Spiritual Mantles 8/14/24 Pastor Benjamin Foster

for well good evening everyone and we welcome you to the Divine encounter uh weekly Bible study we are blessed to assemble again one more time and we are excited to look into and to study God's word God always has something to say for those who will take out the time to hear what he has to say and one way that God speaks to us is through the teaching of his word so we are excited because of the fact that God has something to say God is going to give us some insight God is going to give us some wisdom from his word and today we have an interesting topic I want to talk to you today about spiritual mantles spiritual mantles this is a topic that we've got to understand in a deeper way and uh first of all we want to welcome you to the Divine encounter uh church Bible study and uh we want to make sure you have information about us you can look at if you want to look up our web site you can go to www. Divine encounter uhet Divine encounter um uh church.net I believe it is divine encounter church.net look that up and uh you can check out our website also uh if you would like to visit us in person we do meet once a week in person uh and that's on Sundays 3M uh on the campus of Wasa Community College an Arbor Michigan uh we meet at the Morris Lawrence building uh at 3 pm and we usually meet in room ml150 so come by there visit with us and we would be glad to meet you and to fellowship with you in person and so the word of God on today we're dealing with mantel we're going to go to 2 Kings chapter 2 starting at verse one second Kings chapter 2 and we're going to start at verse number one and it reads and it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into Heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elijah from gilgal okay he had to follow Elisha had to follow Elijah he had to follow him from gilgal if he wanted to get the mantle and Elijah said unto Elisha Terry here I pray thee for the Lord have sent me to bethl and Elisha said unto him as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not leave thee so they went down to bethl and so you've got to have a a genuine passion a genuine desire for the anointing if you're going to receive the anointing because the mantle represents the anointing that's what it represents the mantle is a figure for and represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit we need the anointing today we need the anointing of the Holy Ghost when you look at the world in which we live there's all kinds of troubl all kinds of problems all kinds of evil there's so much evil that is happening in our world uh so much trouble so much destruction crime War violence hate deceit um deception uh in order to take other people's Bel longing swindling you know these are things that are a part of our world our world is full of all kinds of trouble we need the genuine anointing the anointing of the Holy Spirit in order to deal with the Troubles of our times we've got to have the anointing make no mistake about it if you don't have the genuine anointing ing of God you are not g to be able to deal with the evil and the destruction that the enemy is bringing against our day and time you see the devil has a different strategy for each day and time each season he has a different strategy he doesn't just come and do the same thing over and over nope he changes it up he changes it up and he says for this generation we're going to bring this and that against this generation for this generation that we're living in what the devil seems to be doing is using gender confusion uh and sexual loudness the lack of control uh concerning sexual things to trip many people up this is what is going on in this generation many people are getting tripped up by these things gender confusion and uh the lack of control as it relates to sexual uh sexual things so we've got to have a fresh anointing for each generation a fresh anointing of God we need the power of the Holy Ghost that's the only way we're going to be successful and we're going to overcome uh in this day and time in which we are living we've got to have the genuine power of God either we got it or we don't we we've got to have some power and God is interested in making sure that the church has power he's interested in making sure that the church is Anointed and ready to do the work uh of ministry to do the work of evangelism to the to do the work of setting people free from uh the various addictions and issues that they are in Tangled with so is going to take some is going to take the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the mantle is the anointing that's what it is it's the anointing so uh he says as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not leave thee so they went down to bethl verse three and the sons of the prophets that were at bethl came forth to Elisha and said unto him knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today he saidy I know it hold your peace and Elijah said unto Eli Elijah said unto Elisha ter here I pray thee for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho and he said as the Lord liveth and as I soul liveth I will not leave thee so they came to Jericho and the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elijah and said to him knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today and he answered yay I know it hold your peace and Elijah said unto him Terry here for the Lord have sent me to Jordan and he said as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not leave thee they too went on okay and let's go down a little further all right let's go to verse n it came to pass when they were going 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 theee let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me now Elisha had to qualify to receive the mantle of Elijah he had to qualify for it everybody can't get the mantle uh of Mighty Men of God is not available to just any and everybody but it's only available to those who would do what is required and what God desires and part of the requirement for Elisha to receive the mantle of Elijah is that he had to serve him so that's one of the keys to you receiving a mantle from the Lord a a special anointing from God that's one of the keys to you receiving it you got to be willing to serve under someone else you got to be willing to come under someone else's Authority and work with them and assist them in accomplishing the task that God has given them to accomplish that's