Daily Devotionals

Matthew 14 records the event of how Jesus took the seed—the young lad’s bread and fish—gave thanks for it, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples to feed thousands of people. Before Jesus did all this, however, He told the disciples, “Bring them hither to me” (verse 18).

Why do you suppose Jesus told the disciples to give Him the bread and fish? Why did Jesus want to handle that seed?

The reason was the anointing of increase. The anointing of increase is literally and figuratively in the hands of the minister, just as it was present in Jesus’ hands that day.

God’s way is for goods to come into the ministry—the minister receive it, handle it, bless it and distribute it, or sow it—then for it to go out, multiplied in greater number than when it came in.

When the boy sowed seed into Jesus’ ministry—the loaves and fish—Jesus received it, applied His Anointing of increase to it, and then sowed it into His disciples and the multitude. After everyone was full, Jesus told His disciples to “gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost” (John 6:12).

The 12 baskets full of leftovers belonged to that boy. However, those baskets were only the boy’s immediate harvest from having sown directly into Jesus’ ministry. The fulfillment of his harvest, the fulfillment of God’s obligation to him, was the fruit from seeds multiplied and sown into the lives of 20,000 people. He fed the multitudes for Jesus and had enough seed to last a lifetime. That’s twice-sown seed.

Twice-sown seed is where you and I need to learn to exercise our faith and keep our expectancy. We need to expect His Anointing in every situation. We have moved into an era of exceeding, abundantly beyond what we could ask or think, a time when God now has the opportunity for His people to have more than enough to do all that He wants us to do, instead of the devil stealing everything as fast as it grows in the field.

Think of all the missionaries who have gone to China, Africa, South America and all those places. They preached, shed their tears and gave their lives, and it looked like the devil had the upper hand.

Well, I have news for you: Every seed sown for the last 2,000 years—every word preached, every tear and drop of blood shed—is coming up…Now! All 2,000 years’ worth of gospel seed planted is coming up a hundredfold, and we’re the ones to bring it in. It’s time for the final harvest of souls! Millions of souls! So let’s get to it.

Speak the Word

God ministers seed to the sower and bread for my food. He multiplies my seed sown. (2 Corinthians 9:10)