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Increase Through Association
Who you associate with determines the trajectory of your life. Pastor Mirek Hufton unpacks how deliberate association with anointed, faith-filled people produces supernatural increase, in finances, ministry, favor, and character. This principle works both personally and spiritually: the wrong associations pull you down, while the right ones elevate you beyond where your mentors themselves arrived. Drawing from the lives of Joshua, Elisha, and the Philippian church, Pastor Hufton shows that anointing is transferable through relationship. Association doesn't require physical proximity, books, teachings, and consistent exposure all carry transformative power. In a memorable illustration, Pastor Hufton describes how listening to a single Kenneth Copeland cassette tape in 1973 permanently redirected his faith and boldness, ultimately shaping the DNA of the entire church you sit in today. The challenge: Guard your inner circle. Value longevity in godly relationships. The house you're planted in carries an anointing, stay connected and expect increase.
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Small Group Guide
Small Group Discussion Guide
Mid-Week Service | August 12th, 2026 | 7 PM Increase Through Association
1. SERMON RECAP
Pastor Mirek shared a powerful message on how the people we choose to associate with directly shape the trajectory of our spiritual lives, our faith, and even our finances. Drawing from his own journey — from hearing Kenneth Copeland on a single cassette tape, to sitting under the ministries of Brother Hagin, Norval Hayes, and Pastor Roddy Howard-Browne — he demonstrated that anointing, wisdom, and boldness are genuinely transferable through sustained, intentional relationship. He challenged the congregation to be selective about their inner circle, to honour those who have poured into them, and to trust that faithful connection to a Spirit-filled house produces supernatural increase over time.
2. KEY SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV) "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
3. ICE BREAKER
Think of one person — a teacher, mentor, coach, family member, or friend — whose influence noticeably changed the way you think or act. What was one specific thing you picked up from them, almost without realising it?
4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The Power of Proximity Pastor Mirek described how simply sitting under Kenneth Copeland's ministry on a single cassette tape lit a fire in him that completely redirected his life. Have you ever experienced a moment where one message, one book, or one encounter with a person of faith shifted something significant inside you? What made that moment so impactful?
2. Guarding the Inner Circle He was careful to distinguish between being friendly and open-hearted toward everyone, versus allowing certain people deep access into your inner world. Why do you think that distinction matters so much, especially in spiritual life? How do you personally navigate that tension between being inclusive and being intentional?
3. Anointing Is Transferable Pastor Mirek pointed to Joshua receiving Moses' spirit of wisdom through the laying on of hands (Numbers 27), and to Elisha picking up Elijah's mantle through years of faithful service. What does it suggest to us about how God designed spiritual growth — that so much of it seems to happen through people rather than just in private, individual moments with Him?
4. Honouring Those Who Helped You He spoke strongly about never dishonoring the people who helped you get to where you are — continuing to honour Pastor Bob Wright, Brother Hagin, Norval Hayes, and others, even as his own ministry grew. Why do you think honour toward spiritual fathers and mothers matters so much to God? Can you think of a time when you saw someone dishonour a mentor, and what effect did it have?
5. Association and Decrease The flip side of the message is that the wrong associations can pull you down — decreasing your anointing, your walk of holiness, and your faith. Without naming anyone specifically, have you ever had to create distance from a relationship — not out of rejection, but out of protecting the direction God was taking you? How did you navigate that?
6. Longevity and Loyalty Pastor Mirek noted that the average charismatic Christian moves on from a church in about three years, often because of offence. He pointed to the Philippians as a community that stayed in faithful fellowship with Paul for decades — and received real spiritual fruit because of it. What do you think it takes to build that kind of long-term, committed spiritual community? What are the biggest obstacles to it in today's culture?
5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE
This week, identify one person in your life who carries an anointing, wisdom, or fruit that you genuinely want more of — whether that is financial wisdom, bold faith, a gift of prayer, or something else. Reach out to them by Friday, not to ask for anything, but simply to honour them: send a text, write a note, or invite them for coffee. Tell them specifically how their life has impacted yours. Then pay attention to what God stirs in you through that act of intentional connection and honour.
6. PRAYER POINTS
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Wisdom in Association: Pray that God would give each group member clear discernment about who belongs in their inner circle — and the courage to be intentional about those relationships without fear or people-pleasing.
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Supernatural Increase: Pray that as each person commits to faithful, Spirit-filled association — with their church family, with proven ministers of the Word, and with God Himself — they would begin to see tangible increase in their faith, their finances, their anointing, and the unfolding of God's plan for their lives.
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Honouring Spiritual Fathers and Mothers: Pray for a spirit of genuine honour to rise in the congregation — that people would recognise and value those God has placed in their lives to pour into them, and that those relationships would bear lasting fruit for the Kingdom.
7. MEMORY VERSE
Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV) "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Leader's Note: Encourage your group that this is not about perfectly curating a spiritual network — it is about being humble enough to recognise that God has designed us to grow through one another. The goal of tonight's discussion is not critique of others, but honest, hopeful reflection on our own lives. Keep the atmosphere warm, safe, and forward-looking.
