10-30-2015 The Watchman Part 2

Again, what the Lord said to me is in bold, what I thought or that which helps set the stage is in regular type. And as in part one, I have separated lines out for easier reading. Also, once I've shared the third and final part of the Watchman, I'll share what Father has given me towards its overall meaning, that is if you have't already started 'getting the drift.'

On 9-26-2014 Father gave me the second installment of what would turn out to be a three
installment project. Didn’t know that though until the end of the month.

As I was I was sitting in my living room in the big overstuffed green chair, praying in the
morning:

I have more to share.

OK, Father.

Remember the watchman?

Yes, Father.

Look out there. What do you see?

I looked out my front window at the darkened sky and saw several rays of sunlight shooting across underneath the storm clouds.

I see a world in turmoil.

And so it is. What else do you see?

I see that you have shown us rays of sunshine in the midst of all that darkness.

Remember Elijah and his loneliness?

Yes, Lord.

And what did I say to My servant?

7000 had not bowed their knees to other gods.

I have My number. I always have My number of those who truly love Me
and serve me and who will not turn their hearts away from Me towards the world
so man will still have his beacon, his lighthouse.

Consider, My son, the gifts I have given man are merely tools to comfort and guide him
until I return.

They are tools to help man come back into My fellowship.

They are tools to learn how to live in My love.

Seek My Holy Spirit within. Use those tools well.

Don’t quench the Spirit but rather yield to Him so He can work My work through you.

I have an army.

I’ve always had an army

but I want My children to live in My love

so they can truly be the offspring of their Father.

I want the world to see My love so that their hearts might be convicted.

I want the world to see My love that their hearts might be ashamed.

I want the world to see My love and even though many will wax colder

some might come into My Kingdom because their hearts have melted.

The gifts are good but yet they are only tools to express My love to the world.

live in My love.


Again here are scriptures Father gave me in support of the prophecy – after the fact, of course.

Gen. 11:13-16 I will establish my covenant with you (Noah) that neither will the flesh
be cut off due to the flood waters but neither shall the flood destroy the earth anymore.
This is a token of My covenant … for perpetual generations. I set my bow in the cloud as a
token between you and Me and the earth. And though the clouds will come, the bow will
also be seen. And I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living
creature that I will no longer bring the flood to destroy the earth. When I see the bow, I will
remember My everlasting covenant…

The bow represents God’s covenant with us and if you notice that rays of sunshine will streak
across the sky beneath those storm clouds as they dissipate paving the way for that colorful
bow of promise to appear. When things seem their darkest, God will show us hope so we can
push forward.

1 Kings 19:4, 14, 18 Elijah fled Jezebel and Ahab who had slain all the prophets in Israel and
were now after Elijah.

V4 (Elijah) went into the wilderness and sat under a Juniper tree and requested that he
might die …

V14 … the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down your altars, slain your prophets and now as the only one left they seek my life.

V18 Yet I (God) have left seven thousand in Israel who have neither bowed their knees to Baal nor kissed him.

John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love. (‘nuff said?)

Matt. 5:14-16 You are the light of the world … let your light shine so before me

We bear the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world so people might attain eternal life.

1 Corinth. 12:1, 7 I don’t want you ignorant concerning Spiritual gifts … the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone to profit everybody.

Everybody has a unique gift or talent and God has given us that gift to build the ‘whole’ body of Christ or even just our small portion.

1Thess. 5:19 Don’t quench the Spirit.

Don’t tell the Holy Ghost ‘no’ but rather yield to Him and follow His lead.

Matt. 24:12 (talking about the last days) … and because sin abounds, the love of many will wax cold.

Because God has been ‘seared’ from the consciousness of man, some won’t even listen to the ‘life saving’ good news.

1 Corinth. 7:13-16 (paraphrased) If a man or woman is married to an unbeliever and it pleases the unbeliever to stay with the believer, stay together and don’t leave for how do you know that the Lord might use you to bring that unbelieving spouse into the kingdom of God?

