What Is A Spiritual Watchman

The following is a modified version of a message presented at Harvest Prayer Ministries' Midwest Prayer Conference in Terre Haute, Indiana, in October 2006.

In his or her prayer life, every believer is called to be a spiritual watchman to some degree. It may be a watchman on your family's walls, the walls of your church or community, or God could entrust you with becoming a spiritual watchman on the nation's walls. Some people may be called to a higher level of prayer in this area.

A spiritual watchman is someone who has been specially gifted by God with the ability to see. Every believer has been given eyes to see and ears to hear, according to Matthew 13. A watchman, on the other hand, must be equipped by God to see what others cannot, and he has a unique ability to detect when the adversary is approaching. The enemy appears in disguise, but a spiritual watchman is on high alert, blowing the trumpet and making a sound so that family members might be immediately alerted and not killed. Alternatively, he could be granted spiritual eyes to perceive something that is going on in the church. Something has come in, and there is chaos, disagreement, and struggle, as the watchman realizes.

A watchman does more than merely look and listen. The trumpet is blown by a watchman. The alarm is sounded by the watchman: the enemy is approaching! perhaps the enemy has infiltrated!

In the past, the city's safety was entrusted to the watchman atop the walls. With the watchman on the wall, the city could sleep soundly at night. If they observed that the enemy was creeping up to the wall, they might blow the trumpet or, as the Bible says in Joel, “raise up the ram's horn” and let the sound go forth and provide the warning so that the people may prepare themselves and not be caught off guard.

What does a spiritual watchman do?

At meetings when I preach, people approach me and tell me that God has taught them they are to be watchmen. I rarely come across somebody who can provide me with information concerning this service. It's always said, “On the wall, I'm a watchman.” Sometimes I think to myself, “Off the wall” is a better description.” It's remarkable how believers assume ministry comes easy to them.

We wouldn't think twice about going to medical school, law school, or even driving school to master our trade, yet if we are called to ministry, we rarely consider going to a school of ministry. Alternatively, we may believe that we will be taught what we need to know at our local church. The local church is traditionally designed for the care and nurturing of sheep, not for teaching preachers. The church did not start out this way, but it has evolved over time.

Unfortunately, the majority of local churches are focused on a single donation. The pastor is in charge of preaching, teaching, counseling, and administration. All five must minister to us in order for us to mature and be ready for ministry (Eph. 4:11-12).

Some people will attend a conference to get away from their Sunday/Wednesday routines for a while, but they are hesitant to commit to consistent teaching. Our traditions can often prevent us from getting suitable training for our vocations.

So, who is the keeper of the watch? Protection, defense, observation, warning, revelation, offense, execution of written judgments upon principalities and powers, establishing Divine government of the church, preparing the way of the Lord, and carrying out the Word of the Lord are among the responsibilities assigned to the Watchman in prayer and warfare for the body of Christ.

As you can see, these responsibilities are congruent with the prophetic office, and although some responsibilities were carried out naturally under the old covenant, they are now carried out spiritually under the New Covenant.

What does a watchman symbolize?

A watchman is someone who acts as a moral compass in the face of temptation and evil, and Jean Louise must learn to be her own watchman rather than relying on others to lead her throughout the story. The phrase “Go Set a Watchman,” which appears in the novel's title, is taken from Isaiah 21:6, which says, “Go, set a watchman, and let him proclaim what he seeth,” the Lord has spoken to me. Jean Louise has always seen Atticus as her family's personal watchman as well as the watchman for the entire town of Maycomb. Jean Louise is deeply disillusioned when she sees her father as a hypocrite and understands how ubiquitous racism has become in Maycomb, and her faith in how she has always regarded the world is challenged. How can Jean Louise have faith in anything if she can't trust her father to be the watchman at all times?

Throughout the narrative, Jean Louise realizes that she must become her own watchman and set her own moral conscience. She can only lead herself in terms of ethics. At the start of the story, the “Although the “watchman” in the title appears to be Atticus, Jean Louise herself becomes a watchman as the novel progresses. Jean Louise learns that the people of Maycomb need her to help present a fresh perspective as she goes through the anguish of betrayal and discovers her own views in the process. Jean Louise supplies a strong voice of integrity that many of Maycomb's people may be able to hear and comprehend, much as she required Atticus to act as her watchman when she was a child. Jean Louise can assist folks in expressing what they don't yet realize they genuinely believe.

