October 31, 2022
Passing the Baton
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! (1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT)
Beloved one, have you ever been in a relay race? When I was in High School, I took Physical Ed, one of the things I remember most is the relay race. To win a relay race not only on speed but the ability to pass on the baton to the next person. If you drop the baton, time is wasted, and the race may be lost. If you fail to pass the baton, you are disqualified from the race completely. It reminds me of (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT) Paul said, ‘Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. So, I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified.
Life can be compared to running a relay race. Each generation throughout history has received a baton and runs the race to the best of their ability then passes the baton to the next generation. I remember when my Dad passed. In the spirit I knew a couple weeks before this was the end. My Mother passes two years earlier. I am the oldest in my family and felt the weight of responsibility of being the matriarch of the family and how important my role is praying for my siblings and their families, and how much I can impact their lives on my knees and by my love. It’s important to pass the baton on before you exit the earth. I am reminded that Elijah passed the baton to Elisha. (2 Kings 19:19-20, 2 Kings 2:1-25) Same as a race, Elisha had to be paying attention to receive the baton (Mantle).
In 2006, we were in the Bahamas ministering at a conference and Dr. Myles Monroe was a speaker. He really impacted my life, shifting my thinking or mindset on the Kingdom through the Word. Just prior to his death, I watched him on TV sharing about a dream he had. He understood the message. The message was about people dying with a baton in their hand instead of passing it on,’ Munroe said. ‘I was thinking, the young person who’s supposed to lead next has to go to the casket, pry the baton out of the dead man’s/woman’s hand just to take it to the next leg.’ He continued, ‘Great leaders pass ‘the baton’ on before they die, and they live to see the other person run. I don’t know about you, but I do know I am carrying a mantle (baton) which represents the anointing and I got it from my grandmother. I am of the mind, I don’t want to go to my grave hanging on to my baton! I am waiting for the person who’s supposed to take this mantle and finish the race carrying it into the next generation. Paul said, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ (2 Timothy 4:7)
Elisha saw Elijah’s anointing and pursued it. He went with Elijah everywhere he went. The time had come for the LORD to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the LORD is sending me on to Bethel.’ But Elisha replied, ‘As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.’ And Elisha replied, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.’ ‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.” (2 Kings 2:1-2, 4-6, 9-19 NLT)
The disciples followed Jesus everywhere He went, and mantles were passed to each of them, and they changed the world. The secret to Elisha receiving the baton, he was with Elijah and was watching when he went up! You have a baton, but whose mantle are you supposed to be carrying? Pursue it! Watch everything, they do, and an impartation will take place. Whose baton are you supposed to receive? Pursue it and be determined you are going to get their baton before they exit the earth. Then you will see even bigger doors God will open for you. If you are a leader, don’t take your baton to your grave!
