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Posted on January 19, 2011 by growintheword
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Something has to happen, Sermon 01/05/11

Posted on January 11, 2011 by growintheword

Something has to happen.

Synopsis of Sermon 1/5/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

All of us have come to places in our lives where we felt trapped. Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt you was at your breaking point and no matter what you do, it wouldn’t get better. One would say you at the end of say you are at the end of your rope. At this point Optimist would say, “Just tie another not in the rope.” Pessimist would say, “Just let it go.” All of us has faced this challenge at one time or another. What do you do with a marriage that is on the rocks, or children with problems you can’t solve, or problems on job, or having more bills than money, or being restless with grief of a loved one? All of us know what is like to have these questions in our spirit. No matter what your situation or question, God has a plan and a way to bring us out.

 

There was a woman in this scripture that needed something to happen right now. She didn’t know where to turn, but she did know in her heart to turn to God. If you turn it over to the Lord, you will know that God is up to something. When you are down to nothing, God is up to something. God will take care of his children. Be not dismayed whatever betide, God will take care of you, because what he has done for others, he will do the same thing for you.

 

In the text today, this woman has suffered the death of her husband who was the son of the prophets of Elisha. She has creditors who have come, because her husband has left her with much debt and now the bondsmen have come to make her sons work off the debt (as slaves). Elisha comes to speak a word to her to get her into position. If something happens, you have to have the right folk around you. You have to have the right word spoken over your life.

I.            God knows our problems

2 Kings 4:1 says 1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

1.     Here we find some things out about this woman.

a.     She’s in despair – Cry here means to cry uncontrollably. It means to be weak in the heart. We have all have been to a point of despair and contemplated things that we wouldn’t have thought we would.

b.     Death -She experiences death. Her loved one has died and she is suffering the loss of a significant relationship (her husband). She was married to one of the sons of the prophets. These were the men who were in training under Elisha. They were trained to be prophets and preachers in Israel.

c.     Debt – Not only does she experience the death of her loved one. She has to also deal with debt that is left behind. She is left with bills she cannot pay. (Leviticus 25 declares the sons have to work off the debt when the husband dies).

d.     Devotion – She still has devotion to God no matter how bad it looks. No matter how it looks, you have to have the faith in God. Elisha was God represented in the earth realm. She did not go to friends or family, she went to the man of God who represented God in the earth realm. She had every opportunity to compromise her standards, but she didn’t. She went to God. No matter how hard it gets, you have to trust God before you play yourself.

2.     Even if we don’t understand our situation, we know God can turn this thing around. Some of us have to stop acting like rookies. We have been in this for a long time. We ought to  know if God did it before, he can do it again today.

3.     Some may wonder why something like this would happen to you. The bible says this is a certain woman and doesn’t call her by name. All of us can identify with this. We are in despair and know debt comes and we wonder why we have to go through this.

This is why:

a.     Not exempt from trouble. Job 14:1 says1Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.-You are not exempt from trouble just because you know the Lord. John 16:33 says 33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.-Even though we know God is sovereign, he is going to allow things to come. God never lets thing happen in our life that he doesn’t have his hand on.

b.     God sees all. Proverbs 15:3 says 3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says 9For 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. -God got his eyes on our situation.

c.     He wants us to give it to him. Hebrews 4:15 says 15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.- God  feels what you are going through.

1 Peter 5:7 says 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. – We must learn to let it go.

4.     We might wonder why it would happen to somebody like us? It is opportunity in disguise. It is a set up for the super manifestation of God. Pull yourself together and say, “Something has got to happen.”

II.            God releases our potential

2 Kings 4:2 says 2And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. -She says I only have this little oil.

1.     This is about how God is going to expose our faith -When you look at what you need verses what you have, you have to know that it is to make you recognize you don’t have what you need. It makes you put your faith in something greater than what you have. We have to get to point that we want the Lord to make us put our faith in him.

2.     He expands our faith – Verse two, Elisha says what do you have in your house? Don’t worry about what is in someone else house. The question is what is in your house? Why are you coveting someone else house? God wants you to know that you already have what you need for a blessing in your house.

3. Pot mentioned in verse two means flask. Flask is much like that a person would keep whisky or scotch in. You have to know that as long as it’s got oil in it God can use it. It doesn’t matter how little you have as long as you have oil in it. If God anoints it God can use it no matter how small it may be to you. The small flask with a little oil in it teaches us this; if it is anointed, God can use it no matter how small.

