Today I stand under a new mantle that I've not operated under before. By God's grace, he is going to do what he wants to do today. I'm going to try and not be what I normally am.

I'm going to get away from my comfort zones and I'm going to walk in the mantle that he has placed on me. And I hope today as I share, you begin to grasp some of the importance of the mantles, that you'll come to a place where you'll begin to enter into what the Lord has for you. I always like to preach positive.

I always like to encourage and lift up, but that's my old mantle. The Holy Spirit will always encourage and lift up, but he doesn't always. Sometimes he uses the sword.

Sometimes there are things that need to be addressed. Today I want to preach on identifying bad mantles. Identifying bad mantles.

I'm going to read a fairly lengthy passage of scripture. I don't normally read long passages at the beginning, but this is a story, an event, so I need to cover the whole thing. I'm going to read from Mark chapter 10 and verse 46.

It's the account of the healing of blind Bartimaeus. Mark 10, reading from verse 46. And they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho were these disciples and a great number of people.

Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me. And many warned him that he should be quiet, but he cried even more, a great deal.

You son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man saying to him, be of good cheer, get up.

He's calling you, says the verse I want you to notice. And throwing off his mantle, he stood up and came to Jesus. How do we identify one another? We all know each other here now.

We're not strangers anymore. If I were to ask you to close your eyes and describe one of the people that are here, you could probably describe them in some way. You could identify them.

Okay. We identify people sometimes from the way they look, perhaps from the way they walk. Some of us like me have a irregular walk.

I used to call me Twinkle Toes in mockery, perhaps by the way they talk. When you hear their voice, ah, yes, I recognize that voice. Out of the whole crowd that's talking there, we can hear her loud and clear.

She's got that very distinct voice. These are the unique mannerisms, perhaps, that the person has that allow you to pick them out of the crowd. You can identify people by the way they respond to life, and you can identify them by the clothing that they wear.

See, we all tend to have certain clothes that we like, that we wear a lot. And very often, you can identify a person by the clothing that they have on. In Bible days, you would have said that you identify them by their mantle.

In Bible days, a mantle represented what a person was. If you wanted to change your status, you usually changed your mantle. And that outward change was usually somehow linked with an inward change.

The two went together. A person would wear a mantle that suits what is going on inside of them. Bartimaeus was a blind man, and because he was blind, he had to beg to earn a living.

He sat on the roadside there day in, day out. Every day, sat there, the old blind man wearing the same mantle. Now, I don't know whether it was a special mantle that beggars wore, but I'm pretty sure when people saw the mantle, they said, oh, beggar.

It's the beggar. You can see the clothes he's wearing, sitting there wearing his biggest coat. That mantle represented who Bartimaeus was.

It represented to the world everything that he was. They could identify him very clearly. Now, your spiritual life is very similar.

Your mantle shows what kind of person you are and what kind of ministry you have. Your mantle also shows unique things about your spiritual condition, because it's always reflective about what's inside of you. You see, everyone sitting here today has a mantle.

Mantle that you have developed over time and a mantle right now that represents who you are, not just in the natural, but we're looking especially in the spiritual. Now, things begin to change when we add new mantles. If you want to change and do more than you did before, you're going to have to change your mantle.

Now, to change your mantle, the first thing you'll probably have to do is to get rid of the mantle that you have right now. Otherwise, you're going remain the same old person, with the same old ministry, with the same old failures, with the same old weaknesses, with the same bad habits, with the same deceptions and confusions. That mantle will interfere in whatever new thing God wants to do in your life.

I want to look at the effects of a bad mantle or a wrong mantle. Now, a mantle can be demonic, because we're looking at a spiritual realm here. And if the mantle represents our spiritual condition, the mantle that you wear could be spiritual, but in the wrong spiritual sense.

It could have a demonic background or source or influence. And the danger here is sometimes people think that the mantle that they have, that the spiritual abilities that they have come from God, but actually they don't. They're a counterfeit.

And Satan's very clever in counterfeiting and making us think that God gave us something when God didn't give it to us. You see this especially in the prophetic realm, when people start getting prophetic revelation. The most common false mantle we see is divination, which people think is prophetic revelation.

