Elisha is the understudy to Elijah and Elijah one day just asks Elisha
what can I do for you and he says I want a double portion of what you have and
Elijah said man that's hard that's a rough one and you have to imagine you
can't give twice of what you have you can't give you know somebody says I want
$200 you say well only 100 I can't give you $200 you can't get what you don't
have so here the question is being asked of
the request is being asked of of Elijah about this this desire for a double
portion anointing and he said man that's a hard one and he and he finally comes
to the conclusion he says if you see me when I'm taken if you see me when I'm
taken then you can have it so here's this challenge
you're our biggest tests are when we don't know we're being tested because
the Lord is looking for heart response to a given situation there's not time to
think there's not time to pray there's not time to do anything as a reaction
and either the reaction is a correct one or it's not it's not a test for judgment
it's a test to see what can he care what's the weightiness of what this man
this woman can carry of the things have got into the earth and so the Lord is
constantly examining and testing us to see what we can carry you remember the
king that was told by the Prophet strike the ground with the arrows and so he hit
the ground three times and the Prophet got mad at him said man if you would
have hit the ground five or six times you would have annihilated the enemy but
now you're only going to have three temporary victories how many understand
that King probably wanted to take the test over he didn't know he's being
tested and our greatest tests are when heart when the Lord is looking to see
what's in the heart and we don't know what's in there until it comes out
so this was the test for Elisha Elijah said if you see me when I'm taken and so
Elijah Elisha and let Elijah out of his sight he
literally wouldn't let him go to the bathroom by himself the guy's got a guy
you know you got somebody watching you all the time which is weird and so this
goes on for a while and then suddenly there is a chariot of fire if you can
imagine horses on fire a chariot on fire comes down out of heaven and comes in
between Elisha and Elijah and I remember Elijah's Elisha's assignment is to see
Elijah when he's taken and so he's got one responsibility what is you know you
may some of you maybe have heard the old hymn that talks about Elijah going up in
the chariot of fire he didn't go up in a chariot of fire he went up in a
whirlwind so here's a chariot of fire that comes and it's in between Elisha
and Elijah he's got one responsibility now remember he's asking for a double
portion double portion anointing is extremely demanding and there's very
little wiggle room for error why do I say that the farther you go in
God the more casualties you cause by your failure it's it's it's that's life
and so he's trying to is trying to measure them the medal if you will the
heart of this man Elijah so here comes this chariot of fire that comes in
between the two and Elijah goes my father speaking to Elijah my father my
father the chariots of Israel in their horsemen what is he doing he's
acknowledging something supernatural is happening but he has this amazing
ability to keep his eyes on his assignment which was Elijah so here's
the chariots of Israel and horsemen Elisha has his eyes on Elijah and then a
whirlwind comes and takes him up interestingly the whirlwind takes him up
and after it takes him up a ways the mantle that represents anointing was
dropped by Elijah fell to the ground and Elisha picked it up
Elijah couldn't give him a double portion anointing but God could
when God took the mantle for a moment when he released it again it had twice
of what he needed so in this moment he goes to the water he strikes the river
he says where's the God of Elijah the river parts the point the point is
what Elisha illustrates waiting on God it was not inactivity
it was intensely focused on the mandate of God
it was intensely focused on the assignment