4.     He expands our faith publically – 2 Kings 4:3 says3Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. – Elisha tells the woman to borrow a lot of vessels. When you go, don’t minimize your expectation. Don’t come back with a few, borrow a lot. You have to go to people that are in a position help you, but who was sitting, not doing anything. Ask this people that are in position to help that know your situation to help you. God is looking for empty vessels. This will look crazy, but if God told you to do it, just do it. It might look funny to some (asking for something (the vessel) that you don’t have the material to fill it with. You must know that it is preparation time. God is up to something. He is about to expand your faith publicly.

a.     The prophet says you have a little flask, but if you go and borrow as many vessels as you can get, when you come back you need to shut the door. This means you might have to shut some folk out.

b.      Take that little flask and pour into the empty vessels. Before it even happened, the prophet said you will have so much oil that you will have to set some of it to the side. Maybe somebody reading this really needs to hear this. 2 Kings 4: 4 says 4And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

 

III.            God gives our provision

1.     No matter what you go through this year God will bless you.

2.     Watch this lesson of God’s provision. The prophet said pour into the vessel and when it fills up and set it aside. She went forth towards him, she shut the door, her son brought the vessels to her, and she poured the oil out (from the small flask). This is our season to pour out! Do exactly what God promised you. This is a lesson of God’s provision.

3.      The lesson of Gods provision.

a.       God keeps his promises.

2 Corinthians 1:2 says 2Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:18 says 18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Matthew 5:18 says 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 24:35 says 35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Isaiah 55:10-11 says 10For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11So 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.- God’s word will not return to him void.

b.     We are stepping out on a promise –. God will make a way out of no way.

c.     The limit of Gods provision -When she poured out, the vessels ran out. She had just a little flask of oil. When she poured out into the vessels, the vessels ran out. God is ready to give you what you what you made room for, no room or no less. God never put a limit on how many vessels you can bring. Don’t limit what God is going to do in your life.Bring many as you want back, because God will bless you at your level of faith. We are not going to limit what God is going to do in our lives. If God told us to bring them (the vessels), it is Gods responsibility to fill him. We want God to do greater things in our life.

d.     The largeness of Gods provision -The bible says her vessels ran out. We don’t have to worry about how the oil got in the flask. All we have to do is pour it out. Stop counting it (the money for example), because if God said, it will be. We keep looking at what we have, verses what we need. Take what you have and pour it out, and trust that God will replenish it before you run out of oil.

4.     When God does something like this, you can’t keep it to yourself. 2 Kings 4:5-7 says 5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 6And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.- She told the man of God and guess what he said. Elisha said to go and sell the oil, pay your debt, and live and on the rest. God didn’t bless you like this to live it up and owe people. Once you get it, you use your entrepreneur spirit to go and sell it and use the revenue to pay the debt. After you pay the debt you out of debt, God says he will give you your desires. Live off the rest! He will then bless your dependants. How? Because the blessing is not just for you, because a good man leaves an inheritance to his child children. What’s ahead of you is better than what is to come. What you been worrying about, God has already worked out. Give God the glory for allowing you to live off the rest.

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Believe God for your healing Part I, Bible Study 01/05/11

Posted on January 10, 2011 by growintheword

Believe God for your healing Part I

Synopsis of Bible Study 1/5/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

This is a critical area here, because many of us know someone who is sick or someone who is struggling with illness. It is important for us to know illness should never be allowed to be Lord over our lives. We must take authority over this area and come to the point where we trust God in this area. If you are not getting word regarding this area, then you won’t have the faith to stand against it.

We must make this simple declaration. “I am not the sick trying to get well, but I am the healed that is resisting sickness and disease”.

I.                   Where does sickness come from?

1.     Let’s go back to beginning, the law of primary beginnings, but first let’s examine this scripture. When you get a word from God, you believe God for it. Luke 5:17 17And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. – What was Jesus doing? He was teaching? While he was teaching, we can assume faith was being built up (in those listening). It created an environment conclusive for God to heal. We as believers can create an environment that sets the stage for healing. There is a place of faith that you can get to, while being around people of like faith, which can make it possible to just walk in a place and healing take place. Jesus says these signs shall follow them that believe. These signs ought to be following us. Where are the miracles of feeling in the house of God today?