What is the biblical meaning of a watchman?

“Watchman” (Hebrew: ts-peh or tsa-phah) or “sentinel”: the noun is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning “to look out or about, spy, keep watch”; properly “to lean forward,” i.e. “to peer into the distance”; implication, “to observe, await:—behold, espy, look up (well), wait for, (keep the) watch(-man)”.

What religion is watchman on the wall?

The international evangelical ministry Watchmen on the Walls (Latvian: Sargi uz mriem) is based in Riga, Latvia. It identifies itself as “an international Christian movement that brings together Christian leaders, churches, and social groups with the goal of preserving Christian morals and values in society.” The group's name comes from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, in which the “watchmen” monitor the reconstruction of Jerusalem, according to a Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Intelligence report. “Homosexuality is destroying the towns they defend now,” the contemporary Watchmen claim.

Former California American Family Association director Scott Douglas Lively and New Generation Church speaker Alexey Ledyaev created the organization. Lively is a co-author of The Pink Swastika, a divisive book that claims that homosexuality in the Nazi Party led to Nazi Germany's overwhelming militarism. Conversion therapy is a controversial treatment that aims to modify sexual orientation and suppress lesbian, gay, and bisexual activities. It is opposed by mainstream mental health organizations as harmful to people and society. “One of the most important things you can do here is launch an ex-gay movement,” Watchmen leaders have advised crowds at ex-gay rallies. In 2007, a Watchmen member was a featured keynote speaker at Focus on the Family's Love Won Out traveling ex-gay ministry.

The SPLC lists Watchmen on the Walls as a hate group, calling it “a virulently anti-gay outfit.” “Being included on the SPLC website does not always suggest that a group encourages or engages in violence or other illegal action,” according to the organization. “They do not hate gays — or anyone else,” the Watchmen on the Walls movement's leaders stress. “The Watchmen are famous among Christian fundamentalists and ethnic Russians in Latvia, and are known for presiding over anti-gay protests where gays and lesbians are assaulted with sacks of feces,” according to the SPLC. The Watchmen have a following among Russian-speaking evangelicals in the Western United States, particularly among immigrants from the former Soviet Union, according to the SPLC, and members are becoming more active in several cities “long known as gay-friendly enclaves,” such as Sacramento, Seattle, and Portland.

How do I become a watchman?

A high school graduation or GED certificate, as well as security training, are required for becoming a watchman. You will frequently patrol an area to check for security risks in this job, so you must be able to stay on your feet for the whole of your shift. Watchmen and other security workers often receive on-the-job training, while employers prefer applicants with prior experience and relevant abilities in this field. Depending on where you work, you may need to complete further training and obtain a security guard license. Some jobs may also demand you to have technical abilities, such as the ability to set alarms and operate security camera systems.

Where is Go Set a Watchman in the Bible?

The title of the book is taken from Isaiah Chapter 21, which reads: “Because the Lord has spoken to me, “Set a watchman, and let him proclaim what he sees.” And he said, “Babylon is fallen, Babylon is fallen,” adding that “all the graven idols of her gods have been broken to the ground.”

What does Ezekiel chapter 33 mean?

• God reveals why everyone who would perish in the Babylonian invasion will perish.
• When a watchman sees the troops approaching and blows his trumpet, the people who do not heed the warning deserve to perish.
• However, if the watchman fails to sound the trumpet, he will be held liable for the deaths of those people. They will, nevertheless, perish because they are sinners.
• Israel, as you may have guessed, employs a watchman. Ezekiel was his name.
• “Turn away from sin—DURR!” says Ezekiel when people ask him what they may do to atone for their crimes and trespasses.
• He emphasizes that a decent person who goes evil will not be forgiven because of their previous good deeds. The same is true for the wicked: if they change their ways, their history will not be used against them.
• People complain that God isn't just, but it is their ways that are unjust.

