My father! My father! My godly father by Mike Bamiloye
2 Kings 2:11-14
11. Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly
a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them;
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father,
the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more.
And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.
13. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
14. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him,
and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”
And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
When Elisha saw Elijah been carried to heaven, and he cried aloud: “My Father!…My Father!” Was Elijah his father? Was Elijah his biological father? No. We read when he was called from his farming business. We read when he abandoned his large farming, made a feast for his friends, bade his relatives goodbye and followed Elijah. Elijah was not his biological father. He was his leader under whom he served for few years. Elijah got him when he was already rounding off his ministry and The Lord told him to do some few assignment before he went away. Part of what The Lord told him to do was to appoint Elisha as his replacement. So, Elisha must have spent just few time with him before that day he was taken to heaven.
However, within the very short time, he had followed Elijah very closely with all his heart and mind. He had watched every movement of his master and had walked in his every step. So, when Elijah was to be taken away from him, he gave him a condition that was not hard for him to meet: “If you see me when I am being taken from you, you will have the Double Portion”. Elisha had all along been walking very close with this heavily anointed man. He paid full attention to every details of his master and was watching him very closely. So when a whirlwind took him up suddenly, he could still see him clearly with all the heavenly horsemen that came for him.
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Within a very short time of following Elijah, he had regarded him as “Father”, and had regarded himself as Elijah’s son. He was a very patient and watchful follower and servant. How did a servant describe Elisha to the king of Israel?
(2 Kings 3:11)
“…So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said,
“Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”
He was sold out to his master who he regarded as ‘Father’. He waited on him. He poured water on his hand. He watched him closely. He watched his steps and followed him and served him.
When Elijah had been taken to heaven and Elisha was left behind at the other side of Jordan River, how did he cross the river back to Jericho? How did he made his way back through the river, when the man who parted the river had gone to heaven? Elisha made his way back to Jericho by close observation of his ‘father’ and doing exactly what his ‘father’ did.
2 Kings 2:8 (NKJV)
Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water;
and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them
crossed over on dry ground.
Elisha saw how ‘his father’ did it when they were crossing over the river. When he was left alone at the other side and was about to cross back, he did exactly what his ‘father’ did. But imagine if Elijah had not left the Mantle he used behind. Imagine, if Elijah had gone to heaven with his mantle. The Lord has made us to understand previously that the Double Portion is not in the Mantle, but in the SEEING…HIM GOING UP. That was the condition for getting the power. What, therefore, was the Mantle for? For CROSSING THE RIVER BACK TO JERICHO. When Elijah was going to heaven, he left the Mantle for Elisha to cross back to Jericho. He rewarded the very submissive servant.
2 Kings 2:14
Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
FIRST, you have to understand that, when you have a God fearing, Heavenly-conscious, selfless and loving Leader over you in your ministry, ministerial area of operations or in your church and God uses him to lead you and guide you and feed you with the Word of Life and God uses him to instruct and direct your ways as you go on in your ministerial or christian life, and God uses him to inspire you in your ministry and calling, then, God has made him your Spiritual “Father”, or One of your Spiritual Fathers” and he has a Mantle of Authority and Power on him.
Do you believe in The Lord God of your Leader…your father in The Lord….your mentor? Some Followers do not believe the God of their Leader or Pastor or Mentor. They do not believe it is God that is leading him in the way they snub their leader’s instructions and disobey his orders. So, such people can not call upon The Lord of their leader or God of their “Father” at crucial moment.
Elisha is a very good example of a servant. A Biblical model of good Follower of a Godly, heavenly-minded Leader. He knew his leader is ‘his spiritual father’. He served him and followed his closely as his ‘spiritual father’.
So, over Across the Jordan River, in Canaan Land, some of the SECRETS of walking in the Double Portion of power and anointing and experiencing Great Manifestations in ministry and life is:
– Watching your Godly Leader closely.
– Following his steps closely.
– Walking with him closely.
– Serving (pouring water into his hand) him wholeheartedly.
– Don’t sit or rest (like the sons of prophet in Bethel and Jericho) when he is not siting or resting.
– Keep Following him even when you don’t understand where he is going.
– Your Godly Heavenly Conscious Leader is your ‘Father’.
