Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (18 page)

In Middle Eastern culture during the Lord’s time on earth, a person who suffered a legitimate physical handicap was made to be identified in order to receive help. The culture of that time understood they had a moral and ethical obligation to help those who could not help themselves. The blind, lame, and incapacitated individuals were rendered aid by being given what was known as a
beggar’s garment
. This garment identified them as being officially licensed to beg and of possessing a severe physical handicap.

What did blind Bartimaeus do with his beggar’s garment when Jesus called for him? He threw it aside. In order to receive the new mantle that God has for you, you might have to first get rid of the old. Often this is easier said then done.

I can imagine many of the circumstances that could have surfaced when he decided to get rid of his garment. You have to understand that he was getting rid of his safety net; he was saying goodbye to his back-up plan. Somebody could have leaned over to him and said:

“Now hold on just a minute Bartimaeus. Let’s not get too excited and emotionally carried away here. You’ve been sitting out here under the sun too long. You could be suffering from a heat stroke. It’s affected your thinking.”

Another could have said:

“Wait, Bartimaeus. What happens if it doesn’t work? Why don’t you roll up your garment and put it behind your back so Jesus won’t see it? That way you will still have your garment incase this doesn’t work out.”

Or maybe someone said:

“Don’t get rid of your garment. If you throw it away, you’ll never find it again in this large crowd.”

My friends, you have to understand that Bartimaeus got rid of his garment while he was still blind. In order to receive the new and fresh anointing from God, it is often necessary to first throw off the old mantle. These old mantles often represent wrong ways of thinking. Get rid of any beggars’ garments. Remove and abolish any excuse, any lie of the devil, that would
suggest to you that you cannot have God’s best. Strike from your mind such thoughts as:

“I could never afford to buy that.”

“Sickness and disease run in my family and I’m next in line.”

“I could never have a close walk with God because I’m not a preacher.”

“I’m just a lowly worm and am unworthy of God’s blessing.”

Throw these wretched and polluted thoughts away. When Bartimaeus threw away his old beggar’s garment, he knew that he would never be wearing that thing again. Right now, right where you are, just reach up to your shoulders and by faith pull off any old garments that need to be removed. The Holy Spirit is pinpointing those areas of your thoughts that need to have the slack removed. Don’t settle for second best. Always hold out for God’s best. Release your faith. Refuse to be held in bondage by only trusting in what you can see, feel, or logically explain. Step out on the Word of God and be led by the Holy Spirit. Your victory is assured. Praise the Lord for the new wardrobe you are receiving from Heaven. It’s out with the old and in with the new. The time for a change of garments is now upon the Church.

We are standing on the edge of the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen. This is the most exciting time to be alive in the history of the world. We are going to see the Gospel preached throughout the entire world and then the end shall come (see Matt. 24:14). I want to be on the front line of what God is doing in the earth today. Don’t you? Whatever mantle it
is that God has for you, and whatever position it is that God has for you in the body of Christ, it is now time to rise up and seek the Lord like never before. God has something special for you and He will clothe you with fresh anointing, authority, and power by the Spirit of God.

The final chapter in this book is purposely the shortest chapter. This is because asking and receiving from God is not complicated, nor is it necessary for it to be a long, drawn out process. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Now that you have built up your faith through the study of God’s Word concerning mantles, as well as having looked at some of my personal testimonies and those of others, it is time for you to ask God for the mantle that He has for you. Some of the greatest answers I’ve had from
prayers of petition
occurred from short, specific requests that were made in confident faith
to God. Please pray the following prayer from your heart in faith, knowing that God will answer your request.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I ask unreservedly in faith for You to bestow upon my life the mantle that You have chosen for me. I ask You to reveal it to me by Your Spirit, and cause me to step into that which You have prepared for me to walk in. Thank You Father; I praise You for it. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Now simply trust the Lord in His timing and in His method of delivery to get the chosen mantle to you. God will most assuredly answer your prayer. Thank God for it everyday, and your faith will become sight.

Recently, while at a minister’s luncheon, I was asked by a certain minister how long I had sought the Lord before I received a heavenly mantle. My response was that I sought God regularly for two years before this experience took place in my life. Of course, that does not mean it would take that long for you. That was just my personal experience. My prayer is that you will receive your chosen mantle quickly, because I believe this has already been a deep desire within your heart and God has prepared your heart to receive. Whatever the time frame may be, just stay in faith and expectancy until you receive your heart’s desire. Please meditate upon these following verses to strengthen your faith and to assure yourself that God will answer your prayer.

In closing, I would like to share with you how suddenly and unexpectedly a new mantle can be transferred to you. A few years ago I went to a conference near Washington, DC, to see a fellow minister friend who was scheduled to speak. This conference was being held at a church and I had previously met the pastor. It was nice to catch up with my friend who was the guest speaker. After I finished speaking with him, I went over to visit the pastor who was also a friend of mine. As we were talking, he said, “There is someone here I would like for you to meet.” He then introduced me to a very nice man named Wade Taylor. I had never met Wade before nor heard of him. Wade and I spoke briefly and as I was leaving, he said, “Next time you are in the Washington, DC, area, please give me a call.”

Several months went by and my wife and I found ourselves in Northern Virginia, this time holding a meeting at a church that was very near to Washington, DC. After the meeting was over, we had a few days to relax before heading to our next ministry destination. Kelly said to me, “You know, we are very close to Washington, DC. Why don’t you give Wade Taylor a call since he asked you to do so when we were in the area.” Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my wife. She often
hears from the Lord concerning divine appointments and connections. I called Wade on the phone and told him I was close by and wanted to see if he would like to get together and get a bite to eat. He suggested that we meet the next day at a local restaurant that he was familiar with.

