Impact Conference 2026 | Increase On Every Side (psalm 71:21) by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Word as a Vehicle for Increase

The word of God is like a vehicle — it never leaves you where you are. It takes you from where you are to the place of prophecy. Every time God wants to move someone, he sends his word. There is the revealed word, the spoken word, and the sent word. The dynamics of their operation differ, but Psalm 107:20 affirms that when he sends his word, it heals and delivers.

The Biblical Basis for Increase

This teaching doubles as a prophetic word. The anchor text is Psalm 71:21 — "Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side."

Two supporting scriptures establish the scope:

• Isaiah 60:22 — a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation; the Lord will hasten it in its time
• Job 8:7 — though your beginning be small, your latter end shall increase abundantly

Foundational Truths About Increase

1. God is a God of increase

   1 Corinthians 3:6 — Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Everywhere increase is seen in righteousness — increase in influence, increase in power — God is behind it. Isaiah 40:29 confirms: to them who have no might, he increaseth strength.

2. Increase is part of the divine mandate

   Genesis 1:26–28, particularly verse 28 — the mandate to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish, to subdue, to have dominion. Embedded within that mandate is increase. It is impossible to experience fruitfulness and multiplication without it.

3. The Bible is full of promises of increase

   Psalm 115:14 — "The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children." The promise is not silent: greatness shall increase, and though your beginning be small, your latter end shall increase abundantly.

4. Jesus himself increased

   Luke 2:52 — Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and with men.

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5. Jesus demonstrated increase in his earthly ministry

   Mark 8:19–20 — Two separate miracles: five loaves among 5,000 left twelve baskets; seven loaves among 4,000 left seven baskets. He also cursed a fig tree for its lack of fruitfulness — a sign of how seriously he took the expectation of increase.

6. Jesus taught on increase

   Matthew 25:14–30 — The parable of the talents. The servant who refused to generate increase from what he had was called not merely lazy, but wicked and unprofitable. The expectation of increase is not optional — it is a kingdom standard.

7. The apostles experienced increase

   Acts 2:41 — On the day of Pentecost, about 3,000 souls were added. Acts 2:47 — The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Increase was not a one-time event; it was a rhythm.

Increase Is Multi-Dimensional

There is no aspect of life that cannot experience increase. Consider the breadth of what scripture confirms can grow:

• Spiritual life — the fullness of joy is a level beyond ordinary joy (John 16:24)
• Faith — Luke 17:5: the disciples prayed, "Increase our faith"
• Greatness — Psalm 71:21: "Thou shalt increase my greatness"
• Wealth and finances — Genesis 26:13: the man waxed great and went forward and grew until he became very great
• Knowledge — Colossians 1:9–10: being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
• Grace and peace — these are a function of increase in the knowledge of God; the greater the knowledge, the greater the manifestation of grace

Defining Increase

Terminologies matter. Faith is vision-dependent — it must latch onto something with a definition. Increase means to become progressively greater in size, in number, in volume, and in intensity.

The nature of increase demands that the current state is always greater than the former state, and the future state will always be greater than the current. Consistent with Proverbs 4:18 — the path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more.

Why God Desires Increase for Believers

The answer is found in John 15:8 — "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit."

Consider a coach who trains players and watches them score flawlessly. As the players excel, the coach is validated. His worth is seen in the product of his wisdom. In the same way, when believers walk in victory and bear fruit, God is glorified on earth. Galatians 1:24 — "And they glorified God in me." Matthew 5:16 — let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father. Ephesians 2:10 — we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God foreordained.

In theology, this is called the reflection principle. John 17:1 — Jesus prayed, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that your Son may bring glory to you." God invests his glory in the Son, and as the Son excels, glory returns. When the saints excel, God is glorified.

Three reasons every believer should desire increase:

1. God is glorified through it — the dominion mandate is not a suggestion. "God blessed them and said be fruitful, multiply, subdue, have dominion." The heaven of heavens belongs to the Lord, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.
2. It is a consolation to the Christian experience — increase is not the reason to love Jesus, but it is a real consolation. When the promises of God find expression in a life, joy deepens. John 16:24 — ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.
3. It is the only way to truly fulfill Genesis 12:3 — "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Increase in knowledge, increase in anointing, increase in faith, increase in influence, increase in finances — every dimension of increase translates into greater capacity to be a blessing.

Increase Is Not a Wish — It Is a Product of Kingdom Laws

Increase is the resultant effect of engaging specific kingdom laws. It does not happen because of desire alone. Desire is important — it initiates the journey — but it is not sufficient. Job 38:33 (NLT) — "Do you know the laws of the universe and can you use them to regulate the earth?" Matthew 13:11 — "It has been given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." These are the mysteries of dominion.

The Six Principles That Govern Increase

1. Connection with God

   — John 15:1–5

   The strength of connection with God is the first secret of increase. John 15:4–5 — "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me... He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit."

   Behind every destiny that is consistently fruitful and increasing in righteousness is the strength of that person's connection with God. A television may be covered by interior design — the connection to the power source may not be visible — but it is there. No one should be deceived into thinking the television powers itself. In the same way, the fruit visible in a life reveals the depth of the hidden connection.

