I Can't Stay Here | Ps. Keith Pittman

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you so much for listening today.

We hope it encourages you and inspires you.

Here's today's message.

The word of God.

Y'all ready to hear a word from God today?

Okay, don't make me work this hard, guys.

We're gonna do this together.

I want you to turn with me to 2 Kings chapter 2.

2 Kings 2 · chapter mention

2 Kings chapter 2.

2 Kings 2 · chapter mention

I'm gonna briefly give you um a little bit of context because I think it's gonna help us as we understand how we got here.

Because we're at basically what I like to call a divine overlap.

Um, we're looking at two prominent characters in the Bible, and and there's a moment where their journeys have this incredible overlap.

I'm talking about the prophet Elijah, that's what a J-J, and then Elijah, that's S-H-A.

I know it sounds so closely the same, and there's gonna be times where I'm talking and I may interchange them, but but it's just stick with me.

Elijah is this major prophet that we read about in 1 Kings and just the incredible things he did.

Maybe you've heard stories of the prophets of Baal and how he was the one that that stood against Ahab and Jezebel.

Like he's a he's an incredible prophet.

Um but he reaches a point of exhaustion and he feels like he's alone, and so he begins to feel a little bit discouraged.

And so God tells him, No, I actually have a successor for you, and his name is Elisha.

He's the one that I want you to raise up and mentor so that one day he can take on the mantle that I have given you of being a prophet for Israel.

So you have Elijah with a J, who's the who's the first one, and Elisha, who is his mentee.

There's a moment when Elijah knows that his time is up, that it's time for him to pass the proverbial baton, and he knows that it's time for him to transition on into heaven and Elisha pick up where he left off at.

It's with this understanding as we read into this text, uh, I want to share and highlight a few things.

So looking at 2 Kings chapter 2, verse number one, it says this when the Lord was about to take up, take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind.

2 Kings 2 · chapter mention

Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.

And Elijah says to Elisha, Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.

But Elisha replied, As surely as the Lord lives, you yourself live, I will never leave you.

So they went down together to Bethel.

The group of prophets, which is basically like a school of ministry where prophets were being developed, a group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away today?

Of course I know.

In other words, he was like, Of course I know.

I'm a prophet, you're a prophet.

God spoke to me too.

Yes, I know.

He said, Of course I know, but be quiet about it.

I don't want to talk about it.

The grief is too heavy.

I don't want to get into it.

Then Elisha and Elisha says, Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Jericho.

But Elisha replied, As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.

So they went together to Jericho.

Then a group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?

Of course I know, Elisha answered.

But be quiet about it.

Then Elisha says to Elisha, Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.

But again, Elisha replies, As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.

So they went on together.

Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River.

Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it.

And the water divided, and the two men went across on dry ground.

Then they came to the other side.

Elijah and Elisha says to him, Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away?

And Elisha replied, Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.

You've asked for a difficult thing, Elijah replies.

But if you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request.

But if not, then you won't.

As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared and drawn by horses of fire, it drove between the two men, separating them.

And Elijah was carried off by the world, went into heaven.

And Elijah saw it and cried out, My father, my father.

I see the chariots and the charioteers of Israel, and they disappeared from his sight.

Elisha tore his clothes in distress.

Elisha picked up Elijah's coat, which had fallen when he was taken up.

Then Elijah returned to the Jordan River.

He struck the water with Elijah's coat and cried out, Where is the Lord?

The God of Elijah.

Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.

When the group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened, they exclaimed, Elijah's spirit rests on Elisha.

And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.

Today, as I look at what this moment represents for all of us, I mean, it's the obvious with back to school season, so to speak, a lot of moving parts and things that we all are going through in some form.

When I look at this particular text and I think about the emotions, I think about the opportunities, I think about the grief, I think about all these things happening, the frustration with God, but also knowing that God is doing a new thing, these things all coexisting at the same time.

I think that there's moments where we can identify with some portion of this.

So today I really want to talk to us about this idea of transitions and how do we celebrate where we're going while also learning to grieve what we have to leave behind because there's moments when God is leading us to do something that everybody and everything can't go with us.

I want to talk to us for a few minutes around this idea, and I've entitled today's message, I Can't Stay Here.

Let's pray and let's get into it.

Lord, we thank you for your presence.

We thank you for your grace and for being with us today.

We thank you for the prayers and the blessings that we spoke over our church.

Um and God, I thank you for what you're doing in each and every one of us.

God, we just we just humble ourselves in your presence and we ask for the next few moments, um, God, that you speak to us, that you inspire us, but that you also challenge us, that you encourage us, and that you give us open eyes that we can see you.

