THE JOURNEY EXPECTATION, POTENTIAL TO THE MANTLE!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Part #2)
We are all on a journey! We walk on a spiritual PILGRIMAGE… We search for more. We desire to find God’s holy place of sacred growth. God has a course of action (COA) for your life. Will we be content in accepting less than our best for God? Get up! Get up now and let us find the heart of God. Come and go with me to the very HEART OF A HOLY GOD.
Are we human beings having a spiritual experience? Or are we spiritual beings having a human experience? Do we develop a tendency to twist our priorities and so blur our real calling that we lose our spiritual focus? Are we living our daily life so that we confuse what life’s main thing really is? Do we consider God’s eternal value system? By the way, THE MAIN THING IS TO KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING. Can you define the main thing?
WE HAVE A GREAT DUTY TO GROW DEEP ROOTS AND MODEL GOD TO OUR FAMILY, CHURCH AND SOCIETY. Define for me your COURSE OF ACTION (COA.) Are you clearly making progress or are you in the RUT of sameness? Let us study THE PILGRAMAGE TO FINDING THE VERY HEART OF GOD. Then we must pass on the torch to able hands to advance the Kingdom of God.
GUIDANCE? ARE WE INVESTING IN THE TEAM? PREPARATION! EFFORT!
Is our journey to find God defined by hurt and disappointment? This can destroy the progress of the team. Hurt people never hurt you because of who you are? They hurt you because of who they are! We must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us beyond our potential into the realm of DIVINE POTENTIAL!
To have a successful ball team, we must learn how to make progress and learn and apply greater effort to develop the talent, first of ourselves, then help those that we serve to be better than we have been. Much of this depends on PREPARATION and EFFORT. THE HEAD COACH LISTENS, THEN HE SELLS THE PROGRAM IN CLEAR COMMUNICATION … to the other coaches. THE SUCCESS OF A WINNING TEAM DEPENDS ON TOGETHERNESS AND UNITY of teamwork. DUES HAVE TO BE PAID… THERE MUST BE A PURPOSE IN OUR JOURNEY.
WE NEED TO FIND THE PATH THAT LEADS EVER UPWARD. Many confuse the JOURNEY WITH THE DESTINATION, WHEN REAL GROWTH IS ABOUT THE JOURNEY!
We are studying THE MANTLE OF GOD AND OUR POTENTIONAL. We find Elijah has the MANTLE OF GOD. Elijah sees a young, strong young man plowing in a field and offers Elisha the opportunity to minister and follow him and find the JOURNEY TO OBEDIENCE and TRUSTING GOD. Elisha accepts the honor of knowing God in a personal relationship. LIFE IS A JOURNEY.
God is looking for opportunities to reveal Himself to mankind. Seems we want to yield to opposition and limit the HAND OF GOD… we are weak, BUT GOD IS STRONG! God’s eyes are running to and fro looking for opportunities to REVEAL HIS LOVE AND POWER. God is not reluctant to help His people.
Looking for a perfect heart.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
2 Chronicles 16:9 (MSG) GOD is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. Now you're in trouble—one round of war after another."
JOURNEY: The act of traveling from one place to another, passage from one place to another,
OPPORTUNITY: a good chance, amount of time something can be done, a good chance to advance, break
POTENTIAL: Existing in possibility, capable of development, a chance something will develop, the ability that someone has that can be developed, capable.
ANTICIPATION: Visualization, expectation, looking forward, A FEELING OF EXCITEMENT ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, the act of preparing for something,
ALL OF LIFE IS A JOURNEY, THERE ARE MANY PATHS BEFORE EACH INDIVIDUAL. YOU WILL MAKE THE DECISION WHICH PATH YOU WILL TAKE. You make the decisions how far you will go and how long you will stay? What are you expecting? What dream will you pursue? You decide if you will have joy? Anger? Peace? War?
HOW INSANE IS IT TO KEEP THE SAME THINKING PATTERNS AND THE SAME ACTION AND EXPECT A DIFFERENT OUT COME? You can never change until can accept you need to change. We must acknowledge there is a better way. Many people decide the whole world is rotten and they think “I AM OK!” How sad this trap can be. Forever stuck in a rut.
I think that are no LIFE SCHOLARS, just DAILY STUDENTS.
I think we cannot find joy until we are willing to forgive and forget. Then those that love every morsel of pain and regret of past woes, wants and disappointments will fail. Big mouth Gossips hurt others and implode to their own destructions. What a terrible WAR ZONE we create by not listening to others.
The journey, what good is it if we win every argument and lose all our friends? Who made you a judge? Are you a good complainer and griper? Fuss? Fuss some more? Do you feel like you need to PUNISH every poor soul that makes a mistake?
THE JOURNEY OF LIFE OFTEN DEPENDS ON WHAT DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DOING?
Many adults are spending 11 hours a day on some kind of media. We have lost all kinds of personal encounters for distant relationships. HOW MANY KNOW ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF COMPUTER RELATIONSHIPS THAT LEAD TO PAIN AND DESTRUCTION… Where do you spend your time?