The situation is not exact but the principle still works: If we live our lives for Christ before
those around us, how do we know that we aren’t God’s intended vehicle for drawing others
into His kingdom?

Matt. 27:54 Now, when the centurion and those who were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were done feared greatly saying “Truly, this was the Son of God.

Even the gentiles saw the signs and confessed.

Luke 13:17 (Jesus had just healed the woman afflicted by a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. The ruler of the synagogue rebuked Him for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus responded reminding them that they would rescue an animal in trouble on the Sabbath so why shouldn’t a person be healed on the same.) And when He had said these things His adversaries were ashamed …

Matt. 24:12 (speaking of the end times Jesus says) and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

James 5:20 … he who converts the sinner from the error of his ways saves a soul from death and hides a multitude of sins …

Ephesians 4:12-16 … for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ … unity of faith … knowledge of the Son of God … to a perfect man, to the measure to the stature of the fullness of Christ … increase the body to the edifiying of itself in love.

True love builds the body of Christ (and others) up.

10-16-2015  (the Watchman (part 1)

Father gave me the prophecy of the Watchman over three separate days in September 2014. It
was a crazy because I experienced three things I had never experienced before, at least not in this
way; the prophecy itself, my physical reactions to the prophecy and knowing that this was indeed
from the Lord and that He wanted me to share it. I’ll talk a little more about this with the
explanation once I’ve shared the full prophecy and what I’ve done to share it. What the Lord
actually said will be in bold amidst my comments that help understand what was going on during
the time of reception.

Father gave me the first segment on 9/24/2014. At the time, I didn’t realize that there would be
more but by the end of the month He had given me all three installments. Instead of writing
paragraphs, I’ve separated lines out for easier reading.

The watchman stands watch. For what does the watchman watch? For danger that approaches the city to cry out to the people so they can prepare for battle.

Up on the ramparts we look out over the land.

What do you see?

The enemy encamped all around and about.

What do you feel?

We are lost. There are too many.

Look again beyond the enemy and what do you see?

I see a host far greater than the enemy poised to do battle.

And what do you feel?

Encouraged because we now far outnumber our foe.

My children. Did I not send Gideon with just a handful to set the enemy to flight?

Did I not send Elijah, alone, against the prophets of Baal?

Gideon, with his candles and Elijah by fire all overcame seemingly impossible obstacles, yet by My hand did I not give them victory?

Put your complete trust in Me and as with the walls of Jericho watch the walls crumble.

Watch the enemy become confused and flee.

Watch My glory humble those who resist Me.

I make a way where there seems to be nothing.

I overcome many with a few.

Those who glorify My Name will taste the fullness of victory.

Put your hand to the plow and begin to plow and hang on as I work My work for My glory.

The season is nigh, even at the door for many things to be manifested.

My children, are you ready? Prepare your hearts. Prepare your souls.

Don My armor and prepare to step out.

The Lord spoke to my heart and said that this is not just for Wellspring. He has been preparing many children for this time and the time is near, nearer than we might think. In case you’re confused this doesn’t mean the ‘rapture’. It does mean taking a deliberate stand for and in Jesus with our very beings. It is time to walk the walk, talk the talk, put up the ‘good’ fight. To do all that God has been telling us to do, individually and collectively. Don’t fear the closed doors. Take the knob and turn it, the door will open for our Father has ordained it. (The italics here weren’t part of the prophecy, per se, but were His words to me as encouragement to the Wellspring fellowship. We are just a part of a larger force God is preparing and we need to be prepared (all of us) by living our fullest in, through and for Jesus. Father has prepared the way for us, all we have to do is be obedient to His Word by putting that faith into action!

From the end of September 2014 through first of January 2015 Father started giving me an understanding of the Watchman and He has tweaked it all throughout this year (2015). AT Wellspring, we take turns leading our bible study and I had a turn in mid October (2014) where we did a study based on the Watchman, not the prophecy but the scripture in Ezekiel chapter 33. Since that time, Father has continued to give me scriptural support for the Watchman which I didn’t have at the time He gave me this word.

