Elijah and Elisha

2 kings 2:9-10, “9. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.”

You have to understand that God is all about giving to and blessing his children.

The Bible tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. The Bible also tells us that if we seek him first, and his righteousness, he would give us the desires of our heart.

And his blessings to us are so great that they do not just benefit us. When he gives to us, our cups overflow on to those around us. What an amazing God we serve! We are to be so blessed that as we go about doing the will of God, those who we serve and those who serve with us can recognize the blessings or anointing

Because Elisha was a faithful servant to the prophet of God, Elijah wanted to bless him before the Lord took him away. At this moment Elisha could have asked for anything and would have received it because of his honorable service.

When you can have anything you want, the anointing is all you need!

But Elisha recognized the truth, that temporal things (wealth, possessions, etc.) would pass away. But the anointing is Godly, and will reach anyone and can set free the world. Elisha saw how greatly God used Elijah, and knew someone would need to continue his work. That it requires a relationship with God, the ability to hear from and speak to God in faith. So Elisha boldly made his request.

Elijah acknowledge that it was a hard thing that Elisha asked. He knew first hand all he had to go through on any given day to remain faithful and steadfast in the midst of an evil generation. Yet he told Elisha he needed to see him taken away to receive.

This was not so much a test of Elisha’s will, but a warning, a clue to what would be needed to walk in this level of ministry.

Elisha needed to stay vigilant and focused on Elijah so he did not miss out on what he desired. He needed to witness the miracle of God’s power. It was to strengthen his heart and spirit. Elisha needed to understand that God is able to and can do anything. To see the miracle was to add fuel to his determination to carry on with the work of God.

Isaiah 10:27, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”

The anointing has to power to break every yoke of the enemy!

A yoke is a frame fitting over the neck and shoulders of a person, used for carrying pails or baskets. A wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.

A yoke is designed to allow the person, or thing (or spirit) who is in control to guide, steer or direct.

As people. We struggle under many different yokes. Some we are aware of while other yokes we don’t even realize are at work in our lives. It is the anointing that breaks every yoke and allows us to walk in the freedom we were given when we received salvation.

Some of us have become so used to living under the yoke of bondage that we don’t know what it is to be free. But when the anointing comes it illuminates the way.

Matthew 11:28-30, “28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The anointing helps us to walk with God and to be lead by him. The yoke God uses is light and free. It allows God to lead and guide us, to direct our path. His yoke is so easy and light that he refuses to force us to do anything. He is all about choices. He sets the way before us and allows us to make the choice. That’s love!

When you can have anything you want, the anointing is all you need!

Have a blessed day!!

“Hebrews 10:35-39

35.Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

36. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

37. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;

38. but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

39. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

You have come too far to give up. I know it has been a tough year or so for the world at large. But more specifically, we as individuals and families have had to face things we thought we never would.

But keep in mind, if you are reading this you are still here. You have made it this far because God remains faithful! Because of his faithfulness, you are poised to continue on and conquer.

Don’t cast away or waiver in your confidence now. The same God that has brought you this far, is the same God the will keep you through the end.

Here are some helpful hints to help you endure:

1. That some time to rest in praise. Recharge you spiritual battery. Store up your strength supply (for the joy of the Lord is our strength – Nehemiah 8:10).

2. Transition from praise to worship. Make God big (magnified, exalted) in the middle of your tough times. It takes the focus off you and puts it on God.

3. Increase your faith by hearing the word of God. Hear with your spirit – select a scripture meditate upon it. Speak it and stand on it by faith.

4. End you day with thanksgiving. Thank God for both the ups and downs of your day. You glory in the ups and learn from the downs – bringing honor to God.

Wake up and repeat each day.

Don’t focus is what tomorrow will bring. Just deal with your today, your right now. Trust God to handle your tomorrow.

You are built to ENDURE! You were not created to fail and fall. No you are not perfect and you will make mistakes. But you were created to get back up and try again. Practice does make perfect.

When you get back up enough you also learn to recognize the pit falls that previously caused you to stumble. You begin to look around to find a way to escape the fall (1 Corinthians 10:13). This is also known as spiritual maturity.

So hold on, don’t give up or give in. Your redemption draws nigh. Hold your head up and look to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.

Have a blessed day!

Proverbs 1:23

“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”

To pour is to flow rapidly in a steady stream; to come or go in a steady stream and in large numbers.

