Power Power Prophet

So, it’s time we fix the idea that God comes in power-measures that differ, from one person to another. Ah, it’s been taught that this is the case in the following scripture which we will get to momentarily. Now some history is that I was reading this scripture and the topic illuminated which to me and this ministry is a sign that God wants me to prepare a message on what the Holy Spirit is pointing at. But as is the case every now and again, I shifted my thoughts for a brief moment and zink I lost the revelation. 

Fast forward a few weeks into the future present, in my morning reading time, I tripped upon the scripture again, and bing, I had recaptured what God had initially pointed out several weeks back. So this time I was lead to investigate what the real meaning is regarding the request Elisha had made to Elijah, which was “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” Let’s look at that scripture:

2 Kings 2:6-15 - 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.”

But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Hello, this is Ken, your podcast preacher. Welcome back to my podcast Deep Waters. This podcast is brought to you by Applied Strengths Ministry, where we believe working together on our strengths is the effect of working out the will and calling of God in and through our lives. Thanks for joining me. Let's open up in prayer. Blessed be the God and Father of your Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose you and him before the foundation of the world, that you should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined you to adoption as your son or daughter by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, which he purposed in himself, to the praise of the glory of his grace, and which he made you accepted into the love. In him ye have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he made to avow towards you in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to you the mystery of his will, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, ye might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. I ask that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of the mystery of him, and to the deepest knowledge of him that you are willing and able to receive, that the eyes of your understanding would be open wider, and that you would be enlightened to who he is, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in you, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward you, who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, that he would grant that you would be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man, and through your spirit and heart, and that you would be able to stand against your flesh, this world, and the devil, and into any in all temptations. I pray that your love may abound more and more in all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. I ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom, and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, in all patience and long suffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints who walk in the light. I pray that your hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love and unity, and that you would attain to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which has been given to each of my listeners by Jesus Christ, that you are enriched in everything by him, in all utterance and all knowledge, so that you do not come short in obtaining or operating in your calling and purpose, nor in using any spiritual gifts or talents, eagerly waiting for the continued revelation of our Lord Jesus, who will confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the near coming of the day of our Lord. God is faithful by whom you are called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus. Okay, so now therefore, my sisters and brothers in Christ, when things get tough, think about whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and whatever things are of a good report. If there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things alone. I pray that in these very days that you would let your love be without hypocrisy, hate and loath what is evil, cling to what is good and righteous, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent and fully engulfed in spiritual fire, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, walking in the peace of God, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfast in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, that is each other, and that you would be given to hospitality. May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like minded towards one another, according to Christ Jesus, that we learn to be of one mind and one accord, operating completely and fully in love and unity, always striving for the working out of God's specific will for each of our lives, while working in partnership with each other within the church and the Holy Spirit, as he manifests his miracles, signs, and wonders through the daily activities of our ministry and kingdom work, and while we also go out preaching the gospel and word and deed, let us love and serve one another, our enemy, and those who wouldn't expect us to do so, considering each person better than ourselves. Bind up any words or thoughts that are contrary to the love of God, or which would set you back in your Christian walk. Ah, step out in faith today and walk with God, being assured that nothing will separate you from Him as long as you abide in Him. Call those things that don't exist as though they do. Remember He that is in you is greater than He that is in the world. Be more than a conqueror today, submitting to the will of God in everything. Let each of us express uncompromising love towards one another and humility while maintaining a teachable spirit. I pray that God will give you the revelation within this message that He intends you to receive with the understanding. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. In Jesus' name we pray amen. The title of this message is Power Power Prophet. So it's time we fix the idea that God comes in power measures that differ from one person to another. Ah it's been taught that this is a case in the following scripture, which we will get to momentarily. Now some history is that I was reading this scripture and the topic illuminated which to me and this ministry is a sign that God wants me to prepare a message on what the Holy Spirit is pointing out. But as is the case, every now and again, I shift my thoughts for a brief moment, and zinc, I lost the revelation. Fast forward to a few weeks into the future present, in my morning reading time, I tripped upon the scripture again, and bing, I had recaptured what God had initially pointed out several weeks earlier. So this time I was led to investigate what the real meaning is regarding the request Elijah had made to Elijah, which was please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. Let's look at that scripture. Second Kings two, six through fifteen. Then Elijah said to him, Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan. But he said, As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So the two of them went on, and fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry land. And so it was when they had crossed over that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I may do for you, before I am taken away from you. Elisha said, Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. So he said, You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if not, it shall not be so. Then it happened as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elijah saw it and he cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen. So he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. Then he also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that, and Elijah crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophet who were from Jericho saw him, they said the spirit of Elijah rest on Elijah. Just so you know, when you operate in the power of God, people will say the same thing of you, not that they will say, Hey man, he has the spirit of Elijah, but that you, yes, you have the spirit, the anointing and power of God working in and through you. So the following is a general description of what it means to ask for a double portion of a person's spirit. Ah, and yes, I heard that, which is that I would recommend that you not ask God to give you a double portion of anybody's spirit in these New Testament days, as you could end up with all their hidden sinful secrets manifesting in your life. And I believe it borders on witchcraft, since God has offered each believer his Holy Spirit upon request, in this the church age. Luke eleven thirteen. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? On with the definition. In the Old Testament, a double portion of your spirit, specifically Second Kings two nine, refers to Elijah requesting to be recognized as the rightful spiritual heir of Elijah, based on the law of the firstborn. This phrase indicates a request for the primary inheritance which was twice the amount given to other heirs, signifying a desire to continue Elijah's prophetic ministry rather than a desire for superior power. Deuteronomy twenty one seventeen. But he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his. Key aspects of the double portion inheritance rights. In Hebrew culture, the firstborn inherited a double share of the father's estate. Elisha was establishing himself as a primary successor to Elijah's prophetic mantle and leadership. Spiritual continuity Elisha requested not just a portion of Elijah's spiritual power, but the necessary authority and ability to carry on Elijah's ministry, which focused on standing against idolatry in Israel, resulting miracles. The request was granted, and Elisha went on to perform roughly twice as many recorded miracles sixteen as Elijah eight, demonstrating the fulfillment of this double portion. Metaphor for abundance The phrase also represents a general symbol of God's abundant favor and restoration, as described in Isaiah sixty one seven, where a double portion replaces shame and disgrace with joy. Isaiah sixty one seven instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land they shall possess double, everlasting joy shall be theirs. Elisha's request was for the responsibility and power necessary to lead the prophets, not for a selfish increase in personal power. Okay, so the next bit is what it means from the position of the Hebrew language, and I am including this just so that we can see that the real meaning doesn't really deviate from the original text, but it also as well gives us some additional insights. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew phrase for double portion in the context of Elisha's request to Elijah, Second Kings 2 9, refers to the legal right of a firstborn son to inherit twice the amount of the estate compared to his siblings. Elisha was not asking for twice as much power as Elijah possessed, but rather to be recognized as Elijah's spiritual successor and legal heir. Here's a detailed breakdown of the meaning. Legal and covenantal context. Deuteronomy twenty one seventeen. In ancient Israel, the firstborn was entitled to a double portion of the father's inheritance. This denotes not just material goods, but the transfer of authority, headship over the family, and the responsibility to carry on the family legacy. Succession and legacy. Elisha was asking to be treated as Elijah's spiritual firstborn, among the sons of the prophet. It means taking up the mantle or cloak and continuing the specific, difficult mission of Elijah in confronting apostasy. And apostasy is basically people falling away from the church, which is happening in these days and will happen even more, in greater measure. An abundant measure, not mathematical doubling. Because the Holy Spirit is not divisible, the request did not mean Elisha wanted twice the power. Instead it meant he wanted to inherit the fullness of Elijah's prophetic spirit and the primary share of his ministry, rather than just being a regular student. It was a promotional request, recognizable by others, through the request for a double portion. Evidence of fulfillment. The request is granted because Elisha was present during Elijah's ascension, second Kings two ten through twelve. Evidence of the granted request is seen in Elisha forming twice as many miracles twenty eight as Elijah's fourteen. Second Kings two ten through twelve. So he said, You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if not, it shall not be so. Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, My Father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen. So he saw them no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. The hard thing Elijah calls this a hard thing, second Kings two ten, because it was not in his power to give it. It required God to bestow a massive, transformative responsibility on Elisha. And but I must interject here as well, because and although it was a big God request, God had already known in advance the request that Elisha was going to make. Maybe this is why God had told Elisha to go and fetch Elisha in the first place. Then the Lord said to him, Go, returning on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint Hazel as king over Syria, and you shall anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, as king over Israel, and Elisha, the son of Shapat, of Abel, Mehoah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It should be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazel, Jehu will kill, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Okay, back to the definition. In short, double portion of your spirit means receiving the primary inheritance and spiritual authority of a predecessor to continue their mission. I know this may be new revelation, but with the original misinterpretation of Elisha's request for a double portion, it has been taught and prayed for, which is that we could ask the same thing of God in these days and get twice as much power. Ah, so we can double up on the power of God? This thinking and teaching is off and minimizes who God is. When we get baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are at full power. No, we do not begin as baby Christians to use the full power, but we do have it. We have enough to stop the moon and the sun, thus stopping time, or to set time backwards, or to see life come back into a dead man. Joshua ten twelve through fourteen. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day, when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun stand still over Gibon, and moon in the valley of Ajalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. So what would you do with a double portion of God's power as it relates to such things as like stopping time? Do you think humanity would abuse that power? Yes, of course we would. How many times do we wish that we could just freeze time to avoid what we know is coming? Hey dear, our taxes are due tomorrow. Well, let's just stop time for about a couple of years and see if this will pass. Ah, but no, how many court sentencings would time be stopped just before the judge issued their sentence? Ah, but if we have a double power button, we could listen to the judge, and if we didn't like what we heard, we could set time backwards and then stop it, thus stopping the pronouncement of the sentence. Do you see how crazy it would get if God allowed free reign on the double power button? Next. Isaiah thirty eight eight. Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sun dial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backwards, so the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down. If we had a double dose of God's power, could we just unwind time indefinitely? Perhaps you want to go back and have a chat with Adam and Eve. But no, if it was God's will for that chat to happen, you have all the power needed to be caught up or transported to that time period. And but I assure you, it is not his will. Next, Acts nine thirty six forty three. At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. The woman was full of good works and charitable deeds, which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her they laid her in an upper room, and since Lydia was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body he said, Tabitha, arise, and she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon a tanner. Now when I was a young fiery Christian, I had these off thoughts, and questions like, Boy, if God gave me the ability to raise a dead and I walk through a cemetery, would the people start popping up out of the ground like Jeffy Pop Popcorn? Ah, but he did give us a command to raise the dead, right? Matthew ten eight. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, freely you have received, freely give. And but he did not command, nor is there any example of people popping up out of their graves because some anointed Christians simply walked through a cemetery. You can look at a strange example of how this happened, but no one was standing in the cemetery to cause this phenomenon. It was caused by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and I suppose we are fortunate that when the dead saw the event, all of the cemeteries just didn't burp up all of the dead. After all, who, after seeing such things, wouldn't have wanted to begin their new life with the risen Christ right then? Matthew twenty seven, fifty two through fifty three. And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Okay, so let's look at what Elijah's life was measured by in terms of miracles, against a request from Elisha, and that he, that is Elisha, have a double portion of Elijah's spirit. It is believed that the number of increased miracles is due to Elisha's request of which only God could grant, and again based on the increase is the evidence that God met the request with a resounding yes. We will also look at the supporting scriptures all along the way. Now Google AI states the Bible attributes eight major miracles to the prophet Elijah, setting a baseline for Elisha's subsequent double portion request. As we've already covered, there were more miracles than just eight, but we're going to just stick with the eight for now. I guess this is a good time as any to introduce multiple hoxamali interpretations of what defines a miracle. The example for this message is an eight versus sixteen count, but you should know that these numbers leave out other miracles that were performed by both these guys. Now others have claimed that Elisha did twenty eight miracles to Elijah's fourteen. I chose to use a lesser number for the sake of podcasting time limits. The point is that you should know that these numbers are subjective and interpretive based on a specific person's definition of what constitutes a miracle. Declaring a drought, Elijah proclaimed that there would be no rain or dew in Israel for three and a half years, as a judgment for idolatry. And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, as the Lord of God Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word. Multiplication of flour and oil. For a widow of Zarephath, Elijah, miraculously ensured her jar of flour and jug of oil never ran out during the famine. For thus says the Lord God of Israel, the bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah, raising the widow's son. When the same widow's son died, Elijah prayed and stretched himself over the boy three times, and his life returned to him. So she said to Elijah, What have I to do with you? O man of God? Have you come to bring my sin to remembrance and to kill my son? And he said to her, Give me your son. So he took him out of her arms, and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, O Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow to whom I lodge, by killing her son? And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, O my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him. Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house. And gave him to his mother, and Elijah said, See, your son lives. Then the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth. Fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. In a contest against the prophets of Baal, Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume a water soaked sacrifice, proving the Lord is the true God. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that you are the Lord God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench, brought rain to end the drought. After the victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah prayed earnestly seven times, and a heavy rainstorm ended the three year drought. Then Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and drink, and Elijah went to the top of Carmel. Then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, Go up now, look towards the sea. So he went up and looked and said, There is nothing, and seven times he said, Go again. Then it came to pass the seventh time that he said, There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea. So he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you. Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Fire consumes the first fifty soldiers. When King Hazia sent a captain and fifty men to arrest him, Elijah called down fire from heaven which consumed them all. Second Kings one nine ten. Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him, and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him, Man of God, the king has said, Come down. So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, if I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men. And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. Fire consumes the second fifty soldiers. Now see here, I would have called this one event, but whoever came up with the interpretation of a miracle broke them in half. A second group of fifty soldiers sent by the king was similarly destroyed by fire from heaven, at Elijah's word. Second Kings one, eleven through twelve. Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men, and he answered and said to him, Man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly. So Elijah answered and said to them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty, parting the Jordan River. Just before his departure, Elijah struck the waters of the Jordan with his mantle, and the river divided so he and Elisha could cross on dry ground. Second Kings 2 8. Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. Note on supernatural events. While these are eight standard miracles, some scholars also include other supernatural events, such as being fed by ravens, first Kings 17, four through six, or his ascension into heaven in a chariot of fire, second Kings two eleven. However, the tradition of eight miracles is most common to directly contrast with Elisha's sixteen. And I'll say here, just because it's most common does not mean it's correct. It is important to understand that Elijah and Elisha walked in the very same power miracle laden Christianity we are called to walk in today. So yes, they encounter God on many levels besides these listed miracles, but these are provided really to glorify God and how he met the spiritual hunger of these his prophets. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Second Kings two eleven. Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Okay, so even though we have explained why we are doing the comparison, let's continue in any event, if not just to see what God did through his prophet Elisha. In fulfillment of his request for a double portion, Elisha is traditionally credited with performing sixteen miracles, exactly twice the number attributed to his mentor, Elijah. We've already heard exactly twice is an interpretation for mankind. The truth is that they walked in miracle power, and those contained in the Bible very well could be nothing less than a sampling of what God did through these men. John twenty one twenty five. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that will be written, amen. Parting the Jordan River, Elisha struck the water with Elijah's mantle, and it divided for him to cross. Second Kings two fourteen. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he had also struck the water, the water divided this way and that, and Elisha crossed over, healing the waters of Jericho. He threw salt into a spring of bad water, making it pure and productive. Second Kings two nineteen through twenty two. Then the men of the city said, Elisha, please notice the situation of the city is pleasant, as my Lord sees, but the water is bad, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it. So they brought it to him, then he went out to the source of the water and cast in the salt there, and said, Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water. From it there shall be no more death or barrenness. So the water remains healed to this day, which according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke, the curse of the she bears. After being mocked by a large group of youths, two bears emerged from the woods and mauled forty two of them. Second Kings two twenty three through twenty four. Then he went up from there to Bethel, and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, Go up ye bald head, go up ye bald head. So he turned around and looked at them and pronounced a curse on them, in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods, and mauled forty two of the use, filling the ditches with water. During a military campaign, Elisha predicted that a dry valley would fill with water without rain to sustain the thirsty armies of Israel, Judah and Edom. Second Kings three, sixteen through twenty. And he said, Thus says the Lord, make this valley full of ditches, for thus says the Lord, you shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink, and this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hands. Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones. Now it happened in the morning when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water. Multiplication of the widow's oil. He helped the prophets, widow, pay her debts by miraculously multiplying her small jar of oil, until it filled every vessel she borrowed. Second Kings four seven. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, and the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves. So Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, Go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors, empty vessels, do not gather just a few, and when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons, then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the fool ones. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured it out. Now it came to pass when the vessels were full, that she said to her sons, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not another vessel. So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God, and he said, Go sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your son live on the rest. Prophecy of a son for the Shunammite. He prophesied that the barren woman from Shunem would conceive a son, which occurred the following year. Second Kings four eleven through seventeen. And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned into the upper room and lay down there. Then he said to Gahiza, his servant, call this Shunamite woman. When he had called her, she stood before him, and he said to him, Say now to her, look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? She answered, I dwell among my own people. So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gezah answered, Actually she has no son, and her husband is old. So he said, Call her. When he had called her she stood in the doorway. Then he said, About this time next year you shall embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, man of God, do not lie to your maidservant. But the woman conceived and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her, raising the Shunamite's son from the dead. When the child died of a sudden ailment, Elisha prayed and stretched himself over the boy until he revived. Second Kings four eighteen through thirty seven. And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father to the reapers, and he said to his father, My head, my head. So he said to a servant, carry him to his mother. When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. Then she called her husband and said, Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back. So he said, Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the Sabbath. And she said, It is well. Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, Drive and go forward, do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you. And so she departed and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So it was when the man of God saw her afar off that he said to his servant, Gahiza, look, the Shunite woman, please run now to meet her, and say to her, Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gahiza came near to push her away. But the man of God said, Let her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me. So she said, Did I ask a son of my Lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me? Then he said to Gahiza, get yourself ready, take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not enter him, but lay my staff on the face of the child. And the mother of the child said, As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So he arose and followed her. Now Gehiza went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awakened. When Elisha came into the house there was the child lying dead on his bed. He went in, therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord, and he went up to lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him. Then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes, and he called Gahiza and said, Call this Shunamite woman. So he called her, and when she came to him, he said, Pick up your son. So she went in and fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out, purifying the poisonous stew. During a famine, Elisha threw flour into a pot of poisonous stew, making it safe for the company of prophets to eat. Second Kings four thirty eight forty one. And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophet were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, put on a large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets. So one went out into the field and gathered herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, Man of God, there is death in the pot, and they could not eat it. So he said, Then bring some flour, and he put it into the pot, and said, Serve it to the people that they may eat, and there was nothing harmful in the pot, feeding a hundred men with twenty loaves. He multiplied twenty barley loaves, so that there was enough to feed a hundred men with food left over. Second Kings four forty two through forty four. Then a man came from Baal, Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack, and he said, Give it to the people that they may eat. But his servant said, What? Shall I set this before one hundred men? He said again, give it to the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord. They shall eat and have some left over. So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over according to the word of the Lord, healing Naam's leprosy. He instructed the Syrian commander to wash seven times in the Jordan River, which completely healed his skin. Second Kings five one through fourteen. Now Naaman, commander of the army of the kings of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper, and the Syrians had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naham's wife. Then she said to her mistress, If only my master were with the prophet who was in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy. And Naam went in and told his master, saying, Thou send thus said the girl who was from the land of Israel. Then the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you that I have sent Nahim, my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And it happened when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, Am I God to kill and make alive? That this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore, please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me. So it was when Elijah the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. And Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house, and Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean. But Naaman became furious and went away and said, Indeed, I said to myself, he will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over this place, and heal the leprosy. Are not the Abana and the Parfar, the river of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in rage, and his servant came near to him, and spoke to him and said, My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then when he says to you, Wash and be clean? So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Gazias struck with leprosy. When his servant Gahazi greedily took gifts from Naaman, through deception, Elisha transferred Naaman's leprosy to him. Second Kings five twenty through twenty seven. But Gahazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said, Look, my master has spared Naaman the Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought, but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him. So Gahazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, All is well, my master has sent me saying, indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments. So Naaman said, Please take two talents, and he urged him and bound two talents of silver and two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants, and they carried them on ahead of him. When he came to the citadel he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house. Then he let the man go, and they departed. Now he went in and stood before his master, Elisha, and said to him, Where did you go, Gihazi? And he said, Your servant did not go anywhere. Then he said to him, Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing? Olive groves and vineyards? Sheep and oxen, male and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever. And he went out from his presence, leprous, as white as snow. So as in the last example it is important to understand that not all of God's miracles, signs or wonders resulted in good things for all people. Egypt is also another example of this. The floating ax head, while the prophets were cutting timber, an iron axe head fell into the Jordan. Elisha threw a stick into the water, and the iron floated. Second Kings six seven. And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, See now the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell. So he answered, Go. Then one said, Please consent to go with your servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan they cut down trees, but as one was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water, and he cried out and said, Alas, master, for it was borrowed. So the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, Pick it up for yourself, so he reached out his hand and took it. I have prayed this prayer and have taught others to pray this type of prayer, as we lose other things other than just axe heads. When they lose something, and they, as well as I, have seen miracle results, including lost diamonds that had detached from their mounts, found in washing machines, vending machines. Yeah, can you imagine a diamond vending machine? Anyways, lost items commanding that they float to the surface, and they did in fact float to the surface. Revealing the Syrian army's plans. Elisha repeatedly warned the king of Israel about Syrian ambushes by supernaturally hearing their secret war counsels. Second Kings six, eight twelve. Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel, and he consulted with his servants, saying, My camp will be in such and such a place, and the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there. Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him, thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king, but Elisha, that prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom, blinding the Syrian army. When the Syrians surrounded Elisha at Dothan, he prayed, and they were struck with blindness. Second King six eighteen. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, Strike this people, I pray with blindness, and he struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha, restoring the Syrian army's sight. After leading the blind army into the heart of Samaria, he prayed for their sight to be returned. Second Kings six, nineteen through twenty three. Now Elisha said to them, This is not the way, nor is this the city, follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. But he led them to Samaria. So it was when they had come to Samaria that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see, and the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw, and there they were, inside Samaria. Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them? But he answered, You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master. Then he prepared a great feast for them. After they ate and drank, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel. Resurrection by Elisha's bones. After his death, a dead man was thrown into Elisha's tomb. As soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came back to life. Second Kings thirteen twenty through twenty one. Then Elisha died, and they buried him, and the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. So it was after. As they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders, and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha. And when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. And but now wait a minute, I think we people get way too definitively silly when we try and explain some things like these two comparisons in the Bible. The truth, but not the human method of what constitutes a miracle, is that the number eight and sixteen only tells us that one prophet did more than the other, and we can ascertain with some certainty that it was because he asked for a double portion. This is the position of tradition, and of how or what constitutes a miracle, according to those who do the interpreting. Now but the great joy in the matter is after you have read both of Elisha and Elijah's stories, in which parts are mentioned in more than just both books of the Kings, you can see that someone forgot to count all of the miracles. And unless the rigid rules considered some of these spectacular events not as miracles, but they simply relegate them to the mysteries of God with some sort of supernatural designation, not just a humanly described miracle of God. You get to decide what category they should fit in. And but more importantly, after hearing this message, you can understand that it is in you the same as it was in them to perform miracle signs and wonders in demonstration of the power of God working in your life. Let's see one event that I believe should have been included in the miracle mix. Second Kings six. Therefore he, that is the Syrian king, sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. Elisha and Elijah were in the city. And when the servants of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots, and a servant said to him, Alas, my master, what shall we do? So he answered, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. He was talking about his spiritual eyes, eyes that we must all have opened. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Miracle, I will leave it for you to decide. Lots of scriptures, but as you know, I don't want you to ever just take my word for granted, but that you confirm what I say with scriptures. In this message, I included them for you. My goal isn't to make you dependent on my teaching, but for you to lean totally and completely on God, the Holy Spirit, and on the revelation that the Holy Spirit gives you from reading your Bible. So now that we got that out of the way, let's look at your life, which should be plum full of miracle signs and wonders. Some of us want more of God, but in truth, we are not using the portion of God that we do have in our assigned ministry. We want to raise the dead, but we won't pray for a headache. We want his blessed provision financially, but won't surrender our lack of self-control and spending to God in our prayer times, or pay our tithe and offerings. My thought is for us to use what we got so that we can spiritually mature into using more. James 5, 17 through 18. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Let's close in prayer. May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before your God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Now may the God of peace, the one in whom we call wonderful, Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, may He Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. To our Lord of Lords and our King of Kings, to our high and lifted up, great high priest, who has once and for all paid the price, that you might see and hear God. May He hear and respond to our prayers. To our God we stand and pray as He too always lives to make intercession for you while seated at the right hand of the Father. May the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will. Working in you what is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well that's it for today. Remember it's not what you find wrong or disagree with regarding these messages, but what you can take away from it. Together we can do more to impact the kingdom than if we work alone. Let's flip the script and kill, still, and destroy the works of the enemy and create space for the light of light to shine through into people's lives. Planet Steven, click on the like and subscribe button. Repost on your social media platforms and help us make disciples. Link this message out, or teach from it in your Bible study, your life or style group, and yes, even in your church. You can be assured it comes from one call to teach, and though imperfect, you have the Word of God to use to test everything I say. Let's build this ministry together. Thanks to see you next time in Deep Waters.