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00:00I want to talk to you today about pick up your mantle. A mantle in the scripture was a coat or
00:07some type of covering. It was symbolic of the blessing of God. It represented his calling and
00:14authority to carry out his will. The mantle enabled the person to do things they couldn't do on their
00:21own. It was favor to accomplish dreams and faith to see miracles and courage to outlast opposition.
00:30Having that mantle empowered the person to go further and take new ground. God never created us
00:37to get stuck at one level. He's a progressive God. He wants every generation to increase.
00:44He has these destiny moments where he'll give us an opportunity to pick up a new mantle so we can step
00:52into new levels. Often it happens when someone goes to be with the Lord. Their work here on
00:59earth is finished, but the purposes of God never stop. They finished their course, but they left the
01:06mantle. Of course, we're celebrating the homegoing of my mother. She lived 91 amazing years. She carried
01:14different mantles. The mantle of faith, believing for miracles. A mantle of prayer, covering her family
01:23and loved ones. A mantle of generosity. My mother was always helping people, giving gift cards, paying
01:30their rent, being a blessing. A mantle of commitment, pastoring faithfully since she was in her early
01:3720s. Always in church, taking care of people. And a mantle of standing in the gap for others.
01:45People that she didn't even know. Someone she saw in passing, praying for them year after year,
01:50calling them by name. And I know she was my mother. Joel, that's your mantle. Doesn't have anything to
01:57do with me. But no, she was the mother of the church. You listen to our ministry, she's connected
02:03to you. Because everything I do was influenced by her. We are at one of these destiny moments where God is
02:12saying, who's going to pick up these mantles? It's not just for one. Any of us can. God is calling us to
02:19greater things. Who's going to cover your family with prayer? Who's going to stand in the gap for
02:25that loved one that's off course? Others are criticizing, writing him off. Somebody's got to
02:31rise up and say, I'm going to pray him back home. I'm going to remind God every day. Don't leave that
02:38mantle on the ground. Pick it up. Be the one to make a difference. Who's going to believe for miracles
02:45in a greater way? Who's going to take the limits off of God? Not believe the lies that, man, we're stuck
02:52here. All my family's depressed. We'll never get well, Joel. Someone has to break out of the status quo
03:00and pray bold prayers to see those generational bondages come off. Who's going to pick up the mantle
03:07to live more committed, more consecrated? Not taking the easy way out, but staying on that high road
03:14to be an example to those around you? Or how about that mantle of generosity? Being a blessing,
03:23helping others in need, living to give, not to get. God is calling us up higher. He's saying there are
03:31greater things in store, but you have to pick up that mantle. Greater favor, greater influence, greater
03:37resources, but it's going to require greater commitment, new mindsets, being willing to get
03:44out of our comfort zone and stretch to new levels. This is what happened to Elisha in the scripture.
03:51He was a young man out in the fields plowing, had 12 oxen in front of him. He was working in the
03:58family business. Life was good. One day, while he was minding his own business, the prophet Elijah
04:04showed up. He was a powerful man. He'd call down fire from heaven and destroyed 450 false prophets.
