Break the Plow, Burn the Backup, Step Into Destiny

There comes a moment when following God requires more than just saying “yes.” It demands a death to every escape route, a burning of every bridge that leads back to the comfort of what was. For Elisha, that moment looked like a blazing fire, the smell of roasting oxen, and the ashes of a plow.

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. (1 Kings 19:21 NLT)

He didn’t just walk away from his past—he destroyed it.

When Elijah threw his cloak upon Elisha, it was a prophetic invitation—a mantle moment. But the response wasn’t just emotional or symbolic. It wasn't half-hearted or delayed. It was final. Elisha didn't ask any questions or make any excuses. He busted up the plow and slaughtered his oxen. He even went as far as burning the wood from the plow and cooked the oxen. He fed the community and then stepped into his calling with no thought of return.

No backup plan. No side hustle. No “just in case.”

No return. No retreat. No Plan B.

You Can’t Follow Jesus and Keep Your Plan B

Many say they’ve surrendered, but they keep the oxen in the barn—just in case this whole “calling” thing doesn’t work out. They keep a hidden plow in the shed of their heart—one that can always be dusted off when obedience gets uncomfortable.

But true surrender doesn’t keep spare keys.

True obedience doesn’t say “yes” while clinging to safety nets.

If you're called, you're called. And if you're called—obedience means demolition.

God doesn’t need your backup plan. He needs your bold obedience. And the world needs your unreserved yes.

Ask Yourself: What’s My Oxen and Plow?

Is it the career path God asked you to lay down, but you’re still sending in your resume in secret—just in case obedience doesn’t pay the bills?

Is it the toxic relationship He told you to walk away from, but you still answer the late-night calls?

Is it your own timeline, dreams, and strategies that compete with God's?

Whatever your oxen are—slaughter them!

Whatever your plow is—bust it up and set it on fire!

You weren’t meant to live halfway between comfort and calling. There’s too much glory ahead to be glancing back! There's too much fire in your future to flirt with the past! Remember Lot's wife???

Burning the plow wasn’t reckless—it was reverent. It said, “God, I trust You more than I trust my fallback. I’m not going back, because there’s nothing for me there anymore.”

Let the fire of obedience consume your plan B.

Let your yes be final, not conditional.

Because once you break the plow and burn the backup—there’s only one direction left to go:

Forward—into destiny!

Elisha didn’t keep the plow in storage. He used it as fuel for his next step.

And that’s the invitation for you:

Let your past fuel your future, not hold you hostage.

Let your surrender be so radical that there’s no way back—only forward.

So take the match.

Light the fire.

And say to the Lord:

"There’s nothing left for me back there. My yes is final."

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