Your mantle is your ministry gifting and role, tears and damage come through rejections of that gift or role, lack of refreshing of heart and mind, criticisms of your ministry, jealousy, demonic arrows, over working.

You can live with them up to a point, or repair them through  receiving personal ministry or direct healing from God.

Like all garments that are torn, not repairing them will cause more damage eventually.

Major tears may no longer be repairable, so God exchanges it for the same season, or repairs it when you see the problem and ask for his healing.

Changes of season can cause a replacement mantle for new roles or authority levels, God gives these, sometimes through encounters in your prayer time, sometimes as you sleep.

A new mantle is somtimes needed for growth, it can tear when you are too big for it, or just be outdated.

As Samuels’ mother made him a new mantle [worn for warmth over clothes], every year because he grew, the spiritual type of this is the mantle of gifting we are given by God.

Old Testament Prophets wore a type of mantle that signified their role, priests wore mantles/robes especially designed by God as illustrations of their calling. Only the called and the ceremoniously cleansed, could wear the priests’ robes.

As society evolved, people started to wear robes or clothing which identified their skills, and prophets appear to have word a garment that identified them.

Jesus wore a seamless mantle-one that only the rich wore, although he was poor in the natural he was a rich king in his divine position and inheritance. Soldiers cast dice to possess his mantle at the foot of the cross, it was valuable in the economy of the day, perhaps it was sold on as a souvenir of the man who said he was a king even though he had a kingdom that they could not see.

Elijah threw his robe for Elisha to catch, as Elisha had been promised a double portion of Elijahs’ ministry mantle if he saw him ascend to heaven, yes, mantles can be transferred if the person recceiving it is also called to the same ministry, and if they have put in Gods’ requirements to receive it. Those requirements will be different for each person.

Joseph was distinguished by a mantle woven with many colours because he was a favourite son, once again only the rich could pay the cost of producing dyes for weaving. It was his mantle that was fought over by his brothers when they threw him into a pit in their jealousy.

Many may want what you have in gifting and opportunity, but if they let their jealousy drive them to try and destroy your ministry, they will find themselves without the gifting or opportunity because as they criticise and harm you, it will rebound upon them.

The mantle cannot be carried without the character to stand up to what comes against you, the mantle of another does not fit you unless, your are called to it, and have been through the training school of the Holy Spirit. Portions of anothers’ mantle may be a part of yours, but you are unique in every way, so by all means ask God for what you see in others, but know there is a price you may not have seen, and don’t surrender you own uniqueness to be just an imitation.