one key to you getting a mantle serving you know it seems that we just don't value serving as much as we ought to we just don't value it we don't see it as something that has uh genuine worth genuine value but it's very valuable in the sight of God because serving allows you to humble yourself it is a key that God has given us to humbling ourselves and so when we serve we humble ourself and if we humble ourselves God can exalt us humbling ourselves is a key to exaltation one of the ways that God will exalt you is he will give you a mantle he'll give you a special anointing that's what a mantle is it's a special anointing of God that has rested upon someone before you special anointing of God that has rested on someone who went before you and God wants to give what they had to you so you can use it in your generation too and so this is what uh Elisha uh realizes he somehow realizes that he needs what Elijah had make no mistake about it we need not just the new technology of our day and time uh not just the uh the the greater natural Earthly things that have been manifested through technology but we need also uh something from the past we need also something from the previous generations and what we need is the genuine power of God we need the genuine anointing the Bible says that it is the anointing that destroys the Yoke the anointing destroys the yoke so there's people that are yoked to things and they need a touch from the anointing of God they're bound and they're struggling and they want to get free from a yoke the anointing of the Holy Spirit The Mantel uh of God the these are the key to people getting free okay it's the anointing that destroys the Yoke and so uh Elisha asked a difficult thing okay he asks for something difficult he didn't ask for something easy you see uh he says give me Elijah said I pray thee let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me in other words I want twice the anointing that you have Elijah I want devil what you have he asked a hard thing I wish that there were people in our generation that would rise up and ask a hard thing I wish there were people in our generation that would rise up and ask God for something difficult uh something that's not easy uh but it's a hard thing why because if we don't ask God for something that is as uh Elijah said a hard thing we're not going to have the necessary Grace and power to deal with the evils of our times this is going to take people asking God for hard things it's going to take people being willing to pay a price this is going to take uh people that are willing to to give themselves to fasting and prayer it's going to take people being willing to spend long hours in prayer it's going to take people being willing to pray through the night and neglect sleep at times it's it going to take people that are willing uh to suffer the ridicu ridic of society and be rejected by people it's going to take us paying a price you see it's a hard thing is not hard to God but is hard from the perspective that we have to qualify for it it's not hard to God it's easy for God to give us uh an abundance of his anointing but it's difficult because we must pay the price and the genuine anointing of God does not come easily doesn't come easily the genuine anointing of God is something that you've got to be willing to uh suffer for pay a price for there's a price that you will pay to walk in the anointing of God to know God and to walk in his power I don't know of anybody in history that has walked in genuine power the genuine anointing and power of God and it's just been easy I know of no one that has said oh it's just easy there no nothing to it it's not just easy there is a price that you will pay there is a price that you will pay to know God and to walk in his power and Glory you want to cast out devils and heal the sick preach the gospel and see people genuinely saved there is a price that you will pay and even Jesus Christ the very Son of God even Jesus had to pay a great price even Jesus had to separate himself from the crowds get away from people and get alone with the father even Jesus had to fast 40 days and 40 nights so that he could go forth in the power of the spirit when he began his Earthly Ministry because after he was baptized by John the spirit drove him into the Wilderness for 40 days where he was tempted of the devil and he didn't eat anything in those days didn't eat a thing for 40 days and you better believe he was hungry and if Jesus Christ the son of God had to pay a price then you got to pay a price too it's that simple there's the anointing and the mantles of God's holy spirit they don't come free they don't just come free you got to pay the price you want to walk in that Glory you want to walk in that power so uh let's continue on he he says let a devil portion of your spirit be upon me he said thou has asked a hard thing nevertheless if you see me when I am taken from you it shall be unto you but if not it shall not be so so you're gonna have to stick closely to me you're gonna have to watch me very closely stick closely to me and don't let me get away from you you got to see me when when I go away because if you don't see me when I go away the mantle is not coming to you don't expect it to come to you if you don't see me when I'm taken from you so uh a big key to the anointing Walking In The Mantel and the power of God is that you got to be close to the Lord you got to walk closely with him you got to follow him closely you don't follow him closely you don't qualify uh to walk in his power you don't follow him closely and keep Pace with him you don't qualify to walk in his glory and so this is what is illustrated by this particular passage of scripture you got to follow me closely is what Elijah was letting him know you got to make sure you stay with me so closely that when I get out of here you got to see me you've got to see me you got to observe my departure you got to actually observe it and see it happen okay and I believe that one of the keys to why he had to see him depart is this we've got to recognize the end of another era we've got to recognize the end of another time we've got to recognize the end of a season in order for us to walk into the power and the glory that God has for our season there's so many people that are stuck on the past and I'm not saying that you shouldn't study the past and learn about the past but you got to be careful that you are not stuck on the past you got to recognize that the moves of God