04:12He prayed, and a three and a half year drought came to an end. He's the one that outran a chariot
04:17and raised a little boy from the dead. Saw all kinds of miracles. God do amazing things. When he saw
04:25Elisha out in the fields, he took off his coat and threw it at Elisha. Imagine it hit him and fell
04:32to the ground. Elisha thought, who is this man throwing things at me? He looked closer and realized
04:38it was the prophet Elijah. This wasn't just his coat. This was his mantle. This represented the favor,
04:46the authority, the blessing of God. This was a critical moment. God was calling Elisha to greater
04:53things. It was giving him an opportunity to step up to a new level. The problem was Elisha was
05:00comfortable. He was satisfied. He had to make a decision. Was he going to leave the mantle there
05:07and think, man, I don't want more responsibility. I don't want to have to stretch. I'm just going to
05:13play it safe. Let someone else have that mantle. You'll never reach your destiny if you play it safe
05:19all the time. You have to get out of the safe zone and over into the faith zone. There are levels
05:26God is calling you to that are going to feel uncomfortable, that are over your head, that
05:33require greater commitment, greater consecration. You can't hang around those same people and carry
05:39this new mantle. Greater faith. You can't stay in the boat and walk on water. Bolder prayer. You can't
05:48pray weak, get by prayers and see the fullness of what God has for you. All these thoughts were
05:54bombarding Elisha's mind, telling him not to pick it up. He could have walked away and went about his
06:01business. Instead, he reached down and picked up that mantle. This was a destiny moment. He was
06:09saying, God, I'm willing to step up to who you've called me to be, to accept the favor, the blessing,
06:16the calling that you're entrusting me with. He had a new mindset. A shift has taken place. A transfer
06:24of the anointing. I'm walking in greater power, greater authority, greater consecration. You can't
06:31pick up a new mantle and keep an old mindset. There needs to be this shift in your thinking. No more I've
06:39reached my limits and I can't get well. We can't pray for people, Joel. I don't have that kind of
06:45authority, that kind of power. It's not just up to what you can do. The power of the Most High is behind
06:52you. What you couldn't do before that mantle you picked up brings the authority, the power, the favor
07:00of Almighty God. Elisha stopped the oxen, cut up the plow, and made a big fire. With the smoke billowing
07:08in the background, he left his comfort zone, walked away with Elijah to become his assistant. Sometimes
07:16when you pick up a mantle, you have to walk away from things. You can't carry that mantle of favor,
07:23that mantle of greater influence, and compromise at the same time. You may have to walk away from
07:30some friends that are pulling you down, bringing out the worst in you. Or walk away from that phone,
07:37that computer that's distracting you, spending hours a day on things that aren't making you better.
07:42Or walk away from fear, doubt, those thoughts telling you you're not able, you're not good enough,
07:49you've made too many mistakes. The enemy will tell you all the reasons you can't pick up that mantle.
07:56You're not worthy. You're not qualified. You're too shy. Walk away from those lies. Get out of your
08:02comfort zone. God wants to use you like he did my mother for greater miracles, greater favor,
08:10greater prayer, greater generosity. Will you pick up that mantle? That's what I had to do when my dad went to
08:18be with the Lord. I was content where I was, doing the television production, working behind the scenes
08:25at Lakewood, and I thought I'd do that the rest of my life. But while I was minding my own business,
08:31Elijah showed up, so to speak. That mantle came to me, and I thought, I can't pastor like my father.
08:38I'm not qualified. I've never been to seminary. God, you've got the wrong person. But God wouldn't
08:44have given you the opportunity if you weren't well able. I took a step of faith, and I picked up that
08:51mantle. I thought, man, this is going to be hard. I'm way over my head. I'm going to do my best to
08:58carry this mantle. But what I discovered was the mantle carried me. There was a blessing, a favor,
09:05a courage I'd never seen before. And I think about what I would have missed if I hadn't been willing
09:12to pick up that mantle. Where would I be today if I'd stayed in the safe zone and believed the lies
09:19that I'm not good enough? I don't have what my father had. No one will ever listen to me. I would
09:25have never seen the Compact Center, never seen the books, the media, being able to help people. I would
09:31have missed who I was created to be. There are mantles God is asking you to pick up, mantles of faith,
09:40praying for what looks impossible, mantles of favor, believing for bigger things, mantles of courage
09:48to press past the fear, mantles of prayer to stand in the gap for your family, to push back the darkness.
