YOU CAN ONLY know how limited you are if you see yourself beyond where you are.
Hannah saw how limited she was when she desired a child. (1 Sam. 19:10)
Elisha knew it was a changing season when Elijah threw his mantle on him (1 Kings 19:19-21).
Peter saw himself beyond being a fisherman when Jesus met him ( Matt. 4:19).
Submission matters
WHEN JESUS told Peter to cast his net into the lake, Peter said they had toiled all night and caught nothing (Luke 5:5-7).
His frustration came when he heard what he had never seen.
He was the expert, but Jesus was the visionary. The connection was submission.
Elisha could only benefit from Elijah once he submitted to his leadership.
To understand your season of life, you must be flexible and submit to God's leading.
Know Your Past
NO MATTER how well you've done in the past, your future lies in wait.
Many people you do not know are waiting for you to manifest God’s glory.
Mordecai understood this when he said to Esther: "And who knows, but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:4)
David knew this when he told Saul that the Lord who delivered him from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear would deliver him from the hand of this Philistine (1 Sam. 17:37)
Elisha understood that his past was for reference; his future would be his residence.
To know the past is to understand it, and understanding the present shapes the future.
Your past is for reference; your future is your residence
Trust God
THE CHALLENGE most believers have is translating the written word to daily living.
David took notice and said: “Deep within me have I hidden Your word so that I might not sin against You (Ps. 119:11).”
Walking with God is trusting Him in the trenches of daily living.
Moses had to trust God to understand his season of life.
There were people life had taught Elisha to trust, too—the family he had depended on and the friends he had spent time with.
However, he had to trust Elijah to move into the next phase of his life. So he was attentive and focused.
Know Yourself
TO UNDERSTAND yourself, you may have to risk being embarrassed.
Zaccheus had to climb a sycamore tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).
Joseph was scolded when he shared his dream with his family (Gen. 37:10).
Peter risked embarrassment when he walked on water and began to sink (Matt. 14:28-29).
But he never stopped asking questions and desiring Jesus.
Elijah gave an unfriendly response when Elisha made his request.
Everything God gives comes in measures
Desire God
ELISHA understood that Elijah had much to give. So, he asked for a double portion anointing.
Nonetheless, Elijah did not scold him. He only said: You have asked for a difficult thing (2 Kings 2:10).
Someone said: The things of God are first impossible, then difficult and finally, possible.
It was difficult, but God made it possible.
Obedience Profits
GOD IS MOST impressed by obedience because that is where he is most glorified.
Obedience can be as simple as telling the truth or as hard as trusting God with the future.
Abraham believed in God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Gen. 15:6)
Elisha trusted God with his future, and God rewarded him.
Grace is all you need
EVERYTHING God gives comes in measures, dimensions and stages.
There was so much grace over Paul’s life.
Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them. (Acts 19:11-12)
Luke said with great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of Jesus, and great grace was upon them. (Acts 4:33)
If you understand that anything God gives is in measure, your attitude to asking will change.
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet, but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God (Jam. 4:2).
He wasn't desiring an anointing for nothing but for something.
Holy Ghost
SOMETIMES, manifestations of the Holy Spirit make you do strange things.
When Jacob prayed for Joseph's sons, he crossed his hands. He placed his right hand on the younger and his left hand on the older (Gen. 48:18-20).
You need the Holy Spirit to tell you what to do.
When you learn to do so, you'll talk like Paul, who said; I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13).
Prayer is therapeutic.
PAUL did not understand the season of life when he had a thorn in his flesh.
So he prayed.
And God said to him: My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is perfect in weakness.
Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, distresses, for Christ's sake. When I am weak, I am strong (2 Cor. 10:8-10).
Paul took pleasure because he understood his season.
Final Thought
YOU CAN NEVER be right by choosing God's wrong. You can never go wrong choosing God's right.
Know that choosing the thing with the least resistance will lead to mediocrity.