Many have been called ‘out of the systems of men’ in various categories, from churches and ministries to business and banking. The systems of men are failing at an alarming rate, which begs the question, “Where do we go from here?” This universal inquiry besieges the masses, as many have sought ‘home church’ and Christian businesses as a possible solution to what has been left behind. For most, there is a recognition that though we have ‘come out’ physically, there is perhaps more that must come out of us. The wilderness has purpose.
The system is not only a structure organized by man, but also a mindset in each human being and one that takes years to adjust. That is why many so-called home churches have taken on the look and feel of a church, swapping the ‘church room’ for the ‘living room.’ Is wandering in the wilderness necessary? The very small company of Joshua and Caleb thought so.
We sense certain finality when we have departed the system; yet with time, there also remains an emptiness that interrupts those initial feelings of ‘finality,’ which carries with it the idea that there must be more, much more! The price of truly leaving the system is costly and somewhat daunting – the fullness of completion only comes after patience has had her perfect work. The Children of Israel wanted to return to Egypt when challenges came: they wanted the comfort and security that Egypt held, albeit as slaves.
Many ‘called out’ ones have returned, failing to realize that the wilderness experience had purpose. It is not enough to get delivered ‘from;’ we must get delivered ‘to,’ and here is where the rubber meets the road. Wandering, following the cloud and being fed manna requires extraordinary patience. Perseverance that ONLY God can produce is a required attribute, as this explains “many are called, few are chosen.”
I encourage all who are ‘out’ of the system to “wait upon the Lord,” as your wandering has a distinct destination – it is called the “Promised Land.” You may feel disjointed, disconnected, discombobulated, and disfigured, but ‘wait!’ God will lead you with the cloud by day and by fire at night. He will feed you manna while you stumble and fall in the wilderness, but wait! Just before entering you will see the promise, and you will also see the giants, but it is yours – take it!
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Clay Sikes
www.lighthouseprophecy.org
2 comments:
I love this. I find myself here... maybe not quite even here yet. Knowing somehow I'm being called out... but thinking ahead and wondering, "Well, then what?". That question is what has kept me stuck... uhm... probably for years.
BUT GOD.
I so want to hear His voice.
I was reading in Deuteronomy the other night and this struck me then and it rang like a bell with your post:
"You shall say to your sons, 'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then HE BROUGHT US OUT FROM THERE, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US IN, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers'." Deut 6:21-23
I sat there thinking, God brings us OUT to bring us IN. It felt big at the time, maybe it sounds silly now. But for someone who doesn't really know which way to go, it felt good to know that there is a purpose to being brought out and that's being brought in.
Bring me out Lord! Bring me in!
Hi, first Anonymous. I agree with you. I was 'brought out' 10-15 years ago, and It's good to know I'll be 'brought in'.
Several years ago, as I was under a very heavy load of depression, I was just about to give up when the Lord showed me a vision: a large, white oceanliner was moving effortlessly through the ocean toward a specific destination, pulling behind it a small rowboat which was connected to it by a thick rope and which it would deliver to three destination. They hit a wall of fog, and the rowboat became so hopeless inside the fog that it decided to cut the rope. Then the Lord spoke to me: the oceanliner was the Lord, the rowboat was me, and the fog was the depression I was feeling at that moment. The Lord told me not to cut the rope, that He would do all the work but that I needed to hang on and not give up. I watched the vision: the rowboat didn't cut the rope though it was depressed and felt hopeless. In time, the oceanliner broke through the other side and out of the fog, and it pulled the rowboat out behind it. Then the depression I was feeling at that time just lifted completely as the rowboat cleared the fog in the vision.
There have been times I had no strength at all and wanted to throw in the towel, but it always gave me hope to know that there is an end, a destination-- a 'bringing in'.
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