09:57The last 10 years of my mother's life, she didn't come up to the office anymore. She used to come
10:03two or three times a week and write notes and encourage the staff. One year we calculated she
10:10had written 15,000 handwritten notes. She loved to thank people for their support, tell them she was
10:17praying for their healing. She said to me recently, Joel, I feel kind of bad that I don't go up to the
10:24office anymore, but I really feel like I'm just supposed to stay home and pray. Many times she would
10:30stay in bed till noon just praying for people. She'd wake up early. She wasn't lazy, but she'd lie
10:36there and call every family member by name. Not just her children, but their spouses, extended family,
10:44her grandchildren. She had over a hundred people that she would pray for every day. She was an
10:51incredible force for good for our family and for our church family. She may not have called you by name,
10:58but she prayed fervently for everyone that's a part of our ministry. And I told Victoria when she
11:04passed, I'm not just going to miss her friendship, miss her being my mom, but I'm going to miss her
11:10prayers. There's a void, a vacuum. She always had us covered from the time we were little children.
11:17We never left the house without our praying for us. Mother passed, but that mantle stayed here.
11:24God is asking us to pick it up. Be that prayer warrior for your family, for your friends, for your
11:32church. Stand in the gap. Declare the favor and purposes of God over their lives. You don't have
11:39to spend hours a day, but you can get up 10 minutes earlier and cover your family in prayer. One time my
11:47mother saw the name of an entertainer on a marquee driving to church each week. She read about how he came
11:54from a family of missionaries to Mexico. He grew up singing in church, but now he was off course singing in
12:01clubs. She didn't know him, didn't have any connection, but my mother started praying. Not one time, but day
12:09after day, he got on her prayer list. When you were on her list, watch out, things are going to happen.
12:15Years went by and nothing changed. He's still out singing in the clubs, but he had a child that
12:21was sick and decided to go to church. He walked into Lakewood and Usher recognized him and told my
12:28mother. She went back and gave him a hug and said, Bill, I've been praying for you for years. He thought
12:34that day he'd be condemned and looked down on, but he felt unconditional love. The arms of our heavenly
12:41father opened wide, ready to receive him. He not only gave his life back to Christ, but his son was
12:49healed from leukemia. A few months later, our friend Bill Nash did his first Christian concert at Lakewood.
12:55That was a start of a new beginning. I wonder where Bill would be if my mother had not stood in the gap
13:03for him. There are people God brings across your path on purpose that need your prayer. They don't
13:11have anyone lifting them up. You can be the one that helps break them, helps them break bondages and step
13:17into their destiny. In the same way, my mother always prayed for Willie Nelson. Years and years. She loved
13:26Willie weed and all. I think it's because he and my brother Paul kind of look alike, but
13:33she didn't see the same results with Willie that she did with Bill, but you never know what God is
13:41going to do. Just because the person dies doesn't mean their prayers don't go on. Some of us are blessed
13:49today because of our grandmother's prayer, our great grandparents. People stood in the gap
13:55that maybe we didn't meet. They believe for their seed and for future generations. And today we're
14:02seeing favor and protection because like my mother, they put up that wall of prayer. They took time to
14:09call our name, to speak life over their family. Well, Elisha picked up this mantle and followed Elijah,
14:17served him faithfully and took care of him. It came time for Elijah to go to heaven. It was his last
14:24day on earth. He came to the Jordan river and needed to cross. They had no boat, no bridge. So
14:32Elijah took off his cloak and smote the water. The river parted. That mantle carried power and authority
14:40caused supernatural things to happen. He and Elisha walked through, came down to his final minutes.
14:47He said, Elisha, you've served me all this time and I'm about to leave. What would you like me to do for
14:54you? Elisha could have said, I just want to carry on what you've started. Let me just continue this
15:00work. He could have asked for something normal, something reasonable, but Elisha was bold. He knew
15:07that what he was going to face was going to require more favor, more power, more miracles. He said, Elijah,
15:15my request is that I would have a double portion of your spirit, that I would have twice the faith,
15:21twice the power, twice the influence. Elisha could have said, what are you talking about?
15:27Elisha, you need to be more humble, be satisfied with what I did. But Elijah didn't fault him.