Ezekiel chapter 33 speaks of the Watchman and just what does a watchman do?

He stands watch over the land ready to sound the alarm when danger approaches.

If he sounds the alarm and the people listen to the call, they prepare to defend themselves and are saved.

If he doesn’t sound the alarm and the people fall to the enemy, their blood is on the hand of the watchman.

If he sounds the alarm and the people don’t listen, the watchman is guiltless because he gave the alarm but the people suffer at the hands of the enemy at their own expense because they didn’t listen. Again, though, when they do listen they are saved.

2 Kings chapter 6 tells how Elisha was telling the Israelites everything the Syrian king was doing (as revealed by the Spirit) so there could be no ‘surprise’ attacks. The Syrians discovered Elisha was staying in Dothan so the Syrians surrounded the city during the night. Elisha’s servant arose in the morning and seeing that the city was surrounded ran and told Elisha. Elisha returned to the city walls with his servant, asked the Lord to open the servant’s eyes and asked him to look again. The young man saw that behind the Syrian army the mountain was filled with horses and fiery chariots.

Judges chapter 7 relates the story of Gideon. The Midianite and the Amalekite armies stood before Israel and God pared the Israelite army down to a mere 300 men. When Gideon went up against the opposing armies in the night they lit their candles, sounded the trumpets and shouted a great shout. In the confusion, many of the enemy slew each other and the remaining fled.

1 Kings chapter 18 relays how Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to see who served the true God. Each set up an altar, each piled wood upon the altar with a sacrifice. The prophets called upon Baal to ignite the wood on their altar but nothing happened. Elijah then also drenched his wood with water then asked God (Yaweh) to ignite the altar. Then God answered Elijah’s request and not only burned up the sacrifice and the wood but the rocks of the altar, dirt around it and dried up all the water used to drench the altar. Not only were the prophets of Baal utterly embarrassed but Baal was exposed as a ‘do nothing’ god.

The prophecy also mentions the walls of Jericho. Joshua chapter 6 tells how the Israelites overcame this city. The Israelites surrounded Jericho, marched around it for seven days and on the seventh day they gave a great shout and sounded their trumpets – and the walls came tumbling down. Israel marched in and took an impregnable city with very little resistance.

In this first segment of the Watchman, Father helps us understand our task at hand (duties of a watchman). He then reminds us how He overcame His enemies in each of these situations and then He encourages us to put our hands to the plow, start doing what He has told us to do glorifying Him then watch Him bring the victory. All we have to do is be obedient to what He gives us, then watch (or maybe even be a part of) His bringing ‘home’ the victory,

He asks us if we are ready, then to prepare our hearts (make sure we are right with Him) prepare our souls (stand in His Word) and then don His armor (live in His protection) as we prepare to do battle with the enemy.

The last paragraph isn’t prophecy, but it is. Wellspring is the church I attend and Father says He has prepared many hearts, many people for this time. It’s not just our fight but there are others throughout this nation, throughout this world whom He has been preparing for this time and for this task. We need to take a stand in and for Jesus, living for Him, doing His will.

Father says don’t be afraid for He has ordained the doors to open for us. All we have to do is step out in faith, turn those door knobs and walk through the doorways, that is put what He has given us into action. Whatsoever we do, we do for the glory of God for He is with us.

Amen

I will present the 2nd (of 3) installment in two weeks.

God bless.

HOMECOMING

A SPIRITUAL RE-AWAKENING

Enough on my history. The following is what the “Homecoming” is all about.

Father is calling His church to become recommitted to Himself. In other words, He is calling us to once again live according to the standards to which He originally called us.

What are those standards?

Setting Him above everything else in our lives

Honoring Him for His goodness, graces and mercies

Setting time aside to glorify Him as the only true and living God

Gathering together with other believers to magnify His Holy Name

Treating our brothers and sisters (in the Lord) as we would like to be treated

Treating our neighbors (outside the Lord) as we would like to be treated

Giving mom and dad their proper respect

And that is by:

Not desiring the things of our neighbor

Being always truthful in what we say

Not bringing harm, or worse, to others

Truly loving our spouse (and our God) by being true

God’s standard is “LOVE”!

