The Secrets of Increase and Breakthrough (4)
Pastor Bankie
DIFFERENT HEARTS
In the last sermons we saw the importance of the aura radiating out of the heart and the need to accept personal spiritual responsibility for our states in life. We are still on the heart matter and today I want to explain something about the types of heart in people and the effects in different lives.
Let’s read first a part of Solomon’s story.
" "Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?"
Then God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life — but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king — wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like." " 2 Chron 1:10-12 NKJV
Of course we all know this story. The Lord told Solomon to ask for anything, and anything meant he could ask for just anything. The young king only asked for the wisdom and discernment necessary to be a good king, and kind of omitted to ask for material things. Well the request impressed the Lord and He gave to him even things he did not ask for. It’s a story we well know and I’ll get back to it in a moment but, first of all, let me explain two of the principles of life.
There is the principle of double-mindedness (Js 1:6-8), and there is another about what-God-has-joined-together (Mk 10:9). I wish to expose a little about these two.
The matter of double-mindedness has a broad range of applications, but what I want to bring out here is that many times people pray for one thing but their hearts are set in such a manner as if expecting another. For example, a man claims that he is praying to God concerning marriage and that he wants a good wife, yet he goes around saying that women cannot be trusted. That man is not walking in faith; he is a double-minded person that James says cannot receive anything from God.
Another person may be praying to God for breakthrough in business and yet is not ready to invest his saved money in anything, claiming it is for the rainy day. He is also double-minded, his prayer is mockery and he is not really expecting anything from God.
Now the other principle about what-God-has-joined-together goes beyond the matter of marriage, which is the context in which the Lord Jesus mentioned it; actually, in some respects, it is very similar to that of double mindedness.
There are things that are tied together in life and trying to separate them is "tempting the Lord thy God." To explain it simply, we say in English that you cannot separate wet from water. You cannot want wet without water, neither can you take water and not get wet.
If you are looking to God for increase and breakthrough, make sure you are not breaking these principles. I mean make sure you are not double-minded and also try and recognize what God has joined together.
Let me explain further.
Wealth from God is tied to a kind of heart; He has joined material increase in the life of the believer to the having of Solomon’s kind of heart. In the story of Solomon, though he did not ask for riches, but because he had a heart that wanted to give, a heart that was occupied with being a blessing to people, the Lord gave him the wealth without his asking. God made sure that even He did not separate what His eternal laws had joined together. That kind of heart is joined to abundance.
It is sad that many today are trying to give to God so as to get, a thing that is based on wrong application of true biblical principles (for more please refer to the sermon, “How to get value for your seed”). They forget that giving only makes sense if it is a reflection of a heart that wants to bless other people (called a cheerful giver), and it is a spiritual joke when it is from a heart that is trying to ‘invest,’ trying to manipulate God. God only multiplies the seed from the heart that is trying to bless someone.
What are you trying to do with the increase and breakthrough you are asking for?
With God motive is very crucial, very much so. One of the things you must do in rearranging your heart to come to the place where it commands blessings is to examine your motives.
There are many people who are setting up businesses without first asking how they can improve lives for their patrons. They are only interested in developing business strategies that ensure they make as much money as possible. That is not a heart that God has joined to prosperity. I noticed this issue in the mission statement of a big bank once, and I said to myself that unless they throw this thing away, they will fail. There was nothing about the customer in it. It was all about being the biggest, the greatest, the foremost and all such things.
Jesus said whosoever wants to be the greatest among you must be the most serving one (Mk 10:38).
I have heard it said that if you want to be a millionaire, think like one. The question not answered is, ‘how do millionaires think?’ It is the man who thinks like a servant that becomes a millionaire in God. If your thoughts about being a millionaire is about personal enjoyment and aggrandizement, then forget it, poverty is your covenant friend.
"A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth,
And does not know that want will come upon him." Prov 28:22 NASB
If you want increase and breakthrough, God is saying to you that “I have tied it to a Solomon-type heart; I have tied it to a giving heart.”
“Stop thinking about yourself first; start desiring to affect people.
“Let your desire for increase and breakthrough be tied to the blessing that you will be to people.
“And don’t leave the practise of generosity and being a blessing to people till when you have much; start now where you are so that you will prove to yourself that are serious.
“Stop trying to cheat your customer or just trying to make money from them; start plotting how your business can help people.”
When you obey this word from God, you are developing a king’s heart, and God will release abundance to you.
A secret of increase and breakthrough — develop a giving heart.