15:35He didn't try to push him down. He said, you've asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when
15:42I'm taken away, you will have it. In a few minutes, they were walking along. This whirlwind caught
15:48Elijah up and took him to heaven. Suddenly he was gone. Elisha stood there in disbelief. He was so
15:56distraught that he tore his shirt into two pieces, wondering what in the world just happened. Elijah
16:02was gone, but his mantle fell to the ground. Elisha picked up that mantle. It's significant
16:10that he took off his old clothes. He was saying, I can't become who I'm supposed to be wearing old
16:18labels. I'm not a prophet. I'm a farmer. I can't do what Elijah did. I don't have the talent, the favor,
16:26the influence. Before you put on this new mantle, take off all the old labels. I'm too short, too tall.
16:34I'm addicted. I'm unattractive. I'm not worthy. Jesus said you can't put new wine into old wineskins.
16:43If you do, the wineskins will burst. You can't go to new levels with old thinking. Quit telling
16:50yourself everything you're not and get in agreement with God. You are a masterpiece made in his image,
16:57a mighty hero, a giant killer, strong, competent, talented, raised up for such a time as this.
17:07Elisha walked to the Jordan River. He was headed back home, but had no way to get back across.
17:13He remembered what Elijah did, how he threw his cloak in the water and it parted.
17:19Thoughts were telling him, don't even think about it. You're not Elijah. You don't have that kind of
17:24power. There will always be forces trying to talk you out of who you are, trying to convince you to
17:32take off that mantle. There were 50 people standing on the banks of the Jordan, the same ones that saw
17:38Elijah part the water a few hours earlier. It's one thing to see if the mantle works in private.
17:45If it doesn't, nobody will know, but Elisha has all these people watching, takes off his coat,
17:52he removes the mantle and strikes the water. This dramatic moment, soon as he did, the water opened
17:59up. The river parted. He walked through on dry ground. The same anointing that was on Elijah
18:05was now on Elisha. This didn't happen by accident. He was bold enough to pick up the mantle.
18:14That anointing, favor and power was transferred to him. Elijah left, but the mantle stayed.
18:22This is symbolic. When someone leaves, goes to heaven that carried favor, blessing and influence,
18:30those mantles don't leave. They're waiting for someone to pick them up. God is counting on us.
18:37He's doing a new thing. Many of us have been blessed. It's easy to get comfortable. I don't want to rock
18:45the boat, but God is calling us up higher. He has greater things, but it's going to take greater
18:51commitment, greater faith, greater prayer, greater generosity. When you pick up that mantle, you'll
18:59discover like I did. The mantle is going to carry you. Elisha came to the Jordan. He didn't have to
19:06fret, worry. How's this going to happen? It wasn't up to him. It was up to God. The mantle represents
19:14the authority, the favor, the blessing of the Most High, but you have to pick it up. Believe for
19:21miracles. Cover your family in prayer. Leave the familiar and step into the unknown because what
19:29got you to where you are was good, but it's not going to be enough for where God has taken you.
19:35We are living in darker days. There are more obstacles, more divisions, more devils to fight,
19:44more people that are cynical and want to bring you down, more distractions to steal your time,
19:50deception to get you off course. You can't win today's battles off of yesterday's tactics.
19:57God is doing a new thing. The darker it gets in the world, the brighter you and I are going to shine,
20:04but you're going to need greater faith, greater miracles, greater prayer, greater consecration.
20:12That's why Elisha prayed for a double portion. He wasn't saying, I just want to outshine you,
20:17Elijah. I just want to look better for my ego. He knew there were greater enemies. Some of these
20:24mantles that you're about to pick up are double portion mantles. You haven't seen, heard, or imagined
20:31what God is about to do. He's entrusting you to go further, to carry his blessing, his favor in ways
20:39you've never imagined. You know why? Because he can trust you. You've been faithful. Like Elisha,
20:46you've given, served, done the right thing. Now your time is coming. And it's good to look back and
20:54remember what God has done. Thank him for the victories. I talk all the time about how God gave us
21:00the compact center, how he healed my mom from cancer. That's good, but God doesn't want you to
21:06live off of past victories. He's about to give you some new things to talk about that will supersede
21:12the old. Double portion power, double portion favor, double portion creativity, double portion of
21:21resources. When my father went to be with the Lord, we were in that 8,000 seat sanctuary that
21:28daddy and the congregation built. And it is a big place. By the grace of God, I picked up that mantle
21:34and followed in my father's footsteps. And I was content to just try to keep the church going.
