The Protocol of Spiritual Fatherhood & Mantles

 The topic of spiritual fatherhood is by far one of the most misunderstood topics in the Bible, and over the years, I have been asked various questions regarding this sensitive topic which we will cover in this article, such as:

• Are spiritual fathers biblically correct?
• Is it important to have a spiritual father?
• Do you only have one spiritual father?
• How do you recognize your spiritual father?

What Is A Father? 

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

 Romans 8:15 (NKJV)

The word “Abba” in Aramaic is translated as “daddy” - it describes a son who cries out for his father while sitting on his lap. This Aramaic translation is used to express the close and intimate relationship between a father and a son.

The word “Abba” is the Greek word “pater” which indicates respect and reverence towards the authority in the family. Both these words portray great concepts concerning fatherhood which are the concept of intimacy and the concept of reverence and respect.

The word “pater” reveals many facets of the nature of God as a Father towards His children. It depicts how fathers protect, provide, leave an inheritance, establish identity, love, and discipline. Fathers are also the only ones who can give mantles.

In the same manner, as God is our Heavenly Father, He also placed fathers in the body of Christ.

“For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet {you would} not {have} many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶ I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me.

¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.¹⁸ Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you ¹⁹ But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power. ²¹ What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentleness?”

“…for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.”

 1 Corinthians 4:15-21 (NASB)

Because Paul founded the church by the leading and guidance of the Spirit, he played a fatherly role in the life of the people. We see that Paul had sent Timothy ahead of his coming, to prepare them for this future event. On many occasions, we see that Paul refers to Timothy as his true son in the faith, even though he had not personally led Timothy to the Lord.

“To Timothy, a true son in the faith”

 Timothy 1:2 (NKJV)

You will find that God places fathers in the household of faith to take care of the believers - to love them; nurture and protect them; provide for them spiritually and to discipline them.

Let’s look at 5 keys in the life of Elisha towards Elijah on how to receive a mantle from a father:

Key 1: Spiritual Perception:

¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)

Spiritual discernment is of the utmost importance to receive or partake of the mantle and anointing that is upon the life of a man of God. So, what is a mantle?

• A mantle is a spiritual thing and can only be discerned by the Spirit.
• A mantle is a grace gift.
• A mantle is supernatural abilities.
• A mantle is an office that a man of God operates in.
• A mantle is a very specific anointing to accomplish a very specific task.

It is of the utmost importance to identify a man of God to submit under. You will need the anointing to serve. Even the 1^st mantle that Elisha received was the mantle to serve:

²¹ And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

1 Kings 19:21 (KJV)

He did not minister to the sick, but to the man of God. From this moment, Elijah no longer washed his own feet or hands, because someone was now anointed to do it for him.

“You will therefore need to recognize if you have been called for the thousands or called to the one that is called to the thousands.”

If you are Joshua, then you need to understand that your ministry is to Moses, until he is gone. If you are Elisha, then your ministry is to Elijah.

Elisha was touched by the mantle but did not get to keep it. Instead, Elijah took it back and kept on wearing it. From this point forward, Elisha observed the mantle upon his spiritual father’s life, and he admired, honored and served it.

Key 2: You will never receive a mantle that you do not honor, admire or respect:

Elisha served into the mantle and anointing that was upon Elijah. He admired and honored him as a man of God.

You attract what you honour. Honour is also accomplished through spiritual sight, because you cannot honour what you cannot perceive. Your perception of what someone carries is what causes you to honour and value them.

“Honour cannot be taught - it must be perceived and discerned”

⁹ And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”¹⁰ So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹² And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more…

2 Kings 2:9,10,12 (NKJV)

Elijah said that if you see me, then only will you receive what you asked for. This was no longer a thing of the natural. Elijah was speaking about spiritual sight here. If you see me, meaning if you can perceive when I am taken up, then only will that which is upon me, come upon you. This means that if you can celebrate with the man of God when he is lifted up, then you will also become a partaker of what is upon his life.

The Bible says that Elisha “saw it” and then only for the first time, cried out “My father, my father.” Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, which is a double portion of his spiritual DNA.

Key 3: You have to take off the old to receive the new.

¹² And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.

This is, unfortunately, something that most people are not willing to do, but is imperative to receive a mantle.

We cannot place a mantle on an old character. You will first need to take off the old so that you can put on the new, referring to your old way of doing things. You will need to lose what you want (the natural) in order to gain what you need in (the spirit).

Key 4: Don’t look for a new grace. Tap into one that is already established.

When Elisha got to the river to use the mantle, the mantle did not part the waters. We must understand that a mantle is experienced.

It’s an experienced anointing that is seasoned in:

• Healing the sick,
• Making money,
• Operating in the supernatural,
• Flowing in revelation,
• Deliverance,
• The prophetic and divine wisdom 

The second time, Elisha cried out and he said, “where is the God of my father, the God of Elijah?” and so, according to the waters, it was now Elijah coming back – not Elisha. He was now changed into a different man.

Even when the sons of the prophets saw him, they said that the spirit of Elijah is upon Elisha. It was not a new mantle, but still the old.

Key 5: You have to take it up.

Receiving a mantle requires action on your behalf. You will have to search for it, pick it up, and take hold of it.

¹³ He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

 2 Kings 2:13 (NKJV)

Here Elisha started to have conversations with the mantle. This shows us that a mantle can communicate divine instructions. A mantle carries the ability to speak to you. God can and will give you divine instructions through a mantle.

Remember that a mantle does not just fall on you. Elijah’s mantle did not fall on Elisha, but rather, it fell to the ground. What was now left was for Elisha to locate and pick up the fallen mantle.

I want to challenge you today… Are you willing to fight for the mantle that God has set aside for you, in order for you to accomplish His purpose and call for your life? Are you willing to chase it, as Elisha did, and serve it – regardless of what may try and deter you?

We see how Elisha, who persevered in order to receive his spiritual father’s mantle, became one who was greatly used by God.

Are you willing to do the same?