Oh, you know, I used to have dreams and they came true. I've always had this sense. I'm with people, I know things about them.

See, people out there calling themselves prophets who've grown up with this mantle and they think they're prophets, but it's a demonic mantle. It's not of God at all. And it may look the same, but it's not.

Now, not all mantles are demonic. I'm just mentioning that one in passing. Most of the time, the mantles that we wear are not demonic, but they actually flesh, because they include our natural strengths.

Now, I want to tell you something. When you put on the new mantles, last time we spoke about the essential mantles that we should put on, the mantle of protection, the mantle of power. You may have put those mantles on, but you cover it over with your mantle and those new mantles are hidden and their power is totally taken away.

You're wearing these brand new clothes and you put on this great big overcoat and cover the whole thing. So I got new clothes, I got new mantle, I've got anointing from the Lord, I have a ministry from the Lord. We can't see it because it's covered with your mantle, the wrong mantle, a bad mantle.

And you know what? You're comfortable wearing this mantle. You wear it most of the time, it's who you are. Most of the time, you're not even aware you put it on.

Well, this is me. You know, I've always handled problems this way. I've always handled life this way.

No, you didn't. No, you didn't. Somewhere along the line, things happen in your life and you began to develop a way of handling those situations and you began to develop your and we look at that further as we go.

How are mantles created? In various different ways. 1 Peter 1 verse 18 says, as much as you know that you were not brought back with corrupt, that you're not bought back with corruptible things like silver and gold from your unsuccessful and useless way of life, received by inheritance from your forefathers. One of the first ways we get a mantle is we inherited.

We inherited from our natural parents and this one, this one is tough. We inherited also from our spiritual parents. You say, is that a bad thing? I don't know who's your spiritual parent.

As your spiritual parent got a spotless mantle, it's worth inheriting. Perhaps somewhere along the line, you opened your heart to somebody to receive from them, but what you received from them was not what God intended, but you figured that was the right thing to do and you got used to carrying that mantle and you walk in that mantle now and you say, but that's the way I was taught. That's the way I've always learned.

That's the way they taught it and they preached it. Now God wants to move you on into something newer and greater and you can't understand why. It's not working.

I've cried out to the Lord, Lord use me, Lord anoint me, but it's not working. You felt the anointing of God. Somebody even prophesied over you and said, God is going to use you.

Yeah, you got the new mantle all right, but you covered it over with the old mantle and it won't work till you get rid of that mantle. We get it from mentors, from trainers, from coaches. You saw something in somebody else that you desired and you followed closely after them and clung to them like glue, hoping to get what they had.

Eventually you got it. It's now become yours. You submitted to them to get it and now you've got it.

I finally got what I wanted. This is the new me. This is the mantle.

Well, was it of God or was it from a person? Sometimes we get these even from unbelievers that we admired. People they were looked up to have skills and abilities that we don't have. But you received something from somebody else that has now become you and God says, I want to move you on.

I want to move you further. You say, but this is me. This is who I am.

It took me a long time to get here and I'm quite happy with it. I've got it under control. See, you developed it to handle life.

You formed a covering of protection to protect you from the hurts of life, from the problems of life, from the attacks that you've received from other people and from the world and from words. You formed yourself a nice little mantle that the words will just bounce off you now and you can handle it. It's a great protection, isn't it? But it's stopping God from using you.

Perhaps you have in you an inner driving force to change. Perhaps it started with a desire, strong desire, a core desire. And you thought, I really want to do everything in my power to change and to become like that.

And what started off as a desire eventually became such a driving force that you cannot rest, that you cannot stop, but you're driven, driven, driven. And somehow you never reach that goal, but you're still pushing hard to reach that goal. You're driven.

Holy Ghost never drives, it eats. First sign, you've got a faulty mantle. This mantle affects everything you do, everything you do.

You make it part of your life. It's kept in place by all of your main needs and desires and it's become your comfort zone and you're not going to move easily. Your approach to anybody who tries to move you is, yes, but, yes, you're probably right, but I'm not keen on this.

I'm quite happy the way I am. Thank you for resistance to change. You say, but it's working.

