Some leaders today are looking for a fast track to the top. They want to be recognized as the greatest thing that has happened to their organization, but they don’t necessarily want to put in the work required to get there.
In God’s Kingdom, there is no fast track, but a series of tests that He gives people to position them for great exploits. He does give us tools along the way. One of those tools is the mantle.
You have to work hard to produce a field full of fruit.
The mantle is symbolic of walking in a fresh anointing and a new boldness to act out the will of God in a believer’s life. It gives the believer fresh strength to use his or her gifts, callings, and graces. In Scripture, it also identified God’s chosen leader and affirmed that authority, anointing, and ministry grace rested on that person. You the leader have a mantle that God wants to rest on you.
Like anything else in God’s economy, the mantle falls on those who are positioned to receive it. I find that the mantle rests on those who have been preparing quietly and deeply. Here are three facts about the mantle that will help you get positioned to receive it.
1. The mantle seeks a disciplined lifestyle.
Great leaders have been called from their work. They are focused on life, work, family, and responsibilities. This shows willingness to fulfill one’s responsibilities as a worker.
Many people go through the motions in college and then when faced with leading a church or a group, they cannot keep up with its rigid demands. They are unable to relate to the person whose daily life is work. Working helps to develop character, faithfulness, resourcefulness, and responsibility.
2. The mantle seeks those who stay the course.
When Elisha was called to ministry by Elijah, he was in the middle of plowing a field. Plowing demanded long hours and hard work through every season, every day, and it allowed no shortcuts. The plowman’s work was exposed for all to see.
As a plowman, Elisha learned patience and the ability to stay the course. He was not afraid of routine, but embraced it as opportunity to prove himself faithful. The decisions you make as a leader are open for the whole world to see, so it is important to not take shortcuts, finish what you started, stay the course.
3. The mantle seeks a person who can be faithful with another man’s goods.
Before you can lead others, you must manage yourself. Again, think of Elisha plowing the field. That field was not his – it was his father’s field. He was faithful with another man’s field and because of that, he could be trusted.
What is your mark of character? Do you faithfully plow another man’s field? Elisha was “found” in the field of obscurity. Like leaders before him and leaders after him, the mantle found him; he did not find it. Prepare for the mantle with all diligence!
Want to read more about the mantle? Check out these resources at our store:
Taking up Your Mantle, sermon notes, click here
Divine Intervention: Step Beyond and Receive, sermon notes, click here
