Open Heavens 17th February 2018: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye
Memorise: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” – John 14:12
Read: 2 Kings 2:9-15 (KJV)
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone 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 thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
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 both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 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.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Bible in One Year: Leviticus 13; 1 Corinthians 4
MESSAGE
When Elisha requested for the double portion of Elijah’s anointing, he was simply asking for the ability to do greater works than what his master had done. Here is Elijah’s response to his request:
“And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” – 2 Kings 2:10
One lesson we should quickly learn from this response is that any child of God asking God for more of His gift or blessings is actually courting higher responsibilities. Asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit required great faith on the part of the upcoming prophet. In the same vein, it requires faith from us to believe that we can do greater things than Christ did. As far as Elisha was concerned, nothing could be allowed to come between him and the anointing for greater works. He therefore, keenly watched and followed the footsteps of his master. As they took a walk and talked, a chariot of fire and flaming horse parted them. Elisha beheld this, and he cried out to signify that he saw everything and had met the condition Elijah laid down for him. He tore his clothes and picked up the mantle that fell from Elijah while he was being transported to heaven, signifying that he was ready to change his old garment to a new one for a new life of greater exploit. I have good news for you: someone greater than Elijah is now present with us, and His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. He came to die for our sins and to rescue us from all forms of damnation. Bible testifies that He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). To be able to do what He did and even greater things than He did, you must decide to follow Him all the way, just as Elisha did with Elijah. In order to be intimate with Jesus Christ, doing His bidding is not optional. After Elisha got the double portion of Elijah’s spirit, other sons of the prophets had to acknowledge the beautiful thing that had taken place in his life, and they all bowed to him. A greater experienced awaits those who give their lives to Christ, because demons will begin to bow to them. This is just part of the Lord’s promise to us (Mark 16:17-18).
What is expected of us, therefore, is to abide in Him and follow His way of life and the ideas He brought from His Father, even if this requires our having to suffer for him. 1 Peter 2:21 say:
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”
Prayer Point: Father, please count me worthy to do greater works that my Master did while on earth, and let Your Name be glorified through me.
Hymn 2: I Need Thee, Oh, I Need Thee.
1. I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
Chorus:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
2. I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.
3. I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
4. I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
5. I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
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