End Times Witnessing: O Cry for a Samuel!

Judges 2:1-5
Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. ² And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? ³Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side,^[a] and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” ⁴ So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.
⁵ Then they called the name of that place Bochim;^[b] and they sacrificed there to the LORD.
⁸ Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
¹⁰ When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

¹¹ Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals;

¹⁸ And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. ¹⁹ And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
²⁰ Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, ²¹ I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, ²² so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” ²³ Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
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We are in the Judges Time again. What happened before happens again.

God has spoken:
^{Isaiah 46: 9} Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
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O watchman, cry for a Samuel to be raised today!

The Calling and Sending of a Prophet/Watchman

The watchman heard, "Ezekiel 2!"

Ezekiel Sent to Rebellious Israel

So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
¹ And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” ² Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. ³ And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. ⁴ For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ ⁵ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
⁶ “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. ⁷ You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. ⁸ But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
⁹ Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰ Then He spread it before me; and there waswere writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it lamentations and mourning and woe.

Ezekiel 3

¹ Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
³ And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
⁴ Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. ⁹ Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”
¹⁰ Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. ¹¹ And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”
¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!” ¹³ I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. ¹⁵ Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

Ezekiel Is a Watchman

¹⁶ Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. ¹⁹ Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
²⁰ “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. ²¹ Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”
²² Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”
²³ So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. ²⁴ Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. ²⁵ And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. ²⁶ I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house. ²⁷ But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

Chapter Ninety-seven: "Urgent, go back to your original calling!"

He woke with time urgency on his heart. He knew time is running out fast. When he opened the Bible he was led to read Nehemiah 8-9.
Nehemiah Chapter 8 was all about Ezra the scribe reading the Book of the Law to the people (the children of Israel). The people gathered as one man in the open square in front of the Water Gate at Jerusalem. When Ezra opened the Book, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The priests and Levites also assisted by reading distinctly from the Book, gave the sense and helped the people understand the reading. All the people wept when they heard the words of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:1-9)
As Jack pondered on this powerful and touching passage, he wondered why the people responded with their whole hearts to the words of God. The answer was in Nehemiah Chapter 9, in the contents of a song sung by the singing Levites. The song narrated how God had chosen Abram (later renamed by God to Abraham) and made a covenant with him to also include his descendants (the Israelite). God remembered and kept the covenant. Despite His great mercy, deliverance and blessings upon them, the nation of Israel rebelled against God and turned to wicked ways. However, as God had promised, after seventy years of bondage in foreign land, they were again set free to return to their homeland.  God had never imposed any requirement on them except heeding His voice and carrying out His Book of the Law.
When the Book of the Law was read, the people wept. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
What sort of a man this Ezra was? When Jack read Ezra Chapter 7, he found that Ezra was thus described, "7:6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7:10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel".  7:11 "Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel."
Ezra was a captive just like other Israelite. But he maintained his original calling: a priest, a scribe, an expert of the words of God. He maintained his standing among his country men. He also established himself in that capacity among the foreign rulers. It was amazing how the foreign king could concede to his requests and gave him all the things he asked for. His trip back to Jerusalem was sponsored and financed by the foreign king!
What was his only goal? He just wanted to teach his people the Law of their God so that they know the true God and obey His words.
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Reading this passage, Jack recalled his first vision about Jesus. In the vision, he saw in his spirit Jesus walked towards him in a hurry on a busy road, holding something in His hand. When he came near, He handed the thing to Jack. It was a rolled up scroll. In a subsequent vision, he saw Jesus handed him a quill pen. Much later he had another vision of Jesus holding an open scroll, reading the contents to him. Often in his visions, Jesus is teaching, demonstrating, showing to him or others as in a teaching and discipleship situation.
Last Sunday's sermon reminded him the passage in Matthew 13:12 "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." Indeed, he has been given a number of gifts and one which he has often been asked to utilize is teaching gift for which he has received confirmations. He also heeded the godly advice that God does not look at the numbers of how much/many we have accomplished. But He will want to see how faithful we have been using that gift and how we have improved our skill every time we use it to edify others.
Today he examined his blogs and found that he had been too engrossed in describing his experiences in the Holy Spirit to the neglect of teaching God's words!
This wake up call confirmed his previous day's discovery (led by the Holy Spirit) of the key role given to every Christian for end time living, "witnessing" God's Word.
To be continued...