We pray for open ears to hear you, Lord, and we pray that you just give us open hearts to receive what it is you want to do in us today.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray, amen.

Amen and amen.

I I want to start off today by by kind of framing up um a rhetorical question that I I can assume that we all can probably relate to, but but I'll throw it out there nonetheless.

Have you have you ever found yourself at a place where you knew that that something was inevitable and you did your best to prepare for it, but when the reality of it came, you realized that that you just truly aren't ready.

Yeah, I often see this when I see myself talking with with parents.

You you do the best you can to prepare for the pregnancy, you think you're all ready, but when you ever have that moment, I know I did three times now, that when they give you the child and say you have to get out of the hospital, that moment you're like, are y'all sure y'all are giving it to the right person?

Like that moment where you've done everything you can do to prepare, but the reality of I I've gotta I've gotta move forward from this moment.

Well, I'm in one of those seasons right now as we speak.

Megan and I are about five, maybe six months away from being completely from being complete empty nesters.

And and I and I'm not okay, church.

I'm not okay.

I I thought I was gonna be okay because the idea of it sounded amazing.

Like Megan and I, we had charted this path many years ago.

We had seen this coming.

I would say five years ago, we began to talk and say, the day is gonna come when it's just gonna be me and you.

And we were saying to ourselves, we even had a song where it was like, we're gonna be empty nesters by 50.

By 50.

Man, we ain't never gonna be here.

I'm gonna be on a lifelong sabbatical.

I'm just kidding, I'm gonna be here.

But but I'm thinking to myself, like, oh man, this is gonna free us up so much.

This is what I thought.

But but in one year's time, in one year's time, this is some of the transitions that have happened with us.

In one year's time, my my oldest son, Keith Jr., even though he didn't live with us, he was living in Jacksonville, pretty close access to us with his family.

He he enrolled in in the army, and and now he's stationed in North Carolina.

So that was a big hit that kind of happened in the beginning of the year.

Didn't anticipate the distance from him and the family and and and the grandchildren.

So that was that was one.

And then just two weeks ago, my my precious baby girl moved out.

And she moved to Jacksonville.

And and I I honestly thought, I honestly thought I was ready.

She's the only girl, so she has like this special, unique spot.

So of course, like she she knows that.

And as I remember having conversations with her when she was younger about cleaning her room up, but I wasn't ready to help her pack her room up.

And so so now I'm in the room and I'm helping her move stuff around, and like these emotions are hitting me.

We got some people there that are helping us, and I'm trying to keep it contained.

I I go into the kitchen, and and this is one of the moments where she just won't leave me alone.

She's following me every room I'm going.

I'm just like, just give me some distance.

Just give me some distance.

Let me go and walk this out.

And as I'm in the kitchen and I'm just kind of standing there, she walks up to me and she's just talking like she has no care nor she's so excited, and she's like, Oh yeah, I got all my electricity turned on.

I'm like, I don't care if you're in the dark or not.

Like, I don't, I don't care.

I don't want to hear about it.

And then she just looks at me, she's like, wait a minute, are you crying?

And I was like, Yes, I am.

And then we just broke down, we had this really powerful moment, and even though I thought I was ready, leading up to this moment, I thought I was ready, I was excited about it.

But putting her stuff in a U-Haul and seeing her go away, like, man, it just hit me right in the heart.

I thought I was ready for it.

And then our youngest son Caleb, man, he's he's entering into his junior year and going to UCF.

And so he's moving out at the end of the year, beginning of the year.

So, like I said, we're we're like right on the precipice of being complete empty nesters.

And there's a part of me where I'm excited and I'm celebrating their progress, but man, I can tell you that I'm not ready.

And I think that when I think about me not being ready, it's because there's so many things that I still wish I had an opportunity to tell them.

Like, I'm not sure if you've ever been at a point where you're like, I just wish I had a little bit more time.

I wish I had a little bit more time to kind of like keep you close under me because as a parent, you want to try to protect and to be there, but I realize that a transition has to happen.

And when you're a parent, when you transition from being a leader who guides to being an advisor who supports, that's a difficult transition.

It's a bit of a shift.

And I think the thing that keeps me up at night is that I'm thinking to myself, have I prepared them for the world that they're going to be facing?

Have I done everything I can do to make sure that they're truly equipped for all the variables and all the nuances that they may encounter because we know that there's so many components to it.

Like, have I have I genuinely prepared them?

Because the truth of the matter is we're we're all in some state of a transition, and we all know that we have to do it.

But just like when someone is in an automatic car and they and they have to shift gears, you feel it.