What is the greatest commandment? Jesus gave two but it’s really a single
commandment with two parts:

Love God above all else

Love you neighbor as yourself

Why love? Because all the Law and the prophets hang on God’s love! Because when we love, truly love, we will always be true to the one we love, do nothing to harm them and look for ways to build them up.

How are we true to God?

By having no other gods before Him.

No idols, no possessions, no desires.

By learning how to live for Him.

How does He expect me to live my life

What can ‘I’ do to please Him?

Commune with Him

Praise Him

Put nothing in my life before Him

God understands that in this life we need to ‘earn a living’.

In the beginning Adam & eve tended the garden. God gives us things to tend in the world, as well. He gives each of us a ‘calling’ and expects each of us to be good stewards of that calling and that calling will likely be the way God provides for us in this world. Who has seen manna falling from the sky?

God expects us to marry and have children so He understands our time is divided, not with just making a living, but now including our spouse & children as well.

Even though our time is divided, Father still expects to be first and included in all of our activities. In other words don’t separate God from the other things in which we are involved but include, or ‘inject’ Him into those things.

How do we do no harm to God or others?

How do we edify others?

‘No harm’ and ‘edification’ are coincidental. When we endeavor to edify others, we
surely won’t do things to harm them.

I do Him no harm by learning how to magnify and glorify Him in all that I say & do and think and then to treat people with the same respect.

Are the things I speak and do pleasing to Him? If not, I need to rethink my speech and my actions.

Jesus tells us that the Father knows our hearts. The Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) cuts to the bone marrow, even the intents of our hearts. This is why scripture says once we’ve considered doing something against God and even though we haven’t physically done it, because (in our hearts) we decided to do it, it’s as good as done. The thought doesn’t condemn us but considering doing it does. So when we have ‘only considered’ doing that which we have envisioned it in our minds, we need to lay it before the Lord, repent, then leave it with Him.

David conceived a child with Bathsheba in sin. She was married to one of David’s generals, Uriah, David lusted after her, laid with her and brought a child into the world through her. The child was sickly and eventually died but while the child was sickly, David fasted, prayed and sat in sackcloth and ashes that God might have mercy (on the child). When the child died, David cleaned himself up and went back about his business. Now David had already repented his adultery with Bathsheba but he now had prayed that God would have mercy on the results of that sin, the child. When it was obvious God was not intending on the child living in this world, it did no one any good to continue mourning (after the child's death) so he (David) cleaned himself up and went back about his business. When we do sin and repent, we do what God does, put the sin behind our backs (Isaiah 38:17) and move forward.

We need to think ‘edification’ for ourselves as well as for others. Paul tells us that all things should be done for the edification of the body and if this goes for us, how much more do you think Father implements this concept towards us?

We edify Father by giving Him thanks, praise and glory in all that we say and do and think

We edify our neighbor by asking ourselves “will what I am getting ready to do or say make the other person a better person, strengthen them or encourage them or draw them closer to God?

This is why Jesus says that love fulfills everything that the prophets have prophesied in the bible and the Law (10 Commandments). Those 10 Commandments give us a very basic definition of what love means and the rest of the bible is where Father fine tunes and implements His love in various ways and means, that is, gives us a deeper understanding of what it means to love.


The prophets have all said that 2015-2022 is a time of prosperity and restoration for God’s people. That is as long as we seek Him and His will for our lives Father’s blessings will begin to and continue to flow into our lives. Now consider that prosperity means any combination of or even all the following:

Finances

Health

Relationships

Endeavors (what we put our hands, minds & hearts to doing-tasks Father has given us
to accomplish, our jobs, etc.)

This time of prosperity is for a purpose.

