Watchman Adventure: How does a watchman do his work?

How does a watchman work? He needs to wait upon the Lord and receive messages before he could do anything. Lately the watchman was led in his spirit to do or heed something differently. The overall message is: Be supernatural and be spiritual!

Watch and Pray for signs confirmed by the word of God.

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1. He resumed Sunday afternoon class urgently but with a difference. Instead of the usual teaching conducted by him or another, the class just read the Book of Mark, with everyone reading at the same time about eight chapters each in his own language. They were given about an hour to read and most managed to finish six chapters. Only one English teacher finished eight chapters.

After that he spent about half an hour sharing (with the help of a translator for non-English speaking audience) what the Holy Spirit wanted them to know about these passages. He went through the passages earlier and had some observations, but when he started to share what came forth was entirely Spirit led. When he completed the translator told him that she perceived that it was not from his mind.

Indeed, the watchman received a fresh message from the Gospel of Mark that it was all about authority, the authority of the Son of God, on how to live the Kingdom of God life on earth as in heaven. Jesus (the Son of God) was living and demonstrating to His disciples a supernatural lifestyle. To Him, it was normal. Being able to use His divine authority, calling for repentance, preaching the Kingdom of God message, healing the sick and casting out demons were part and parcel of everyday life. Making physical things that can be seen out of unseen resources like feeding 5000 thousand men plus women and children with only five loaves and two fish, and 4000 men plus with only seven loaves and a few fish, were normal. Commanding the natural elements to obey, wind and waves to stop, walking on water, and many more, were ordinary, normal events.

Of course, the Holy Spirit's giving birth to sons of God through the word of God (incorruptible seed), sons of God being led by the Spirit of God, being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, and being justified by faith (believing in the unseen Son of God's giving His life 2000 years ago) etc. all supernatural happenings are normal to the Kingdom of God citizens too.

2. He was led to pray differently for another watchman who has suffered physical excruciating pain for about five months. After such a prolonged period of crisis, he has run out of words to intercede for the person. However, yesterday he was led to read Revelation 8 and 9. When he reached 9:5 he realized that that watchman was a type signifying the reality of end times. When he re-read Chapter 8, he realized the reason why a strange strong wind blew and one of his three tall trees was cut off side way just a few days ago. It was a sign for 8:7. But he asked the Lord for another confirmation and he was led to read Isaiah 24, all about end times. The end times signs and messages are on again with greater urgency. The two signs appeared after the Seventh Seal, at the first and fifth trumpet sounds (out of seven trumpets). Instead of praying for a local situation, he was led to look at the big picture!
3. He was also led to pray for another intercessor differently. For sometime he was feeling uncomfortable over a closed one (of younger generation), with similar spiritual calling and gifts of seeing visions and receiving prophetic words from the Lord. She appeared super-sensitive over even kindly advice like, not to utter complaints about her own loved ones. He asked the Lord how to pray. He asked for Bible prophet example. The answer came clearly and instantly, the prophet Micah. So he asked further what were the calling of the three of them at this time and space. He was asked to read Nehemiah 3:8. The two intercessors were helping to build the Jerusalem Broad Wall, being the goldsmith and the perfume maker. He is building next to them, as man from Mizpah (which means 'Watchtower')! Again, he was led to look at the big picture and not be distracted by petty localized 'symptoms'!

Summary: Read the word of God with freshness as led by the Holy Spirit; intercede with end times in mind; keep on rebuilding the "Jerusalem walls", focusing on God's big plan for human kind.

Watchman’s Adventure: a night discourse on Love

Watchman’s Adventure: a night discourse on Love

The watchman does not normally go out at night. He prefers the comfort and quietness of his own garden in the cool evening breeze. But last night he was called to attend a date. The Date (the Holy Spirit) wanted him to attend a worship service where He will have something important to say to the watchman.

So the watchman obediently went. He was full of expectation as this was the first time for him to be called to go to a place for a specific message. He waited there until the later part of the worship and he felt ready to ask the Lord what His message was. Then he heard a small inaudible voice in his heart, “I love you.”

He was a bit disappointed as he thought this was probably his own self or this was a trick by false god(s) (the devil). But the voice asked him, “Is there any other ‘god’ who says to their followers I love you?” The watchman admitted no. Then he also realized that he had never told himself he loves himself. He is not a person who likes to be exposed to the vulnerability of love and other emotion.

