Chaos (2017) To Order (2018)
By Clay Sikes
For many 2017 was a difficult year, as many in the Body of Christ wondered, wandered, and finally died (to self). No amount of effort, energy, or screaming seemed to help; yet through the chaos emerged a deep inner peace and comfort that only comes from intimacy with the Father.
External circumstances pushed us to an internal peace, as circumstance upon circumstance increased our dependency upon Him while lessening it upon self, bringing to life the word –
“This is what the Lord says: cursed is the one who trust in man (most often self), who depends on flesh (human ability) for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord (and to self for answers). He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. BUT BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO TRUST IN THE LORD, WHOSE CONFIDENCE IS IN HIM. He will be like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” Jeremiah 17:5-8.
To the extent we trust God, to that same extent do we walk in the Kingdom. To the extent we trust in man, to that same extent do we walk in the world. We are keenly aware that two systems compete for our affections daily, one producing life, the other death. Circumstances don’t make the man, they reveal him to himself – what is revealed when the storm comes? Peace in the storm is a Kingdom characteristic, just as stress in the storm (denoting lack of trust) is of the world. The Kingdom produces peace while the world can only produce stress and anxiety.
What emerged in 2017, rolling into 2018 is God’s order flowing out of chaos. The government of the Kingdom is arising within His sons and daughters, those the whole creation is groaning for. In fact, the whole creation is anticipating the arrival of overcomers (sons and daughters); those who fear nothing except the Lord – those who maintain peace in the midst of raging storms.
Could it be we have come to an appointed hour as the Jewish calendar year 5777 becomes 5778 (5 – grace, 7 – completed work, 7 – completed work, 8 – new beginnings). Is the year 577(8) and 201(8) a year of something new as these common 8s make their presence known? What if this 500th year anniversary since ‘the Reformation,’ 50 year Jubilee (since 1967) is signaling an ‘Open Gate,’ Global Reset, Return of All Stolen, The End of An Era, The Beginning of Overcomers, Testimony, Grace, More For Less, Birth of Man-Child, Ruling With Iron Scepter, New Beginnings?
At least in part, 2018 is about receiving fullness – an inheritance on earth (being demonstrably helped by God – experiencing the goodness of God in the land of the living, and witnessing ‘all stolen’ being returned). As stated, this begins by an internal order emerging through chaos, as restlessness caused by worry gives way to rest.
Rest can be characterized by lack of worry, which comes when we realize God has “all things” covered in our lives. We no longer worry about people (or what they think), or things (what we will eat, drink, own, lose, achieve, etc.,) We grant God permission to be “all things” to us, for us, in us, about us – He truly becomes our ALL! Life begins a new dimension on earth as we begin (at least in part) to live as it is in heaven – stress free. This release of faith heavenward frees God’s hand earthward. He is now ‘free’ to be Lord of all. “All things” are Of, Through, and To God; and as we release “All Things” back to Him, He is free to release “All Things” back to us.
At the risk of redundancy, I say again, life enters a new dimension on earth as we begin to live as it is in heaven – without care, or doubt, or fear, or concern for anything. We know we are protected, provided for, enriched, engulfed in His love and presence. WE ARE FULFILLED BECAUSE WE ARE FILLED FULL – He is our healer, our energy, our strength, our sleep, our disposition, motivation, guide, enabler, and provider: He is ALL, and more importantly we now allow Him to be that.
Becoming an overcomer is my inheritance in this life – an overcomer has power over circumstances. Any circumstance contrary to the word (in me) is contrary to His will in my life, therefore the authority of the word (in me) rules, applying so much pressure to the circumstance that it (the circumstance) has no choice but to change in alignment with the word (in me). This is the life of an overcomer – one who makes the word total authority IN the circumstance, that it become total authority OF the circumstance.
Overcomers have been given dominion and authority over “all things” in the earth: sent to earth to reign and rule, to maintain (not manage) the garden in their life. We’ve been redeemed of the curse, and therefore the need to manage our own lives is no longer necessary. Our job is maintenance (obedience), not management (striving). We have learned to not steady the ark (by the work of our own hands) lest we bring death (the curse) back upon ourselves. Truly letting go means to cease from taking back, even when it appears we must do so.
Complete surrender is ‘the key’ that unlocks our full inheritance, just as a real key unlocks a real safe providing our natural inheritance (the last will and testament) from our parents. Remember this very important point – Complete surrender of all things (most especially those we feel we are entitled to) is THE KEY that unlocks God’s appointed inheritance for you.
Complete surrender is a mental understanding that we ‘let things happen’ as opposed to ‘making things happen.’ Complete surrender is a spiritual understanding that we must ‘let go’ in order to ‘let come.’ To the extent we ‘let go,’ to that same extent will we ‘let come’ from Him. If we cannot let go, we will be limited only to what we are able to generate on our own, which is paltry compared to what our Father wants to give us.
If, on the other hand, we are able to ‘let come’ what the Father has is above all we could ask, imagine, or think. When I chase after ‘things,’ they turn and run away from me because I am acting like a pagan (Matthew 6:32); but when I cease to chase things, the things turn around and run after me.
Only Overcomers will receive this level of fullness. When someone offends me, or takes what is mine, I must from my heart say, “I don’t care – God has me covered. I cast my care of this upon the Lord because I know He cares for me.” The very act of releasing these issues to the Lord is like giving a giant offering; one that the Lord gives back full measure, pressed down, and overflowing. To totally surrender everything is to grant God permission to be Lord IN and OF our life. It is a life-changing matrix that begins the instant you are able to surrender totally, which, by-the-way, you cannot do on your own. Even this will require the humility to make the request for His power to give you the ability.
Complete surrender is an indication of rest – His rest. Rest is complete cessation from our own labor (striving, self-effort, toilsome work). Rest is not the absence of activity, but rather the absence of activity apart from the Holy Spirit.
True sons are led by His spirit (Romans 8:14); they don’t lead the spirit by their own inclinations – they are led by His spirit. What does it mean to rest? In simplistic terms – stay out of God’s way. Let go and let God. Adam, after the fall, was relegated to living by the sweat of his brow – he had to live by his own efforts, which is a sign of the curse. Prior to the fall, all was provided Adam. God was indeed His provider. We have been redeemed from the curse, and therefore enabled to receive as Adam did prior to the fall. An overcomer walks redeemed of the curse, producing the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
There are two critical periods in seeing God as our source; one when we need a breakthrough: the other right after the breakthrough has occurred. The trickiest and most difficult is right after the breakthrough as we saw with David (after winning a great battle). When the pressure is off, we tend to take things back into our own hands…seeming to forget all we learned – this is where the blessing can become a curse. During this time we must be still; not touching or interfering with the anointing. Flesh must not touch the anointing. When God’s glory arises, flesh (man’s hand) cannot touch it. True rest is not obtaining for yourself what God intends to give you anyway. God doesn’t need our help or assistance, just our obedience (moving only when the spirit leads).
The death many suffered in 2017 was necessary – there is no true resurrection life unless there has first been death. His life can only come in our death, but flesh (man’s effort) cannot touch resurrection glory now or ever. Only that which has died can receive the freshness of new life, new beginnings, new lease on life. We cannot produce in this new season, only reproduce by His own hand. Death and resurrection lead to life and it more abundantly. Our death produces His life – we must die to financial needs, health and relational issues, things we want: let go and let God realizing that anyone who puts his trust in the Lord will NEVER be disappointed.
Clay Sikes
www.lighthouseprophecy.com