2.     The primary reference of sickness:

3.     On the sixth day, God finished his work and looked back at it and congratulated himself. Genesis 1:31 says 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. – God said everything was whole and in proper alignment and it was good. When God made Adam and Eve, there was no sickness, disease, or disorder. Everything was in order. If there had been sickness in Adam and Eve when God said it was good, then sickness would have been good, but he didn’t.

4.     God never intended for us to have sickness. He wanted us physically and spiritually well (also our soul). 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says 23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.- This is total healing. It includes our soul, our spirit, and our body.

5.      God’s desire is that we wouldn’t be broke, and sick, and then turn around and miss heaven. The devil desire is for us to be broke, sick, and then die and go to hell. God’s desire is for us to be blessed in every area of our life. – 3 John 1:2 says 2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

II.                How does sickness come into the world?

1.      Death passed through sin and passed onto man. Romans 5:12 says 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

2.      God tells Adam and Eve that they are in proper alignment, they have everlasting life, and all was good, but they were not supposed to touch the tree in the midst of the Garden. God told them that if they did, they would surely die. Romans 5:13-14 says (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Genesis 2:17 says 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

3.     Adam and Eve ate of the tree and now everything is cursed. The day that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they didn’t die right away, but sin came in and death was shortly after it. Genesis 3:17 says 17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; – They didn’t die right away, but later death would follow.

4.     Satan was kicked out of heaven and is mad. Now the devil is running around the earth with the keys to death and hell. This is someone (the devil) with carnal condos in hell and he is trying to fill them. He has no occupants for the condos. Now he has to ask himself “How do you move someone (Adam and Eve) with everlasting life to death?” Something needs to ferry them there. That ferry would be sin. All sin eventually leads to death. Every sin you engage in eventually leads to death.

5.     The devil sometimes uses sickness to lead us to death. You might get sick, but take you must take authority over it. The devil brings sickness, to bring sin, to end in death.

6.     Every sin we comment will employ sickness that brings us to death. Ex – We might start drinking, then we turn into an alcoholic, and eventually it leads to death. If you keep doing meth, you will lose your mind, and eventually you will die. Keep smoking weed, it will kill your brain cells, and eventually you will die. Keep sleeping around, you’ll end up catching something, and then you will end up with the luggage that you have to carry around for life. The devil says to himself, “If he can just get you in the realm outside of God’s will, he can take you where he wants you.”

III.             Jesus undid at Calvary the deeds of the destroyer (Satan)

1.      By one man, sin came into the world, but by another man, sin was taken out. 1 John 3:8 says 8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

2.     The devil had the keys to death, but Jesus took them back when he died at Calvary. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. If you are in relationship with him who died and was raised, though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life. Eternal life starts now! We should live our best life now and live again when we go to heaven. We go from life to life. God says you can live the life here, by taking authority over sin, and then in heaven you can live eternally as well. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. We ought to want to get our rehearsal in now. We want to be blessed here, because we know we will be there.

3.     The same faith you have for salvation is the same faith you have to have for healing. Do you know for a fact you are saved? Then what are saved from? You are saved from the penalty of sin which is death. Death is sin and sin rides death. If God can save our soul, then he can save us from our sickness.

4.      At the moment Jesus died, we were healed. This is why we declare we are healed yet resisting sickness and disease. Isaiah 53:5 says 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

5.     There is an idea in scripture where physical healness is associated with sin. This is not our issue. There are a variety of reasons people are sick. There is however a relationship between forgiveness of sins, healing, and deliverance. Psalm 103:3 says 3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; – We tell people all the time that no matter what they’ve done, Jesus can save them. We tell them that Jesus can turn their lives around. Do we really believe this? Then why can’t we say, “We don’t care what the doctor says about your condition, if it is his will, he can heal you?”

6.      Look at relationship between sin and sickness. James 5:15 says 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

IV.              Requirements of healing:

1.     We must have a desire to be healed. Some people are guilty of embracing their sicknesses. Ex- We ask someone “How you doing?” and they respond, “Good except this old blood pressure” or “Good except these old migraines.” No matter what, this person is always sick. It has become part of who they are. It is part of their language. As a result, they begin to be labeled by their sickness. Ex: Remember the woman with the issue of blood or perhaps you remember the lepers. They were labeled by their illness.

2.     They heard Jesus passing by and cried out though people kept telling them to be quiet. Matthew 20:30 says 30And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. In the next scripture, the blind man kept crying out though people said be quiet. Mark 10:46-48 says 46And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 48And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.-He cried out even more when people told him he should be quiet. When you know where the answer is, you don’t let people discourage you from getting your healing. You can have so much faith, in the midst of protocol; you won’t let anything stop you from getting your healing.