Chapter Eighty-four: the Holy Spirit said, "Put new wine in new skin, watchman!"

The training by the Holy Spirit has been intensive and increasingly more. Jack was woken this morning with this instruction, "Put new wine in new skin!" He obeyed and got up. As he was preparing himself for the quiet time. a number of thoughts went through his mind (heart rather). It was all about Jesus. Interestingly, it linked what he has been learning from various sources together and gave him the big picture!

He rushed downstairs and opened his Bible and started reading the Gospel according to John Chapter One. There it is, the new wine!
He recalled the most recent lesson on Genesis 1:1-10 which confirmed what he has previously read . The teacher taught that there was an interval between Gen.1:1 and 1:2. The earth described in 1:2 appeared to have gone through destruction. The destruction tied to Revelation 12 which recorded the war in heaven wherein the dragon (the devil) was defeated and cast out together with one-third of the angels who joined in the rebellion against God. They were cast to the earth. The teacher taught that the earth was a prison for the devil and his gang.

However, God restored the earth in Gen.1:3 onward. He also created human beings based on His own image. He breathed into them the breath of life. He gave the human authority and dominion over the earth but the human gave the dominion in turn to the devil (when Adam and Eve decided to obey the lies of the devil and rebel against God). God knew this would happen so He had prepared in the beginning for His own Son, Jesus to come to earth and redeem the human.

John One
In John 1:1-18, this truth was clearly proclaimed. Jesus was in the beginning of creation. He was the Word (God) and all things were made through Him. "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." (Heb.11:3) The world on earth was made through Him. The human were His own as they were created in His image. But they did not know Him or receive Him.

The devil (thief) came to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) The followings are very important truths to set human free from the bondages of the devil (evil, darkness, sin, disease and death).

John 1:12, "Yet to all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (NIV) John 1:13, The children of God, "who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (NKJV) John 1:17-18, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only (the only begotten Son), who is at the Father's side, has made Him known." (NIV)

The Name of God
From Jesus, something transformed in all those who received Him (as the Son of God), and believed in His name. What does it mean by believing in His name? Jack pondered. Recently the Holy Spirit reminded him the power and majesty of Jesus' name. At the name of Jesus Christ, all knees shall bow and all tongues shall confess, that Jesus is Lord!

Do not take God's name in vain. Jesus is God. Do not take Jesus' name in vain. In Acts 3:6, Peter demonstrated the mighty power of the name of Jesus Christ, that instantly and completely healed a grown man lame from his mother's womb. Jesus promised the disciples that they could ask anything in His name and it shall be done for them. (John 14:13)

Believing in His name means believing He is God and He is all powerful and all His word are true.

Not born of human seed
Another truth is that the children of God were not born of human blood or human seed. When we received Christ Jesus into our lives and believed in His name, something happened in our lives. We have received His Spirit (the Holy Spirit 1 Cor.2:12). We have received the Spirit of son-ship. The Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Romans 8:15-16) We became a new creation (2 Cor.5:17).

God is all powerful and all knowing. He knows how weak humans are (all physical and totally helpless to fight in the spiritual realm). His redemption plan through His Son Jesus has to be perfect. Therefore, the giving of the new life through the Holy Spirit birth must be among the most important requirements for humans to be saved, delivered from the bondages of evil and live a victorious life (kingdom of God life) after that. Indeed, Jesus Himself warned that unless one is born again of the Spirit one cannot see or enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3, 5) The Holy Spirit also declared through Apostle Paul that only those led by the Spirit are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14).

The Light, The Truth and free Unmerited Favor
Another powerful fact is that Jesus is light. Darkness cannot overcome light. Where the light of Jesus is, darkness flees!When God gave Jesus to us, He gave us light that overcomes darkness. (John 1:5)
Grace (God's free favor for us not based on our merits) and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) When Jesus described the devil, He called him the father of lies. On the other hand, Jesus is the Truth Himself. When God gave us Jesus, He gave us grace and truth. Both must be powerful weapons to overcome the devil in the enemy's camp.