You will never be any better than the friends you hang with? ARE WE REJECTED OR IS GOD TRYING TO RE-DIRECT US TO NEW POTENTIAL? THE JOURNEY OF LIFE CAN BE LIKE THE FLOW OF WATER, TAKING THE COURSE OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
2 KINGS 2 ELIJAH JOURNEY YO ETERNITY, ELISHA TO MINISTRY… THE MANTLE OF GOD IS A SOUND INVESTMENT.
GOD HAS A PLAN, A LOGICAL ORDER OF PROGRESS, ELIJAH WAS A GOOD MODEL, MOLDER, AND MOTIVATER. THE COMES A PARADIGM SHIFT… THE PILGRAMAGE OR JOURNEY BECOMES CLEARER.
2 Kings 2: And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
WHILE ELISHA IS FOLLOWING ELIJAH THERE IS A PURPOSE OF EACH STOP A LONG THE JOURNEY. GOD HAD LESSON AT EACH VISITATION SIGHT.…
2 Kings 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
1. I DESIRE GOD’S MANTLE.STUDY THE PHYSICAL PROGRESS ON THE JOURNEY. THE FIRST STOP ON THE JOURNEY IS GILGAL---
no progress, shallowness, no roots, no fruits, not deep, surface relationship. Up and down, seasons.
STUDY THE SPIRITUAL PROGRESSION, GILGAL MEANS: ROLLING STONES, the Ark of the Covenant was there only temporally.
2 Kings 2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
WHY DOES ELIJAH KEEP TELLING STAY HERE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO? ELIJAH WAS TESTING THE YOUNG MAN. WILL YOU REMAIN HERE, WITH OUT PROGRESS?
2. THERE ARE STEPS TO RECEIVE THE MANTLE OF GOD. THE JOURNEY IS UPHILL AND REQUIRES A GREATER EFFORT TO CLIMB… BETHEL
2 Kings 2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
BETHEL MEANS THE HOUSE OF GOD, SHEKINAH GLORY, DEEP PRAYER, GRESTER DEVOTIONS, PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD… SACTUARY.
It was here that Jacob had his personal encounter with God and saw angels ascend and descend with a ladder from heaven to earth.
In troubled times people traveled to Bethel to ask God’s counsel.
3. GO FOR THE MANTLE OF GOD… THE CLIMB BECOMES MORE DIFFIICULT AS ELIJAH HEADS TO JERICHO.
2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
JERICHO MEANS FIRST FRUITS, FIRST CITY OF BATTLE IN PROMISE LAND. It means: PRAISE, SWEET FRAGRANCE, VICTORY… worship, the presence of God’s help.
It was here Achan sinned. A DOOR OF HOPE. Trouble turns into JOY! Despair to HOPE!
ONCE AGAIN THE OLD PREACHER GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ELISHA TO BACK OUT…
4. THE JOURNEY AGAINS IS A HARD CLIMB. NOW ELIJAH ‘S SPIRITUAL BATTLE EXTENDS TO THE JORDAN RIVER… GO FOR THE MANTLE OF GOD.
JORDAN, JOSHUA CROSSES THE JORDON… THE JORDAN SEPERATES GOD’S PEOPLE FROM THE PROMISE.
SEPERATED, HOLY, DEATH OF HUMAN DESIRES, A WATERING PLACE The source is the Sea of Galilee, life. It descends to the Dead Sea. The Jordan waters come from Mt. Herman’s snow peaks. Springs of living water.
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, death, burial and resurrection.
ELISHA HAD TO KEEP FOLLOWING QUALIFIED TO TAKE THE OFFICE… EACH STOP IS AN UPWARD CLIMB…
ARE YOU AWARE THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE IS GOING TO SNATCH YOUR MENTOR AWAY?
AFTER ELISHA PROVES HIMSELF TO BE FAITHFULL THE OLD PREACHER HAS A QUESTION.
2 Kings 2:9 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.
2 Kings 2:10 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.
CONCLUSION: Good spiritual progress is never easy, nor is it cheap. We must CLIMB and press on. While many stand and watch from a distance. God has a plan and a purpose.
2 Kings 2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
May there grow a deep sense of direction to avoid the ruts of sameness and dream of a miracle of progress. Elijah did 7 great miracles! Did you know Elisha did 14? Elijah had seasons of doom and gloom. Elisha has no episodes of recorded depression? We tend to think it was a one day request, NO IT WAS A LIFE LONG DESIRE AND FAITHFUL FOLLOWING THE LEADER. Are you faithful?
You can, IF YOU WANT TO…God has a plan, a clear plan… GOD IS OMNIPOTENT AND OMNIPRESENT... We see that humanity has the finite mindset that often has trouble seeing DIVINE POTENTIAL. WE OFTEN ACCEPT THE COMPROMISE PARALYSES OF OUR MIND AND OUR FAITH. Yes, God is able to do whatsoever we ask, in the name of His Son, that His will might be done… Sing it… We must LET GOD ARISE, BUT WE MUST ARISE ALSO. Elijah and ELISHA ACCEPTED the MANTLE of God’s potential and released obedience and faith in action. Are we willing to SELL all for the PEARL OF GREAT PRICE?
Go for the MANTLE OF GOD.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
