Let Elijah Go

Elisha had the reputation as the man who poured water on Elijahs hands.

He was a servant, a helper, a student, a minister to Elijah.

God was getting ready to do a new thing, to release into the earth a double portion anointing of his spirit but in order to bring in the new he had to take out the old

This is not strange, this has been Gods process all along.

Heb 10:8-10 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Job 9:12) Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

Moses was removed so Joshua to take over

Elijah was removed so Elisha could take over

John the Baptist was removed so Jesus could take over

Jesus was removed so the Holy Ghost could take over

The law was removed (not destroyed) just superceded by grace.

*Very often because of unwillingness to change, or an inability to change or adapt God has to remove leaders and replace them in order to bring in the new or fresh anointing and manifestation of his Spirit.

Lu 5:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better

But sometimes there are those like Elisha who loved the old, understood the old, had learned from the old but knew that in order to receive the new he had to let the old go.

*Elijah didn’t die God took him,

Nothing on earth could separate Elisha from Elijah, He was committed, he was faithful, he was established, he loved his teacher, his mentor, his friend,

It’s amazing how little it takes to separate people today.

But when chariots and horses of fire swept down from heaven and separated them, Elisha knew it was time to let go (God was taking something away in order to replace it with something better).

I’m convinced tonight that God has been reaching into our churches and into our lives and he is trying to translate our Elijah’s (Some of our dear old friends,= our traditions, our methods, and our programs, and many of us have got Elijah by the leg and we’re refusing to let him go.

We’re not suggesting these things were wrong, or ineffective, or inappropriate, only that there role is over and instead of feeling like people are trying to kill your Elijah’s you need to realize that it just could be that God is trying to lift Elijah away from your life in order to bring into your life something greater.

Elisha wasn’t Anti- Elijah, He loved Elijah, and had learned from Elijah, but there was a fresh anointing that God was pouring out and he needed a new wineskin or skin bottle, to receive it.

Lu 5:37-38 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

The new wine is alive, it moves, it expands it must be placed in bottles that have the capacity to expand, and move with the inner workings, and expressions of the wine.

If we are going to be partakers of this fresh move of God we must become adaptable, flexible, expandable.

We may have grown up with Elijah but If we’ll let God rub us down with the oil of the Holy ghost we can become vessels that are channels for the new anointing to flow through.

Much of what we have become accustomed to in the church has been the designs of men, Godly men, Godly women but still just men and women, (Instituted by God (for a time = a season and a purpose).

Unfortunately many times we become like the children of Israel and we become enamored with the things, or methods, or tools, that God has used and when he is through with them instead of giving them up and moving on we find ourselves worshipping them and losing the presence and the anointing of God.

Example:

When Hezekiah began to reign over Judah The bible says:

3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.