This is a great message and teaching by Helen Calder of Australia that will give you keys in walking in your mantle in fresh new way.
In this word she challenges and exhorts us to go after our God-given mantles and offers 7 keys to increase them.
Please read this carefully and meditate on the Scriptures that Helen offers to us...and be encouraged that God wants you to make the most of the mantle He gave you to walk in! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49 NIV)
I have always imagined "being clothed with power from on high" to be like wearing a physical garment, for example: Elisha had a mantle (cloak) that formerly belong to Elijah. People reached to touch Jesus' physical garments and were healed. However, a physical item of clothing is limited. Its fabric can be felt and touched; it can be pulled at, or torn. Its properties cannot be transferred to another person. In order to be given to another person, the wearer must remove it first. In Luke 24, Jesus is not speaking of physical garments, but a spiritual mantling.
Vision of a Mantle
"we have a responsibility to cast off our "old self" with its sinful ways, and to wear (put on) our new life in Christ" |
A few days ago, I had a vision of a mantle that challenged and intrigued me. I saw a person clothed in a garment of many colors. These were not set in distinguishable patterns; instead, the mantle shimmered with various colors all at once. And it was translucent, filled with light.
This mantle did not have the properties of physical clothing but appeared to be fluid, as though made of liquid. I saw people reach to touch the garment, and the substance of that robe flowed out like water to those who stretched toward it. It was dynamic, full of life and power. What I saw challenged my perspective and, as all prophetic insights should do, it sent me back to God's Word.
7 Ways to Make the Most of Your Mantle from God
Jesus is speaking of a spiritual clothing of power that is available to each of us through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). A "mantle" is also a Scriptural symbol for a particular calling, ministry and anointing, given to individuals by God.
Here are some Biblical insights I've been meditating on over the past few days. If you believe God is stirring you about your own "mantle," I encourage you to take time to study and pray further over each of these:
1. Know Your Mantle is Personal and Unique
The father in Jesus' story of the prodigal son ordered his servants to clothe the son in the best robe (Luke 15:22). It was a long-fitting gown of great distinction.
What God has for you is a gift of His grace; the very best He has to give. Just as Jacob gave his son Joseph a coat of many colors, your Father has given you unique and colorful gifts.
Peter wrote, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10 NKJV). That word translated, "manifold," which is poikilos in the Greek, means various or diverse colors (Strong's G4164).
Don't be intimidated by another person's gift or calling, and don't let your light be dimmed. Embrace and honor the unique spiritual gifts God has given to you; wear them and shine brightly.
2. Be a Steward of Your Spiritual Gifts
In 1 Pet. 4:10 the word "steward" translates to the Greek word oikonomos (Strong's G3623). It means the manager of a household or of household affairs, who has the power to distribute the owner's resources as needed. What a powerful truth! (Photo via Unsplash)
You are the "manager" of your gifts from God and can choose to release the spiritual gifts God has entrusted to you. You have the power to develop and grow those gifts, and faithfully distribute them, in the context of the Church Body (1 Cor. 12) as well as your everyday life.
3. Walk in Qualities That Release the Spirit's Anointing
"She said to herself, 'If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.'" (Matt. 9:21 NIV)
"Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.' Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong." (Acts 3:6-7 NIV)
The power of the Spirit is released through faith on the part of the receiver, the giver, or both. Faith is intentional. Faith acts. The power of the Spirit can be released in a word of declaration, through prayer, a touch or an act of obedience.
Compassion is also related to the release of God's power. "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick" (Matt. 14:14). So, foster the qualities of compassion, love and faith in your life. By faith, receive these from the Holy Spirit and practice walking in them.
4. Have a Vision of Walking in Increasing Power
"Just as Jacob gave his son Joseph a coat of many colors, your Father has given you unique and colorful gifts." |
"As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by." (Acts 5:15 NIV)
Peter walked and his shadow healed the sick. The mantling of the Spirit was upon him in a powerful way, surrounding him in a wide area.
May you ever desire to grow and the fullness of what God has for you. With the eye of faith, see the Spirit upon you and surrounding you. See God's power touching others wherever you go. No atmosphere is untouched or immune to God's power upon your life.
5. Highly Value Commissioning
"They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them...Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." (Acts 6:6,8 NIV)
Something powerful takes place in commissioning. After the apostles laid hands on the deacons, this new band of leaders operated in great power with signs and wonders. Timothy also received gifts of the Spirit through the laying on of the Apostle Paul's hands (2 Tim. 1:6) and through a time of presbytery (1 Tim. 4:14).
Be positioned in faithful service to others. Recognize the power of having the gift and call of God on your life affirmed by leaders, both personally and as part of a group or Church Body (1 Cor. 12).
6. Stay Full of the Holy Spirit
"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit..." (Eph. 5:18 NKJV)
The Apostle Paul exhorts us to "be filled with the Spirit," using the present continuous tense of the Greek verb pleroo, "to be filled." On one hand, the Bible tells us that we are filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 1:17-23, 3:18-19) and that He gives; "the Spirit without measure" (John 3:34). But we also learn in Scripture that God wants us to pursue encounters with Him, and to seek more of His Spirit and His power. Both are true!
So rejoice in the fullness of the Spirit that you already have, and stay positioned for fresh encounters with Him. Your Father is a God of liberality. "Without measure" means there is no end to the supply of His Spirit to you.
7. Choose a Wardrobe That Honors God Every Day
"...Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph. 4:24 NIV)
In receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, God has supernaturally clothed us with His power (Acts 2). The New Testament also makes it clear that we have a responsibility to cast off our "old self" with its sinful ways, and to wear (put on) our new life in Christ (Eph. 4:20-32; Rom. 13:12). When we operate in the gifts and power of the Spirit, people are receiving from God through us, so walking in integrity is vital. (Photo via Unsplash)
Make it your heart's desire to be sensitive to the person of the Holy Spirit and to live a lifestyle that is compatible with His holiness. This is not through your own strength, but through the grace which He freely supplies (Rom. 8).
See yourself walking in that colorful and powerful garment that is the person and presence of the Holy Spirit and His anointing on your life. And choose a wardrobe that honors Jesus every day. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Helen Calder
Enliven Ministries
Email: helen@enlivenpublishing.com
Website: www.enlivenministries.net
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries, a part of the David McCracken Ministries family. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in the areas of hearing God's voice, prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog, an online prophetic training and mentoring resource that reaches thousands of people globally. Helen and Malcolm have been married for 34 years.
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