2 Kings 2:2
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
We know the storyline of Elijah telling Elisha to tarry in a place, which Elisha refused to do. It is critical to know that Elisha was not being disobedient to the man of God. Elijah had not commanded Elisha to tarry but simply told him to tarry. Why was Elijah telling Elisha to tarry in that place? Elijah was testing Elisha’s faith by telling him to tarry. Elijah wanted to see if Elisha would become comfortable and stay instead of going forward by faith.
We often wonder what the difference was between Elisha and the sons of the prophets, and the difference was Elisha’s faith. If Elisha had not gone forward by faith, he would not have had the faith to ask for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. The asking for a double portion was an act of faith, but that act of faith was predicated by Elisha acting by faith to follow Elijah when others would not act by the same faith.
My friend, the purpose of faith is never to sit still. You cannot stay in the same place and live by faith. Faith always moves you forward. To be comfortable to tarry in the victories of the past is to stop living by faith and will assure defeat and compromise in the future. Faith always moves you forward, which means you must never tarry still while others move forward by faith.
One may wonder what the difference is between those whom God used mightily in the past and those who were not used as mightily, and the answer is that those who were used mightily never tarried but moved forward by faith. When you study men from the past, you will see that they continued to act by faith till the day they died.
I have watched some men retire from their pulpit, and in nearly every case, they regretted it. I am not judging any of these men, but it is obvious that they never saw the same victories they once saw, and the reason is because they tarried instead of moving forward by faith. I think of my pastor for many years, Dr. Jack Hyles. He pondered retiring toward the end of his life but then pronounced in a Sunday night sermon to his church that he found his replacement. He said, “Jack Hyles will replace Jack Hyles.” He determined not to retire but to go forward until the day he died, and that is what he did. God continued to do some of the greatest days in his ministry after he determined not to tarry.
My friend, if you want God to use you, you must never tarry still but move forward by faith. It is easy to rely on past victories, and it is easy to become comfortable with what God has blessed you with, but you must never tarry still and stop living by faith. The moment you tarry still and stop living by faith is the moment God stops doing the miraculous through your life.
Pastor, never sit still with what you are doing in your church. Always have a vision to do more. Start something new by faith regularly in your ministry. Starting new things by faith keeps the ministry fresh and exciting. Believer, let me challenge you never to tarry still and stop attempting great things by faith. The Christian life will keep its freshness and excitement when you choose never to tarry still but to continue attempting great things by faith.
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