If you are not ready to walk closely with your Godly and Heavenly Conscious leader or Pastor; if you are not ready to accept him as your ‘father’; if you are not ready to watch him closely and follow in his steps; if you are not ready to serve him loyally and give him the honor of a ‘father’, DON’T WALK WITH HIM ACROSS THE JORDAN RIVER TO THE OTHER SIDE, because you will eventually get stranded and miss your way when he is transported to a higher level of his calling and you are not able to catch the spiritual revelation of his divine transportation,
“ONCE YOUR VISION IS BLURRED AND YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR GODLY LEADER/PASTOR TRANSPORTING TO HIS NEXT GLORIOUS PHASE,…YOU CAN’T HAVE IT.
AND ONCE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE MANTLE BECAUSE YOU DID NOT HAVE THE REVELATION OF HIS TRANSPORTING TO THE NEXT LEVEL, YOU GET STRANDED ON THE SPOT, BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT CROSS BACK TO JERICHO.
WHEN YOU ARE STRANDED AT THE OTHER SIDE OF JORDAN, UNABLE TO CROSS BACK TO JERICHO, YOU ARE STUCK BACK IN THE WILDERNESS AGAIN, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE WILDERNESS SIDE OF THE JORDAN RIVER.
Have you ever noticed that some very close Associate of Godly men of God are usually spiritually worse? They follow the Man of God, their Godly Leader or Ministry President or Godly Senior Pastor without seeing the hand of God in his life, but mistakes and faults. They watch him closely, not for Double Portion of power and anointing, but for his mistakes and faults. As they are taking part in all the wonders and exploits The Lord is performing through the anointed man of God, UNCONSCIOUSLY, THEY ARE CROSSING THE JORDAN WITH HIM.
As the Associate Pastor, Vice President, Ministry Associate share in the blessing and the glory of the ministerial expansion and evangelistic exploits, as they bask in the glory of the wonders the Lord is performing through God’s servant,…They are Unconsciously crossing the Jordan River with him. But when The Lord moves His servant to another higher level of ministerial operations, and the Lord God promotes the Man of God in honor, they could not understand, they immediately lose track and become stranded. They suddenly realize that the Man of God, their President, Senior Pastor or General Overseer or Leader has been moved forward to a level they can not reach and there has been some more wider gap between them. They begin to get stranded and are unable to get closer as before.
Some close Associates of anointed men of God, who are not following closely, who are not serving wholeheartedly or watching intently or submitting to them as ‘spiritual father’ are easily attacked by the devil with the spirit of criticisms and fault-finding. And they are usually living in frustrations and disappointment because they can not lay hold on the Mantle of Power and Authority of this Godly Man of God, and they have blurred visions to see his consistent transportation from glory to glory. Many unfaithful Associates and Assistants to Godly men of God, are already stranded at the other side of the Jordan, no mantle to part the way for them. many are swimming back to the bank of the river with effort and frustrations, many have sunk away from ministerial recognition.
Some vice-presidents of ministries, associate pastors and assistants to the leaders of ministries, and some close associates of the ministry Leaders are full of bitterness, anger, resentment, disappointment, and envy, jealousy and are looking so shallow and empty because, their heart is not perfect following the Godly man of God, who is just a man like them, but has paid some hidden or open price to be where he is by divine Grace.
Therefore, walking through the Jordan River to the other side was not enough for Elisha, but in addition to all those actions, he was to watch closely his master, his mentor, his spiritual “father” he was to walk and talk with him along the way. Just as walking through a Fasting and Prayer session for 40, 50, 70 and even 100 day for empowerment and anointing is not enough but walking and talking with Jesus Christ continually and fixing our eyes on Him, and also identifying the spiritual principles of following our Godly leaders/pastors/mentors, who also are following God.
Following a Godly, heavenly-minded, scripturally-principled leader does not automatically translate to receiving the Double portion of anointing, but the condition of the hearts is the determining factor. Elisha followed Elijah and got the Double Portion of his power; but Gehazi who also followed Elisha and was to take a double-portion of his power and anointing got instead, a double portion of Namaan’s leprosy even to his next generation.
If you have a Godly, heavenly-minded, scripturally principled leader, pastor or mentor, Congratulation. Then, watch him closely. Serve him wholeheartedly. Submit to him with all humility. Follow him with determination. THERE IS A MANTLE OF POWER THAT WILL DROP FROM HIM ON YOU FOR YOUR BREAKTHROUGH AND THOROUGH-FARE ON YOUR MINISTERIAL JOURNEY BACK TO WHERE YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS.
If you are not ready to submit, or serve, or walk closely with a Godly and heavenly-minded Leader, don’t follow him ACROSS THE JORDAN RIVER, lest you miss your way and get stranded.
– MIKE BAMILOYE.
#mikebamiloyedevotionals
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