You don't break what's working. This thing has served me well. It's covered me and protected me and got me places.

Why should I change it? It's working. And besides, if I never had this, do you know how vulnerable and weak I would be? See, you become comfortable with it, which means it's become a habit. See, a habit is something that you start out being uncomfortable with, but if you do it long enough, eventually you don't feel uncomfortable about it anymore.

You do it without thinking. You wear your mantle every day without thinking. Now, maybe you listened to my message last time.

You said, okay, I'm going to put on the right underwear. I'm going to put on the mantle of protection. Here we go.

Thank you, Lord. I'm going to put on the mantle of power. Here we go.

Oh, before I leave, didn't you realize you put it on? It's covering and blocking what God wants to do in your life because that mantle wasn't created by the Holy Spirit. It wasn't created by the Lord. It was created by you and by others who influenced you.

That mantle has very strong power. It changes the way you view yourself and affects your response to life. Numbers 13, 33, the children of Israel, as they came into the land that they were going to take, Joshua sent the spies out and they came back and they said, and there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come from the giants, and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight.

And therefore, we were also like grasshoppers in their sight. You see, that mantle is going to interfere with God's call on your life. You think you know what to do.

And most people confuse ministry with calling. You say, well, you know, I grew up in these circumstances and therefore, I believe God has used my circumstances to give me a burden for ministry. I grew up in poverty.

Therefore, I have a compassion for poor people. I was divorced. Therefore, I have a compassion for divorcees.

As a woman, I was abused. So, I have a ministry to abused women. Well, I've taught on this elsewhere.

I don't need to repeat it. That's not a calling, but it's a nice mantle, isn't it? Makes you look good. You're not ready to move on when God says, I've got something greater for you than that little limited calling that you think you've got.

Yeah, but Lord, I got pretty good at this, you know. People keep complimenting me. They keep saying, you do so great.

You know, you've got such a good ministry. Women will invite you to all the ladies' meetings. I'm really having an effect.

I'm not saying it's not possible. God can use you if that's what he's called you to. You want to stay there? No.

Are you satisfied right now with how God is using you? Are you satisfied with the anointing that's on you? Are you satisfied with the kind of results that you're getting in ministering to others? Well, I'm not. If you are, this message is not for you. You may leave.

And you're saying, oh, if only the Lord would use me more. Oh, if only I had a greater anointing. See, and the Lord wants to give you new things.

And every new mantle that he gives you is covered by your favorite piece of clothing, by your preferred style of ministry. You say, but it works. So why should we change it? Besides, we always did it this way, you know.

In the circles that I grew up in, that's the way they did it. You know what? My pastor did it. My spiritual father did it.

My apostolic father did it. Truth be told, I never tried it in the other way. It works.

See, this is going to affect the anointing. Sometimes it's going to push you in the wrong direction. It's going to neutralize the power that you already have.

And you're crying out and say, Lord, anoint me. Lord, give me greater power in ministry. Give me greater revelation.

And the Lord's probably answered your prayer already. But it's not working. So we cry out for more.

Oh, if I could have more of the Lord. If I could have more of the Holy Spirit. You can't get more of the Holy Spirit.

You've got all of him already. If I could have a greater gift of revelation, there's a gift of revelation. It works.

You don't get greater gifts. Oh, you know, I just get these puny little revelations. You know, I get a little feeling.

You know, other people, they get crystal clear vision and they tell the person his past, his present and his future. Wow, I wish God had used me like that. Maybe the other person hasn't got your mantle.

That's why they can do that with the same gift that you already have. Now what you're going to do with your mantle, you're going to stay in one place and it's going to be impossible for you to move into anything new. See, you expect the Lord to always move the same.

But he's a God of variety. He's not confined to our way of thinking. God's been dealing with this in me as far back as I can remember.

I first rose up highly successful as a teacher. God said, I want you to now do prophetic ministry. And I said, but no, Lord.

I've got the teaching mantle, you know. Everybody tells me what a good teacher I am. You know, even the other pastors I'm working with look to me because I'm such a great teacher.

I don't want to be a flaky prophet. Jolly women who go with the revelations. My man, prophets for women.