But you want to make sure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

You don't want them to stall, and so as parents and as family members, you're doing everything you can to make sure that they transition well.

Some transitions are expected and some are unexpected.

But I truly believe that all of us in some form are transitioning if we're breathing.

There's something that God is calling us to do that's gonna require us to make some adjustments in our life.

There's some places that we're being led into that we're gonna have to make some adjustments in our lives.

There are some setbacks that we've experienced that we're gonna have to make some adjustments in our lives.

So all of us have to know what the transition looks like.

And watch this.

And sometimes we have to downshift in that transition.

But if you know anything about stick shifts, as long as I'm downshifting into the gear that gives me the most power, I'm still moving forward.

Sometimes we have to downshift and now believe that what God is speaking to us as a community is that we're going into a season where there's a lot of transitions, a lot of moving parts, a lot of nuances, but as long as we engage the power, we're gonna be perfectly okay.

When I look at the story of Elisha specifically, I look at a man who's undergone some substantial transitions in his life.

And I believe that we can look at him and kind of use him as a blueprint on the mindset we need to have and the behavior we need to have in order for us to transition well.

There's a shift coming on.

Here's the first thought that I want to encourage us with as we're trying to figure out how we can transition well.

Growth requires that we transition.

That growth requires us to make adjustments.

It's gonna require us to make some transitions in our lives.

When I say the word transition, what I'm talking about, it refers to the process of us moving from one state to another.

It involves the changing, the evolution, the shifting of perspectives.

When we say transition, that whenever we grow, it's gonna require us to make some adjustments to the way that we see things and the way that we live.

We can look at a butterfly.

When it emerges, it has to come out of its cocoon in order for its wings to truly spread and for it to blossom.

See, with Elisha, he was a man who was already on the pathway to success.

You can read this in 1 Kings chapter 19, where we really get a chance to get a glimpse of him.

1 Kings 19 · chapter mention

But for Elisha, he was he was in the family business.

His family was farmers, he was following in his father's footsteps, and so he's just out in the field plowing and working and looking at the potential of picking up where his father left off.

But Elijah is this powerful prophet who has done some incredible things in the kingdom of God, and now his time was coming up.

And so Elijah is given the assignment to prepare Elisha to take over the mantle.

So when Elijah shows up and he sees Elisha in a field, he goes and puts his mantle on him, this coat that represents calling and purpose.

Ultimately, back in those days, and people would wear garments so you understood who they were.

A priest would wear certain garments, prophets would wear these cloaks so that when you saw them, you knew, okay, that's a prophet.

They were identifiable by the way that they dressed.

So when Elisha is out in the field working, and then this mantle is placed on his shoulder, this prophetic calling is placed on his shoulder, it meant that he's gonna have to make some decisions.

And what scripture says in 1 Kings 19 is that he goes to Elijah and says, Hey, listen, I'm glad that you are recognized the gift of my life.

I just want to go back and tell my parents that I'm moving on with you.

Elijah says, Man, go ahead, that's fine.

So he leaves and he goes and tells his parents, like, listen, this prophet has called me into ministry and it's time for me to go.

It's time for me to move on.

Now, if I'm thinking of it from Elisha's perspective, it doesn't indicate any hesitation.

Because maybe something was on the inside of him, giving him an indication that yes, you are successful here, but you're not called to be here.

Yes, you're doing well here, but this is not your destiny.

So maybe when that mantle was placed on his shoulder, it confirmed something that was already stirring on the inside of him that gave him so much peace.

But but I also find myself at times looking at it from the parents' perspective.

Because I I have children and they are at that place where they're making decisions that they believe is best for them.

But man, like if if we have a vision, we have a family business, and my expectation is that you're gonna pick up where I left off at.

I've been training you up until this point so that you can pick up where I left off at, and you come home and say, Hey, I'm going in a different direction, I don't know how I'm gonna take that.

Like, like real talk, I've I've often admired whenever I would watch any award show, and I would see whenever the person get up there and they would say, Hey, before I say anything, first I want to thank God.

And then they'll get into that whole deal, and then they'll say, I just want to thank my mom.

And then they'll get into this whole speech about, hey, my mom believed in me, and she allowed me to drop out of Harvard Law School so that I can go and move out to California and wait tables and live inside of my Jeep for the next three years.

Like, I want to thank my mom for that.

And I think to myself, I'm like, I'm not that kind of parent.

Like, I I would I I love hearing these stories, I truly do, but I don't know if I'm wired in a way that if my kids came to me and said, hey dad, I'm dropping out of college and I'm joining the circus, that I'm gonna be like, okay, that sounds like a great idea.