that have gone before you are gone God is not bringing those moves of God back he's he's giving new fresh Revelation new fresh movings new fresh uh stirrings new fresh revivals that's what God is doing God is releasing new and fresh things don't be so stuck on the past that you're not able to receive that which is God is doing today study the past learn about it be inspired by it but don't be stuck on it don't think that God is going to do things in the exact same way that he did things uh with other Generations God can do it differently so we shouldn't be stuck on God doing it a certain way say oh you know what the way God is gonna move is we're gonna all get together we're gonna start clapping we're gonna start clapping we're gonna start jumping around and then the power of God is gonna fall God can do it that way but don't be stuck that he has in a mentality that he has to always do it that way you can I've heard of moves of God's spirit where the preaching was just going forth and during the preaching of the word of God the power of God just fell or when there was singing and praise going forth the power of God just fell God can do things in different ways and you can't put God in a box and say he has to do it the way he did it back in the days of uh Bishop Mason he has to do it the way that he did it back in the days of AA Allen he has to do it the way that he did it back in the days of Charles O miles now you you can't put God In The Box God is going going to do things according to his own wisdom God is Sovereign and you got to cooperate with him do things his way and so he had to see the the passing away of the old before he could receive what God had for him that's what Elisha experienced in order for him to receive what God had for him he had to see Elijah taken away and you know what happened and it's what happens in every generation but what happened was that the sons of the prophets after Elijah was taken away they went they wanted to look for him they wanted to find him they said oh he's got to be somewhere we're going to go out and we're going to get together and have a search party and we're going to going to find where Elijah is they were determined to hold on to what God had taken away they were determined we're gonna hold on to Elijah and God God had taken him away up into Glory he sent the Chariot of fire and the horse and it took and Elijah went up in Whirlwind he was taken away they were supposed to recognize that the era in the time of Elijah was over they were supposed to recognize that but they were caught up on Elijah they were caught up on him as a uh as a charismatic perhaps leader and they didn't want him to just be gone so they said we're going to get a search party together and we're going to go out and look for Elijah they went out wasted their time looking for a man who God had taken to Glory well this is what is happening this is what happens in every generation when Great Men of God pass on and they go on to Glory often times you have people that will go H and they will in essence hold on to that person hold on to them and not release release the fact that they are gone not release them uh to just be gone just realize that person is not with us anymore they'll go out looking they're looking for that person okay and don't realize that God wants you to step up and start doing what that person was doing you don't want you go looking for them it's not not time to go get a search party and look for Elijah you got to recognize that Elijah is past and whatever man of God it is that you respect and rever they are gone if they're gone they're gone it's time for you to rise up it's time for you to make a stand it's time for you to arise and become the man or woman of God that God has called you to be what is God's vision for your life what is God's calling for your life what is God's anointing for your life it's time for you to take up their mantle and start doing the work in our generation Hallelujah and so Elisha wanted double what Elijah had and I believe that the reason that he asked for devil is because he needed double he dealt with more severe situations than what Elijah dealt with the famine in the Days of Elijah was three and a half years but the famine in the days of Elisha was seven years okay so things get worse uh as we near the return of Jesus Christ it seems like things they tend to get worse and darker times require heavier mantel darker times require greater light darker times require more of the anointing don't think that you just need the anointing of those that went before you you're going to need double you're going to need more than what they had because these are some Wicked times so we've got to uh pursue the anointing for today we got to recognize that we need it for today it's time out for glorying in what uh our forefathers did in their generation just glorying in that and talking about oh they did this and they did that that whoa I tell you back in those days back in those days they healed the sick back in those days they would cast out Devils Back in those days they would even raise the dead back in those days they really really had Revival well what are you doing in your day what are you doing now what about today hey what about God's vision for your life God can do uh great things through you as well Jesus didn't have a vision that his disciples wouldn't be able to do the works that he did and that they would just go on and and uh and be weak spiritually and and not have the kind of power resting on him on them that they should have had Jesus that wasn't the vision of Jesus Jesus wanted them to go forth in greater power do Greater Works okay Jesus let them know that if you believe on me uh the works that I do you will do also that's what Jesus had to tell them he said the works that I do you will do also and Greater Works than these you will do because I go unto the father Jesus made it very clear I want you to not just do my works I want you to do Greater Works I want you to go forth in greater power than what I'm walking in and I believe that is the heart of a spiritual father a spiritual father wants his spiritual Sons and Daughters to go forth in a greater measure of the anointing than they went forth in they want their sons and daughters to do more than they did more than they did that was the Heart of Jesus he wanted them to do more okay now we know that Jesus of course was the son of God and we know that Jesus of course his ministry uh the works that he did his