21:41It would have been a win if we just didn't go down. But God is a progressive God. He wants every
21:47generation to increase. He knows the later it gets, the more power, the more favor, the more blessing it's
21:54going to take. And when we acquired the compact center, this place, it seats 16,000 people. It's
22:01not a coincidence that it's exactly double. There are some double portion anointings waiting to be
22:09picked up. The new things God is going to do is going to be out of the ordinary, uncommon, something
22:17you've never seen. See, in the Old Testament, only certain people were anointed. That mantle had to
22:24come to you. Elijah went to Elisha through the mantle. Samuel went to David and anointed him. It was
22:31limited for a group of people, those that God selected. But in the New Testament, since Jesus has
22:38come, the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of each one of us. We can all pick up these mantles.
22:44The last message Jesus gave, he was with his disciples and we call it the last supper. He told
22:52them how his assignment was coming to an end, how he had finished his course. He said, I'm about to leave
22:58and go to my father, but I'm not leaving you alone. I will send the Holy Spirit to live in you.
23:05He was saying, I'm going, but I'm leaving the mantle, the power and favor to accomplish my will.
23:13He went on to say, greater works than these shall you do. Well, Jesus did amazing things. Healed the
23:20sick, multiplied food, calmed the sea, raised a little, raised Lazarus. But he said, in effect,
23:27for your day, you're going to get a double portion to stand against the darkness. When opposition is
23:34stronger, don't worry. He's got you covered. There are double portion anointings coming. God is calling
23:40you to greater things to go beyond what you've seen in the past. Who's going to pick up that mantle
23:47of prayer for your family. Maybe you had a mother, a grandmother praying for you and their prayer and
23:54dedication has carried you to where you are. But there comes a time where what they've done won't be
24:00enough. Someone else has to step up, be that one, cover your family, speak the blessing over them.
24:08Who's going to pick up that mantle of faith to believe for miracles, to pray bold prayers,
24:14to take the limits off of God. Who's going to pick up the mantle of consecration,
24:20to live a holy life, to not give in to compromise, take the easy way out. You can't reach your destiny
24:27that way. Just like the anointing of Elijah was transferred to Elisha because he picked up the
24:34mantle. We're in a time of transition. The home going of my mom, she was 22 years old when she
24:42first started pastoring with my father. She had no ministry experience. She was a registered nurse.
24:49Look what God has done. She never dreamed at 91 we'd be celebrating all she accomplished.
24:55Who knows where you will be if you'll pick up some mantles? Say, God, I'm willing to take on more
25:03responsibility so you can entrust me to carry your love, your favor, and your blessing to make a greater
25:10difference. You may feel like I did, that it's over your head. You're not qualified, but you'll discover
25:16you don't have to carry the mantle. The mantle will carry you. If you'll do this, I believe and declare
25:23like Elisha, you're going to see the double portion, double favor, double influence, double
25:29miracles, double honor, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say
25:37amen? Let's pray together. If you have five minutes, we'll just seal it in prayer. Lord, thank you for what
25:46we've heard. I know it falls on great ground. Faithful people here at Lakewood, so many watching and
25:52listening. Lord, we commit today. We're taking off all the old labels. And Lord, we're going to pick
25:58up some of these new mantles. Lord, we know you can trust us. We go out of here today, Lord, just
26:05knowing that you're for us, that you're breathing on our lives, that even if we've missed some mantles
26:11in the past, that we can pick up these new mantles and still become who you've created us to be.
