Not From, But To...
In every new season…in every promotion and elevation, there is a requirement to walk away from something in order to walk into what God has ordained for you to walk into.
In the natural, you cannot enter one room without exiting another. You cannot enter one house without exiting another, and the same is true in the spirit.
In 1 Kings 19:19-21, we read the story of Elijah and Elisha. We read that Elijah walks up to Elisha while he’s plowing in the field and throws his mantle upon him. Immediately, Elisha stops what he’s doing to run to Elijah and ask him if he can go and kiss his parents and tell them goodbye. In verse 20, Elijah replies, “Go on back, BUT think about what I have done to you.” Verse 21 doesn’t say, “so Elisha returned to his parents and kissed them goodbye.” Instead, it says act he did something that he didn’t initially mention.
“So Elisha returned to his open and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.” - 1 Kings 19:21 NLT
What did he do?
He turned to his oxen and slaughtered them.
He used the wood from the plow to build a fire and roast their flesh.
He passed around the meat to the townspeople and they all ate.
None of these things are what he said that he was going to do.
Something must have happened between Elijah giving him the instruction to think about what he had done to him and when he actually got home.
I believe that Elisha had a revelation of what was really happening. The door to his destiny was being opened. I believe that he realized that he couldn’t have one foot in the field and one foot in the future at the same time. He made sure that by slaughtering his oxen and burning his plow, he had nothing to return to and nothing else to depend on but the God who was calling him. By feeding the people, he was announcing his departure from one season and his entrance into another. He sowed seed into his future using what his past provided.
It could not have been easy for Elisha to make those decisions. That’s why Elijah told him to think about it while going to tell his parents goodbye. Elijah didn’t want him to commit to something without counting the cost. Our perspective during these times has to shift. We can’t mourn over what or who we are leaving, but instead, we must rejoice over what we are walking into!
We must remember our examples in this.
Abraham had to leave his nephew, Lot. Moses had to leave the palace and his position as a prince. Joseph had to leave his parents, even though he was their favorite. Elisha had to leave his family and the field that he stood to inherit. The disciples had to leave their families and professions. Paul had to leave his religion and career. Jesus had to leave Heaven.
You’re not just walking away from; you’re walking into…
Destiny. Increase. Legacy. Anointing. Appointment. Mantles. Restoration. Fullness. Provision. GLORY!
Perspective is everything when it’s time to enter into the new!