disciples uh they did works like Jesus but of course they couldn't surpass Jesus in the quality the quality of works that they did they couldn't surpass that we know that Jesus was the very Son of God and uh he had the anointing without measure there was no measure to the anointing that Jesus walked in okay so uh that's what Elijah and Elisha um this is a principle that Elijah and Elisha utilized okay Elijah wanted to see Elisha do more than him and Elisha wanted to go further than Elijah went okay he wanted to go further and we should desire to go further we should go desire to go beyond there is more that God can do through you and wants to do through you than he did in those before you so uh let's continue in our scripture reading uh verse 11 and 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 them both a Thunder and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven and 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 took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan took up also the mantle of Elijah so what did he do he didn't just observe this event and see the the mantle fall he went and he picked it up he went and he picked it up we've got to pick up the mantle go and pick it up don't just talk about the anointing and what the previous generations had go and pick up what they left behind the mantels are not things that they can use in heaven they don't needed those Mantel in heaven they leave them here on Earth for those that have spiritual perception to pick up they leave them behind so that those that have spiritual vision can perceive them can recognize them and can receive them do you have the perception the spiritual Insight the wisdom the dedication and consecration to pick up the mantle do you have it do you value the mantle enough to pick it up we've got to Value the mantle value the anointing that's the key value it it's there for you it's available for you you need to pick it up I remember a mantle and you can receive men many mantel not just don't think it's just oh I received a mantle no you can receive many mantel many different gifts and anointings can be can come upon your life special anointings but I remember a mantle was transferred to me and it came down upon me after spending hours and hours in prayer seeking God I remember how that mantle came down upon me and I felt it felt just like a a jacket wrapping around me in this area right in here it felt just like a a jacket wrapped around me and Came Upon me when that uh when it was given to me I felt it I literally knew a mantle was given to me okay a mantle from heaven was given to me okay seeking God praying calling upon God for a period of time not really knowing that I was asking you know I was praying in the spirit in other tongues that was what I was doing I didn't know that I was really asking for that but I guess that's what I was asking for and praying in in the spirit and that mantle came down upon me one morning and I felt it literally come upon me like a coat and I knew I said oh God is just given me something he just gave me a special Grace okay and so that's what we need we need the mantle uh and the power and the glory of the Holy Spirit we need mantles and anointings that come from the holy SP Spirit that's what we need we've got to have it our generation is in need of Deliverance and the anointing the mantle that's what God will use to set people free we need the power of God it's time to quit uh focusing on what has happened in the past and start doing the work of God it's time for our generation to arise to stand up to take its place we shouldn't stand I would I would hate for this generation that we are living in to stand before God and say oh you know what we didn't take up The Mantel of the previous generation we we just let them sit we we knew they were there and available we just let them sit and we talked about uh the the great men and women of God that went before us and we talked about them we love to discuss them but we didn't do anything ourselves we didn't seek God for ourselves that's a tragedy let's stand up let's rise up in this generation and let's make sure that we come into our mantle into our anointing into our destiny let's bow our heads dear father in Jesus name we thank you for your word thank you for this time Lord God looking into your word oh God bless us Lord God to walk in the mantel that you envision us walking in bless us to walk in those things and to utilize them oh God to help our generation to be a blessing in our times in the mighty name of Jesus oh God and we ask that uh you would just uh keep us preserve us oh God till we meet again if there's anyone that is hearing this message today and you need to receive Jesus into your heart today is the day of salvation don't make any excuses there's no guarantee you're going to see tomorrow there's no guarantee that you're going to awake to see the dawn of a new day it's time for you to get right with Jesus Christ it's no coincidence that you're listening to this message if you don't know Jesus this is your time to make your calling and your election sure you don't want to meet God without knowing that you're ready it's not enough for you to pray a prayer after you die no you need to get your business right with God before you die before you leave this world there's you may not get this chance again please I plead with you today if you're hearing this message you need to get right with God and know that you're ready for eternity there is a heaven to gain and there is a hell to shine don't end up lost don't miss out on heaven for this world so pray this prayer with me today and mean it dear Lord Jesus I ask you to come into my heart and to save me I repent of my sins and I make the decision to turn from them today and I believe that you died for my sins that you were buried and that you were raised again on the third day so that I might be justified I believe that your death was the once and for all atonement for the sins of the world in Jesus name amen amen if you prayed that prayer today you made the best decision you could ever make get into the word start with the New Testament begin to read through it develop your prayer life just talk to God ask God for the things that you need trust him come by and visit us at the Divine Encounter Church check out our videos here on YouTube please like And subscribe so we can get the word out there may God bless you until we meet again for bab B [Music] [Music] [Music] mom take I just like