26:17Lord, you helped Lakewood through 66 years. But Lord, we know this is a time for all of us to step
26:23up to new levels. Lord, I thank you that courage will rise up. The mighty hero on the inside will
26:30rise up. Lord, that we will step in to the freshness and newness that you have in store
26:36in Jesus name. With our heads bowed in prayer, just a quick question before we leave. If your heart
26:43stopped beating in the next few minutes, are you at peace with God? Do you know where you'd spend
26:50eternity? If not, I would love to pray with you. I'm not here to condemn anybody. I'm here to help
26:59you find a new beginning. I know this comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
27:06In just a moment, if you're not at peace with the Lord, or maybe you are a Christian, but you've grown
27:13cold toward God. You know you need to rededicate your life. You need a fresh new start. If that's you,
27:21in just a moment, I'm going to ask you to take a step of faith and stand right where you are,
27:27and we'll pray together. I can't think of a better time to get on the road to victory than right now.
27:34God is not mad at you. Your sins have already been forgiven. All you have to do is accept the free
27:42gift of Christ's salvation. Will you do it today? The enemy in your thoughts will say, no, no, no,
27:49do it another time. Do it next week. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. You're not hearing
27:56this by accident. Well, Joel's embarrassing standing in front of all those people. I had people at the
28:02house. I can't lift my hand. Listen to what Jesus said. If you won't be ashamed of me before people,
28:08then I won't be ashamed of you before my father in heaven. I'm going to give you a great opportunity
28:15to show God that you're not ashamed of him. If you're not at peace with the Lord, or you just want
28:21to rededicate your life, you want a fresh new start, a new beginning. If that's you, would you
28:28be bold, take that step of faith, and stand right where you are, and we'll pray together. Would you do
28:33it? Come on, Lakewood. Let's give them a hand as they stand all over the building.
28:41Come on, don't put it off.
28:45I feel like there ought to be others. Your heart's beating fast. That's God drawing you.
28:50Up top, watching, listening. Anybody else? Still time for you. Still standing, Lakewood. A little
28:56more clapping. They're still standing. Anybody else? Well, God bless you, and man, we are proud of you
29:07guys. I know that took courage to stand, but more importantly, I know the angels are rejoicing. God's
29:14never going to be ashamed of you, and the scripture says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
29:19will be saved. Let me help you to call. Do you mind all praying this after me, if you would? Lord
29:25Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Amen. Remain standing.
29:37One more moment, if you don't mind. I want to tell you how much we love you. We're going to be praying
29:40for you. I want to give you a personal invitation and a challenge to come back and be with us on a
29:46regular basis. We ask new believers to give us the next year of your life. Make a commitment,
29:52just like you go to work, that for the next year, you're going to be here every time you possibly can.
29:58I'll make a promise before the year is over, your life will never be the same for the better.
30:04We're going to help you grow and become who God's created you to be, and I know you're busy,
30:09and Sunday's a day off, and y'all need to go grocery shopping. Let me tell you, when you get into a
30:14community of faith, your new week goes better. There is a blessing on your life from the Almighty
30:21God. So we'd love to have you here, and not just come. Get plugged in. Choir, ushers, greeters,
30:26young people, so many areas. Not just to work. I'm not trying to get you to work. I'm trying to get
30:33you to meet some amazing, faith-filled people that can be your friend here at Lakewood. People that can
30:39pray for you, and people you can pray for them as well. So after service, there's a booth right over
30:43here. If you need anything, you guys that have been to Lakewood a year or two and don't know
30:47anybody, stop by, and they'll tell you how to get plugged in. Normally, I'll meet you. I'll meet
30:51you in a couple weeks after service. I'm usually out there, but I'm taking a little bit of a break.
30:54But let me tell you, the moment you stood up, God washed away all your sins, your mistakes,
31:00your failures. You are starting with a fresh, clean slate. Write it down in your Bible. It's August 10,
31:072025, a new day of victory in your life. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, let's all stand
31:14together, if you would, please. Thanks so much, guys, for coming out today and just being a part
31:20of the Lakewood family. We love you so much. How many of you are leaving better than you came today?
31:24Amen. Well, let me speak a blessing. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
31:30May the Lord show you His favor and have mercy on you. And may the Lord watch over you and give you
31:36His peace. God bless you. We love you. Have a favor-filled week. See you back real soon.
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