A song kept resonating in my mind, "My greatest fear is regret, my greatest fear is walking in bitterness." I began to pray and ask the Father what was going on when I had a vision of a relay race. The Father said, "This is the race of my kingdom."

If we don't understand the kind of race we are running we will run the wrong race and be disqualified. I began to see how many in the church were running a sprint rather than a relay. They ran fast and hard, left their opponents in the dust, but when the time came to pass the baton to the next generation they had nothing to give and the next generation had to go back to the beginning. Then I saw a runner with a baton about to pass the baton to the next generation, but when the next runner saw him coming he was threatened and began to run away from him. Once again the race was lost.

We must understand that in the race of the kingdom we do not run the race for ourselves but for others. We are not in competition with one another but rather we are working for one another and for the generations to come. If we do not understand the importance of the baton we will run largely in vain.

Humility and honor are the keys to longevity, in the years to come, and will carry us to the finish line. Humility is the awareness that I cannot do it by myself. Humility understands that we are in a relay race and the baton is more important than the finish line. Pride, on the other hand, will blind us and cause us to run off track. I once became critical of the church because I saw much hypocrisy, and as I became critical I lost the place of worship. I literally became separated from God because of a critical spirit.

Honor sees the value of receiving the baton. In the 60s there was a great move of rebellion toward authority. Because of this rebellion we lost the baton of the previous generations. Young people thought they could do it better than the former generation and threw off restraint, but in the process they condemned themselves to going back to the starting line. I hear God saying to us today, "I am giving you another chance, what will you do this time."

It is interesting that one of the Ten Commandments is to honor one's father and mother. This just doesn't seem as important to us as 'thou shalt not murder' for some reason, but yet God seems to think so. God understands the bigger picture. God understands that a lack of honor can single handedly unravel thousands of years of progress in a single generation.

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5)

These are the very last words of the prophets, and they speak to us today. This is so much on God's heart that if it doesn't happen, he himself will strike the earth with a curse. So why is this so important to God? First of all, it is because God is a relational God who builds his kingdom upon the apostles and prophets (people), but also because in order for the pure and spotless bride to arise we must understand this principle.

As fathers we must see the potential in our children and help then to find that potential. We must be ready to help them to go farther than us and be greater than us. This can be intimidating for a physical or spiritual parent, but it is part of the plan. When Jesus began to be more successful in ministry than John, John's response was, "I must become less and he must become more." Jesus had this same heart, saying to his disciples, "If you believe, you will do greater things than I do." Elijah said to Elisha, "If you see me when I am taken up, then you will have a double portion of the anointing." I don't think it was important for Elisha to see Elijah taken to heaven, but it was important for him to see who Elijah was when he was taken. Elisha cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel." Elisha did go farther than Elijah, but it was only when he followed Elijah, honored him, and saw who he really was.

One of the big battles in the days to come is going to be with pride between generations. God is raising up a double portion generation in the earth that will walk in great anointing, but it will come to those who learn honor. There will be great opportunity for offense in the days to come, but those who keep their eyes on the prize and run the race (the relay race) will be victorious.

It is easy for us to get a new revelation and think that we now know everything, but remember what the scripture says, "If anyone thinks they know something, they do not yet know what they ought to (1 Corinthians 8:1-2)." On the other hand we must be humble enough to learn from children as God speaks through them. God often comes in strange packages to test our hearts. He came through the wild man John, and I don't think most churches today would receive what John had to say. I was so prideful in my youth, thinking I had some revelation, and I missed much of what the previous generation had to offer. We must be very careful of jealousy and offence in these days.

A common mistake in the body is thinking that our own gift is the most important. This attitude blinds us from seeing what God would say through someone else. God purposefully gives us blind spots so that we have to lean on one another. If, in pride, we do not see the value of the gifts in others, then we leave ourselves open to deception.

Learning to hear God is a process. Aaron and Miriam were offended by Moses because they didn't like the way he did things, after all, they heard from God too! God rebuked Aaron and Miriam and showed them that Moses spoke to him face to face (Numbers 12). We must learn to honor those who God has called as fathers to the body. We must also learn to honor what God is doing in each of those around us. These are critical days and we must walk soberly in the light.