Let’s consider the 10 virgins in the parable (Matt. 25). Five were wise and five were foolish. All took oil in their lamps but only the 5 wise virgins took extra oil. This meant that they would still be prepared even if the bridegroom tarried, which he did. When the call finally came, the lamps of the 5 foolish virgins had gone out so they tried to borrow some from the 5 wise who quickly refused (we can’t live on someone else’s faith). But remember, even after the call went out, the bridegroom didn’t show up immediately so while the 5 foolish virgins were out ‘getting more oil’, the bridegroom did come and took the 5 wise back to his house with him. The 5 foolish virgins knew where the bridegroom lived because the bible says they came and knocked on his door but he responded “I don’t know you, get away you sinners.” Whoa!

That sounds pretty harsh – from the 5 wise virgins and from the bridegroom but consider the 5 wise virgins didn’t want to chance not being ready for the bridegroom, they weren’t going to jeopardize their salvation for anything. The 5 foolish already were no longer prepared because their lamps had gone out, they weren’t living for Jesus as they should. The bridegroom was saying because you weren’t prepared, living in My love, you have no part in me. What does the bible say? When the call comes, don’t go back into your house to pack your bags – be ready to leave – on the spot.

Father is telling the ‘Bride of Christ’ to be ready – all the time.

This time of plenty is a time of preparation for the Bride of Christ (the Church) to make sure they are ready, that we all have enough oil in our lamps so we won’t have to be running around to get ready. This translates (if you haven’t caught on already) to make sure our lives are together and that we are all ready to be with Jesus when He calls for us. That is there are no outstanding (unconfessed) sins in our life and have been and are living for Jesus to the best of our abilities.

This time of plenty is not just a time for believing to be with Jesus when He calls but to prove that we are ready because we are out doing Father’ works.

It is a time of encouragement and empowerment (through God’s blessings) so that the church will make steadfast our (individual) commitment so that we are indeed ready to go with Christ when He calls.

I’ve read where some think Jesus can’t return until the world has been prepared for His return. Did we save ourselves? I don’t think so. So what has to be prepared before Jesus will return? His CHURCH! His BRIDE!  (1 Corinth.1:22-23, 1 Corinth. 6:15, John 1:29, Rev. 21:9)

Father has not called the church home yet because the bride is still in preparation to be received. Father is preparing us (believers) to be received. Giving us all the time we need to be prepared, but as with the 5 foolish virgins the call will come and those who are ready will go. Those who ‘think’ that they are ready will be left on the housetop, the field, the hill all wondering what happened.

We are the Bride of Christ and we need to be making ready for the call so we all can go and none are left behind. Father has said “I would that all would be saved.” That’s His desire but He also knows that there are those who will refuse Him forever and there are those who just didn’t see it worth their time to stay ready for Him until He returns. But don’t forget the ‘Bride of Christ’ is everyone who has confessed Jesus as the Son of God, believed that He indeed ministered to us on this earth (2000 years ago) sharing how to come into God’s kingdom, shed His precious blood on the cross as an atonement for our sin (nature) and sins (individual) and (as depicted when) the soldier pierced His side water cleansing us from the same, that He was indeed buried (He had died), on the third day rose from the grave (victorious over sin & death), ascended back into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father waiting to come back for us – a prepared bride – and we await His return so we can be with Him throughout eternity.

Matthew 24:24 says that in the last days false prophets spread lies deceiving the people. Even God’s elect – if it were possible could be deceived. The elect won’t be deceived because we know God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord because the Holy Ghost has taught and confirmed (in our hearts) that we indeed have a relationship with our God.

This is what “Homecoming – a Spiritual Re-awakening” is all about. To help us all to realize that we are the Bride of Christ, God’s elect and we always need to be prepared to be ready for His return.

