Spiritual inheritance restores to the next spiritual generation an assigned purpose. In order to fulfill this restored purpose, that generation must be transformed. The spirit and power of Elijah is a transforming mantle because it mantle for restoration. Turning the hearts of father to children and children to fathers restores spiritual inheritance.
All transformation is restoration. What we inherit is really a restart, reset, and revival of eternal purpose unfinished in previous generations. To understand spiritual fathering, we must begin with the heart. The spirit and power of Elijah turns…the hearts…children to fathers, father to children. Turns. Hearts. Generations.
When there is a failure of fathers, God must raise a new generation of fathers to restart the process and restore the purpose. We call this “revival.” True revival is for the Church and will restore the kingdom with a generation of fathers. Then, these fathers must be able, have the capacity, to turn the hearts of children who have never experienced true fathering.
Prodigals are true sons and daughters who separate themselves from fathers, who receive inheritance but function in their spiritual calling, gifts, anointings, and grace without the purpose that to them through fathers. Prodigals are not fatherless; they simplify choose to inherit in a way that separates them from their fathers. Prodigals have calling, gifts, anointing, and inheritance but choose to function outside a father’s heart. Prodigals don’t turn away from sonship inheritance; they turn away from their fathers. When they do, they separate from the assignment where their inheritance can be invested and multiplied, where their function in the kingdom can fulfill purpose.
I’m not talking about people not being right with God in the sense of going to hell. I’m not talking about people not being able to function in their calling, gifts, anointings, or leadership. I’m not talking about people who are in false doctrine or heretics. I’m talking about people I love and who are friends, acquaintances, and good people. I’m not demonizing them or trying to discredit them in the sense of marking them as people to be avoided.
I am pulling the Body back to the design for kingdom that Jesus established, Jesus functioned in Himself, and Jesus is restoring to His kingdom people. I am saying that we must reestablish this next step in the restoration of apostolic and prophetic foundations is we want to function as Jesus designed His Body to function.
Preparing Heirs to Inherit
Turning speaks of transformation. Repentance is God’s strategy for transformation. Repentance says “I change to be changed.” This turning comes through spiritual power. This turning has specific inheritance in mind. In order to properly inherit I must become the person God had in mind for the inheritance.
The prodigal son wanted inheritance without becoming the person God had in mind for inheritance. He wasted what he received. The inheritance was certainly good, but the person receiving the inheritance wasn’t ready.
The father divided to them, his living. This represents what he would live on or that which sustains his life and lifestyle. This means that the son who had it all, the full sustained life and lifestyle with his father, now has by his own choice a separate “living” from his father. Note that he wastes this. Note that his elder brother says he wasted with harlots.
First this says that the son wished to have his inheritance without working that inheritance. He saw the inheritance as his to do with it as he wished, to use it up, to spend it out, and to consume it for himself. The son did not see his inheritance as a field to be worked, cattle to be multiplied, or investments to be increased. He saw inheritance for what it would gain him, what he could do with it that would benefit him with no thought for sons and daughters of his own.
People who do not understand spiritual inheritance do not understand spiritual fathering. The purpose of the inheritance is lost when it is separated from the fathering that releases it. Separated from fathering, the inheritance becomes liquid, consumable, non-producing, short-term, one generational in scope and function. While it lasts, it is great. When it’s gone, there is nothing.
The heir wishes to liquidate in order to avoid the work spiritual inheritance demands. To stay with his father means he needs to work, pay the price, learn how to work the inheritance in order to make the inheritance grow. The son wishes to avoid the responsibilities of inheritance and enjoy the authority of inheritance; this is a wasting scenario.
Spiritual inheritance is given so that it can produce more, not so it can be consumed. Many who cannot abide a leader in their lives believe they are setting themselves up to produce when they are setting themselves up to consume. When they are finished, there will be nothing. As they mature, they will experience diminishing supply because there is no multiplication factor in prodigal living. Prodigal living start strong but the beginning is the best there will ever be. Prodigal living causes people to say, “What potential!” because at the start the prodigal has gained liquid assets. At the end, prodigal living leaves the heir empty, alone, distant, disconnected, and feeling fatherless even though he still has a father.
Second this says the heir wishes to have inheritance but not to invest it in the land of his fathers. Inheritance must be invested in the place of purpose, the ground of assignment; the purpose is inherited with the resources. When sons and daughters receive calling, gifts, anointing, and potential, they receive assignment along with these spiritual resources. To then declare that calling, gifts, anointings, and potential evidence the right to do with these as we wish, where we wish, when we wish, reveals that we have already rejected the covenant purpose of those resources. We have a prodigal heart when we claim spiritual inheritance for our own plans, purposes, and strategies.
We have a fatherless generation because many fathers have failed to pass on purpose. We have a fatherless generation because many heirs have failed to receive purpose along with their inheritance. While mantles are now available, without fathering relationships, the next generation will simply attempt to start all over again instead of building on the foundations of purpose. Fathers must allow children to invest their own inheritances in the land without that investment going right back into the father’s pockets; but at the same time, children must invest inheritance into the assigned purpose, into the land of their fathers, in order for spiritual inheritance to create momentum.
Simply put, Jesus says, You will do greater that I do. How? By first doing what I do. The apostles needed to invest their spiritual inheritance into the same land or assignment Jesus established in order for the purpose of Jesus’ ministry to be multiplied in the next spiritual generation.
Let me just whack on the subtle error that “we all answer to Jesus and don’t need any human leadership.” If this were true, Jesus would have needed no apostles, no fivefold ministry, no kingdom leadership design and protocols. If this were true, we could all just receive our calling, gifts, and anointings and do with them what we wish without any thought to what our spiritual fathers had done. The reality is that Jesus was working Himself out of a job! He purposed specifically with intent that His disciples would do what He was doing, without His direct involvement, so they could do greater than He did after He was gone.
Spiritual fathers are not raising cattle they can brand or sheep they can shear as if ministry should give leaders the multiplication of inheritance. Spiritual fathers are rearing children who can receive portions they can reinvest into the same assignment and multiply the inheritance of their fathers. There is no “do my own thing” in the kingdom of God. There is only what God has given fathers so their sons can make that purpose expand.
Third this says the son didn’t see himself married and having children. He wasted inheritance on harlots, paid-for lovers instead of covenant partnership that produces another generation. Having sons and daughters means multiplication. Harlot living produces no renewable resources, no multiplication, no enduring legacy. Only through covenant relationship can spiritual inheritance be multiplied.
In our previous discussion of the Jezebel strategy to steal inheritance by substituting illegitimate heirs, the harlot produces children, but they are produced outside covenant and are illegitimate heirs because the purpose passes through covenant relationships. Inheritance without purpose cannot produce multiplication. In this scenario, we can have numbers and inheritance but suffer a diminishing supply no matter how much potential is exhibited at the start!
