June 29,2023
The Secret to Multiplication in Your Life
By Pastor Derrick D’souza
By Pastor Derrick D’souza
“Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” (John 6:7-9)
It’s getting late and it’s a deserted place…
We don’t have money.
We don’t have any resources!
We have a multitude to feed, please send them away…
This was the disciples’ reaction to the problem of feeding a multitude which had followed Jesus.
Haven’t we all been in such a situation where what we have is not enough to get through in life? We worry, get anxious, fearful and doubtful, saying we don’t have enough to meet our needs.
Let’s understand how to deal with such a situation by looking at how Jesus dealt with this situation. Here are five steps you need to apply to your life to see the hand of God move supernaturally and multiply what you have:
1. Locate what you have
“But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:16)
This means according to Jesus, the disciples had within themselves something that could feed the five thousand. Child of God, you also have something within you that can be multiplied, but you have to locate it.
Stop blaming others for your situation. You still have something that God can use to raise you and feed others.
Every root of offence and bitterness should be removed that has caused you to worry, grumble and complain because you could not meet your needs. God is ready to show you a way out of your problems.
2. Whatever you have, bring it to Jesus.
“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” (John 6:8-9)
Whatever lack you have today and whatever you are asking God to fill, there is within that lack a representation of what you want to multiply in your life.
If you are asking God to increase your finances, you have a smaller representation of that resource with you.
Whatever it be, search for the five loaves and two fish that you have in your hands and bring it to Jesus, no matter how small it is. Don’t say I have nothing; you have it.
The widow at Zarephath had a little flour and oil and was ready to bake a cake for her and her son and die. But God sent Prophet Elijah to ask her to give him the little that she had. And after he ate, he blessed her so that her flour and oil never ran dry in a season of famine!
3. Find rest in His presence
“Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.”(John 6:10)
‘Sitting down’ relates to calming yourself or relaxing in His presence even though you are going through a storm or a situation that you cannot fix.
The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious about NOTHING but in EVERYTHING by PRAYER and SUPPLICATION with THANKSGIVING let your REQUESTs be made known to GOD; and the PEACE of God that SURPASSES all understanding will GUARD your HEARTS and MINDS THROUGH Christ Jesus.”
One way of knowing if you have laid your request accurately to God (as per the above scripture) is when you no longer have anxious thoughts to control the situation that you have given God to fix.
Don’t give in to the devil and his thoughts of discouragement, fear and unbelief. There is a peace that surpasses all of the above when you come to the feet of Jesus and truly cast your cares on Him.
4. Thanksgiving
“And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.” (John 6:11)
Giving thanks to God for the little that you have in your hand is one of the important keys to a supernatural miracle of multiplication.
The disciples in John 6:9 told Jesus, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
Meaning, “How are we going to DIVIDE this among so many?”
But Jesus was getting ready to show them that the God we serve is the God of multiplication and not division!
The key to multiplication in your life is through THANKSGIVING.
Can you thank God and forget not all His benefits in your life? Can you thank Him for the seed that you have now? I assure you that you will see it grow into a mighty tree.
God does not have a problem with you asking Him for nations. But remember to thank Him for the people you have now! Lest you become anxious for things you need and ungrateful for the things He has given you.
In Acts 16:26, we see how Paul and Silas thanked God in chains in the inner prison, and the whole jail shook under God’s power. Not only were their chains loosened, the Bible says, everyone else’s chains were loosed and freed.
Thanksgiving and praise not only save you, but even those close to you will receive the blessing of a person who lives in THANKSGIVING and PRAISE.
Not only did Jesus’s disciples eat, but even the five thousand with them were fed till they had leftovers to collect.
5. Be a disciple
“Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.”(Luke 9:16)
The multiplying of bread will always be given into the hands of disciples and not followers.
A ‘disciple’ is one who has given up his way of life and has decided to follow and implement the way of life of the One he has decided to follow. He may look very different at the start, but at some point, he and his Master need to start looking and reflecting the same character and life. Look carefully at yourself and see if you resemble the one you follow.
Dear reader, this word is an opportunity to course-correct your life if you are still deciding which way to choose. Choose life; choose the blessing! Be the one to whom bread is handed and in whose hands the multiplication happens.
Choose life; choose the blessing!