Accepting Less Than The Best.

ACCEPTING LESS THAN THE BEST

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

Kyfingers@aol.com

IS TOTAL VICTORY A REAL POSSIBILITY?

WHAT DOES TOTAL VICTORY COST?

A. Let's us recall the previous lesson of ELIJAH and ELISHA...

ELIJAH ... the old man of God wanted to TEACH and MENTOR a young man to

GROW into the OFFICE FOR GOD...

B. The journey was strange and twisted to the human eye.

ELISHA LEARNED BY BEING A SERVANT TO THE OLD PREACHER.

The journey ended in a four step process...

1. GILGAL: not established, unfaithful, up and down, emotion drive, rolling stone...

2. BETHEL: the house of God, prayer, study, roots, devotions, personal relationship...

3. JERICHO: praise, worship, deep devotion, walk by faith, complete trust...

4. JORDAN: death to self, self-disciplined, not seeking pleasure, total yielded...

C. Remember, at each new step the OLD PREACHER GAVE THE NEW YOUNG MAN

THE OPTION TO QUIT AND STAY WHERE THEY WERE...

THE YOUNG MAN REFUSED TO STOP AND PRESSED ON TO HIS DOUBLE PORTION

AND THE MANTLE OF GOD BECAME HIS PERSONAL TOOL TO TOTAL VICTORY...

ELIJAH THE PROPHET OF FIRE... HAS LEFT ----

ELISAH HAS BECOME THE MAN OF GOD...

THE PROPHET OF THE DOUBLE PORTION OF GOD'S SPIRIT...

A. ELIJAH was a minister of loneliness.

1. His life was a type like JOHN THE BAPTIST, rugged in the wilderness.

2. POST MORTEM: Elijah appears with Moses and Jesus.

3. ELIJHA'S WAS A LIFE OF STRUGGLE and GREAT FITS OF DEPRESSION...

B. ELISHA WAS NOT A FADED ECHO OF ELIJAH... HE WALKED IN TOTAL VICTORY...

1. THE DOUBLE PORTION OF GOD'S SPIRIT HELPED ELISHA TO WALK AND TALK

IN TRIUMPH...

2. The is no record of DEPRESSION or COMPLAINING...

3. HE NEVER FLED NOR LOST COURAGE...

4. ON HIS DEATH BED HE COMMAND VICTORY AND WAS FULL OF GOD'S POWER.

5. In the written word of God no other person preformed any greater number of

miracles except for Moses.

WE DO NOT LIKE TO TELL SAD STORIES... THEY ARE REAL...

WHY? WHY?... VICTORY VS. FAILURE?

THE LESSON OF GEHAZI...

GOD HAS A GREAT PLAN, WE SEE IT IN ELIJAH AND ELISHA...

NOW COME WITH ME AND SEE THE NEXT GREAT MAN OF GOD...

HIS STORY IS NOT TOTAL VICTORY... HE HAS THE TASTE OF DEFEAT...

A. We find record of the next man of God... following a twisted journey of Elisha.

B. GEHAZI HAS A GREAT ... GREAT TEACHER/MENTOR ELISHA...

C. GEHAZI sees so many miracles they become ORDINARY instead of DIVINE...

Gehazi's ATTITUDE SURE NEEDS ADJUSTING...

D. GEHAZI has an amazing start...

2 Kings 4:11-14

1. Opportunity is found between yesterdays regrets and tomorrow's dreams...

2. CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO CALLS:

1. THE CALL OF TEMPTATION

2. THE CALL OF OPPORTUNITY

3. People with little faith wait for opportunities...

People of faith make opportunities arise...

4. ARE WE LOOKING FOR DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY?

ARE WE GRATEFUL FOR DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY?

5. When OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AT THE DOOR... many can not here the call

as they are EXPERTS at complaining and murmuring... they drown out the CALL.

6. Has the knock at the door of opportunity been a knock you did not want to hear?

7. Luck happens when opportunity meets PREPARATION...

8. Is it easier to jump at conclusions than to jump at opportunity...

9. Perhaps we should learn to neglect the opportunity to open our mouths...

10. It might be better to pick the fruit than to wait for it to fall off the tree...

11. Many left the DOCK OF OPPORTUNITY before the SHIP CAME IN...

12. PROCRASTINATION becomes a grave where we bury OPPORTUNITY...

man tries to buy Holy

His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Help me? Pass it on?