Part 1. By Christy Johnston
I woke up this morning with these words burning in my heart: “Seize the spoils of war.” I was instantly reminded of a story from 2 Kings 7:1-11. As I read the story, I was overcome with anticipation as I caught the heart of His Spirit that this is a time of reclaiming territory. I felt compelled to share this word with you, and I encourage you, don’t just skim over this word, don’t just read it as a nice and uplifting word, actively seize it and take hold of it for your own life, your family and for your Nation. I believe there is an invitation within this revelation to step out of a place of ‘battle weariness’ and into ‘celebration and feasting.’ I believe there is a unique window of opportunity to advance upon enemy territory and take back what rightfully belongs to the Kingdom of God. I believe the Father is teaching us in this hour, how to move from a ‘battle-minded’ warfare into ‘victory-minded' warfare, where we aren’t always overwhelmed by the opposition that may surround us, but rather, we stand high above it and turn the tide of the battle using His strategies and perspectives. He is teaching us how to win the battles from His heavenly heights as opposed to being beat-down in the dust.
From famine to plenty.
The narrative within 2 Kings 7:1-11 follows on from a story where there had been a severe famine in Samaria, and to make matters worse, there had been drawn out conflict with Arameans, and a vast army of their soldiers had surrounded Samaria and were holding the people hostage under a siege. Elisha the prophet had been standing with God’s people through this siege and in verse one, he prophesies to the King of Samaria that they were about to see an overnight breakthrough, saying:
“Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
2 Kings 7:1
As I studied this verse, I discovered that God’s people in Samaria (a part of Ancient Israel) had been suffering so severely in famine, that they were buying the vilest and blandest of food for six times the price of what Elisha was prophesying. Elisha was essentially saying to them, ‘by this time tomorrow, you will be able to buy the best of the best for a sixth of the price you are paying today, for the worst. In verse 2, it goes on to say that ‘The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” I felt this is significant for you and I right now, for I hear God saying over you, ‘the famines you have endured, the hardship you have walked through, the battles and warfare that have besieged you are at an end. By this time ‘tomorrow’, you will see an impossible shift and breakthrough.” I believe God is saying that the people of God are going to see ‘overnight breakthrough’s and victories.’ I hear in my spirit that many will be saying by this time tomorrow, next month and next year, “Look what the Lord has done.” The warning here is, don’t be like the officer who questioned the prophecy. Because of his questioning, Elisha tells him that he will see with his eyes the spoils of war, but will not taste with his mouth. I believe this is a time of setting your faith to the impossible. If God has said it, He will do it. It is remarkable to me that the King was ‘leaning’ on this officer of doubt. It speaks to me loudly that we need to consider where we are leaning our faith on. Are we leaning it on the arm of the voice of doubt, disappointment, fear and past hardships, or are we leaning our faith onto the arm of the Faithful One, our Defender, our Promise giver and Promise Keeper? I want to encourage you today, lean away from defeat, and lean heavily onto the arm of the One who is faithful and true to His promise. Lean on His Words today: “Help is on the way. Victory is coming, for tomorrow you shall taste of the spoils of war.”
The Siege is Lifting.
I love that the heroes of this story are not the valiant soldiers, nor the King or his vast army. The heroes who saved the people of God in this chapter, were four lepers who sat at the gates of the city. The word for leprosy in Hebrew is derived from a root word which means, ‘to scourge.’ You could say that these men had been through endless scourging and hard-ship. It is significant to note that lepers were typically outcast in Ancient Hebrew times. By law, they were not allowed to be around other people and were cast out of society, so the fact that these four lepers were sitting at the gates of the city, a prominent place where important business transactions were made, court was convened, public announcements were declared and even prophetic words of the Lord were made by His prophets, tells me that these ‘outcasts’ should not have been there. I get the feeling though, that a courageous spirit rose up within them to face any resistance so that they could draw close to the important conversations that involved the fate of their own destinies. I believe the Spirit of God caused them to overcome the adversity that had plagued them, and drew them to be in the right place at the right time. By being at the city gates, they likely overheard Elisha making that profound prophetic declaration to the King. In fact, I believe they did indeed hear it, for in the next verse it says, they said to one another, “why stay here until we die? We can’t go back into the city where there is famine, so let us go over the camp of the Arameans… if they spare us, we live, if they kill us, we die.” The prophecy ignited courage within them.
