

You press toward the goal to which God has been calling you already from the foundation of this earth. Will you do it? Of course you will let God unfold that beautiful picture of your destiny on the inside of you. There is only one way you can do that and that is to run fully after God!

 

 

 

What Does the Holy Spirit Want to Show You
About Your Future?

 

by Olga Hermans

For several years I worked in the office of our bible school. One day, the office was full of people coming and going. There was an air of excitement, and everyone was chatting and laughing. Suddenly, a man in the middle of a walkie-talkie conversation came into the office. Even in the midst of the ongoing commotion of the office and static of the walkie-talkie, I recognized my husband’s voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie. I know my husband and I know his voice. That’s exactly how Christians should be attuned to hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and receiving His ongoing guidance and direction.

Our future doesn’t need to be a mystery to us, if we remain connected to the Holy Spirit. He knows everything that is ahead of us. Jesus promised that the Spirit of the Truth, our Friend, would come and take us by the hand and guide us into all truth, telling us only what he has heard from God. He will order our steps, preparing us for what is to come.

How long has it been since you made the effort to sit down and be quiet, focusing all your thoughts toward the Father? It requires discipline to direct your thoughts toward God and ignore the random things that pop into your mind. You can be listening to God with one ear, as your mind makes a grocery list!

If we really want to hear from God, we need to focus on God, and only God, with everything that is within us. This will open our spiritual ears to hear what God has to say about our futures.

We know that God has a plan for us, a plan that is for our good. We also know that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13). God knows that we need help to discern His plan for us, so He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell inside every Christian. The Holy Spirit is our Guide, our Teacher of Truth, our Counselor, and our Helper. He is also our Comforter.

God is not a respecter of persons, and He promises that we all are able to hear from God and experience the help of the Holy Spirit. He is always speaking to us, but we strain to recognize His voice because we are not familiar with it. We learn to recognize His voice in those moments that we are quiet before Him, patiently waiting.

Do you want guidance? Then be sensitive to the things that the Holy Spirit wants to show you, and then do as He says. As you learn to recognize God’s voice, you will know what to do. You will begin to act in faith as you experience the Spirit’s tug at your heart, or get an “inkling” or “knowing” about something to come.

I regularly watch the 700 Club. One of my favourite segments of the show is the testimonies of people who were Spirit-led to do something outside of their normal routines. For example, the person who is inexplicably compelled to drive a different route to work, only to discover that he missed a 10-car pile-up. Or the World Trade Center worker who sensed an inner witness to report to work late on 9/11. The Holy Spirit was protecting these people, guiding them away from danger.

The Holy Spirit has also given people hunches about making investments, and they have been supernaturally financially blessed by following through on His leading. It’s amazing to think of all the ways God wants to prepare us for our futures. But we must trust Him, step-by-step, to cover the big picture.

One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to guide and lead us into God’s will for each of our lives. I believe that we can release His plan for us by believing that He will let us know what to do in His perfect timing. We need discernment to do that, not mere head knowledge.
1Cor.2:14-16 tells us plainly that the natural man does not understand the spiritual man. Your spirit knows things that your head doesn’t know!

Because satan doesn’t want you to learn how to operate in the spiritual realm, he works hard to bring deception concerning these things. As a result, many people are actually afraid to believe that they can hear from God. They choose to remain in spiritual darkness rather than taking a chance on making a mistake.

Making mistakes is not the end of the world, but not learning from our mistakes is far more serious. We learn from life’s experiences as well as from the Word. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake. Be a person who has a pioneering spirit and is willing to learn.

God doesn’t always give the whole scoop of everything that we want to know, but He gives us enough information to make progress toward our destiny. He speaks in a still small voice. So I encourage you to seek God about your future. Focus on Him alone, listen and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

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8 Things That Deplete the Core of Your Being

by Olga Hermans

Have you been struggling at times with the feelings of frustration that come with trying to be like someone else? You struggle to find out what your gifts and talents are, but don’t seem to get your breakthrough. There are many things that keep us from being the person we really are; we have a tendency to sabotage ourselves in many areas and when we do that, we keep going around the same mountain time after time.

I know what I am talking about; I have the T-shirt so to speak. So I’d like to help you in this as much as I can. Here are eight things that when you stay away from them you will be able to discover the life you were born to live. These eight things deplete your spirit from spiritual power, which you so desperately need to get closer to being in the right place at the right time to fulfill your destiny.

1. Spiritual power on the inside of you can be lost by being too busy and not spending enough time with God.

The busier you become, the more you need spiritual refreshment and replenishing. We all know that this is true, but somehow our mind pulls us away from our spiritual need into the business of life. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and emails keep calling us that we HAVE to answer right now or else…. You know exactly what I am talking about, but the truth is that those things deplete the very core of our being that needs to be filled up daily!

2. Your spiritual power is exhausted by being involved in worldly things.

Being involved in non-spiritual affairs wears you out and makes you tired; why? Because the atmosphere in some places is not beneficial for your spiritual growth and may even be anti-spiritual. You need to be able to get your soul quiet before the Lord and be renewed in your fellowship with Him. Most people don’t like to discipline themselves to find time for God’s Word and prayer. Many times hard working people are more blessed because they know what it takes to schedule in some time for different things.

3. Lack of unity with other Christians depletes our spiritual power.

David says that unity, like the dew from heaven, brings spiritual refreshment and blessing. Psalm 133:3. Disunity does the opposite. It dries the soul, shrinks your spiritual life, and evaporates refreshment and keenness. When you are critical or have thoughts of resentment, or any unforgiveness or bitterness of heart; your spiritual power is dissipated.

4. Lack of Obedience.

This is a biggie that we all know, but when we fail to walk in God’s light we can lose power in the core of our being which is our spirit. When we fail to recognize and accept God-given opportunities we lose power. God never demands anything from us; He only shows us opportunities and it depends on how much we love Jesus and how much we desire to please Him in being obedient to Him.

5. Self-centeredness and self-indulgence.

The Lord takes pleasure in our prosperity; He wants us debt free and He wants to take of every need that we have. BUT!! If we only want to have everything for the sake of ourselves, we are in the wrong and it depletes us of power in the very core of our being. The Holy Spirit will always show us the needs of others. Being self-centered is the opposite of being Christ-centered and Kingdom-centered.

6. Pride and self-sufficiency.

Pride comes before the fall. We are absolutely nothing without God. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He will promote us to higher levels and show us things beyond our own imagination. I always liked this statement from Billy Graham: “If God should take His hand from my life, these lips will turn to lips of clay.” 2Cor.4:7 tells us that we are only earthen vessels and that all the power we have on the inside of us belongs to God anyway.

7. Too much humor can be too much!

This one might shock a little bit, but too much is just too much. Humor in itself is a gift from God to us, but if we use it inappropriately and throw it all over the place it depletes us of spiritual power. We need to use humor modestly; even too much wholesome humor can waste God’s power in the core of our being.

8. Sin ALWAYS depletes and destroys the power of the Spirit.

Thank God that we can always come to Him for repentance of sin and we will always be forgiven and cleansed. God always shows a way out and back to His favor, presence and His power. 1John 2:1-2. Remorse, regret and humbling ourselves before the Lord (James 3:7-10) can open the gate to God’s full favor and the flood tide of His power upon us again!