God develops His people through seasons of quiet faithfulness, often in the ordinary and unseen places of life. Elisha’s story begins not with a dramatic miracle, but with years of steady plowing—row after row, day after day. This daily discipline, though not glamorous, was the very soil in which God cultivated his character and prepared him for greater things. In a world that prizes instant results and quick promotion, God values the slow work of faithfulness, humility, and integrity. If you long to be used by God, examine whether you are being faithful where He has placed you right now. The field you are in today is the training ground for the assignment He has for you tomorrow. [54:08]
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (ESV)
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
Reflection: Where in your daily life do you sense God calling you to greater faithfulness, even if no one else notices? What is one small act of faithfulness you can commit to today?
God’s call on your life is not generic; it is personal, intentional, and crafted for you before you were even born. Elisha left behind wealth and security because he recognized that God’s assignment was greater than any earthly inheritance. No amount of success, comfort, or generational legacy can substitute for the fulfillment that comes from walking in God’s purpose. You are God’s workmanship, created for good works that He prepared in advance for you. If you feel restless or unfulfilled, it may be because you have not yet stepped fully into the assignment God has for you. Draw near to Him, listen for His voice, and trust that He will reveal your purpose in His perfect timing. [01:00:50]
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Reflection: What gifts, passions, or opportunities has God uniquely given you? How might He be inviting you to use them for His kingdom in this season?
True surrender to God’s call means leaving behind the safety nets and old ways that once defined us. Elisha’s radical act of slaughtering his oxen and burning his plows was a public declaration: there would be no returning to his former life. When God calls, He asks for total commitment—no backup plans, no divided loyalties. Jesus Himself said that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Surrender is not just a one-time decision but a daily choice to let go of anything that holds you back from following Jesus fully. What plows do you need to burn today? [01:07:15]
Luke 9:61-62 (ESV)
Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Reflection: Is there something in your life—an old habit, relationship, or comfort—that you need to “burn” in order to follow Jesus without turning back? What step can you take today to surrender it?
God’s call comes in many forms: a call to salvation, a call to repentance, and a call to serve. Some are being drawn to Jesus for the first time, sensing a deep need for forgiveness and new life. Others are being called to turn away from old patterns of sin and return to God with wholehearted repentance. Still others feel the Spirit stirring them toward ministry, whether in their community or to the nations. Each call requires a response—an act of obedience that opens the door to God’s transforming work. Don’t ignore the tug on your heart; today is the day to answer His call, whatever it may be. [01:16:01]
Romans 10:13 (ESV)
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Reflection: Which call do you sense God placing on your heart today—salvation, repentance, or ministry? What is one concrete step you can take right now to respond in obedience?
God’s work in us is never just for us; He calls us to invest in the next generation, to raise up others who will carry on His mission. Elijah’s journey to find and develop Elisha was costly and intentional, but it ensured that God’s work would continue beyond his own lifetime. In the same way, we are called to pour into others, to disciple, encourage, and equip those who will come after us. Whether you are a parent, mentor, teacher, or friend, your faithfulness in developing others is a vital part of God’s kingdom. Who is God asking you to invest in today? [47:46]
2 Timothy 2:2 (ESV)
And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Reflection: Who in your life could you intentionally encourage, mentor, or disciple in their walk with God? What is one way you can invest in them this week?
Today’s passage from 1 Kings 19:19-21 draws us into the moment when Elijah, in obedience to God’s voice, seeks out Elisha and places his mantle upon him, signifying a divine call and a new assignment. Elisha is found faithfully plowing his family’s fields, a picture of quiet diligence and development in obscurity. God’s pattern is to develop those He intends to use, often in the hidden places of faithfulness, long before any public assignment is given. Elijah’s journey of 150 miles through the desert to find Elisha is a testament to the costly, intentional work of raising up the next generation. This is a call to all of us: to invest in others, to disciple, and to be willing to pay the price for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Elisha’s story also reminds us that God’s call is not random. Elisha comes from wealth and opportunity, yet God’s assignment for him is unique and cannot be replaced by any earthly inheritance or status. Each of us is created with purpose, our days written in God’s book before one of them came to be. Fulfillment is found not in worldly success, but in discovering and walking in the assignment God has prepared for us. The mantle placed on Elisha is a visible sign of this new calling, and it is a challenge to us: does the anointing of God rest visibly on our lives as we walk in our assignments?