Like, I would have been like, there's no way I'm gonna allow you to do that.

There's no way I'm gonna take control, I'm gonna have you baker acted, there's no way that I'm gonna allow you to do that.

That makes no sense to me.

But but it seems to me that that the parents had such a level of sensitivity and maturity that they were able to honor his character and not his performance.

I think what can happen a lot of times, particularly as us as parents, and even as those of us who are leaders, we can see potential in people.

And when we see potential in people, it all becomes about performance.

I see the great job that you're doing, and we never highlight the character and the boldness that it takes in them for them to step outside of their comfort zone and to do the thing that God is calling them to do.

When we recognize that God is calling us to do a new thing, it's gonna be an opportunity for us to step into the unknown, but it's also an opportunity for growth.

When I think about the mantle that was placed upon Elisha's shoulders, it was a mantle that he wasn't really equipped and ready to wear yet.

He had to grow into it.

But as he continued to serve and walk alongside Elijah, he began to recognize his calling and purpose, and he grew in fervency, he grew in wisdom, he grew in anointing, and then he could finally fit the mantle that was placed on his shoulders.

Maybe there's a mantle that has been placed in your shoulders that you may feel like it's too big for you.

Maybe you got to grow into it.

But every time a new assignment is given to us, it's an opportunity for us to grow.

Elisha had to grow.

You can't stay here and end up there.

You can't grow and remain the same at the same time.

That maybe God is doing something on the inside of us that's challenging us to leave some things behind.

What Elijah ends up doing is he literally breaks apart the plow that he was with.

He slaughters the oxen, and then he has a big barbecue for the entire community as a going-away party.

That seems like such an overreaction.

But maybe he understood, in order for me to move forward, I have to remove the ability for me to go backwards.

In order for me to grow, I have to remove the option of me going back to where I came from because we all love a good plan B.

But as long as I have one foot in and one foot out, am I really fully committed to the thing that God is calling me to grow into?

But he removed the ability for him to look in the rearview mirror and he was fully committed to this next thing that God was calling him to do.

I believe that when God is pressuring us and then putting his burden on us to move into a new season, and even if it's something planned or even if it's something unplanned, that is an opportunity for us to grow, and we can't grow and remain the same.

Elisha understood that I can't stay here and end up there.

I can't stay here and do the thing that God has called me to do.

I have to grow into it and I have to change the environment that I'm in.

The second thing that I believe that we can recognize is from this is that transition it requires humility.

Transition requires a little bit of humility.

See, Elijah, he he went from being groomed to take over the family business to being Elijah's personal assistant.

He went from being in a position of authority, being in a position of substantial leadership, to now being in a position that if we were to look at it on the outside, we would think that he may have gotten downgraded.

But we understand that whenever we step into a new room, we have to take on the posture of humility, being willing to be people who can learn and who can be taught.

James chapter 4, verse 10 says this humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up and honor.

James 4:10

When when Elisha began to serve Elijah, the Bible says that he served him.

Let me break down what some of that service would have looked like.

Going from leading a team of people to now him literally pouring the water as his prophet washed his hands.

Going from leading teams and organizing meetings to simply now going and saying, Can I get you something to drink?

What can I do to bring a lift to the thing that you're called to do?

He learned to be a servant.

I don't think there's any irony here that his first miracle was he parted water.

But I want you to see this.

Before he could ever part water, he had to learn how to pour it first.

He had to learn to first be a servant, and it required him to be humble.

That even though he had an expertise in the family business, he had to humble himself and be willing to be taught.

And for me, when I think about humility in this context, it really comes down to two things that need to coexist.

You need to be teachable and you need to be a learner.

You need to be teachable and you need to be a learner.

We all know what it means to be a learner.

Being a learner ultimately means that there's a set of information or things that I want to acquire, and I'm choosing to pursue this information out of my own volition.

I'm researching it, I'm growing in this, I'm researching, I'm reading books on it.

This is something that I want to do so that I can grow in this area.

Most of us at some level are learners where we're trying to learn information.

But being teachable, that's another thing entirely.

Being teachable is when we give people access to our lives that can come in and reveal blind spots to us that we're completely unfamiliar with.

And when they bring it to the surface, we don't get defensive and shut them down.

Being teachable is when somebody has the access and permission to come into your world and say, Man, I want to recognize and show you some areas that I think you have the potential of growth, and you're not beginning to shut it down when they say that.

What I recognize when it comes to being humble is coming to the place where you recognize I don't know it all.

I I don't have it all figured out.

There are some things that I'm still growing in.

