WATCHMEN WAKE UP

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  (Ezekiel 3:17)

When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. (Ezekiel 33:3)

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Watchmen were stationed on the walls of high towers to diligently survey the land for enemies coming from a distance. When the watchmen were positioned, the rest of the city could go about their business safely, knowing that the alarm would sound if an enemy was spotted. When the horn was blown, the people would prepare for the coming battle and were not caught off guard. But if the watchman did not pay attention, an enemy could overtake the city without any warning.

God often uses language from our natural world to describe spiritual concepts so we can draw on them as a reference. God desires for us to understand deep spiritual truths. He does not want us to be unaware and caught off guard!  When I was at the Glory Conference at Calvary Lighthouse Church God lead me to create “Watchmen Wake Up” in the middle of the week.  When I made this piece I honestly didn’t understand why.  I thought to myself, “It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the rest of the service. Perhaps I didn’t listen to God well enough. Perhaps I made a mistake.” But as the week progressed the Lord showed me just how important this piece really was. It was a message He was delivering constantly to the ones that needed to hear it.  I know with absolute certainty that the position of the watchman is just as invaluable now as it was then. But instead of physical enemies we are called to fight spiritual battles.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

God doesn’t want us unaware of the forces at work beyond our natural senses. This is why He has given us scripture to sound the warning, “Be aware! Be Alert! There is more going on than what you see.” What battle can be won if we are not even aware of it raging around us? If you do not pick up your weapon or put on your armor, your enemy will overpower you. You cannot say to yourself, “My weapon is powerful so no one can hurt me” and then never pick it up. . .

God has elected some in the body of Christ as Watchmen. They have the ability to see and hear and know what the powers of darkness are planning so His people are alerted to the battle.

The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”

“It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” (2 Kings 6:11–12)

Just as God protected His people from physical enemies, revealing the plans of the enemy to His watchman, Elisha, God will reveal spiritual attacks to His watchmen today. My time at the conference this week was truly amazing. God worked on my heart and brought me to a place where I could step out into who I was created to be. But there was another side to this conference that many did not see. I was in a constant state of battle, aware at all times. I was constantly praying because the Lord was showing me what was out of place or unprotected. There were times of extreme urgency to pray for protection for the ministers. There were times God showed me to pray in the sanctuary before people arrived because there were spiritual forces at work that were not of God trying stop what the Lord was doing there. There was an incident where one of the members was in danger for a time but when God revealed it, the prayer warriors brought them back to safety. There are very real spiritual things at work that can manifest in the world we do see. God knows those things before they happen and we have to listen carefully so we can pick up our weapons and fight those battles that are unseen.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

We need to be aware in order for us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” When you pick up a weapon you can’t just fling it around and assume it will hit your target. You have to know your enemy and know where to hit so you can have victory in your mission. We don’t pray for the sake of prayer. We don’t fight for the sake of fighting. We fight to win! Listen to what God is saying because He will tell you what to pray and where to thrust your sword.

Watchmen are stationed so the city can continue to grow. What if the watchman said, “I don’t feel like staying at my post today. I’m going to take a nap and let the mayor do it. He cares about the city” Now the mayor would fill the empty position because he knows how important it is. But how can the city run while the mayor is out of place. How can the body of Christ function if people relieve themselves of duty and permit someone who has another job to fill it? Why do we expect only the pastors to keep watch for spiritual things? The pastor has important things to do!!! Stop falling asleep! Keep watch because you are invaluable to the church! How many battles have been lost because we were caught unaware? Sound the alarm watchmen! Pay Attention! Wake Up!

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7)