Dear Reader, last week’s article gave you with a vivid picture of a T K O and of how Elijah was taken away from Elisha. Allow repetition because the Word did minister to me from the book of 2 Kings 2:19-14. The time had come for me to face my Jordan and certainly I felt like Elisha. Let’s pick up the latter three verses (12) “And Elisha saw it, and cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: And he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in pieces.” (13) “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;” (14) “And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, where is the LORD God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted thither: and Elisha went over.” In my unconscious state it felt as if I was in Jericho, the place of conflict where it seemed as if Satan himself was fighting against me for I had stayed too long in Gilgal, the place of many spiritual activities without power. This intense warfare was to get me to Bethel, the place of total consecration and where all my own desires die. Satan and his cohorts were fighting against me so fiercely; it looked like momentarily the enemy had succeeded for I was clueless as to why. My life was projected on a screen which took me back to my early childhood. There I was always getting into trouble but one thing was constant and that was my slap back. Climbing trees were forbidden none the less I would climb every tree, no matter how tall or big. Shoot marbles, sling the birds out of the air, smoke the brown paper as if it were a cigarette. Went swimming in the ocean and would receive a severe chastisement from my grandfather with the tamarind switch. My whole body would be filled with red ridges from the tamarind switch only to slap back by doing those things even more. My grandfather said to my mother, Gwenie, I do not know what you are going to do with this little girl. Beating her is not doing her any good! She is wearing me out. My grandfather continued, she is so stubborn it looks like even an army cannot stop her! Whenever I was told I could not do something it became my dynamite to march forward and execute it, this was always my slap back. This flash back vanished but it had quickened my spirit within that just as I was stubborn and rebellious as a child. To cross my Jordan I needed stubborn Faith. Of myself I could not possibly cross over. Elisha passed his test and he saw what those around him could not see and when he saw it his reaction was that of humility. He tore his own clothes, took up the mantle and cried, “Where is the God of Elijah?” And the God of Elijah answered. He smote the waters and passed to the other side. Then surely I got it, I needed more humility to cross the Jordan. Elisha knew he needed a double portion to effectively operate as Elijah did. I searched for a way to escape going around my Jordan but found none. Abba Father reminded me of the many times I had disregarded His true call on my life by failing to slap back. A large screen came up and replayed the scene of me as I carried my youngest son’s lifeless body to the garage his favorite play area. Laid him on the couch and walked the floor and prayed for hours however his condition remained the same. Stubborn faith stood relentlessly and brought forth travail, refused to stop until he received life and health to his little body. The God of Elijah answered! A scene from a Church service flashed by of a dear sister kneeling at the altar beside me, The God of Elijah spoke to me, put your hand on her right side. Immediately the sister started shouting, Hallelujah, thank you Jesus! After service she called my name so sternly, I thought LORD, what happened to her. She said, Sister Margaret, I had a severe pain and when your hand touched my side, the pain vanished! How did you know I had such a pain? The scene shifted to my home where one evening my husband had returned home and said he had a severe pain in his back which drove him to his bed. During the evening, the God of Elijah said, go and anoint your husband’s back and pray for him. Soon after my husband was on his feet again and said, Margaret, when you touched my back the pain went away. The God of Elijah answered! A scene of a man walking in the downtown area and as I spoke to him from a distance he said, stop, do not come near me. He was shaking and very afraid. A scene from a morning worship service unfolded. A young woman cried out, Sister Margaret, don’t touch me, and don’t touch me! She was shaking and visibly afraid. Many still do not understand but I heard Abba Father say, Are you ready? My reply, yes, LORD!
In the place where you are right now you may be experiencing much turbulence and the more you back up on the call of Yahweh on your life all “hell” so to speak is breaking loose in your life. You cannot sleep and you are picking out your hair again and you are not praying like you used to pray. Your quiet time has been compromised and the intake of the Word is almost none but the God whom you serve is still wooing after you. You are His beloved and in this season, you will cross your Jordan but you have got to slap back at the warlocks and the witches, slap back at household wickedness and household witchcraft. Get up slap back at the human who project themselves by astral projection into your home and is causing chaos and confusion in your home. Slap back by taking up the Word and read it, be a doer of the Word, pray consistently, persistently, relentlessly, fast often and you will take their mask off! The mantle of Elijah is the power which represents the Anointing of God. Take note Elisha moved immediately and did not hesitate as he picked up the mantle of Elijah. He burned the bridges behind him and renounced his former life. While I was in an unconscious state and faced my Jordan I heard Abba Father say, Are you ready? I replied yes, LORD! If you did not read last week article, I had felt an urgency to cook dinner during the morning hours and had planned for my youngest daughter and I to do the grocery shopping. While preparing the dinner, unction came upon me to pray while at the stove. The intensity of the battle was being felt, I could hardly stand up and the dinner was not completely cooked. The beans and rice had come to a boil, the meat was in the oven, and it was almost mid-day. I said to my youngest daughter, Mommy is going to pray and then we will go and get the groceries. Something was not right, as I knelt to pray, my eyes felt so heavy followed by what felt like excruciating blows which led me into unconsciousness nevertheless I could hear the Word speaking to me. Like Elisha it was a must for me to renounce my former life and move forward into that which Yahweh has purposed for me. No more looking back at the things in my past and definitely the demons from my former life must not be able to cross over into my Jordan. I regained consciousness and looked at the time; three hours had gone and as I stood on my feet things seemed different. Then I remembered the pot on the stove and the meat in the oven. When I opened the door and walked the hallway of my home was greeted by a delicious aroma. A miracle had happened, the rice that had been left on the fire for three hours should have been mushy; but the rice was grainy and had yielded a pot full to the brim. The meat in the oven was still intact. God had preserved not only the dinner but He kept it from burning and who knows it could have sparked a fire? I was humbled and now fully clothed with humility after trying to fight against Satan and his cohorts in my own strength. I had failed and received a T K O but in my weakness Yahweh has redeemed and divinely intervened on my behalf. In His strength I have now crossed over my Jordan and boldly stand in the place of destiny where God has empowered me to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; to cast out demons, to cleanse the leper, even to raise the dead through the work of the Holy Spirit and the Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ…..My heartaches because sometimes it seems that hardly anybody cares about those who have been sick and afflicted for a long period of time, indeed, my heart aches each time I cross paths with a drug addict, the prostitute, the hurting and wounded souls; I am reminded of these lyrics entitled somebody cares written during my quiet time before the LORD.
Somebody cares
Bring your burdens, bring your cares
Lay them at His feet today
He will remove every burden,
He will lift every care;
He will break every chain
And free your soul to soar like an eagle.

Chorus
Somebody cares
Somebody cares
Somebody cares
His name is Jesus.

He is still setting men free,
He is still healing the sick
The blind man eyes are seeing,
The deaf are hearing;
The dumb is speaking again
The dead are rising to life;
Somebody cares, His name is Jesus.

Jesus promised greater works
We shall do in His name
If only you would believe!

May your faith make you whole
Instantly, if you believe

Somebody cares, somebody cares
Somebody cares,
His name is Jesus.

As I haste to conclude this article I can still hear and feel the effects of the question asked by Abba Father, Are you ready? My answer is a slap back……yes, LORD I will live the yielded life in Christ! You too may have suffered a T KO but the question is, will you stay there or will you slap back?