Looking at the armor of God, we find that indeed Jesus forms the center part of the armor: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of Salvation, the Gospel of peace. The Holy Spirit makes up for the rest: the sword of the Spirit (the word of God) and praying in the Spirit. The only input from the believer is faith (which serves a shield to quench all fiery darts from the devil). Even faith is given by God and the faith race requires us to keep our focus on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith! (Heb.12:2)

How not to live a victorious life? (We really have no excuse) "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

Chapter Seventy-Six: A Watchman's Vision of End Time Survival Kit

A dream came to the watchman in vivid details which he could remember clearly when he woke. It is about end time survival for God’s children.
Indeed he has thought about this matter previously. He thought of finding a piece of land on high ground which can be cultivated for self-subsistence. But he is no farmer, or even gardener. He has one pet dog and that is all he knows about keeping animals. He cannot do carpentry, mud shelter construction, handle heavy manual hand tools, not even basic plumping. He has never done a hard day’s manual labor before. When he realized the need for manual labor practice, he thought it better to put the idea (or vision) aside.
But this dream is a different sort. It has opened his spiritual eyes and mind. It tells him how wrong he has been all this while thinking of surviving end time using mere physical resources and skills. He woke knowing that this is what the Bible has been teaching him all this while!
In the dream, an organization controls all goods and services. Every one with a chip implant can buy whatever supplies they require. There is constant surveillance on all economic and social activities.
A man without a chip implant has no legal identity and social right and cannot access any of the world supplies. How can one survive without such access? For the followers of Jesus, survival is ‘outside the camp’ as they choose to identify with Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:13)!
On waking he was led to search the Bible for the way out  and found this: Put on the full armor of God: “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 these, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the fiery 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 saints.” (Ephesians 6:14-18)
There are three important components in this full armor for all Bible believing Christians who have believed and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord (and thus have the helmet of Salvation, breastplate of Righteousness and gospel of Peace): The Holy Spirit, the Word of God and Faith. Praying in the Spirit is the essential operational tool for working in the spiritual realm.
Living in the Spirit is not optional for Christians.
It is compulsory. Without living in the Spirit you would not be able to rise above the physical elements and live outside the camp. Jesus and His disciples had demonstrated this truth. The Apostle Paul has written on this at great length and clarity. You already have the supernatural power in you to live accordingly. Read this following important truth:
Read 1 Corinthians Chapter two. God has revealed His mystery to us by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. We have received the Spirit of God and understand what God has freely given us. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment. We have the mind of Christ.
How to live by the Spirit? Read the Bible and believe every word of God by faith and act on them. Seek God diligently daily in worship, prayers and His word. Pray in the Spirit as often as the Spirit leads you. Practice by faith praying in the Spirit. Receive power from the Holy Spirit by faith as a son of God. The Holy Spirit will come and help you when you ask.
Some of the practical living examples are: believe in divine healing and divine health. Proclaim God’s word by faith on all aspects of life. Take up your legal authority as a son of God and use the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth by faith. Cast out your unbelief (worldliness). Align your desire with the will of God. Fast and pray to subject your body and soul (mind and emotion) to the control of your spirit (which is to be led by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ Himself)!
For those who fear hunger, here is another verse of truth to dispel your doubt as to how your physical food will come. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3) This makes sense as who can see a small atom?
For those who think they can wait till the last minute to practice divine living, the watchman’s advice (through personal experience) is you really need a lot of practice to let the faith in you come forth. For example, you need to practice praying the word of God by faith now, believing in the power of the name of Jesus Christ and take authority over the headache instead of reaching for the painkillers. You need to build up the faith practice until you can take authority over more serious chronic diseases. You will find that you save a lot of money and worries that way (even if end time does not come during your lifetime)!
Another reminder is to memorize the word of God. You would not have a Bible ready for you at end time. The word of God in your heart must rise as resources (materials) for the Holy Spirit to bring forth produce that you need in the physical world.