I believe God is speaking to those who have endured many years of ongoing hardships and ‘scourging’ in seasons past, and for those who have found themselves isolated and cast out as a result of the intense suffering. I believe this is also for those who have been cast out of the church, so to speak, whether by choice or by the opinions of others. God is drawing you back, for He is uniting His bride in this unique hour of history. For those who have lost the ability to believe that God would or could do anything through you, the Holy Spirit is drawing you into a place where He will cause you to be in the right place at the right time and fill your heart with courage, similar to these men. I hear Him saying to you today, “NOW is your time! I am calling you to come in close and be a part of the conversation again. I am calling you to be a significant part of My deliverance and answers. I am calling you into a place of prominence and importance in the gates of the spirit.” Courage will rise up within you as He places you at the gates of His Kingdom and gives you the strategies of His heart to advance upon the sieges of the enemy over your life, your families lives and even the Nations of the earth.
Small steps of faith will be rewarded with supernatural advancement of His spirit.
In verse five, it tells us the four lepers got up at dusk and went to the camp of the Arameans. Consider the implications of this for a moment. These four leperous men had no army. No weapons. Nothing to defend themselves. They had endured many years of hardship, and as a result, were probably weak in stature and energy. Yet, because they would have heard the prophetic word of the Lord from Elisha, what they lacked in strength and manpower, they well and truly made up for in faith and courage. How many times do we hear a prophetic word of the Lord, and rather than acting on it, we sit and wait for God to do something? God is speaking loud and clear right now: “You need to move. Put your faith to the impossible and take the prophetic step of faith that I guide you into. As you move, I will move. ” All too often, we talk ourselves out of the very breakthroughs that God wants to release on our behalf, all because we convince ourselves that we aren’t qualified, fit enough, ready enough, equipped enough or strong enough. We receive the prophetic word, but then wait on another one to confirm it. God is shouting from the heavens to you today: “The breakthroughs you desire are on the other side of simple steps of faith and obedience. You don’t need all the answers right away, listen to my prophetic word and respond. Put one foot in front of the other, and I will cause your feet to sound like the hooves of many armies and scatter your enemies before you.”
Plunder the enemy – SEIZE your spoils of war.
As the four lepers walked towards the enemies camp, it says in verse six that the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.” By the time the four men arrived at the outskirts of the camp, all they found was an abandoned military camp, full with the spoils of war. They began to eat and drink, taking for themselves gold, silver and clothes and then they returned to Samaria and told the King the news. The Gatekeepers of the city then proclaimed the news of the victory at the city Gates. God caused the feet of four men to sound like a mighty army. Imagine what He can do through your steps of faith and obedience? God used the faith of these four men to not only end the siege, but to end the famine. Their faith affected the lives of the entire city of Samaria. Their act of faith fulfilled the prophetic word of the Lord from Elisha, and just as he had said the day before, the people bought the finest of grains for a sixth of the price they had paid for the worst of grains just one day earlier.
I hear the Lord is saying to those of you who have been weary, beat down, cast down, rejected and cast out… “This is your day of deliverance. This is your day of breaking through, for I will cause your feet, your steps of faith, to plunder the camp of the enemy that has besieged you and you will take the spoils of war. This victory will affect not just yourself, but all of those around you. Now, arise. Get up off your bed of disappointment and walk. As you walk, I will go before you, for I have called you this day to plunder the enemies camp. Stop looking to the vast impossibilities, let me take care of all your questions and doubts, your job is to simply walk in response to where I am leading you. Then, you will get to taste of the spoils of war, you will get to eat of the spoils of victory. The very weapons that the enemy used against you, will be in your hands to set others free. The very ground he inhabited, will be overtaken by My people. The very wealth that the wicked paraded in, will be given to you to advance my Kingdom. Now, arise and GO as I have told you. You are destined to reclaim territory for yourself, your family and your Nation. For though today you have eaten of famine, tomorrow you will eat of plenty.”
As You move, He will move.
I believe this ‘go’ is a step of faith into the calling of God that many have been sitting on the sidelines of. I’m not suggesting to leave your job, but rather, take the step of faith in the direction of His leading. As you go, doors will open. For some, that will mean you need to step into courage and dream the big dreams of His heart for you again, for others, He may be calling you into realms of government. Wherever He is leading you, I know this: He is calling you and I to take back territory and OCCUPY the places on the earth that have been in the grips of the enemy. Many have been too fearful to even take one step of faith, but I believe that the breakthrough, victories and the spoils of war that you have been waiting for, are on the other side of simple obedience. Notice the four lepers could not stay where they were any longer, they couldn’t go backwards, they knew they had to put action to the prophetic word they had heard. I am here to prophesy over you today: ‘There is a quickening of breakthrough and upgrade available to you, the wars you have endured have spoils awaiting you, if you will simply lean your faith onto Him and follow where He is leading you. Now, GO and SEIZE THE SPOILS OF WAR!’
It is time that the people of God occupy the territory that belongs to us, as we move, He will move.
He is scattering our enemies before us.
It is time that the people of God occupy the territory that belongs to us, as we move, He will move.
He is scattering our enemies before us.
Part two coming soon.