The next day, Kelly and I pulled up at the restaurant to meet Wade for lunch. We got there ten minutes early, but as we parked our car, we noticed Wade pull up at the same time and park right next to us. Kelly suggested to me that she would go inside and get a table while I would wait for him. As Kelly went to the restaurant, I went to Wade’s car and waited for him to get out. As soon as he got out of the car the first thing he said was, “I want to tell you about three men who influenced my life and how their mantles were transferred to me.” I thought to myself, “This is unusual. We haven’t even gotten inside the restaurant yet and the conversation is already rolling.” Those who know Wade know that this is not usually the way he acts. Wade is in his eighties and is quiet and reserved. He’s a great Bible teacher, but when he is not ministering, he is low-key and prefers that others do the talking.

Now keep in mind that I had only met Wade one time before, and that only lasted about three minutes. As we took our seat at the table with Kelly, we continued our conversation. Wade shared about three men who have already gone on to be with the Lord who greatly influenced his life.

One of those men was John Wright Follette. John Follette was an anointed Bible teacher who lived a long life and graduated to Heaven in 1966. His teaching ministry took him around the
world and his writings are still widely read today. John Follette was the type of man who would be considered a
mystic saint
. The phrase
mystic saint
implies someone who is deeply devoted to the Lord—a commitment going far beyond what most people would consider normal. This man devoted his whole life to the Lord by never marrying and by spending large amounts of time in prayer and study of God’s Word. He lived in a very small home and had very little interest in material possessions. A relationship with the Lord such as this often forms an element of mystery around a person, because people tend to be intrigued by such an unusual type of consecration. Of course, you don’t have to stay unmarried to have this type of walk with the Lord. We see in the Bible that Enoch developed a very deep walk with God
after
he had children, (see Gen. 5:22). Anyone can press into the same place of intimacy with the Lord if he or she is willing to sacrifice along the way.

Wade continued to tell me about John Follette’s ministry by sharing stories about his life. Once John Follette preached a message while he was suspended in mid-air. He simply walked right off the platform as he was teaching and hovered in the air while he continued his message. After all, Peter walked on the water. There’s not much difference between air or water. Both demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s operation of the gift of the working of miracles mentioned by Paul in First Corinthians
chapter 12
. Wade went on to mention how John Follette often was a visiting teacher at a Bible College that he attended. As a student at the college, Wade loved John Follette’s ministry.

One day he went by the room at the Bible College that John Follette was staying in. He went with the purpose of asking for the mantle. As he was invited in, they talked, and Wade took the opportunity to ask John Follette if he could have his mantle. The answer was “Yes,” and that day John Follette laid his hands on Wade and transferred the mantle. What’s interesting is that years later Wade went on to become the President of that Bible College!

Of course, at the restaurant table I’m wondering, “Why is he telling me all of this?” Wade went on to share with me the story of two other respected ministers that he was associated with and how similar mantles had been imparted to him. These two men also had very close walks with the Lord and had international ministries. Then, he relaxed and leaned back in his chair at the table and said, “Now, tell me about your ministry.”

For about ten minutes I told about the ministry the Lord has given to me. I described how Kelly and I travel all over the country and to different parts of the world preaching and teaching the good news of Jesus Christ. I told about some of the great miracles that God has done in people’s lives through our ministry. As we concluded our meal and our conversation, Wade said, “I believe we need to go outside and pray.”

As we left the restaurant, we decided to sit in my car and pray there. I sat in the front driver’s seat and Wade sat in the front passenger seat. Kelly graciously sat in the middle of the rear seat. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to pray about. I opened us up in prayer and tried praying for a few minutes but
I only felt like I was rambling. Not only did I feel like I was praying without a purpose but it seemed like Wade wasn’t even paying attention. After two minutes of praying I decided to stop, so I wrapped up my prayer and said, “In Jesus name, amen.” When I said that, Wade responded and said, “Good. Steven, I’ll need your hands for this.” I stretched out both of my hands and he grabbed them with his hands and held them. He then prayed and said, “Father, I now transfer the mantle of John Wright Follette, ________, ____________ (he named the names of the other two ministers), and my mantle to Steven, now.” He said, “Receive, receive.”

I felt an impartation of the Holy Spirit as he prayed for me. It felt like a warm, liquid anointing that went from his hands into my hands and up my arms and rested on my shoulders. Then Wade did the most peculiar thing. He simply looked at Kelly and me and smiled and said, “Okay. Goodbye!” He then got out of the car and left. The whole incident to me was totally unexpected and rather unorthodox. I had to let Kelly drive home because I was inebriated in the Holy Spirit. After this took place I called my pastor friend who was good friends with Wade and I told him what happened. He said, “Steven, Wade only goes out when he is on divine assignments. He will only do what the Lord specifically directs him to do.”

Since that day, Wade and I have become close friends. We have ministered in conferences together and have had late night conversations at his home, discussing the Lord and His goodness and glory. I was introduced to a deep well of spiritual truth through Wade and through studying the lives of the three
ministers whose mantles he prayed for me to receive. Sometimes I think of how different my life would be if that event never took place. But the Lord wanted to add something to my life that expressed a beautiful facet of His nature that I had not had much exposure to. Walking with the Lord is exciting because you never know what a day may hold for you. There’s nothing else like serving the Lord. Jesus is simply the best!