The Road to the Double Portion

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” 2 Kings 2:9

The road to a double portion starts in verse one of 2 Kings: “When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal”. The first mention of Gilgal is in Joshua 5:9. After arriving at the border of Canaan, before they could enter in and possess the land, they had to circumcise the group of men born in the wilderness. Gilgal represents separation from the flesh.

Circumcision is a symbol of rolling away the flesh and the shame of Egypt. (Genesis 17:10-11) Before getting the double portion of anointing, dealing with the flesh is necessary. Overcoming the flesh and the world is a must. Separating ourselves from the flesh and the world is a requirement of God. Today’s Christian still has the responsibility to bring the flesh under subjection.(1 Corinthians 9:27) We begin our relationship with God as new believers who know nothing but life in the flesh. The flesh includes, the physical body, the mind, emotions and will. How can we expect to have an anointing, not to mention a double portion, when it is always about what I want, always about the flesh?

My thoughts are more important than having the mind of Christ. My emotions motivate me to act and my will is much more important than what God wants from me. The flesh must come under control of the spirit (Galatians 5:16) if we expect to continue down the road to the double portion. How easy it is to get stuck in the city of Gilgal because we refuse to deal with our flesh. Romans 8:8 states, those in the flesh cannot please God.” In fact, our spiritual journey does not begin until we deal with our flesh. How can God lead and guide us, when we only listen to and obey the desires of the flesh?

(To be continued)
Rosita