Remember: Faith + the Word of God + the Holy Spirit + Practice living by faith in the Spirit = keys to your survival.

Chapter Seventy-One: How a watchman on the wall interacts with the Holy Spirit

During the advance training for intercessors, Jack had a number of supernatural encounters. Overall, he has again been tutored by the best, the Holy Spirit Himself.
The following are examples of some of his personal learning:
1. He became more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. For example, on the previous night he heard a sharing of a senior watchman/intercessor’s being severely spiritually attacked, the next morning he saw a vision on what to intercede for her. As his intercession was only limited to her, he was further led by the Holy Spirit to intercede for her whole ministry by showing him another vision on her co-worker!
2. He learned to intercede prophetically. For example, the intercessors walked under clothes anointed to symbolize the blood of Jesus (the Lamb of God), to be reminded of His Covenant. As they walked they could intercede as led by the Spirit. A lot of them were filled with great joy!
3. While worshiping and listening to the word of God being preached or in the midst of prayers made by the senior intercessors, the participants were asked to lift up their hands from time to time to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He lifted up his hands as called even though he had felt nothing sensational. He felt nothing in fact. However, the result showed after the whole conference was over. He became very alert to the calling of the Holy Spirit and responded fast. The followings are some of the immediate examples.
On the day after his course, he thought he could sleep late but the Holy Spirit woke him at 4am! He was reluctant but the Holy Spirit immediately reminded him that he could always go back to sleep after his assignment. So he got up. He did not have to wonder what to do like before, as he was led to read the Bible aloud, to let the environment be saturated by God’s word. After he has read for about two hours, he heard the loud chanting/praying of a pagan religion nearby. He knew it had no power as the true God is here! He was allowed to go back to sleep after that.
However, when he woke around 7.30am, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to jog on the treadmill, which he would normally not have done as he had to travel again soon. But the instruction was urgent. So he obeyed. He was asked to read the Bible verses aloud while jogging and he did for another 45 minutes until the Holy Spirit urged him to stop. So his job was completed in that house with a pagan altar in front and another pagan temple nearby.
On the second day after he arrived at his own home, he was woken early by the Holy Spirit. He was asked to jog on his own treadmill. So he thought he was to read the Bible aloud while jogging. But the Holy Spirit corrected him and led him to take out a CD of worship songs from his car and played it and worshiped while jogging. It was a wonderful experience. He worshiped for about an hour and felt completely refreshed by the Holy Spirit!
On the next morning when he woke he thought of repeating what he did the previous day before he went to church for morning worship. But the Holy Spirit said no. He was led to read a Bible passage and was urged to repent and intercede for the churches in that city. He felt overwhelmed by what he read but he obeyed. By the time he reached his own church he was already in the Spirit and was richly blessed by the presence of God! The whole morning he was Spirit-filled and prayed and interceded (quietly) prophetically at times. While praying it was revealed to him that what the church was doing and proclaiming as a corporate body of Christ was prophetic too for the churches of that land! (As he lifted his eyes to look beyond the physical number, he was filled with the awareness of the awesome great God he worshiped!)
On the following night he encountered two unusual incidents. He woke around 1.30am shivering and chattering. He felt freezing cold. But the room temperature was not cold at all. He knew the cold had come from his mind so he forced words out of his chattering teeth and rebuked the enemy in the name of Jesus. he also called forth the fire of the Holy Spirit to warm him. Then he put on thick clothes and more layers of blankets and went back to sleep.  He then dreamed of an incident of a religious persecution. He woke again around 5am and decided to intercede. During his Bible reading of Psalm 37 he knew clearly he was asked to intercede for a pastor (and his 24 hour prayer center) who was being persecuted. So he read the psalm and proclaimed its prophetic promises for the oppressed church.
He was led to intercede through singing spiritual songs instead of prayers. The first one came to him as he was worshiping in his own home. He could not believe the words and music that came out from his mouth. It was a beautifully touching song for Israel, prophetically calling forth the opening of her gate to welcome the arrival of the Messiah King Yeshua in His second coming for her elect. He did not manage to write it down as he was so engrossed singing the song from the Holy Spirit!
When his assignment was over he went back to sleep and immediately saw another vision about a young man. But he was too tired so he told the Holy Spirit he would pray for that young man when he woke. He was then given another dream confirming the urgency to intercede for the prayer houses (of intercessors for all nations). When he woke again he continued to feel the urgency and spent the bulk of the day interceding.
There was an interesting incident whereby the Holy Spirit told him off and he heard. One day he was strongly urged to read a Bible passage and he did. But he then thought to himself that it was odd as it did not apply to him or his household. He immediately heard in his heart (not audible) “What are you doing?” He knew it was the Holy Spirit, so he was puzzled. Then the Holy Spirit asked again, “What do you think you are doing?”
It woke him. He was called to be an intercessor/watchman. He should be reading the Bible passages for his assignments to intercede for those for whom he was called to stand in the gap: the churches and the nations he was in. (Instead of being so self-focused)
When he realized this important role, he repented and read the Bible with a new perspective. Indeed he was led to intercede for the lost churches and the lost lands faithfully.
Today he read the following passages which really shook him. Mark 13:33-37 Jesus commanded and instituted this assignment:
“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming-in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning- lest, coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
There is no other more important and wonderful task for a watchman. Watch! (and pray)

