Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Every prophet must remember that their gifting is not their own benefit but for those they serve. From the biblical characters we have been studying, we see that the benefits of association far outweigh those of working in isolation. Once Elisha took the mantle from Elijah he gathered to himself people who were teachable and who could develop their gifting to serve their respective communities. However being a part of the company of prophets does not exempt you from poor decision making. Essentially, having the gift in one area of your life does not cover all the bases. One of Elisha’s charges had this problem.  He ran up a huge debt for his family and then he died, possibly from his own efforts of trying to make ends meet (2Kings 4:1). You can be successful in one area of your life but a total failure in another.  As the leader of the company of prophets, it was to Elisha that the prophet’s widow went. When she met up with Elisha she held nothing back. She told him everything because of the threat of her children being taken and sold into slavery. The miracle of the oil that seems to be the focus of the story is the result of the prophetic word not the point that the redactor is making. Getting into unmanageable debt is a problem for everyone, dealing with debt is a serious problem today particularly in the current financial climate. However, as you associate with the Holy Spirit and a company of people who have the mind of God the oil of gladness in our lives will flow continuously and give us the necessary tools to manage the areas of our lives where we have lack. Read 2Kings 4:1-7.