10-3-2015

One last note on my personal background.  As a youngster, actually up until graduation from high school I attended a Southern Baptist Church.  I don’t remember how old I was when I started going there just that my neighbor across the street started taking me with her kids, probably while we were still in elementary school.  Her son & I were the same age.  OK, after graduation I became a bit sporadic in attending church, but that’s where I was sporadic at.  As I mentioned before, my wife to be & I liked the relatively new pastor and we stayed there a couple of years after we were married in 1972 after which we started to move around.  Even though we stayed in the county It was an excuse not to stay put.  So we really didn’t any specific church until we moved to Frederick in 1978.  We attended an Independent Baptist Church for about a year before we moved to the other side of Frederick.  After about another year we found a place in Frederick (city) where we lived until the year before we moved to Hagerstown.  For periods of time (more than just a couple of visits) we attended a Southern Baptist Church, A Presbyterian Church, Church of God (full gospel), Assemblies of God, a couple of independent Pentecostal churches, United a Pentecostal Church (the Jesus only people) and a Charismatic Church. 

My wife had a very rough childhood so we gravitated to churches willing to help her and usually along with the help came a requirement to attend regularly.  Most of the churches offered some help but, alas, beyond the help received, we didn’t have a whole lot in common.  And yes, during the time in Frederick there were once again times we were not really affiliated with anyone.

After moving to Hagerstown in 1994, my wife found a minister in a Southern Baptist Church willing to help even though we didn’t attend regularly but by this time both my wife & I were on a different spiritual plane than the mainstream churchs.  While in Hagerstown, also my wife discovered a Catholic priest willing to work with her and he was able to offer help in some areas missing from her life.  We were there a couple of years before he fell into disfavor with the church and was transferred to Baltimore.  Soon after we also left the Catholic Church.  He was the only reason we were really there anyway.

We found it difficult to ‘fit in’ in most churches so we became sporadic once again until my wife went to be with the Lord in 2005.  Her passing didn’t change my status much.  I knew I should be going somewhere but I wasn’t fitting in even with the ‘full gospel’ churches in the area.

In 2010 a friend of mine at the gym (Jim) suggested I attend the bible study which he attended at the ‘Y’.  I don’t know, maybe a couple of months later I woke up one Sunday morning and the Lord put on my heart “why not?”  So I got dressed as I had decided to go ahead and check them out.  After a while Father put on my heart that that is where He wanted me and that’s where I still am. 

God has exposed me to things then taught me about them.  Yes that meant a bit of research about what I was learning in order to come to an understanding of what it was He was teaching me.

I am in a full gospel, apostolic, prophetic church.  Years ago God gave me an understanding of ‘full gospel’ and Ian understanding of apostolic but the term ‘prophetic’ was new to me when I was introduced to it just a few years ago.  Don’t misunderstand me, I have been in churches where prophecy has been given whether via ‘tongues’ or where the preacher revealed what God had told him about someone in the audience but learning what a ‘prophetic’ is has been an experience.  I was introduced to the term “5 Fold Ministry” being in this church (which I had never heard before either) and a few other things which God has been gracious to bring me to an understanding.  It’s been a trip being in this church and exciting.  Even though we are currently a small fellowship I’m excited about where God is taking this group of believers.

NOW!  Starting next week I will be sharing what prompted me to start this blog and my plan is that every two weeks I will be sharing what God has shared with me as an update.  Father has given me some prophecy since last September and over time has given me an explanation for the prophecy.  What’s exciting to me is how God has ‘confirmed’ these words and I’ll share a little about that as we go along.  I’ll give you a teaser, from September through December I was looking for confirmation of what God was telling me, but I was looking in all the wrong places.

I’ve just finished reading (for the 2^nd time) Kenneth Hagin’s book “Understanding the Anointing”.  I found it to be a powerful, clearly written book in which I’ve seen a lot of myself, helping me to understand some of the things that I have been experiencing over the past several years (even before coming to this church I am now attending).  No, I’m not going to be sharing the book but if you have an opportunity to read it, do so.  I downloaded it off the internet

My prayer is that what I have already shared and am planning to share in this space will help someone who reads it.  My hope is that the reader comes to a better understanding of who God is, who we are and what sort of relationship Father wants with us all.   I’ll give you a hint.  Think of the song “A Closer Walk with Thee”.  Many years ago Father shared something with me which I have shared with others and that is that God will walk as close with us as we dare.

God bless