3.     We must believe that God is able to heal. Matthew 8:10-13 says 10When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. -They brought him to Jesus because they believed he was able to do it. Hebrews 11:6 says 6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. , Luke 17:19 says 19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. -It is really about our faith. Do we believe God is able to heal? Be mindful that the devil specializes in getting you isolated so he can interrogate you and make you think God is not able.

4.     Healing is based on condition and based on obedience. Read Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28 and you will discover that if you will obey what I ask you to do, he will heal them and do a lot of amazing things. – Isaiah 58:8 says 8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. – God says he told them what kind of fast he requires and he goes on to say if they fast like that, their healing would spring forth speedily.

V.                 7 things to do when standing for your healing

1.     Decide not to fear- God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. Fear is really rooted in imagination. The devil will have you seeing your funeral when you just got a cold.

2.     Don’t become frustrated. Like Job’s wife, she wasn’t even sick, but she got frustrated. Job said I got questions, but I’m not crazy. He wasn’t going to curse God and die like she suggested. When frustrated, you pull away, from the church, and the word.

3.     Do not become desperate – Desperation will have you doing foolish stuff. It will even make us resort to fortune tellers.

4.     Do not lose your confidence – Hang on to what God promised you.

5.     Keep listening to God’s word on healing – If you have sickness attacking you, get as much word on the subject as you can.

6.     Act like the word is so – By his stripes you are healed. Walk on your job like you know you are healed. Ex- Bishop explains he has gone to comfort some people in the hospital that was sick and before it was over, they start encouraging him.

7. Praise your way through it – Praise God for your healing, regardless to how you feel. Some days you can’t be in denial, but you can’t stay there.

VI.              Great story of healing

1.     They were waiting for the angel to come and trouble water. John 5:1-3 1After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. – Each person who needed healing would go and wait by the pool for an angel to come trouble the water.

2.     Whoever stepped in first would be healed. John 5:4 says 4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. – Everyone is waiting in a place for a healing to happen. When the angel came down, only one person would get it. Have you ever been at a place where you were trying to be jealous, because you have been faithful day in and day out (trying to wait your turn), yet everyone is getting their healing before you?

3.     Jesus saw this man even though all those people there. John 5:5-6 says 5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole. – What made Jesus see him? It was because the man had been there for 38 yrs, yet he kept coming back. Jesus knew he had been in that state that for a long time. Jesus knows what you are going through. He raised the question to the man; do you want to be made well? Seems like an odd question for the man. After all, the man has been there 38 yrs.

4.     Jesus asks, “Do you want to be made well?” John 5:7 says 7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. – Like this, Jesus asks us if we want to be made well and we keep giving him excuses why it can’t happen. Ex- Instead of believing God can heal us, we accept our disease because we read that 30% of the people that get this, don’t make it through. Jesus isn’t asking for statistics or excuses from us. Jesus says he is the life. Jesus simply wants to know do you want it to be healed? Stop trying to figure out how he is going to do it. If he asks, you know he has the answer. Jesus doesn’t even address this man’s excuse when he says he has no one to put him in the water. He goes right to the answer found in verse 8.

5.     John 5:8 says 8Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. – When you been in sickness that long, you start looking like the sickness. Jesus says rise, take up your bed and walk. Get up and take authority over what’s been disabling you, and walk out of here better than you rolled in here. Like the man by the pool, you might have been carried in, but you coming out walking. You became codependent on people and allowed them to help you, but you are leaving dependant on God. Take up you bed and walk. Hold what has been holding you.

6.     He took his bed up and walked. John 5:9 says 9And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. The man is lying on the bed by the pool. For 38 yrs, others got into the pool before him. Jesus notices the man is laying there. Jesus told the man rise and take up his bed and walk. The moment Jesus said this, the man was healed. The only thing the man needs to do is get up and walk in what Jesus had already spoken. Some of you don’t realize that you are already healed. You just need to get up! How long you going to wallow in the mess? Get up! Once the word went forth, he was already healed.