So he asked the Lord, “Why do you love me?”

The small voice asked, “Why do you love your beloved?”

The watchman thought for awhile and could not find any reason so he answered, “I just love. ” The small voice said, “I too, just love.”

Then he understood, any other form of love, i.e. love with any reasons or conditions is not love. they are mere rationalizations, demands, conditions, and stipulations with the self in mind and not really for the object of love.

“If you can explain love in the purest way, you can explain God, Who is Love.” He came to this conclusion at the end of the discourse.

During the meeting he suddenly felt thankful for his life and gave thanks to the Lord for two kind and faithful persons who have often helped him doing the things he cannot do. They are faithful ‘assistants’ who come to his aid whenever he needs them, just like his right and left hands. Then he lamented to the Lord that one of them has not yet come to know the Holy Spirit and seems reluctant to do so despite his invitations.

The Lord asked, “How often have you prayed for him and his family?” The watchman was speechless as he hardly remembered them in his prayers. So the Lord said, “Start by praying for this man and his family.” This is the second lesson of Love that the Lord revealed to the watchman on the same date.

It was indeed a wonderful evening out with LOVE!

Chapter one hundred: Holy Spirit gives a bonus!

On the day Jack decided to complete the blog series on Journey in the Holy Spirit, he received a big gift, indeed a huge bonus! He woke around 5am and knew in his spirit that he had to go to the prayer table. So he got up and went downstairs. At the table he was still troubled by the dull ache on his left temple. On the previous night it developed into a sharp pain and he had a hard time commanding it to go away.
However he started to talk to God. He was supposed to intercede for a critical case of a man who had again lost consciousness after being resuscitated in the afternoon at a rural hospital. But he was out of words and could not proceed. he prayed awhile in the Spirit. He asked God to reveal to him word of knowledge and wisdom, together with discernment in spirits.
He also committed his own problem, i.e. the dull ache on top of his left eye. Then he opened his Bible and read. He was led to read Psalm 103. Normally he would have read verse 3 about forgiven and healing. But today he was led to read verse 5, describing the Lord God “who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Then he was led to note verses 20-21, which he had previously read without noticing anything. “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.”
He suddenly realized that the angels who minister to the believers (as stated in Heb.1:14), listen only to the word of God and put the word of God into action when the believers proclaim the word of God!
It was indeed a bonus! The next thing that happened further demonstrated to him how close to him and how much the Holy Spirit is willing to impart important wisdom.
As he pondered over the obstacle to the intercession for that very sick man, and bothered by his own nagging ache, he saw a book lying around. It was a classic book on divine healing, a recent gift which he had not been able to read yet. He took it up, opened and glanced through the contents just to see what are inside. He was looking for “eyes” ailment, but he was disappointed.
However, he read on and found something relevant. It was on “Stress disorders, anxiety and fear”. He turned to the section and found what he was looking for. It described how the brain affects the body (including health). The author used certain medical and physiological information and links them to emotional manifestations and spiritual causal factors.
The author then quoted one crucial verse, “1 John 4:18 is the functional Scripture for the healing of many fear, anxiety and stress disorders“. He concluded and summarized his recommendation for healing: reconciliation with God and His love; reconciliation with yourself; and reconciliation with others.
The verse was exactly the same verse Jack had given to his class last Sunday as the key to casting out fears (which he described as a major hindrance to faith and healing). “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” In that class, Jack also emphasized the need to reconcile and not harbor unforgiveness which could hinder the participants from experiencing the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Later that morning Jack further saw the unfolding of the mystery surrounding that poor man. The big picture emerged clearly.
He decided to go to the Prayer House to pray in the Spirit. It was a purposeful morning and the Lord was with him just as He promised.
Although this blog series ends here, he will continue to walk in the Spirit and learn from the Anointed One. His life remains that of a man who travels on in the Spirit.

Management for Christians (3): how are you managing?

