Petrina's thoughts from 2 Kings

I'm LOVING studying 2 Kings and all that the Holy Spirit is revealing, for the present day, through it. There's so much in this book. Israel is like a model of the church - God's people and how His heart breaks over their disobedience and openness to wicked practices.

I see similarities to the modern church: the establishment and worship of structures and practices, kinda like golden calves (ie religion and control); the shaking of its foundation in order for evil to be exposed; prophets kinda coming out of nowhere to bring warning of judgment (referring to 1 Kings) and repentance - and the prophets being rejected by Israel / the church; God's faithfulness and long suffering grace even in the midst of wickedness ......but God's fervent commitment to see them restored back to Him.

Sounds similar to present day and many comparisons can be drawn.I'm getting so much out of Elijah and Elisha's story also and the implications for our lives today. Elijah made decrees or declarations. He spoke the purposes of Heaven into earth.....and it was done accordingly.

He was so connected to the heart of God he didn't have to ask or pray that something might be done, He decreed it ..to be done! I love this picture of the authority God wants to release to us here and now. He wants us to decree heaven into earth and know the authority He's given us to do so.

I'm aware there is a cost for operating with this level of authority, though. Allowing God to crush the independence out of us is painful but yet the aroma of a heart of submission is the sweetest scent, like when a rose or spices are crushed - they emit powerful aromas...and a little bit goes a very long way.

The aroma of a heart submitted to God is so lovely.He showed me a picture of a human body and how in form it is intact - it looks like a human, it has all the right parts and features BUT without God breathing His breath into the body it can't move and have purpose. Features and parts are useless unless they are activated with breath.

I sure want the breath of the spirit of God to awaken me to a life with passion and purpose.I felt as though the Holy Spirit was saying to me we are entering a time where God's eyes are roaming the earth for hearts that are pure and courageous; a people with a fear of God and not of man. People who are willing to lay down their lives with passion for the purposes of bringing heaven to earth.

I believe He wants to breath again the 'Elijah Spirit' onto the earth. They will be a generation who will be marked by God's power - signs, wonders and miracles, to turn the heart of the church back to pure worship of God.Elisha was tenacious and he hung on and hung on and hung on for the anointing, blessing and release from his master, Elijah. He contended for the double portion and was in no way going to miss the moment of impartation, when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirwind.

He was tested and tested and God rewarded him for his tenacious faith with the double mantle. These chapters are such a powerful illustration of submission and aligning oneself to mentor ship. How much do we need this in our church/ lives today. Submission is becoming a foreign concept (we've turned away from living our lives in service of others - our husbands, our children etc) and we are missing out on living lives of power and authority because we are not receiving the mantle of the generation before us. If we are to become successors in the prophetic we must align ourselves under an established mantle ie get mentored.