Ezekiel Ain't Just Some Boy Band Member

• After the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel describes how a man came to him and told him that the city had finally been destroyed in the siege.
• Ezekiel claims to have been able to communicate. Since Ezekiel has been babbling about it for 33 chapters and counting, this may be (slash is) perplexing. But, back in 3:26, God told him that he was going to quiet him (for reasons unknown), but that his silence would be broken when the exile began (as was predicted in 24:27.) So now the fall of Jerusalem has occurred, and the words have been spoken.
• He prophesies that the people of Judah believe God has given them the land since God gave it to Abraham, and they are Abraham's descendants.
• But, as Ezekiel points out, they're too prone to eating meat with the blood still on it (which isn't kosher), worshipping idols, and committing adultery.
• Even those who are left in the ruins will die by the sword, and wild animals will devour the carcasses of Judean rural folk, according to God. Guess what? The land will be a dismal wasteland.
• The people come to Ezekiel and pretend to listen to his words of love and goodness, but they're actually selfish and corrupt on the inside, according to God. To them, Ezekiel is nothing more than a singer of love songs.
• They'll regard Ezekiel as a genuine prophet if all he says comes true. “Just you wait!” you can imagine Ezekiel swinging his fist and muttering.

Who are they that watch for the morning?

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I hope in his word; my soul waits for the Lord more than morning watchmen, more than morning watchmen (Psalm 130:5–6).

What is the meaning of Ezekiel 34?

Ezekiel 34 is the 34th chapter of Ezekiel's Book in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. One of the Books of the Prophets, this book contains the prophesies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel. Ezekiel prophesied against Israel's “irresponsible shepherds” in this chapter, claiming that God will seek out God's sheep and become their “real shepherd.” The Jerusalem Bible recognizes the theme's recurrence, noting that it appears in both the Old and New Testaments.

What does the Bible say about standing in the gap for someone?

On behalf of God, the prophet Ezekiel says in Ezekiel 22:30, “So I didn't have to destroy the wall, I looked for someone to repair it and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land. “However, I was unable to locate anyone.”

Cities in the Bible's ancient earth had walls around them to protect them from intruders. When the wall was breached, the city was vulnerable to attack; the only way to protect it was for people to risk their lives by fighting the enemy by literally standing in the gap in the wall.

I recall hearing the expression for the first time “I didn't know how I could help anyone, let alone immigrants, so I said “stand in the gap.” When I was in elementary school, my personal immigration experience was basic and straightforward. It had blinded me to the plight of many immigrants to the United States. I vividly recall traveling at Los Angeles Airport on a tourist visa and being greeted by relatives, including an uncle who had become a US citizen and had already applied for an immigrant visa for his brother, my father. Unknowingly, my uncle had stood in the gap for us.

This is something I've been thinking about recently. How do I stand in the gap for my immigrant neighbors if there is a biblical precedent for standing in the gap for vulnerable people?

Stories of youngsters who have been terrorized by gangs in their home countries and have no choice but to travel north to live with a relative in a safer location.

Stories of families who had no desire to migrate but were forced to close their enterprises and relocate because they couldn't afford to pay their criminal extortioners and were afraid for their lives.

Men and women fleeing underdeveloped economies, unable to feed or educate their children, travel to the United States in search of work and a brighter future.

Stories of relatives who died in dreadful and inhumane circumstances while traversing the desert, with no burial or memorial service.

Hearing these stories is challenging, but I've realized that part of standing in the gap is integrating the entire, nasty, and brutal world into our lives, into our sense of family and neighborly love. Our willingness to listen to and enter into these tales allows us to share in our neighbors' suffering while also praying and advocating for them. Standing in the gap for numbers and economic rhetoric surrounding a political issue is significantly more challenging, but give that same issue a human face and a story, and everything changes.

A friend once told me that she couldn't perform my job because she would want to take everyone home with her if she had to listen to the sorrow and suffering that is often part of the immigrant experience day after day.

I do take everyone home, but not in the way she intended. I carry those stories around with me at all times. They influence how I vote, how I view other immigrants, how I discuss them with others, and how I advocate for them. They've burned themselves into my mind. And I'm confident that I'm not to blame for their anguish and anxiety. Instead, as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, their stories keep me hungry and thirsty for righteousness (Mt. 5:6).

They make me yearn for justice and compassion in our immigration system, despite the fact that all attempts to reform it in recent years have failed.

Nonetheless, I am hopeful. Because Jesus assures those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied. That commitment fuels my prayers and support for immigrants.

It's critical to be thirsty for righteousness, but it's also critical to stay hydrated. For me, that means filling in the gaps for my immigrant neighbors, listening to all of their stories while praying and advocating for them.