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: SPIRITUAL NOVICE COUNTING BLESSINGS!

One thing Jack learns to tell himself is not to give the false impression that he is so spiritual that he can hear God loud and clear, knows God and practices perfectly all things pertaining to godliness. That is false. He must admit that he is still a novice in all spiritual matters and all things pertaining to God. He has a long long way to go to live in the Spirit and by the Spirit.


He is still concerned with two things: Is he living in the Spirit correctly as instructed in the Bible? Is he known by Jesus?

The worst thing that can happen to any Christian is to be addressed by Jesus as worker of iniquity and to be told to depart from the living God forever and ever when that day of the Lord comes.

Things continue to happen to him and his family and friends. As they seek God they discover the positive intervention of the Holy Spirit to make their paths easier. The Holy Spirit indeed provided guidance and arranged for people and events to work together for them.

Recently Jack found that some major prayers were answered in ways that he never thought could be possible. God is a worker of the impossible!

He also learned not to give up hoping and seeking God.

In review, he found that he has again received a big bonus from the Holy Spirit. Two years ago the market crashed and all that he had invested previously in the fund market lost significant monetary value. He was led by the Spirit to read Jeremiah and trusted in the Lord’s faithfulness. He was asked to read “Enter by the narrow gate”.

After reading Jeremiah, he trusted God and hanged on to the original funds. During this year he listened and bought more of certain funds (which value he had earlier lost) at lower cost.

At the lowest time he was led to buy a particular stock at the time that everybody was selling. He sold the stock earlier this year when he made a good profit. The benefits of this one deal were as follows:

1. He used part of the sale proceeds to buy a similar stock at the same earlier buying cost of the sold stock. However, the new stock is worth twice the value of the sold stock.

2. A month later he made a second profit from the new stock which gave right issue at a cost way below the market value.

3. Within two months the stock gave dividends at an earning rate way above other stocks.

4. Within half a year, the stock gave further dividends, totally the best earning in the market.

5. He banked in the remaining unused profit after giving one-tenth of the total to support his church evangelical and healing ministry.

During the last month of this year the original funds which had lost value two years ago had regained their values and gained considerable further value. He just sold some to reap the promised harvest. All in all, just as promised in Jeremiah, God’s steadfast loving kindness and faithfulness are new every morning!

Lean year or fat year, a Christian’s hope and security rest in the Lord.

No wonder God asked His people to come out of Egypt and enter the Promised Land prepared for them. All they had to do was to follow Him, obeyed His command and sought His presence all the time.

Translate the above to today’s scenario, all we need to do is to deny ourselves (be separate from the world and the worldly values), follow Jesus (including His cross), obey His words (carry our crosses), and seek His presence daily, i.e. living by the Spirit.

Another year is over soon, have you come out yet?