Elisha’s response is radical surrender. He returns home, slaughters his oxen, burns his plows, and feeds the people—eliminating any possibility of returning to his old life. This is the essence of true surrender: removing the option to turn back, fully embracing God’s call, and making our obedience a blessing to others. Jesus’ words echo this: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” The call of God demands a decisive break from the past and a wholehearted commitment to the future He has for us.
This call is not just for a select few. Today, God is calling some to salvation, others to repentance, and still others to ministry. The next step is clear: respond in obedience, whether that means trusting Christ for the first time, repenting of old patterns, or stepping into a new assignment. The altar is open, and the invitation is for all who hear His voice.
1 Kings 19:19-21 (ESV) — > So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
God values faithfulness. He values longevity. He values consistency. He values wisdom. In the church, we value people who have been developed by God. There is no shortcut to development. There is no shortcut to development. And you need God to develop you. He's the only one who can do it. So my encouragement for you is to humble yourself. And be quietly faithful before him. [00:55:33] (44 seconds) #NoShortcutToGrowth
You don't want a platform you can create. You don't want a job that you can work up and get. You don't want a door that you can open. You don't want an opportunity that's not of him. God is not the only one who exalts. The enemy has the power to exalt. And he delights in exalting. The enemy delights in exalting underdeveloped people. Who are going to bring shame to the name of Christ. And if they would have just stayed hidden in him. He would have developed them into his image. [00:56:17] (39 seconds) #WaitForGodsTiming
Do not despise the little things. God's preparing you for what he has for you. You might just be a shepherd watching over sheep. It's preparation for the palace and the kingdom like David. You could just have the vision of what God wants to do in your life. Joseph had it. But he had to go into slavery and be imprisoned in order to be developed into the image of God. Do not get ahead of what God wants to do. Wait on his timing. [00:57:05] (40 seconds) #StewardYourCurrentField
Platform and opportunity does not change who you are. It just reveals it. And so God help us. Steward the field that we're in now in order to become the men and women that you want us to be. [00:57:57] (19 seconds) #GodsUniqueAssignment
He goes home. This is cinematic in my mind. I wish when you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit would just bring it to life to you. He says, Elijah, he has animal skin wrapped around him. Elijah, can I go back home, and kiss my parents? I'm gonna follow you. Elijah goes, go on back. What have I done to you? And he runs home, and he kills all the oxen. And he takes the wood of the plows, and creates a fire to cook the meat of the oxen on. And he starts handing it out to all the people. Do you know your obedience is meant to be food for the people of God. And he kills the oxen. He burns the plows. And he goes and follows Elijah and serves him. [01:06:19] (56 seconds) #ConfessToHeal
``The final thing I see in this passage is Elisha's surrender. Elisha's surrender. There is no turning back when you answer the call of God and step into his assignment. Jesus says it like this in Luke chapter 9. Someone came up to him and said, I'll follow you, Lord. But first let me go say goodbye to those at my house. But Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Look at me. There's no turning back in surrender. [01:07:15] (39 seconds) #AnswerTheCall
The assignment is too great. The call is too personal. The anointing on your life is too strong. You need to go all in today with Jesus. What's holding you back? There's not an ox that you couldn't kill today. There's not a plow that you couldn't burn in order to follow Jesus. [01:12:46] (24 seconds)
There's a reality in your life. You keep going back to the old things. You know why? They're still there. You got to destroy them. Make no provision for the flesh. Jesus says, if your arm causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, take it out. There has to be a ruthless elimination of sin because if you do not kill sin, it will kill you. And it will destroy the purpose that God has for your life. [01:16:39] (27 seconds)
If you're sinning at any location this morning and you're struggling, the next step for you is to get in the altar and repent. First John 1 .8, if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. I'm going to tell you a beautiful scripture about confession that we don't always quote a lot. James chapter 5 tells us, confess your sin one to another that you may be healed. That you may be healed. We confess our sin to God and we're forgiven. We confess our sin to a brother or a sister and freedom, healing comes into our lives. [01:17:06] (46 seconds)
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