BURN THE PLOWS 1 Kings 19:19-21

BURN THE PLOWS 1 Kings 19:19-21 (ESV) 19 “So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.”

I. THE ORDINARY A pastor has recently said, “The thing is, most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them”. Mindlessly plowing in your career Mindlessly plowing in your relationships Mindlessly plowing in your walk with God

II. GOD’S CALL God is orchestrating your destiny even though you may not see it. “Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place” (1 Kings 19:16). He appears on the scene of your situation when you least expect it.

II. GOD’S CALL Believe that God has a call for your life. It’s not based on your gifts, your talents, your intellect, but on Gods ability to work in and through you. Don't believe in yourself, believe in His faithfulness.   God’s call has the power to transform a plowman into a prophet, a shepherd boy into a triumphant king, a fisherman into a world changer, a persecutor into a preacher, a carpenter into a savior.

III. RUN! God does not necessarily tell you how He will do it, only that He will do it.  God’s greatest ambition with us following Him isn’t that you would know what to do, it’s that you would know who He is. Act on a word (Matthew 14:29). He’s more interested in your full obedience than your full understanding.

IV. BURN THE PLOWS Burn your back up plan Your plow is what chains you to the ordinary. Burn your back up plan You can’t step into your new life until you first set fire to whatever is binding you to your old life.

IV. BURN THE PLOWS Leave good behind Does it mean walking away from a secure job that’s not in line with what God has called you to do?      Does it mean staying right where you are and doing what you’ve been doing but giving up on the halfhearted way you’ve been doing it?

IV. BURN THE PLOWS Leave good behind Does it mean making a sacrificial gift that is so big it upsets your stomach just thinking about it? Does it mean giving up some familiar habits that are reminders of the way you lived before God started dealing with you?

IV. BURN THE PLOWS Leave good behind Does it mean renewing old, small ways of thinking about what God wants to do in and through your life.      Does it mean making the conscious choice to stop using your spouse’s past mistakes against him or her?

IV. BURN THE PLOWS Leave good behind Does it mean moving on from relationships that bring you down through guilt or obligation. Does it mean giving up a life that’s a little too safe, a lifestyle that’s a little too comfortable and tends to factor out God.

BURN THE PLOWS It’s really a matter of surrendering to the call of God. Will you burn the plows?

BURN THE PLOWS It’s really a matter of surrendering to the call of God. Will you burn the plows?