   Many want increase in finance, in ministry, in influence, and they route around God to find it — yet the one who gives increase is God alone. Hebrews 4:16 — come before the throne of grace to obtain help in the time of need. Help can come too late; it matters that it comes when needed.

   The hotter the passion for God, the greater the increase. Grace and peace are multiplied through the knowledge of him. The stronger the secret place, the stronger the prayer life, the deeper the consecration — fruitfulness and increase will follow. Many believers are interested in using God rather than loving him. That is why increase eludes them.

   The intangible resources — wisdom, utterance, anointing, understanding — cannot be bought on earth. There is no market for them. They must be absorbed from a realm beyond the earth, and the only conveyor of those realities is the glory of God.

2. Knowledge

   The greater the knowledge, the greater the manifestation of the glory of God, and the greater increase manifests. There are three dimensions of knowledge in the kingdom:

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   • The knowledge of God — the highest level. John 17:3 — "This is life everlasting, that they may know thee, the only true God." Jeremiah 9:23 — let him that glorieth glory in this: that he understandeth and knoweth God.
   • The knowledge of the principles of the kingdom — the laws of the universe: the law of honor, the law of relationship, the law of diligence, the law of consistency. These are higher laws that make education work.
   • Knowledge in one's field of expertise — the lowest of the three, though still necessary. Secular education alone is one out of three — and the lowest one at that.

   A person can be an exceptional professional but ignorant of the law of honor or the law of relationship. Those higher laws are what make technical knowledge produce results. Proverbs 18:1 — a man having separated himself seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom. Knowledge is not a gift — it is a reward. It must be pressed for with hunger and meekness.

3. Obedience

   — Deuteronomy 30:15–16

   "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. In that I command you to love the Lord your God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments... that thou mayest live and multiply."

   Obedience is directly connected to increase. Obedience is not merely repeating what God has said — it is keeping the conditions that guarantee his participation. Every promise of God concerning increase is connected to a condition. The doing grace must be obtained to satisfy that condition.

   Joshua 1:8 — "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein. Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and thou shalt have good success."

4. Faithfulness

   — Luke 16:10, Matthew 25:21

   Luke 16:10 — "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." Matthew 25:21 — "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; now I will make thee ruler over many things."

   Faithfulness is the quality of consistency regardless of results — whether in rain or shine, whether appreciated or not, whether seen or unseen. It starts with one thing and ends with many things. Service in the house of God, spiritual vibrancy, a commitment to prayer — faithfulness in one thing becomes the door to transgenerational influence.

   The story of Mordecai is instructive. He helped the king and no one remembered him. He stayed quietly. One night the king could not sleep, called for the chronicles, and discovered what Mordecai had done. The book of remembrance was opened on his behalf. Consistent faithfulness, even when invisible to men, positions a life for divine remembrance.

   If a person cannot manage well at one level, they cannot manage at the next. There is no shortcut from small to great that bypasses faithfulness. The all-seeing eye of God watches, and he is a rewarder.

5. Thanksgiving

   — Psalm 67:5–7

   "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase."

   When the Bible says "the earth," it is not only referring to soil — it is referring to the earthen vessel as well. There is increase locked within every life. But in the presence of complaining, nagging, and competitive jealousy, the potential for increase is stifled. Thanksgiving unlocks what is already inside.

   The practice is this: always find what God is doing and say thank you for it. Not a job yet, but gainfully employed — thank you. Not promoted yet, but alive and working — thank you. A child's report card may look like an evil report, but thanksgiving refuses to hand the adversary a foothold.

   When pain makes gratitude difficult, thanksgiving becomes an act of faith — not thanking God for what is seen, but rejoicing in the God of salvation.

6. The Knowledge That Increase Is a Harvest

   — 2 Corinthians 9:10

   "Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both ministereth bread for your food and multiply your seed sown."

   He only multiplies what is sown — not what is merely recognized. The corn that later grows in the farm was always in the house of the farmer, but it does not grow at home. Multiplication is only initiated when the seed is sown.

   Three ways to sow seeds:

   • Speaking — words are seeds. The parable of the sower is a parable of the word. When words are spoken in faith, it is like a farmer sowing in the field.
   • Doing good — Galatians 6:9: "Let us not be weary in well-doing, for we shall reap in due season if we faint not." Mercy is a seed for mercy. Honor is a seed. Kindness is a seed. Love is a seed.
   • Giving — Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6: "He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly; he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully." Giving is sowing. Receiving is harvesting. Diligence is a seed. Prayer is a seed. Spiritual vibrancy is a seed. Faithfulness is a seed. Consistency is a seed.

   Every seed yields a harvest — including negative seeds. Prayerlessness is a seed. Laxity is a seed. Laziness is a seed. Complaining is a seed. When a bumper harvest of difficulty appears, the question to ask is what was sown.

   Part of Jeremiah's mandate was to root out, to cut down, then to plant, and to build — because in the soil of a destiny, wrong trees grow from wrong seeds. Before new seeds are sown, the wrong trees must be addressed.

Prayer Points/Declarations