The God of Elijah and Elisha 9-10-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Good Shepherd. Let me hear Your voice and follow Your lead today. ... "(Elisha) picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, 'Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha' " (2 Kings 2:13-15). As Elisha stepped into his calling for the next season of his life, he knew the Source of his anointing was from You alone. Carrying the mantle of Elijah on his shoulders meant nothing without carrying the God of Elijah in his heart. Elijah had gone before Elisha, just like Moses had gone before Joshua, preparing the way for the next generation to go further than the last. You even prepared the way for Your disciples to go further than You in the power of Your Spirit: "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in Me will do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.... And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him because He abides with you, and He will be in you" (John 14:12-17). As the Spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha, let the Spirit of Christ rest on me. Let Your Holy Spirit of truth abide with me and abide within me. I thank You for the mentors of wisdom and mantles of authority You've given to me and imparted to me along the way, but I know none of that means anything apart from You: "Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5). You are the Lord, the God of Elijah. And Your Spirit anoints me, empowers me, and abides within me, along with all who believe in You, to fulfill the calling and purpose and destiny You have for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm attaching our newsletter, Messiah's Messenger--Newsletter for the Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries. Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested in knowing more about our ministry. Thank you for all your encouragement, prayers, and support. Thank you for joining me in the journey of prayer. God bless! Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Devotional Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com