P/s: Jack is not a stock market pundit and never has much interest in stock market. The one stock he invested was in plantation as he was led to read the particular passage in Jeremiah, meditated on it and trusted the Holy Spirit to lead him to the right counter at the right time. The same applies to the funds.

chapter forty-eight: “I have set watchmen on your walls”

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

Jack has been reading these verses over and over. He was woken one morning to re-read them. About nine months ago he was called to pray for his city and the churches therein. He thought he was merely doing his duty as a Christian.

As time went by he was more and more aware that there was a spiritual reality of which he was not aware previously. Prayers and intercessions were spiritual. When one prays, one in fact acknowledges the reality of the spiritual God. When one prays, one invokes spiritual forces. Things happen in the spiritual realm. The reality in the spiritual realm becomes reality in the physical realm.

His awareness of the spiritual became more sharpened. He developed spiritual discernment.

When reading the Bible, which is Spirit and Life, the word indeed became alive and real.

When praying he became more and more led by the Holy Spirit to intercede for things/people of whom he had hardly or never thought before.

But he was still far from a committed watchman on the walls whom God has set to cry out day and night for the establishment of Jerusalem (the ideal city of God which God has designed to materialize for the benefit of all nations on earth). He could not figure out how this call would impact all nations as one city on earth was such a tiny dot on the map.

Today he awoke and read the passage again. It suddenly dawned on him that there were many like him all over the world in every city of the world, awoken daily just to call out to God and give God no rest until the ideal plan of God has been established.

It also dawned on him that the ideal plan will be established all over the world as God is not limited to one tiny dot on the map of mankind!

So when he and the other watchmen cry out and intercede for their respective cities, the plan of God would equally be realized in those cities too (all being the New Jerusalem of God)!

This discovery made Jack’s heart leap up. Yes. This makes sense to his little mortal human mind.

Wherever you are, watchmen on the walls of your cities do not lose heart. Your city will be made praise in earth too as promised.

2009-11-08

"A Watchman on Walls"

This is a strange journal of me being called to be a watchman who cannot rest and must sit on walls and cry out day and night!

Normally I am a happy man. I enjoy a good life as a management consultant, a health care and wellness coach and  trainer in personal development and character building. I have been a Christian all my life, and a born again Christian since 1983. This journal is not about me.


I have been called to be a watchman on walls (as in Isaiah 62:6-7). I have been through God’s miraculous signs and wonders when I obeyed the call. As I obeyed, I read the Bible with fresh revelations. It has been a wonderful journey with the Lord all the way.

This is a record of God (the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit) and His Word (as written in the Bible) as revealed to me in my personal quest to seek to know God. I shall share my personal experiences and the life that the Spirit has led me to live as I proceed on this journey.

I have seen visions and words and composed songs in unknown languages in new tunes as led by the Holy Spirit.

I have written four stories in this blog, based on the visions, experiences and the Word of God, as led by the Holy Spirit:

1. Ari and Great Grandma’s Jerusalem Gates Gold Adventure Story

2. One man’s Journey in the Holy Spirit

3. Ari’s Quests (Stress Mountain Rescue Story)

4. Living Biblically by One Man – A Novice Manual

I pray that all who read these pages will be deeply touched by God (the Holy Spirit) and be fired up to seek God yourself.

Jesus promised, “Seek and you shall find.” Jesus indeed is the Saviour and Lord of all who seek Him!

Believe and you will not be disappointed.

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/aris-adventure-great-grandmas-gold-story/

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/aris-adventure-stress-mountain-rescue-story/

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/book-biblical-living-a-novice-manual/

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/book-one-mans-journey-in-the-holy-spirit/

Power in the blood

Many Christians are weak and often feel defeated and depressed, mainly because they are not aware of and/or are convinced in the power of the blood of the Lamb (Jesus). The following Bible verses clearly declare the truth that there is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. For example, how did the Christians overcome the devil? The answer is in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him (devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love heir lives to the death.”

Knowing the Bible verses and read them often, you will have twofold benefits: able to stand and resist the devil, carrying the powerful spiritual weapon, the word of God (the sword of the Spirit); your faith will increase and it is also spiritual armour (shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the fiery darts of the devil).

