I heard and released these prophetic words from the Lord recently:
"Clear the clutter! Put your house in order! This is a time to go into deeper life of worship, deeper life of the Word, and deeper life in prayer! For you shall watch how I am going to call things into being swiftly, deftly, and suddenly! For there will be new surprises! And I am going to bring upon you unexpected blessings!"
Indeed, this is a key time to 'clear the clutter'! In other words, a 'house-cleaning' time! A time to weed out the excess, and a time to weed out the mess! As a verb, the word 'clutter' means 'to crowd (something) untidily'; and as a noun, it means 'a collection of things lying untidily, a mess'.
This is also a time to clear 'whatever has become your idol that takes away the first place of God in your life'. It can be the love of money, fame, a certain lust, or even a certain excess of entertainment (e.g. excessive online games). As you can see here, it does not necessarily mean a spiritual idol which is worshiped by people.
I don't believe the Lord is here to expose you or condemn you (Romans 8:1). But I believe the Lord wants you to get ready for the many new surprises and unexpected blessings that He's going to bring upon your life in the coming months! Your part is to be open to the Holy Spirit, and let the Holy Spirit help you and show you the areas in your life that need 'house-cleaning'!
In Isaiah 46:1-2, the Lord says, 'Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity'.
The word 'carriages' here speaks of 'your vocation, your business, your God-given ministry, or even your life'. 'Bel' and 'Nebo' were the names of specific idols (i.e. the fake 'gods') that put a heavy burden on the house of Israel those days. Here in Isaiah 46, the Lord has become very personal and specific, even naming names of those idols! And He is doing the same even now for His people, because He wants to set His people free from any specific 'idol' in life!
At this point of your life, are your 'carriages' heavily loaded with 'idols' too? And you find yourself stuck in a 'mess' at the moment. Take heart, because it is never too late for the Lord to help you and deliver you! Allow Him. In Isaiah 46:3-4, the Lord says, "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb. Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you."
In Isaiah 46:8-9, the Lord then says, "Remember this, and show yourselves men... For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me." As you let go of those 'idols' in life, will you also respond to His call to go into a deeper life of worship, Word, and prayer?
Because in Isaiah 46:10-11, the Lord promises these (for you who remember Him, look to Him, and go deeper in Him), "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure', calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."
The expression 'bird of prey from the east' here refers to King Cyrus (see Isaiah 45), a pagan king from Persia whom God used as His instrument to set God's people free from the captivity of Babylon. This 'bird of prey' (or 'ravenous bird') is 'ayit' in Hebrew, which speaks of 'a hawk that is swift, deft, and has the ability to swoop suddenly to catch its prey'.
People of God, as you 'clear the clutter' and 'put your house in order' in this time and season of the Lord, watch how your unexpected blessings will come just as swiftly, deftly, and suddenly in the months ahead of you! Indeed, He can even use unexpected people (or situation), i.e. the 'Cyrus-es' of today, to bring it forth, and fulfill His purposes in your life! He has spoken it, and He will also bring it to pass! Amen!