There are some things that I'm still figuring it out.

And I'm teachable.

So if you see some blind spots in my life, please reveal them.

But I'm also learning because I'm pursuing environments where I can grow in.

We need to do both.

Whenever we're transitioning into new Seasons, a lot of times we can bring expertise from the past season into a room that we're amateurs in.

And that arrogance can come with us and that pride can come with us.

So when people are trying to tell us things, we can't shut them, we can't listen to them, we shut them down.

But but what if, what if God is inviting us into this new room so that we can be in a posture of a person who's a student so that we can grow into what God is ultimately calling us to be?

I love to look at the illustration of a potter and clay.

Because what the Bible describes when we talk about a potter and a clay is that there's this master who has this idea vision of what he is making.

And then he has this potter's wheel that is continuously spinning.

And as he's molding that piece of clay, he's using water to continue to craft it so that it can be the vessel that he designed it to be.

The idea is as it continues to pour the water, it continues to be flexible so that he can mold it and what its ultimate purpose is supposed to be.

When I am teachable, when I am humble, when I am a learner, that's me saying that I am not a finished product yet.

That God is still working on me.

And there's still the anointing that's on me.

There's the water on me, but I'm still a work in progress, and God is still molding some things in my life.

When we're transitioning from whatever season we're in to the next, be willing to be in a position where I can listen to people who've gone before me so that I can learn from them and I could be moldable in the image of God.

Amen?

Amen.

Here's the third and final thought that I want to share with us today.

Transition requires perseverance.

That whenever we're transitioning, going through that process of going from one state to another, it's going to require perseverance because we understand that that with every transition, there's opposition.

That anytime we're moving into something new, we're going to have to contend with some things that are old, that perseverance is a requirement.

Perseverance is simply this: it means to be determined or committed to keep pushing forward towards the goal in spite of challenges, setbacks.

It's the ability to show resilience.

I want to highlight a couple of things that we read earlier.

Because the Bible says that when a time came for Elijah to be taken into heaven, that on three occasions he says to Elisha, stay here.

Stay here.

Stay here.

I'm about to cross the Jordan River.

Stay here.

I'm about to go to Bethel.

On three different occasions, he tried to convince him to stay where he was.

On three different occasions, he he tried to keep the distance and it was coming from a good place.

He he didn't want him to experience the grief of watching his spiritual father go away.

He didn't know in what manner he was going to die.

He wanted to try to bring a little bit of levity.

So in order to bring comfort, he was trying to convince him to stay where he was.

But I think it's it's worth noting the locations he was trying to leave him from going into.

The first one he says, hey, I'm about to go into Bethel to stay here.

Bethel literally means the house of God.

Watch this.

So that means that when we're in seasons of transitions, there will always be a temptation to keep us from going to the house of God.

Have you ever noticed that when your life gets busy, that when you take on a new season, that when you have a new job, you have other variables that come into the equation, that all of a sudden voices begin to whisper and say, just stay here, you don't gotta go to church.

Just stay here, you can you can watch it online.

No shade to those who are watching online.

Just stay here.

But you're missing out on community and you're and you're missing out on iron sharpening iron, and you're missing out on fellowship, and you're missing out on being teachable, and you're missing out on being a learner, that you that you've identified these spaces where where the enemy can sometimes come in and tempt us to diminish the importance of being in the household of faith.

But something aside of Elijah that even though he had an easy way out, even though he had access to a lot of different ways to get information, he says, I can't stay here.

I'm gonna go with you to the house of God.

The next thing is stay here.

Don't don't go with me to Jericho.

I'm gonna go there and you stay here.

Jericho is symbolic of the promised land, it's the first lamb that the Israelites conquered after being 400 years in bondage, 40 years in the wilderness, and they're finally getting to the promised land.

Jericho is that first place, so the name Jericho, that location, has such significance in the kingdom context.

So watch this stay here.

And don't you go and get the promises of God.

How often do we find ourselves going through seasons of transitions and we feel as if God's promises are no longer available to us?

To the point that we stop pursuing them altogether.

I know that I've gone through difficult seasons where I'm trying to reconcile with some of the things that God has spoken over my life, some of the things that have been whispered into my spirit from his word and through other people.

And when I don't see it, I begin to stop praying for it because I don't want to deal with the disappointment of it.

I believe that when we go through seasons of transition, specifically those that are unexpected, we stop pursuing the promises of God.

We begin to distance ourselves and we begin to repurpose ourselves in a different way.

But then the third one, the third one, he says, Stay here.

We're about to, I'm about to go to the Jordan River.

Stay here.

