How can we receive the mantle God has ordained for us?
As prophetic people, we are often drawn to the story of Elijah’s mantle.

Elijah’s mantle was more than the regular cloak that he wore. It represented his appointment as a Prophet of God. When he threw it over Elisha it was a prophetic act, declaring that the mantle—and the office of the Prophet it represented—was destined to be Elisha’s in the future. (1 Kings 19:19)

What is a Mantle?

A “mantle” is a Scriptural metaphor (symbol) for a calling, ministry, anointing, and—when applicable—office, given to individuals by God.

How to Receive God’s Destined Mantle for Your Life

Following are some significant lessons about receiving your God-ordained mantle, from the stories of Joseph and Elisha [1]:

1. Understand God Determines Your Mantle Ahead of Time

We do not select a mantle; God is the One who establishes and destines it. 

Elisha didn’t just receive Elijah’s mantle because he happened to be at the right place and time. It was already his according to God’s word. (1 Kings 19:16)

Elisha needed to cooperate with the call of God on his life to receive the mantle that was his by God’s appointment. Elisha’s hunger and pursuit of Elijah were a sign of what God had placed in his heart.

Joseph knew at a young age, through prophetic dreams, that God had called him to rule.

A mantle is not ours for the choosing, it is determined ahead of time by God.

The desire God places in our hearts is just one indication, among other confirmations, of the calling that is ours.

2. Servanthood Positions you for the Mantle God has for you

For a long season, Elisha was a servant to Elijah. He supported him in a menial way and learned at his feet. (2 Kings 3:11)

Joseph practiced servanthood for years—first, he served his father, then Potiphar, then the prison warden—before he received the mantle of rulership God destined him for.

It can be tempting to go directly after a mantle, but just as with Elisha and Joseph, God has established His timeline for your life. God positions you with people and leaders that He wants you to serve now. Serving with faithfulness and a teachable heart is a powerful means of being positioned to attain your God-ordained destiny.

3. Realize you may Wear a Series of Mantles

Before he took up Elijah’s mantle, Elisha worked in his father’s fields. And then, he wore the garb of a servant. When God took Elijah, Elisha took his cloak—the one he had worn as a servant—and tore it in two. There was no turning back. (2 Kings 2:12-13)

Joseph had a series of physical mantles along the way. The “coat of many colors” his father gave him indicated favor, as well as his position as overseer to his brothers. Later, Potiphar gave him a cloak, as a head slave in Potiphar’s household.
Ultimately, Pharaoh robed Joseph in garments that represented his position as ruler next to Pharoah in Egypt. (Gen 41:42)

But he didn’t go directly from being a youngster with prophetic dreams to the palace.

Joseph wore a succession of mantles, being faithful with each, and so it is for us.

4. Wait for an Appointment to Establish your Mantle

God appointed Elisha as Prophet and successor to Elijah—but God used Elijah to recognize, prepare, and establish that appointment.

The Lord used Jacob, Potiphar, a prison warden, and ultimately Pharoah himself, to appoint Joseph to a position in Egypt that was already his through God’s intention. And it is the same today.

We do not ‘self-appoint’ to a mantle or ministry. God uses those in oversight and authority to recognize and establish us in that calling at the right time. (Acts 6:6, Acts 13:1-3)

5. Understand your Calling will be Tested Over Time

As Joseph received the royal robes over his shoulders, maybe he recalled the earlier mantles that he wore:

• The richly ornamented coat of many colors his father gave Joseph as a young man became another reason his brothers hated him. And when his jealous brothers threw him in a pit and sold him to Egyptian slave traders, they wrenched the coat from him. That coat became the evidence the brothers used to ‘prove’ Joseph’s faked death to their father, Jacob.

• Later, Joseph became a trusted slave, promoted and given charge over his master Potiphar’s estate. But then Potiphar’s wife approached Joseph, wanting to seduce him. However, he valued his master’s trust, his purity, and the call of God—so Joseph ran. But Potiphar’s wife grabbed his cloak—and used it to accuse him. Not only was that cloak taken from him, but it was also used as evidence against him of a crime he didn’t commit. And landed him in prison.

Have you had this happen to you? “God, I thought that coat was from you. That mantle had promise. It was colorful. It represented good things to come.

And now it has been lost, robbed. That role, that job, that ministry opportunity—why was it taken from me?”
But Father God is seeing the big picture, from Heaven’s perspective.

Your Father wants to reveal to you what He is up to, even if you are feeling today as though you are in the midst of a trial or a long period of waiting about your calling. He wants to show you how he is redeeming those trials, even the failures, and how He uses them for His purposes.

It is not too late. Like Joseph and Elisha, as you stay faithful and committed in the long haul, you will ultimately receive the mantle God has for you. And the ministry God has for you will be above and beyond anything you could ever have dreamed.

Notes:

[1] Read the full story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37 to 41 and Elisha in 1 Kings 19 to 2 Kings 2.

Related Posts:

7 Ways to Prepare for Your Prophetic Calling

How to Make the Most of Your Mantle from God

© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

Enliven Ministries – Prophetic ministry for a revival generation

Helen Calder

Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.