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Give me a double portion, Sermon 01/02/11

Posted on January 10, 2011 by growintheword

Give me a double portion

Synopsis of Sermon 01/02/11

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

All of us are hungry for things of God. Many of us have come to a place where we refuse to tolerate what we did last year. When you get hungry for what God is about to do in your life, you will never tolerate what you did last year. God is a God of transition and when he shifts, we must be in position to receive what he has for our lives. This story today is about being in position. As we see in the story, Elijah was aware he was about to transition. Elisha was Elijah’s trainee and he followed him. Elisha asked Elijah for something interesting. Elisha said he had seen God do some amazing things in the time that he had been following Elijah. He had seen Elijah’s God call down fire from heaven and stop the rain. God had done amazing things for Elijah, but what Elisha wanted before Elijah’s transition was for God to give him a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. This year, where God is taking you is going take an unusual anointing. This year God is requiring a double portion of his anointing on your life. People don’t see you. Instead they see Gods power on you. Where God is taking you is going to require double. God will never bless you with something that will make you where you can’t live without him. We are not playing this year, but we need God to give us everything he has for a life. This year we want a double blessing and in order to have a double blessing, we have to have a double anointing.

I. Spiritual request

1.     Elisha is making a spiritual request. He wants a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. 2 Kings 2:9 says 9And 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.     Elisha is asking for something that prophetically God had spoken to Elijah about before. In 1 Kings 19:16 it says 16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. -This was prophecy that explained that Elisha would one day be anointed King. Deuteronomy 21:17 17But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. -The law of Deuteronomy says the first son should be the one that receives the double portion blessing. Elisha is not Elijah’s son, but Elisha is asking God to give him something that breaks protocol. In other words, when there is prophecy over your life, it exceeds protocol. By right there are people that should be next in line to receive something, but with prophecy over your life, God will bump you up in the line and make people will wonder why they didn’t get the blessing instead of you. It is because it is your time! When it’s your time, can’t no devil in hell stop it!

3.     When you ask for a double portion, know what you have asked for. Elisha noticed some things about Elijah’s life:

a.     There is a spirit of faith -This season God wants folk walking in faith rather than fear. You can’t walk around doubting God’s word. You got to have the faith to keep pressing through.

b.     There is a Spirit of obedience -Obey God even when the command doesn’t make sense. Elijah obeyed God even when it didn’t make sense. Obedience is better than sacrifice. You can’t expect God to bless you if you are going to do your own thing. We have to be willing to go where God wants us to go where God wants us to go, be who he wants us to be, and go where he wants us to go.

c.     There is a Spirit of coverage -Elijah was a strong man of God who stood against those that wanted to kill the prophets. God needs people that are not going to run, but know that they are more than conqueror through him that loved us. God needs people that know that God has their back.

4.     What Elisha asked for is so significant; it had character tied to it.

II. Character by request

1.     Elisha has not asked for the double anointing, because he wants wealth or position. Instead he was asking that he be more controlled by the Spirit of God. Where God is about take us will require greater power. We can’t be codependent on people, expecting them to do what God anointed us to do for ourselves.

2.     Where God has appointed you, he has anointed you. When you ask for this anointing, you can pray over your own house and not wait on your Pastor to do it, you can cast out demons for yourself, and you will walk on your job and say devil, “We aren’t going to have this mess this year.”

3.     Many of us ask for things under the wrong motivation.

III. The condition of the his request

1.     There are conditions tied to this type of request. 2 Kings 2:10 says 10And 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.

2.     We must understand the process. Elisha would only get his promise if he witnessed Elijah’s transition. The blessing of the Lord will be reserved for people that can endure the process. Elisha will be taken through the process, but it is just a test. God will present you with options to see if you will take the option or continue with the process. The option will really be a cop out or a place of comfort. You can take the option or you can continue with the process.

3. Opposition didn’t shake his resolve- Opposition will not shake us. 2 Kings 2:3 says 3And 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. – This year, you are going to have to tell a whole lot of people to shut up, because whenever you are seeking something from God, you will always have people who will discourage you and tell you that your journey is in vain. If you know what you are after, stop allowing them to speak negativity into your life. You must tell them politely to shut up!

