Increase

Why Increase?

In January we consecrated ourselves for the Lord. In February we focused on being rooted and built up in Christ. In March we turned to obedience; in April to faithfulness. This month we take up increase: expanding in influence and capacity. Consecration set us apart; establishment deepened our roots; obedience aligned our steps; faithfulness carried us forward. Now the Lord invites us to enlarge. We are not meant to stay small. We are meant to expand in influence and capacity as He leads.

In Isaiah 54:2–3“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”Isaiah 54:2–3, the Lord speaks to His people with a word of expansion: enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left. The promise is not only spiritual growth but increase in reach, in capacity, and in impact. God is calling us to prepare for more: more room for His presence, more reach for His kingdom, and more fruit for His glory.

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”

Isaiah 54:2–3 (NIV)

What Increase Means

To enlarge the place of our tent is to make room for what God wants to do. It means we do not hold back out of fear or small thinking. We stretch our faith, our vision, and our capacity. We lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes so that when the Lord brings increase, we are ready to hold it. Increase is not about striving in our own strength. It is about positioning ourselves in obedience and trust so that God can expand our influence and our capacity in His way and His time.

Expanding in influence and capacity also means that we think beyond our current boundaries. We ask the Lord to show us where He wants us to spread out: in our families, our workplaces, our community, and our witness. We strengthen what we have so that we can hold more. We do not hold back. That kind of increase is what we need for a year of fruitfulness. Fruitfulness leads to increase: more fruit, more impact, more room for God's glory. May is a month to embrace it.

Do Not Hold Back

The Lord says, “Do not hold back.” Often we limit ourselves not because God has not promised increase but because we have not enlarged our tent. We have not stretched our curtains wide. We have not lengthened our cords or strengthened our stakes. This month we are saying yes to increase. We are asking the Lord to enlarge our capacity, expand our influence, and prepare us for the spread He has in mind. We will spread out to the right and to the left as He leads.

A Word for This Month

Let May be a month of intentional increase. Enlarge the place of your tent in prayer: ask God to expand your vision and your capacity. Stretch your tent curtains wide: make room for what He wants to do in and through you. Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes: invest in what will hold the increase. Do not hold back. We are not aiming for comfort in the same small space. We are aiming for expansion in influence and capacity, so that our lives and our church can bear more fruit for His glory this year.

Enlarging our tent. Expanding in influence and capacity.