I don't want you to come with me.

The Jordan River is once again another place of significance because the Jordan River is the place that Joshua went to when the waters were parted and they went across and got to the promised land.

The Jordan River represents the power of God.

Why is it that when we're going through transitions and we're stepping into the places that are unknown, we begin to distance ourselves from believing in God's power?

How fascinating is it that in seasons of transition, there's a temptation for us to distance ourselves from the house of God, to distance ourselves from the promises of God, to stop believing in them and to distance ourselves from the power of God.

But something inside of Elisha rose up and he says, I can't stay here.

He persevered through every opportunity that even when his mentor told him to stay back, there was a conviction on the inside of him and said, I can't stay here.

That I know that you want me to stay here, but if I stay here, I'll never end up there.

If I stay here, I won't become what God's calling me to become.

If I stay here, I'm gonna miss out on what God has for me.

So I'm willing to persevere through it, I'm willing to push through it.

And even though I feel a little bit rejected, even though I'm dealing with a little bit of grief, I will not stay here.

I can't stay here because God has more for me there.

So I'm gonna keep showing up, I'm gonna keep persevering, and I'm gonna keep believing for the miracles.

I'm gonna keep showing up at church, I'm gonna continue to pursue God's promises.

I can't stay here.

Elisha said that I can't stay here because God has more for me there.

That when we're going through seasons of transition, it's gonna require us to have perseverance.

There will be a temptation for you to quit.

There will be a temptation for you to throw the towel in.

There will be a temptation to make you believe that you need to readjust your life in such a way that you can distance yourself from everything that God has for you.

But I'm here to tell you, friends, persevere through it, push through it.

You grab a hold of God's promises and you don't let them go.

You grab a hold of what God's word says and you continue to walk it out.

I'm walking by faith and not by sight, but I will see what God has for me because I can't stay here.

One of my favorite shows as a as a youngster was um the Transformers franchise.

I I loved it so, so deeply at the core of my being.

In fact, um back in the day, my mom's probably watching right now and she knows this, but back in the day, we were on a budget, so they actually tried to buy me the GoBots.

Anybody remember the GoBots, the knockoff version of the Transformers?

They actually didn't bend, they just kind of separated.

It was really terrible.

So look it up.

It was like the knockoff version.

Um, you get them at the dollar store.

So I remember going to the school, going to school and trying to, I'm like, hey, I got transformers.

They're like, Keith, that is not a transformer.

So I remember coming home having this conversation with my parents and and and them finally upgrading and getting me um the transformer.

And I just love the intricacies of it of seeing something that's in one state that gets transformed into another state.

So so you can only imagine that when the when the movies came out, the live-action movies came out, oh my goodness.

It was it was mind-blowing to me.

I still remember to this day when I watched the very first film and I saw when Optimus Prime pulled up and he transformed for the very first time.

I have chills right now thinking about it.

It was like every element of my childhood came to life.

Autobots, rollout, like I mean, all of it.

It was it was it it was so confounding to me.

I I loved it so much.

So as you can imagine, I watched every single movie that came out in a franchise.

I have strong opinions about many of them.

We'll talk about it outside if you got any, if you want to hear my thoughts.

But anyway, Megan and I, we decided to watch the most recent one um just a couple of days ago.

And so as we're as we're watching it, I saw something in this film that I had never seen in the previous ones.

And here's what it was.

I'm not giving away any plot points, but but ultimately, why the young man was in the car, it transformed around him and completely went into a different direction.

I've never seen that before in any other films.

That while he's driving it, it transformed.

And I was watching this and I was like, oh my gosh, where do I get one?

Like it was, it was it was unbelievable.

So after we watch it, I'm just kind of like spellbound by it.

Megan goes downstairs.

I'm like, you know what?

I want to watch it again because I'm the type of guy I like to watch stuff over and over again.

Megan watches it once and she's done with it.

But I need to watch it over again, I need to analyze the details of it.

So I'm watching it again.

And so I have a typical process.

Whenever I have a chance uh to watch a movie, um, particularly by myself, I have a whole rhythm as a routine, it's very sacred.

That I'll I'll have like my cup with my ice in it, and then I'll have my soda, and then I'll have like some chips or something, and then I'll go upstairs.

I'll go upstairs in my loft, I slide it back, I put my I put my feet up, and there's like a whole process that I go into.

I get into the mindset, and I'm there, and as soon as I sit down and I'm getting to that scene that I just described, my wife has a spiritual gift of calling me.

Whenever you get to the best part of a movie, I don't know what it is about her.

I don't know how this all works, but as soon as, like, it could be the major plot point of a movie, and that's when she wants to talk about.

