*Topic* : Stay Alert Watchman
*Text* : Isaiah 21:5-10, Ezekiel 33: 1-9
Glory be to God almighty for the privilege to share his word. I pray that the Holy spirit will minister to you as you read the word, you will receive divine clarity and direction in Jesus name amen.
The topic says 'stay alert watchman.' To start with, it is best to understand who is a Watchman. Biblically a watchman is a person or group of people called by God for a divine purpose. Mainly, there purpose is to hear from God, and deliver as God sent them to the people. To be a Watchman isn't a child's place however age is not a barrier to being a Watchman but divine calling and spiritual maturity.
The assignment of a Watchman differs depending on whom God has sent them to:
* You can be a Watchman as a parent to your family,
* As a wife to your home or husband to your home,
* As a child to your family,
* As a member of the family to your entire family and lineage,
* As a member of a community or nation to the nation or community or even
* As individual to the world just to mention a few as it's not limited to the ones mentioned.
As mentioned earlier the role, duties of a Watchman can vary and I believe it depends on the burden of the people God has given you to be a Watchman for. In this day we live in we have God chosen Watchman, some are pastors, prophets, evangelists, some are known while some are unknown, some don't even have a title to their name but God has called them to be Watchman.
*The Watchman's Mandate*
Reading the book of Ezekiel 33:1-9
Ezekiel 33:1-9 NKJV
[1] Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, [2] “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, [3] when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, [4] then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. [5] He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. [6] But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’ [7] “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. [8] When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. [9] Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
From above we can see when the word of God came to Ezekiel to the people. These words had specific instructions but there are two that are paramount.
* If you deliver the message I sent you and the people do not heed to it their blood will not be on your hands
* If you don't and the peopleperish their blood is on your hands.
This is where the duties of a Watchman becomes really serious and time bound. Time bound in the sense that some instructions will be given by God and they must be actioned immediately for the benefit of the people and in total obedience to God. For example God gave you a revelation about someone but you are unsure or you just feel no need for you delivering it but the Holy spirit kept nudging you none stop and you blatantly refuse to deliver the message, either for your interest or fear of man or whatever, you are doing yourself a deserve because if anything happens negatively due to lack of your obedience you might not be able to rectify it.
As an individual God might call you to be a Watchman in your community or family.
*How Do You Know You’re a Watchman?*
* You constantly feel a burden to stand in the gap for others
* You’re drawn to prayer and intercession
* You treasure your relationship with God above all
* You’re growing in hearing and discerning God’s voice
* You’re not moved by popularity or titles, but by obedience to God
* You’re loyal to God even when it’s uncomfortable or costly
There are many more signs, but ultimately, it is God who confirms His calling.
*Staying Alert as a Watchman*
Isaiah 22:5-10 describes clearly a Watchman in active service. If you have ever seen a watchtower, you will notice that the height gives the Watchman in there to see things far beyond their natural surroundings.
Isaiah 21:5-10 NLT
[5] Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked! [6] Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, “Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees. [7] He should look for chariots drawn by pairs of horses, and for riders on donkeys and camels. Let the watchman be fully alert.” [8] Then the watchman called out, “Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord. Night after night I have remained at my post. [9] Now at last—look! Here comes a man in a chariot with a pair of horses!” Then the watchman said, “Babylon is fallen, fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!” [10] O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you everything the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said, everything the God of Israel has told me.
God spoke of how Princes and the watchman about Babylon, the message came through before the incident occurred. But this message would not have been received if the receiver was not alert.
In being a spiritual Watchman, your spiritual antenna must be alert. You can't afford to snooze spiritually because the enemy is busy looking for entrance. You can't afford to slip into sin or unbelief because the enemy is looking for every reason to get you dormant and eradicate your existence. John 10:10 states the plan of the enemy which is to steal, kill and destroy. But there are ways he does that because he is not and will never be omnipotent, omnipresent or omniscient. He used entities, devices, demons principalities and powers. Some you see, some you can't because it's more spiritual than physical but we all know that the spiritual controls the physical.
The enemy is not interested in a destiny that he has already truncated but in the glorious ones that he is yet to have access to. However as watchman God has placed you in the pace of intercession.
Some Christians believe that intercession is only met for some people. But honestly even if it's just for yourself or your home you need to start interceding. Yes some level of intercession might need more commitment and spiritual vibrance however you can't rule yourself out of those God will use.
*Discernment and Humily*
Some people are spiritually dead, they are walking and vibrant to other things in the physical, in fact some might lead prayers, preach sermon, sing melodiously but their spiritual antenna is dead.
However, as a Watchman God can reveal to you this people who he wants to wake their spiritual antenna up. The motive of this is not for you to boast but to honour the plans of God.
You might find out that God reveals a lot to you about your family, it's not for you to mock them or see it as a means to cash in, rather see it as a means to stand in gap in prayers for them.
As a parent you can't afford to function in alignment with the plans of God with a dead spiritual antenna, as a wife you can't, as a believer you cannot because some people will say well than heaven I am neither of those. As a believer you are already a Watchman, the scripture says in *1 Timothy 2:2* that we should pray for people in position of authority so we can live a peacable life this message is for every believer not just those with title or those without title that we refer to as spiritual people. *It for you and I to engage in.*
*Watch your word*
As a Watchman to stay alert you must watch what you say in your conscious or unconscious state. Are you the type that will curse your nation, curse your family line, curse your friends, your children, colleague, boss neighbour and go back to say if not for Jesus. You can't continue to use thesame tongue you used to curse to pray so you must tame your turn and have an integrity upheld by Christ (James 3:10).
*Take your stand -Start now*
You need to embrace Jesus in all you do to be a true Watchman that is alert. You see your family line having and ungodly patterns stand in gap as a Watchman, you see a sickness showing up in your body stand in gap as a Watchman even if you need to go for treatment, you see some behavioural pattern in your offspring stand in prayer as a Watchman don't even wait until you see them before standing in gap start now. You might say we'll I will start when I get married, when I have children when I get this or now, no start now.
*Avoid the trap of sin*
One huge thing that I mentioned briefly that you can't entertain as a Watchman is sin. Smelling it, dibbling and dabbling into it you need to get your grips together because that's a channel that the enemy will use to numb your alertness.
*Fuel your fire*
How often do you pray, how often do you commit yourself, nation family, spouse, health, finance, economy, faith, souls, community to God in prayer or do you not know that the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much *James 5:16.*
You can't stop , you can't, snooze and you can't give up because when God is in it, He will carry you when you are strong or weak.
*Let us pray*
Lord thank you for your word this day you alone deserve all the praise
Father forgive me in anyway I have failed to see myself as a Watchman or even take my position as a Watchman seriously
Lord help me where I am struggling and remove all spiritual laziness
Father restore every spiritual gift I have lost due to laziness and non challant attitude
Lord uphold all Watchman that you have been using do not let them slumber
Lord do not allow the enemy to have a reach on any watchman
Father build a wall of fire around every Watchman and those you have called them for
Lord raise godly and dedicated Watchman for this nation as needed in Jesus name
Lord terminate the source of spiritual disgrace faces by any watchman
Lord help me, give me all I need direct me so I can yield as you call me
Lord heaven is my goal at the end of it all make me worthy of your kingdom in Jesus name amen
Lord uphold your child that you used to share this word in Jesus name
*Personal Prayer*
Thank you Abba for answered prayers in Jesus name amen
