Expansion and Increase

Preparing Your Heart for What God Wants to Do Next

Happy New Year! 
 
At the beginning of every year, I take time to pray and ask God for direction, not just for what I should do, but for who I need to become. Over the years, I’ve found it helpful to ask God for one word that will serve as a spiritual anchor for the year ahead. 

As I prayed about the year ahead, two words became my focus for 2026: Expansion and Increase.

These words are not about striving or excess. They are about stewardship and obedience. Scripture makes it clear that God is a God of growth. He expands what we commit to Him, and He increases what we faithfully steward.

“Enlarge the place of your tent… do not hold back.”

— Isaiah 54:2

Expansion speaks to capacity. Before God increases what’s around us, He often expands what’s within us, our faith, our vision, our discipline, and our trust in Him. Many people want increase, but few are willing to prepare for it. 

Increase is not something we chase; it’s something that follows obedience. Jesus taught that when we are faithful with little, we can be trusted with much. Over the years, I’ve seen this principle play out again and again in Scripture and in life. Growth comes when we honor God with what we already have.

We live in a world that encourages people to shrink back, play it safe, and settle for survival. But God did not call His people to merely maintain. He called us to grow, to multiply, and to make an impact that goes beyond ourselves.

Expansion may stretch you. Increase may require change. But both are signs that God is still at work.

As you step into this new year, I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:

• Am I making room for what God wants to do next?

• Am I faithful with what He has already entrusted to me?

• Am I willing to grow so I can carry more responsibility, more influence, and more purpose?

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think…”

— Ephesians 3:20

My prayer is that 2026 will be a year of expansion in your faith, your vision, and your walk with God and a year of increase that brings glory to Him and blessing to others.

Let’s step into this year with expectation, obedience, and a heart ready for growth.