How are you managing? We always ask others this way. Often, the reply is, “Just/barely managing.” A Christian will reply, “Praise the Lord, we are managing.” (Often the reply does not reveal the real situation. Managing has become a cliche.)
1. The word ‘managing’ refers to ‘living’. Managing is synonymous with living.
2. There is no other word which so boldly claims its importance in daily living. We therefore need to learn effective management in all aspects of life.
3. Management is all about living your life. How you want to live your life will affect how effective your management will be.
4. Your values impact your management of life. Do you know your values? Why do you live?
5. Management is based on the ‘why’ and then works on the ‘how’. When you know why you live, you can then work on how to live an effective life.
6. How to manage effectively? You need a management road map.
7. A Christian management road map includes the following navigation tools:  a Bible, a heart that is willing to listen to the Holy Spirit, an attitude that is open to learning.
A. Bible: you need a New Spirit Filled Life Bible -Kingdom equipping through the power of the Word (Thomas Nelson Bibles)
B. Holy Spirit: you need to pray to be filled by the Holy Spirit.
C. Open attitude: An attitude that submit totally to God and resist the devil daily.
8. Be prepared to receive revelations daily from the spiritual realm. Your road map is a living reality. A dynamic force.
9. Be adventurous as you will be required to sail into uncharted waters and break into new territories.
10. Be hopeful for a life that will not be the same once you are on course on this new management journey!

Chapter Eighty-two: Jesus thus promised the supernatural Christian, "For they shall be filled"

Living the supernatural Christian life is definitely rewarding but not for the unadventurous, Jack discovered.When he was a young Christian he knew the importance of the Bible and read it consistently and fervently to look for treasures. He was advised by pastors and book sellers to also read the commentaries. He attended Bible/theology classes and sat for examinations too.
However, the hunger and thirst for God was not met. He was taught in traditional evangelical Biblical principles. He hungered and thirsted for the practical. No, it was not physical sensation that he was after. Rather, he was longing for the reality of the presence of God and knowing how to receive supernatural power through God's word in his daily life as promised in the Bible.

Only when he read the Bible afresh lately with the clarity from his spiritual eyes (given by the Holy Spirit), he saw true light!

For example, he ponders on what Jesus had meant by saying that "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled"? (Matt.5:6) What or who is the righteous? Where and how will the hungry be filled?
The Bible says, there is none righteous (Roman 3:10) except the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (1 John 2:1). He is the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2). Righteousness is of God. When a man hungers and thirsts for righteousness, he is seeking God (Jesus Christ). So Jack seeks God fervently.

About being filled/satisfied, he found that God meant meeting his complete needs. "For He satisfies the longing soul and fill the hungry soul with goodness." (Ps. 107:9) God really meant to fill him with "good things", (Luke 1:53)(including food!) God even gave a reason for doing that, "so that your youth will be renewed like the eagle's." (Ps. 103:5) Above all, God will satisfy those who seek His righteousness the resurrected life like Jesus. The psalmist David thus prophesied, "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." (Ps. 17:15)

When he started to live by the Spirit, that is, to become a supernatural Christian, he started experiencing the practical reality of this!

During the year of training to live supernaturally, starting with fasting and praying, he discovered that truly Jesus meant what He said. When tempted by the devil to change stone into bread to prove that He is the Son Of God, Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" (Matt.4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3) Indeed, God provided manna from heaven to feed three million Israelites in the wilderness.

Jack used to worry about fasting. He thought he would be weak and lack energy to do anything. He imagined people lying in bed whole day. He wondered how they could be effectively praying. But he witnessed people who had gone through a prolonged period of fasting and continued to live normally doing all the necessary daily activities. Apprently they did not suffer adverse side effects that could hinder them from praying and functioning.

During a recent painful week in which he was forced to fast (due to mouth discomfort for no medical or dental reason) more consistently, strange to say, he did not suffer from the lack of the usual volume of physical food or drink (he subsisted on less than 1000 Cal food with plain water daily).

He continued to seek and worship God daily. He exercised and functioned as usual. Something happened in the divine realm. The food came from God's word. Just as the psalmist had said, God's word satisfied his mouth and his soul with good things. There was no discomfort in his digestive system at all. At the end of the week he emerged feeling and looking more fit as though his youth was renewed like the eagle.
(He received the 'divine slimness' he had been praying for to tuck in his shirt smartly and still can kneel down to worship God comfortably in the house of God!)

Making small steps are important. He knew. The Holy Spirit is a good teacher.