All Christians should read these Bible verses, know them well, believe in and use them often. You will be amazed at the power of the word of God.

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Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Ephesians 1:7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Hebrews 10:19-20 Hold Fast Your Confession

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Revelation 1:5

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Ephesians 2:14 Christ Our Peace For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 2:19 Christ Our Cornerstone

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Revelation 12:11; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:9; Hebrews 10:19-20; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 1:9; Romans 3:25; Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 2:14; Ephesians 1:6; Ephesians 2:19; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:10

Declaration of victory of Jesus

For those who seek to know more about our God, here are the verses to declare the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read them aloud daily and let the Holy Spirit help you to see and understand how great our God is!! Be assured, you will be greatly and wonderfully blessed.

(Revelation 5:12; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 5:5; Matthew 28:18; Psalm 110:1-2; Romans 16:20; Luke 4:18-19; Acts 26:18; Colossians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, John 3:16; 1 John 3:8; 2 Timothy 2:26; Matthew 12:28; Luke 10:19; Psalm 107:14; Psalm 107:16; Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Samuel 17:47; Isaiah 49:24-25; John 10:10; Acts 10:38; Isaiah 42:3; Luke 5:31-32; Ephesians 1:19-23; Numbers 10:35; Psalm 144:1-2; Psalm 24:8; Psalm 60:12; Isaiah 42:13)

(New King James Version)

Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Psalm 110:1-2 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Luke 4:18-19 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

2 Timothy 2:26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Psalm 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.

Psalm 107:16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.

Matthew 16:18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[a] in heaven.”

1 Samuel 17:47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

Isaiah 49:24-25 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the LORD: “ Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Ephesians 1:19-23 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Numbers 10:35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”

Psalm 144:1-2 Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—My loving kindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.

Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.

Psalm 60:12 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Isaiah 42:13 The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.

CHAPTER FORTY: A NOVICE IN FASTING

Jack continued to fast two further days at a stretch, with mainly water and some warm drinks or vegetable soup. He recorded his diet and experience as follows.

Day two: one cup of cocoa in the late morning, one bowl of sweet potato soup in the late afternoon with 2 thin slices of steam carrot mashed in rice paste, a bowl of vegetable soup in the evening, and a small bowl of red bean soup at night.

Day three: one slice of whole meal bread (as he thought he heard the wife say to take it in his dream), one hard-boil egg, and one cup of cocoa for breakfast, one cup of warm drink in the afternoon, one bowl of vegetable soup with a small slice of fish in the evening. For supper he took one cookie and one cup of soymilk.

Difficulties encountered: 1. His mind was on food all the time. He felt tired and sleepy. He slept early and long hours. 2. By the third day morning he dreamed that his wife asked him to take breakfast so he got up and went to take one slice of bread thereby breaking the fast. 3. For the first time of his life he felt cold in normal temperature. So he was tempted to take warm sweet drink. The proper fasting advice is that he should avoid taking sweet drink. 4. He tried to stretch his cocoa drink to last two hours by taking small sips and it became quite horrible to drink after the first half hour.

Lessons learned and benefits gained:

1. He learned to feel how a starving man felt (so he thought) as he wanted to stretch the cup of cocoa.

2. Prayer has improved: instead of praying the usual repeated parochial issues (family, own church, own city etc), he was led by the Holy Spirit to see the whole earth as a tiny globe, and it looked so pitiful heading towards destruction without knowing its true direction and destiny. So he interceded from his new vision, seeing how big and vast God is and acknowledging how insignificant humans are and how ridiculous the things that we spend so much time worrying and bickering about.

3. He also acknowledged more readily his biggest sin, that is, “unbelief” in many areas of his life, not wanting to trust God fully, like the nine disciples who could not handle the epileptic boy with a mute demon.

4. He learned from reading more about fasting prayer. The following are excerpts of his reading of Ezra 8:21-23 from the New Spirit Filled Life Bible on “fasting for spiritual breakthrough”

a. For guidance: they petitioned God to lead them in a right way. b. For assistance: they petitioned God for protecting their little ones. c. For substance: petitioned God to guard their possessions (for God’s temple).