It's not easy to let go of your comfort zone mantle. And you know what? That mantle may be something God gave you and it may have worked for a season. God says, it's time to move on.

I have more for you. See, I had to learn to take off my teaching mantle for a while and started the bottom all over again being a prophet, faltering and failing and stumbling and making mistakes, giving people false prophecies, getting into deception. But I got there.

See, and then I got to my new comfort zone in the prophetic. Oh, you have a need? Come, I'll pray with you. I'll get revelation.

I'll give you a prophetic word. I'll get a vision. I never bat an eyelid if somebody comes from ministry.

I know God will show me exactly what I need to give them. And they arrive sick. And I say, well, Lord, you know, I get good revelation.

I can tell them exactly what's wrong with their body. I'm better than any doctor. Isn't that awesome? But they don't get healed because they've got a prophetic mantle on, you see.

Sometimes the mantle that you need to get rid of is not a bad mantle. It was good in its season, but it's reached the place where it's standing in the way, where God wants to take you next. Oh, I rose up as this great trainer training the five ministry, rising right up to be an apostolic father in birthing ministries.

It is who I was. It's what I boasted in. The Lord said, give it up.

Yeah, Lord, that's, you want me to walk around naked? That's who I am. Give it up. You want me to become a flaky evangelist? They're far below me.

I'm an apostle of you. See, what is God wanting you to let go of right now? It may be a bad mantle as you've developed, and that's the most common. It may even be a valid mantle that you've operated in.

The Lord says for a season, I want you to take that mantle off and I want you to put on something new. So I prepared for this message today. The Lord said, you're not allowed to be a teacher.

I said, oh gee, I do it so well. I enjoy it, Lord. I feel comfortable.

He said, I've given you a new mantle. Stand in that mantle now and let me use you the way I want to use you. How does God want to use you? It's time to move away from your safe ground.

I don't care how long it took you to get there. You might feel like you're starting all over again. Perhaps, but you need to deal with that mantle and there are several ways we can deal with it.

I want to end on this today. Then we're going to pray. I found an interesting scripture in my daily Bible reading the other day.

Now that I've got mantles in my mind, I see them everywhere. It's in Genesis chapter 35 and verse 2. Incidentally, the word translated garment, mostly in the scriptures, is the same word as translated mantle. They are fully interchangeable.

So you might say, well, this verse doesn't say mantle in my version. It does in mine because it means the same thing. And Jacob said to his household and to all that were with them, put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and renew your mantles.

What a strange thing to say, renew your mantles. He said, well, I don't know really where to start yet. Well, the good place to start would be to identify the mantle that needs to be changed or renewed.

Now this isn't always easy because usually you don't see it. You're not even aware that you're carrying it. You've worn it for so long, it's become part of your skin.

You look in the mirror, what you see, it's not what other people see. So we all look the same. This is me.

Ask other people how they see you. Find somebody who will be honest, who will tell you the truth. You may be shocked.

You may be shocked to find people say, you know, you always do this. You're always saying that. You're always acting this way.

It's irregular. It's very hard to see it in yourself. You may have to have somebody else point it out to you.

But the most important thing is that you need to see yourself how the Lord sees you. And so if you want to identify this mantle, the best place to start is to come to him and say, Lord, open my eyes that I may see myself as you see me. What do you see, Lord? What mantle do you see when you look down on me? And you know that if God reveals it to you, there's no arguing.

Well, you know, my friend is just prejudiced. I just reject what they say, you know. But when the Lord puts his finger, there's no arguing, I'm afraid.

It's that says the Lord, you see, your mantle can become an idol. And that's why I found the scripture so relevant, where Jacob said, put away your idols, your strange gods that are among you. What is an idol? An idol is a way to reach a God.

See, when people worship idols, they're not worshiping a thing. They're worshiping the spirit behind the thing. An idol is simply a means of communication with the spirit world.

It's a demon power behind every idol. So an idol is a way of reaching the spiritual realm. What idol do you use to reach God? That's shocking, isn't it? Me? I don't use an idol, don't you? Your idol could be a person.