Daily Devotional
You Become Who You Walk With
Proverbs 13:20 — "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
I want to be honest with you about something I've learned over decades of ministry — who you spend your time with is one of the most spiritually significant decisions you will ever make. This isn't just practical wisdom. This is God's word speaking directly into your life. When I first heard Kenneth Copeland on a single cassette tape back in 1973, something ignited in me that I couldn't explain. That association changed my trajectory permanently. I didn't just hear good teaching — I caught a spirit of boldness and faith that I had never encountered in my denominational background. Friend, your associations are either lifting you or lowering you right now. There is no neutral ground. God designed us to be shaped by community, by proximity, by relationship. The question I want you to sit with today is simply this: are the people closest to you pulling you upward toward God's purposes, or are they quietly anchoring you to a life below what He has planned?
Lord, open my eyes today to see clearly who I am walking with and whether those relationships are moving me closer to You. Give me the courage to make the right adjustments without fear. In Jesus' name, Amen.
A Wise Son Is Always Willing to Learn
Proverbs 13:1 — "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke."
One of the greatest dangers I see — not just in young people but in all of us — is the spirit of the scoffer. A scoffer has already decided they know enough. They've stopped leaning in. They've stopped asking questions. They've stopped sitting under voices that challenge them. I remember sitting under Brother Norval Hayes for the first time, listening to him preach with a boldness and an authority over the demonic realm that I had simply never witnessed. I could have dismissed it as too radical. Instead, I leaned in. I associated deeply. I listened to so many hours of his teaching that people said I sounded like him — and I took that as a compliment. Wisdom doesn't just fall on us. We have to position ourselves to receive it. Today I want to encourage you — stay teachable. Stay hungry. The moment you think you've arrived is the moment your growth quietly stops.
Father, keep me from the spirit of pride that tells me I already know enough. Make me a learner today, someone who leans into correction and instruction with an open heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Correction Is a Gift, Not a Punishment
Proverbs 15:5 — "A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent."
I'll be transparent with you — I didn't always love correction. Nobody naturally does. But I've watched over the years what happens to people who refuse it, and what happens to those who embrace it, and the difference in outcomes is staggering. When I was that young man on fire, preaching to those youth and pushing out the skeptics to pray for the twelve, I look back now and see both the passion and the immaturity in the same moment. God used it, but He also sent correction through that church leadership. Rather than being destroyed by it, I let it shape me. The wise son in Proverbs isn't someone who never makes mistakes. He's someone who, when he receives a rebuke, receives it as a gift from God rather than an attack on his identity. Correction is proof that God isn't finished with you. He only corrects those He's still investing in. Let that settle into your spirit today.
Lord, today I choose to receive correction with an open hand rather than a clenched fist. Show me any area of my life where You've been trying to redirect me, and give me the humility to say yes. In Jesus' name, Amen.
The Anointing Is Transferable Through Association
Numbers 27:20 — "And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."
What God did through Moses and Joshua is one of the most profound pictures of increase through association in all of Scripture. Joshua didn't manufacture his own anointing in isolation. He served. He stayed close. He poured water over Moses' hands. And through that sustained proximity and faithfulness, something transferred — something supernatural, something that would later allow him to command the sun to stand still over Gibeon. I think about my own journey with Brother Norval Hayes, who came to our church nearly every year. I didn't just shake his hand at the door. I sat under his ministry, I listened, I served, and I leaned into what God had placed on his life. And over time, when I went abroad and watched healings happen through my own hands, I recognized — I had caught something through that association. Friend, the anointing flows. Position yourself under it deliberately and faithfully, and watch what God does in your life.
Father, I thank You that You don't keep Your anointing locked away from ordinary people. Help me to position myself faithfully under the right spiritual authority so that what You've placed on others can flow into my own life and calling. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Stay in the Flow — Longevity Has Its Own Reward
Philippians 1:5 — "For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."
What moves me deeply about Paul's letter to the Philippians is that this wasn't a new relationship. This was decades of sustained fellowship, sustained partnership, sustained association — and Paul is writing with tears of joy because of it. I've seen so many people come through the doors of this church, get touched by God in a remarkable way, receive healing, breakthrough, financial miracle — and then drift away. It never stops surprising me. Because the truth is, the anointing that blessed you in this house doesn't stop the moment you walk out permanently. But longevity in the right spiritual environment compounds over time, just like Jerry Savelle's ninety days of saturating himself in Brother Copeland's teaching produced a lifetime of fruitful ministry. I want that for you. I want you to stay in the flow long enough to see what sustained association produces in your life — not just a moment, but a movement. Don't quit before the miracle multiplies.
Lord, give me the staying power to remain faithful to the spiritual community and associations You have planted me in. Keep me from running at the first sign of discomfort, and let longevity produce in me everything You have designed. In Jesus' name, Amen.