Burn the Ships

1 Kings 19:21 (NLT) So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.

Have you ever been so certain that God was leading you in a new direction that you completely eliminated the option of turning back?

That is exactly what Elisha did.

When Elisha received the call to follow Elijah, he didn't just leave his fields for a few days to see how things would go. No, he slaughtered his oxen, used his plowing equipment to build a fire, and prepared a meal for the people around him. Then he got up and followed Elijah.

Elisha's actions were a declaration of commitment. He wasn't leaving himself a backup plan or keeping one foot in his old life while testing his new calling. He fully embraced the direction God had set before him.

The term we often hear today is "burn the ships," which signifies removing an escape route and solidifying total commitment. Paul expresses a similar idea in:

Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT) ... Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Paul isn't saying that he can't remember the past; he is saying that he is leaving it behind as done and settled. Paul's past was a bit complicated, but once Jesus called him, he left it all behind and pressed forward into the new season.

Sometimes we want to keep our options open. We obey God, but we quietly hold on to alternatives just in case the path becomes difficult. Yet there are times when following God's call requires wholehearted commitment. It requires trusting Him enough to move forward without looking back.

This doesn't mean we will always know every detail of what lies ahead. Elisha certainly didn't. But he was willing to trust the God who called him more than the certainty of the life he was leaving behind.

Elisha's oxen represented security, familiarity, and a way back to the life he had always known. By burning the plow, he was placing his future entirely in God's hands.

Perhaps God is inviting you to take a step of faith today and pursue His calling with your whole heart, with no looking back. When God makes His direction clear, there is great freedom in fully committing to the path He has placed before you.

We all have "ships" that tempt us to sail back to a former season. What ship are you keeping anchored just in case? What would it look like to trust God enough to leave it behind and move forward?

-Stay the course, my friend