4.     Opportunities cannot shake you. 2 Kings 2:1-2 says 1And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2And 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. -We are going through the process.- Elijah tells Elisha that Gilgal is a good place to stay, but Elisha says that he will not leave him. Elisha decides that he is going to continue to go through the process.

a.     Gilgal was the place of beginning. This was the place where the Israelites first celebrated the Promised Land, the Passover, and the new births that occurred in the wilderness. It was a place of new beginnings. It is the place where you can get stuck at “what is”. Many peiple comes to the place of Gigal and it becomes the place of “what is”. It is a comfort zone. It is where you can develop the spirit that says, this is the way I have always done it. God says to us just like Elijah, “You can stay here, but I’m going somewhere else.”

b.     They kept going to Bethel- 2 Kings 2:3-4 says 3And 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. 4And 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. –  Elijah told Elisha to stay, because he had to go to Jericho. Elisha is after the anointing of Elijah, so he decides to keep going. Bethel is the represents the place of dreams. Bethel is where Jacob met God and dreamed of angels descending and ascending from heaven. Many of us get stuck here, because Bethel is the place where we catch vision. The problem is many of us will catch vision and we never move to make the dream come true. It is the place where we get stuck at “could be”. In other words we just stay there and we are dreaming about doing a thing, but never produce anything. We are not going to stay at could be. If we had manifested what we could have last year, we would have produced something. We are moving to something else.

c.     Now they make it to Jericho. 2 Kings 2:5 says 5And 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. 6And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.-The people were saying to Elisha, “Are you still going to be with this old man?” and Elisha again is telling them to be quiet. Elijah again asks Elisha to stay behind and by now, we ought to know that this is a test. Everywhere they go, Elisha is asked to stay behind but he refuses. Jericho is the place of past victories. This was the place where Israel had their first military victory (the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6). For many of us this is the place where we begin to reminisce past victories. This is the place where we get stuck at “what once was”. We remember how things used to be. Know that if God did it then, he can do it now. God is doing something new and we have to get out of yesterday and move on with the process.

d.     They came to Jordon. 2 Kings 2:7 says 7And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. – Jordon is the place of death. They stood back because the river of Jordon represented the boundary to the Promised Land. If they crossed it would enter, Elijah would face death.  Some of us come to the Jordon and it is the barrier between self life and spiritual life. Jordon represents not getting stuck at “what should be”. We are not supposed to sit back thinking about what we should have done or could have done. We can’t allow opportunities to cause us to miss what God has for our life. We have to push though the barriers.

IV. Obstacles will not shake his resolve

1.     Elisha managed a sovereign response. 2 Kings 2:10 says 10And 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. – Elisha says he wants a double portion of the anointing that Elijah had. Some of you have come so far, quitting is not an option. Elijah teaches us that if you are still standing here when this transition goes down, you will get what you asked for. If you get weary, you are not going to get it.

2.     Then it happened. 2 Kings 2:11 says 11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. – What happened? It was what was promised in verse 1. Here we are coming through 2011 after God released his word over the house on New Year’s Eve. That was yesterday and one day later, it happened! I feel God about to do something in our life. There are things about to happen in your life suddenly this year. God can make supernatural things happen in your life. Natural hands can’t do this. It will be by his Spirit!

3.     Elisha got the mantle. 2 Kings 2:12 says 12And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. – He cried “my father”. He is talking about his Spiritual Father (Elijah) in this scripture. After not seeing Elijah anymore (Elijah’s transitioned), Elisha’s tore his clothes off. We got to rip some old stuff off, because we are about to change garments. You got to rip off sadness, rip off sadness, and rip off trifling. God is about to give you another mantle.

4.     The same power that was Elijah fell on Elisha. – It wasn’t the same anointing, it was a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. Elisha had a chance to get out, but he kept on going. Through Bethel, through Jericho, through Jordon, and through Gilgal Elisha refused to stay behind and kept going. When people asked why Elisha kept doing this, he told them to shut up because he was headed towards something great. Like Elisha, we want a double portion. Elijah crossed over and never saw of death. Jordon was the place of death, but Elisha crossed over with Elijah. God made a separation, so the haters had to stay to the other side. Some people can’t cross over with you, but when you get this.

5.     Elisha called on the God of Elijah.  2 Kings 2:13 says 13He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. –  Guess who Elisha saw when he crossed back over the Jordon? It was those who saw Elisha at Jericho and didn’t want him to follow Elijah. 15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. – When Elisha crossed back over the Jordon he saw those haters that said Elisha couldn’t do it and those who questioned his motives. They saw the spirit of Elijah resting on Elisha and they came to meet him. They had to bow down before him. Everyone that doubted you and said you were not going to be anything, are going to have to acknowledge the anointing on your life. This is our year for a double portion! Our pain qualified us for this! Everything we went through has qualified us for the double portion! I want DOUBLE!

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