In ministry to pour out is to impart something on those that hear and receive what you give.

Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed,and my blessing upon thine offspring:”

To effectively occupy any form of ministry, the minister (or the one who ministers to the people’s needs), must be full – they cannot be empty or running low on the word of God or the love of God. For it is impossible to effectively minister from an empty vessel.

In Acts 2:17-18 (see also Joel 2:28-29), God said that “I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh:” Even when it comes to us, the children of God, we must minister “in the spirit” to pour out to people. It cannot be from our flesh or an ungodly spirit or perspective. We must be filled with and full of the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 23:5, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

We are not perfect. There are times when we are filling low, or when we are going through that we just do not take the time to spend with God. We don’t pray, or read the Bible as we know we should. But this should not be a state that we allow ourself to stay in for too long.

As believers – ministers of God – we have a responsibility to take the time to separate ourselves daily to talk to God. Even if it is only for a few minutes. Quality is better than quantity, every time. We must have a regular diet of Bible study. So that God can speak to us and teach us what we need to know.

Psalms 23:5, let’s us know that even in our “go through” or seasons of struggle, and challenges, God still has our back. He will prepare us even in these times, filling up our cups till they over flow. This means that especially in these times our deliverance is found as we persevere and meet the needs of the people we serve.

We have to pour out what God has placed in us. Not just in good and easy times, but especially in the bad and hard times!

But you cannot pour out from and empty vessel.

It is our responsibility to not allow ourselves to get to the point where we feel empty. This is an deceiving emotion. God is not moved by how we feel. He is moved by the faith on which we stand. It our job to speak faith and trust God to make manifest those same faith declarations. We stand on the word of God, by faith.

This is the reason we must have that daily time with God. It is like recharging a battery. Without charging our phones at night while we sleep, when we wake in the morning our battery will be low and not meet our needs for the day. Our spirit is the same. If we do not recharge it daily, we could find ourselves missing out on important instructions God needs to impart to us for that day. This could hamper our ability to effectively meet the needs of the people God has given us to serve.

When we are a full vessel – the anointing flows rapidly in a steady stream. Those to whom we minister are able to receive as God has intended in that moment. We flow as God leads. People’s hearts are changed and the word falls on good ground.

Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

When our vessel is full God’s word goes forth in power and might to accomplish his will in those we serve.

Make sure your vessel is full!

Have a blessed day.

Something is coming your way.

If you are not ready, get ready!

If you are ready, stay ready!

Don’t allow fear to disturb your sense of calm and well-being.

Build yourself up in your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost.

Yes, God is on our side and he has our back. But we must do our part too.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Have a blessed evening…

Joel 3:16

“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”

Hope is defined as a feeling of trust.

I once heard a sermon title “Living on the other side of the comma.”

Taken from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

The idea is that many times we are focused on the trial or trouble we are dealing with, rather than seeing the benefits that come from serving a faithful and gracious God. Instead of looking at the trouble, let us see the one who delivers us from the trouble.

I know I say this a lot, that is because it bears repeating. Trust = love. We cannot truly love God with out trusting him. Trusting him to be who he said he is. Trusting him to do what he said he would. This is the type of relationship God desires to have with his people. That we would take him at his word and stand by faith on his word.

Again, I say Hope is defined as a feeling of trust. Trust in God.

No matter what is going on in our lives, we must focus on what God said he would do/would be. “But the Lord will be the hope of his people!”

We must train ourselves to look at what is after the trouble – “but the Lord will be the hope of his people.”

⁃ Sickness comes, but the Lord.

⁃ Bills are due, and money is short, but the Lord.

⁃ My children are in trouble, but the Lord.

⁃ Struggling to live by faith, but the Lord.

God understands everything we feel. Even when our struggle is with faith. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that God knows and understand how we feel. He walked in the flesh just as we do, but he over came. And because he did, so can we too. We just have to cast our care (trouble, trials, feelings, emotions, etc.) on him because he cares for us. And he can handle what we face.

But the Lord will be the hope of his people. The Lord is your hope. You can trust him, you just have to be willing to try him. He won’t fail you or let you down.

Stretch out in your faith. Do more, go farther than you have before. The Lord is your hope, you can trust him. If he is leading you to do – move forward by faith. Don’t focus the things that could possibly happen. Instead, focus on the Lord who is your help, and possess the land he has given you.

The Lord is the hope of his people!

Have a blessed day.