It could be a way of doing things. It could be the things you believe. It could be a certain activity or habit that you carry out, that you're trying to use to reach God.

In this case, it's your mantle. It's become an idol. See, it's become your ministry, not his.

Oh, you know, this is my ministry. I hear people speak about all the time about my ministry. And there's nothing wrong with that, but you can get on dangerous ground eventually.

Because if it's your ministry and God asked you to give it up, what are you going to say? You know what? I've given up more mantles in my spiritual time than I can count. We've started entire ministries and God told us to close them down. Every time you give up something for the Lord, he gives you something better.

Every time you give up something in obedience to the Lord, he gives you something better. So you may need to take off that mantle. You say, but this is the mantle that God gave me.

It's a ministry mantle. I've used it effectively. It's very possible.

But maybe God's asking you to take it off right now. He's not asking you to get rid of it. He's asking you to stop wearing it.

We've seen again and again, as people go through trainings and they move through levels of training, there are times when God tells them to stop operating the way they were. If God's going to move you from a realm of prophetic ministry that you've been in because he wants to move you into teaching, your prophetic revelation will stop. You know how frustrating that is when you're so used to it.

Well, let me come and minister to you, my sister. Lord, Lord, Lord, you're not telling me anything. Lord says, give her a scripture.

What scripture? Get in the Word and learn it. But Lord, God used to give me a revelation. No, told you to put that mantle off.

You ready to do that? I want you to look at what you're doing right now and what you're good at and you're getting results with it. What if the Lord were to ask you to put that off so that he can give you something new? Could it be that for you to get the very thing that you are desiring from the Lord, that actually is the step that you need to take? No, yes, buts. I do it gladly, Lord.

I stand naked. I will give up everything that you've given to me that I've used so effectively for you. If you want me to let it go for a season, I'm ready to do it.

Well, if you've taken off the old one, one would assume that you're going to put on a new one. Why would the Lord ask you to take the old one off? If you've got an old, bad mantle, he may want you to get rid of it. See, so there's three possibilities that exist here.

You can put off a mantle, perhaps for a season, or you could give up a mantle and replace it with a new one. And perhaps the Lord's wanting you to take that old dress and give it away. Burn it.

But it's such a nice dress. I've worn it for so long. It's got happy memories.

Sometimes your spiritual mantle has got the same sentimental attachment. God wants you to let it go so he can take you higher, so he can take you further and give you something greater. So the first thing is, are you ready to take it off? You say, but what happens if I don't get something back in its place? See, that's the step that Blind Bartimaeus took in faith.

When he stood up and threw away his garment, he was saying, I'm not a beggar anymore. From this moment forward, I'm no longer the blind beggar. From this moment, I am going to be healed by Jesus.

He didn't have any plan B. Are you ready to take that step? Are you ready to let go what you've relied on for so long? Do you have enough faith in the Lord that he will not let you down, that he will give you something better? You say, well, I'm waiting for him to give me the new one first. He may have already, and you covered it with the old one. So your step right now is get rid of the old one first.

Step number one, take it off. Step number two, Lord, what I do from here, do you have a new one for me? I'm ready to take it. And the Lord says, this is the new mantle that I want for you.

I want you to minister in this way. Oh no, Lord. Lord, you know, I can't stand those people.

Those flaky evangelists, those flaky prophets. You want me to stand on the street corner and preach? No, Lord. No, no, no.

I'm comfortable being an intercessor in my private closet, making things happen from the spiritual realm. You may be oppressed. He may ask you to do something you don't want to do.

The new mantle may involve that, but here's the good news. The new mantle gives you the ability to do it. So you don't need to worry about that.

Maybe you tried it before and failed because you had the wrong mantle. Now you've got the new mantle. You will not fail, but you will succeed.

That's the third possibility. And this is for the Lord to decide. The Lord may want to take the mantle that you have and transform it.

He may want to change it. He may want to give it a new color, new sleeves, and new buttons. I don't know.

He may want to change it and make it better, but that's in his hands. It's not for you to choose that. Your step is, I'm ready to take it off.

I'm ready to let this go and give it up if I never see it again. I'm ready to do that. That's what I believe God is saying to you today.