Like, so it's it's one of those moments where I'm sitting here and and I'm ready to watch this scene, and as soon as this part comes up, she calls me.

And I lovingly, yes, teeth together, say, Hey, can you come here for a second?

I I go downstairs as any good husband should.

Happy wife, happy life is what they say.

I'm still waiting for that.

Um, but I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm joking, y'all know that.

So so I go downstairs, I see what she needs, I go back upstairs.

Now, now when I go back upstairs and I'm and I'm looking at the I'm looking at the screen, it it dawns on me that when I hit pause, that the transformation was in the beginning process of it.

So as I'm looking at the screen now, what I'm seeing now is a bunch of twisted metal all around it, and the screen is frozen.

And as I'm looking at it, I'm like, yo, if I didn't know what was going on, I would think that this was the worst crash I'd ever seen.

It actually didn't make any sense.

But but when I hit play, the transformation continued and what was started was able to be completed.

Now, when I paused it and I looked at it, it was a bunch of twisted metal, it looked like a hot mess.

But when I continued to press the play button, then what had started was able to be completed.

I I hope by now you're catching on to what I'm saying because I believe that there's some seasons when we're going through transformation and we're in the middle of this transition.

And if we take enough time and we pause and we look at it, it can look like a bunch of hot, twisted mess, and we're wondering why we are even in it in the first place.

The temptation can be for us to rewind, to stop, or to get out of it altogether.

But I'm here to remind us that he who has begun to work in you is able to complete it.

But you gotta persevere, you gotta keep showing up, you gotta allow the transformation to take place inside of your mind, inside of your body, inside of your heart, inside of everything that you touch.

I know that you're tempted right now, that as you look at the screen of your life, it looks twisted, it looks messy, and you don't see how it's ever gonna transform into anything that makes any sense.

But I want to tell you that the anointing of God is on you, and if you continue to show up, if you continue to persevere, that you're gonna see that transformation take place, and the old thing that you used to be won't even be recognizable because of the new thing that you currently are.

You gotta say, I can't stay here.

Right now I'm in a mess, I can't stay here.

My marriage is a mess, but we can't stay here.

My finances are in a mess, but I can't stay here.

It looks messy right now, but I'm inviting God in, and this transformation will be complete because God is with me.

I can't stay here.

It's coming to that conclusion of saying that I can't stay here.

This is a heavy moment for Elijah as he recognizes the grief that he's in, but he says, I can't stay here.

This is the this is the moment for Elijah where he's dealing with the temptation to stay back and not even have to deal with it, but he says that I can't stay here because if I stay here, I won't end up there.

All of us have a story to tell.

And I believe that if we're not careful, the narrative of that story can convince us to stay where we are.

But sometimes we've just got to have a conviction that says, I can't stay here.

I may have made some mistakes in my life, but I will not live in the past.

So regret, I can't stay here.

There's some things that we're dealing with that we're genuinely concerned about, but guess what?

Fear, I can't stay here.

There may be some areas where we got some clarity on and we even have some comfort in.

But guess what?

Comfort zone, I can't stay here.

That I know that God is calling me to go to another place.

I know that there's some things where we have some unknowns and we're wrestling with doubt, but doubt, I can't stay here.

If I stay here, I'll never end up there.

I know that some of us were thinking, if I have a little bit more time, if I get a little bit more things to get my ducks in a row, but God is calling us now.

So procrastination, I can't stay here.

It's coming to a place where He's saying, I walk by faith, and as long as God is with me, I know that I'll be okay.

I may be walking through the valley of death, but I have nothing to fear because God is with me.

He's going before me, he's going behind me.

That God is with me.

I cannot stay here.

Somebody needs to hear this today.

You can't you can't stay there.

Where you are right now, it's not good for you.

You can't, you can't stay there.

The anguish that you're that you're wrestling with, you you can't stay there.

There's some of us that are in some relationships that are incredibly unhealthy, and you know it's toxic for your soul and even for your mental health.

You you can't stay here.

I know you keep thinking if you just stay a little bit longer, then maybe it'll change, but it's actually killing you.

You can't stay here.

There's some of us that God is telling you that it's time for you to step out and start that business, but you're waiting for everything to line up, and sometimes it will, and sometimes it won't.

But God is saying, now is the time you can't stay here.

Scripture tells us that Elisha witnesses when Elijah goes up into heaven.

He had this request of Lord, I just want to have a double portion of your anointing.

That basically, if I can just have double what my successor had, he said, Man, that's a difficult, that's a very difficult thing that you're asking for.