“Fasting is a sacrificial form of prayer warfare that produces results available in no other way.” (especially in demonic deliverance). “It is a sacrificial denial of necessary nourishment which turns one’s attention to seeking God during that denial.”

5. He also learned from a teaching that when he fasts his body will manifest symptoms of sickness and discomfort. He is not to panic. Headaches and other bodily pains may be signs of his being delivered and cleansed.

6. He experienced the assurance that the presence of the Lord (Jesus) actually refreshes the believer. (Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”)

7. During worship service at night, he was more focused and not distracted like before. He spent most of the time praying in the spirit. When he asked the Holy Spirit to show him something to intercede for he suddenly saw in his mind a vast country covered by muddy flood water. People were bobbing up and down in the water. So he interceded fervently for that country.

Overall: He learned that he was not really fasting the way he should be. There was hardly any sacrificial denial of the body. He was not fully seeking God and spending time in God’s presence. So he decided to start again the three days fast in the coming weekend. Meanwhile he continued to fast one-two meals a day and taking light meals or liquid and praying daily.

There was one other breakthrough. Today he was woken at 4am and he got up without hesitation as he felt a terrible feeling inside and knew that he had to intercede as instructed. He obeyed the call (something which he had stopped doing for a long time). After this experience he is again looking forward to such daily encounter in future.
23-9-09

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: BE LED BY THE SPIRIT AND BE EQUIPPED

Lately Jack had not sought to see any vision (in pictures or in words) and he had also slacked in seeking God in daily worship songs/hymns. He felt puzzled and concerned. However he continued to attend the Prayer House worship services three times a week, being soaked in the presence of God. When he asked God in prayer, he received an answer.

Previously he thought he could only seek God by a fixed pattern. First he had to sing hymns and worship God until he was firmly assured of God’s presence. Then, he would burst into spiritual songs and prayers. He would intercede when he was spiritually ready. But this had not happened for quite sometime. Instead, he just read the Bible and prayed as he read when he felt led by the Holy Spirit to do so.
So he told the Holy Spirit his concern. One day he heard a message about how Apostle Paul on conversion immediately asked the Lord, “Lord, what would you want me to do?” He wanted to emulate Paul. So he asked the Lord the same question too. Then he heard in his heart, “Read the Acts of the Apostles. Read it before you attend the coming spiritual seminar.” Jack was to attend a Christian overcomers’ seminar at the end of the month. He obeyed and read the Book.

As he read, he discovered that there were messages previously overlooked by him and the whole Book became alive and real to him. it was as if he had read this the first time. The words came alive and he realized how little he knew about the words of the Lord before.

As he read, he prayed and interceded. The Holy Spirit guided him just as the way he was led in a Spirit-filled worship. As he asked, he received answer instantly. He was amazed. He had not been singing hymns and waiting in silence. Yet he was being led by the presence of God (the Holy Spirit)!

This new experience of the leading of the Holy Spirit was confirmed by another person’s sharing that lately she too was led to read the Bible first before praying. A pastor taught that we need to hear God first and not to talk to Him without hearing Him! God spoke to us through His words. When our heart is full of the words of God, we hear God.

It was another breakthrough for Jack. He now realizes that he should not limit the Holy Spirit. All his experiences in living in the Holy Spirit had led him to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit cannot be fixed into a mould in the human mind. He admits that he really knows very little about the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, he now knows that the Holy Spirit likes to respond to our requests as we are committed to be led by Him, and he is determined to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

He has been trying to prepare himself in terms of trying to fast one meal a day, and perhaps do some physical exercises to keep fit, for the coming overcomers’ seminar. The four days course will be run day and night up to early morning. They are expected to live on two meals and perhaps four hours sleep a day. The two main speakers, both of whom are Spirit-filled lady pastors (in their sixties?) are running on divine health and divine strength.

Jack knows this time he is still not entirely ready and fit though he has improved over last time (having failed considerably six months ago). But he knows more about how the Holy Spirit can help him. He is full of hope and assurance this time. The Holy Spirit has been a good teacher and trainer.

AAA Jack
August 29, 2009