Are you ready to take that first step and let go of all those things that you rely on, of letting go of the image that you have of yourself? You need to identify some of the spiritual abilities that you have that are not from the Lord because they're very subtle. You need to identify influences that you got from past mentors or spiritual parents, but you need to give up. Once you give up what you have, give it to the Holy Spirit and let him deal with it.

If he wants to destroy that mantle, let him do it. If he wants to transform that mantle, let him do it. If he wants to replace it with something new, let him do it.

Until you step back and put it in his hands, he can't do a thing. He'll never impose himself on you in any way. In concluding, identify your existing mantles.

Are they working correctly? Would you like them to work better? Could it be there's a wrong mantle there that you're not aware of? Is there evidence that something's wrong? That's your first sign. Are you ready to give it up? Are you ready to take a chance like John Bartimaeus? Say, I'm stepping out and I'm throwing away the old one. Whatever the consequences are, here I come.

I give it to you, Lord, and I trust you. Why don't we do that now and take it to him in prayer? Thank you, Holy Spirit. You did my part, now it's your part.

Sabona Matissa. You do your part. You convict.

You convince. You transform. You delete.

You destroy. You bring change. Reveal to each one how you see them, how you want to see them.

I want you to do this. I'm just going to spend a few moments in his presence, and I want you to respond to whatever God's doing in you right now. I want you to make a choice.

I want you to make a commitment. Obey him. Whatever he's telling you to do right now, make a commitment.

Make a choice. Take a step. It's going to change your life.

Thank you, Jesus. See the Lord removing a mantle. It's kind of glued on.

It's like half on, half off. There's a certain part of you that still wants to hold on to it. Another part of you wants to let it go.

You're in a conflict right now. He's not going to rip it off you. You must let it go.

You must make a choice. People may change their view of you. People may even put you down.

People may accuse you and say, but I thought you were going to do that. And now you've changed. You're a preacher.

There's times you get accused of saying, but you preached that. Yeah, well, I believe it different now. I got a new mantle.

It works differently. I can assure you, whatever he gives you in its place is going to be better, far better than you can even imagine. I'm going to do that now.

Thank you, Lord. You see the desire in each person, and I ask you to grant them that desire. Your word says the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

And as each one has been prepared to let go of what's not of you, and even what is of you, I ask you to confirm to them the new mantle that you have now. I ask you to give a revelation, a vision of what it will entail. Hallelujah.

God's going to do some amazing things. Those of you that are watching this on the video, you're not left out. God's working in you right now, too.

Let him have his way. Let him have his way. He's got so much more for you, so much more, even beyond what you've ever desired.

He wants to use you far greater than what you've even asked him to use you. He cannot do it while you hold on to the wrong mantle. You can't do it.

You've got to give it up. I want you to pray and say, Lord, I'm ready to give this up to you now. I yield it up willingly.

I don't understand it. I don't even know where it's going to lead. I don't know what it's going to mean for me in the future.

I don't know how it's going to affect my life or even my ministry, but I trust you, Lord. I trust you. I don't know that you never asked me to give up anything without giving me something better in its place.

So I yield it up to you now and I'll let it go. Lord says to those of you who prayed that prayer, my child, I've seen the commitment of your heart. I've seen your willingness to step out, even in fear, but yet in trust of me.

And I will not let you down, says the Lord. I will do for you far exceedingly abundantly above anything that you have asked or thought, for that is my promise. Therefore, get ready, says the Lord.

Be ready to become more visible. Get ready to be noticed in places where you were never noticed before. Get ready to be an influence in places where you were never an influence before.

Be ready for change. Get ready for good things, says the Lord. For I'm about to lift you up, place you on a pinnacle.

When this happens, you will know that it's all of me and you will give me glory. And I will honor you, says the Lord. And I will open new opportunities for you.

And I will use you abundantly in miraculous ways. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for it, Lord.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your anointing. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you, Father God, that you have already created mantles for each one, the right size, the right shape, the right functionality.

Thank you, Lord. And as we continue to look at the subject, you will open our understanding even more. And we can all enter fully into everything that you have for us.

I ask it in Jesus name.

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