But if you see when I'm taken up, then your wish or your prayer will be granted.

He he witnesses this moment, and what's so powerful is that as Elijah is being taken up into heaven, into the presence of God, also side note Asterix, Elijah is only one of two people who is ever going into heaven without having to enter through the doors of death.

That's Elijah, and that's also Enoch, the only two, but there's a whole nother thought.

I'm gonna actually be preaching on that next year.

So back to where we are.

Elijah goes up into heaven, and then the cloak, the mantle, the article of clothing that was placed on Elijah's shoulders way back in 1 Kings 19 falls to the ground.

An indication that the mantle has truly been passed on, an indication that you have truly now grown into this thing that was placed on your shoulders years ago.

He picks up the mantle, he expresses his grief, and then he picks up literally where his master left off.

He goes and he slaps the water, and the water parts.

I think it's interesting that Elijah's last miracle was Elijah's first miracle.

And when you actually numerically break down the things that Elijah did and Elisha did, Elisha did exactly double the amount of miracles.

The double portion had come on upon him.

You know, Jesus says to us that it's better for you that I go because I'm gonna send the Holy Spirit, and with the Holy Spirit, you're gonna actually be able to do more with that than you could with me.

So we watched Jesus be crucified, we watched Jesus to go up into heaven.

We can read this in Acts chapter 1, and then the Holy Spirit comes down in Acts chapter 2, and now what Elisha had to do was pick up the mantle and walk it out.

Acts 1 · chapter mention Acts 2 · chapter mention

I think that every one of us has an opportunity to recognize the things that Jesus has left behind for us, but our responsibility is to pick it up and begin to walk it out.

With every head bowed and every eye closed, I want to I want to pose basically two questions.

The first being this the mantle that had fallen was a representation of the ministry, the power, the anointing that was on Elijah's life.

In the context of Jesus, what that mantle represents is this mantle of salvation, knowing that we're invited to be a part of this kingdom family, and our responsibility is simply to pick it up and to put it on.

Maybe you're in here with us today.

And when you look at your life, maybe it feels like a twisted mess.

Maybe you're in the middle of a transition, maybe you just want to transition well, maybe you're on the other side of it, but but you recognize that you're in a season where that mantle of salvation, of peace, of blessed assurance, as we call it, is something that you're not carrying and that you're not walking into.

What I want to do is I want to create a space just for a moment where you can respond.

Where you're saying yes to Jesus.

I'm picking up the mantle and I'm putting on salvation and I'm gonna begin to walk us out.

It doesn't mean that you have everything figured out, it simply means that you're saying yes to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins and you're prepared to walk this journey out.

So collectively as a family, those joining us online, we want you to participate as well.

If you're ready to say yes to Jesus, maybe you're coming back home, or maybe this is your first time.

I want to count of three.

I just want to lift your hands up so that we can celebrate with you and pray with you in just a moment.

Just want to count on three.

Saying yes to Jesus, picking up that mantle of salvation.

One, two, three.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.

I'm so proud of you guys.

Can we put our hands together and celebrate for every single person?

Come on, church.

Let's really celebrate the goodness of God.

We're gonna go into a moment of worship just real briefly, just to kind of like, just kind of get along with God and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us.

I want to invite us all to stand on our feet.

And as you're standing on our feet, and I'm thinking of the people that have said yes in this room, those who are joining us online that have said yes, even for those that are listening to the podcast later that have said yes.

We're so proud of you, we celebrate you, and as a family, collectively, we want to pray alongside you.

So, collectively, can we all repeat this after me, helping along those who may be praying a prayer like this for the first time?

We don't believe that the words are the things that bring salvation, but we believe the belief in the heart is the thing that does it.

So pray this with me, Lord Jesus.

I give you my life.

I believe you died on the cross and that you rose from the dead.

And today I am saved.

I pray that you order my steps and fill me with your spirit.

In Jesus' name.

I want to pray for the rest of us and we're gonna go into worship.

Lord, I thank you so much for the grace for us to transition and to transition well.

Father, I pray over the next few moments that as we're thinking of the areas of our lives that maybe we're undergoing transition, areas of our lives that may seem a little bit messy, that we're gonna be able to recognize that it's an opportunity of growth, that we can recognize that your power and presence is with us, Father, and that we can also persevere through any challenges.

So, God, as we enter into your presence with hands lifted up, as we declare your goodness, Father, we place our trust in you.

So, Father, I pray that you stir our hearts, bring revelation, and help us to recognize that we can't stay here and end up where you want us to be.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Come on, family, let's worship together one more time.

Thanks again for listening.

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