“GOD’S WAY” is the only way in this end time, the watchman discovered. He was led in his spirit to start a new blog in this name:GOD’S WAY
http://citizenheaven.wordpress.com/
There are some interesting pictures for collectors. here is a sample.
The watchman went on an unusual journey in order to deliver an important message and carry out a prophetic act. He did not expect to go until around midnight before departure. He was praying and asking the Lord a number of questions.
Then he asked about the journey a household member would be taking with another brethren the next day. The answer came to him in three groups of verses as one overall message for someone at the destination of that journey. But he wanted specific confirmation to whether he needed to travel personally. The answer came as follows:
“We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.” (NLT 2 Cor.8:20-21)
The next morning he got up early to cook food for his two dogs, packed and stored in his refrigerator for someone to heat up and feed them daily during his absence. He also stocked up enough food for the rest of the household. He packed for a short trip as told by the Spirit. Another household member was not convinced and asked the Lord for second confirmation. She received the following verse (from the conversation between the prophets-disciples and the prophet Elisha):
2 Kings 6:3 [Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he (Elisha) answered, "I will go." ] So the watchman went on the sudden journey without further objection.
The whole time since waking up the watchman’s spirit was singing the song based on Zechariah 4:6b ["Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit", said the Lord of Hosts. ] Only when he started driving the song stopped.
He was told that the person to whom the message was intended was not available until the third day. So he had to wait at the destination until the third day.
On the first day (Lesson One: sons of God are led by the Holy Spirit): They started the journey around noon and arrived late. The same evening, he was asked to attend a prayer meeting in a prayer house. He attended. A woman who could not stop talking came to his companion and kept talking.She brought her neighbor there for healing. By the time she told them that she was an anointed evangelist and busily saving souls instead of “wasting her time to read the Bible or attend church”, he closed his eyes and saw the ‘spirit’ speaking through her. So he stopped his companion from responding politely to the lady. He even made some impatient judgmental remarks on her ‘manifestation’ to others.
However, when he returned to his room around 1am he could not sleep. He was convicted by a passage in Luke 10 which he was led in the spirit to read a number of times lately. The chapter described at length how Jesus appointed seventy disciples in addition to the original twelve and sent them into where He Himself was about to go and how they returned and gave glowing report.
The same chapter also taught on the two Golden Commandments of God: Love God. Love your neighbor. The second law is tough. Instead of asking who my neighbor is I need to ask who I am to others. Am I a neighbor? God looks at whether I am a neighbor. There is no condition on who others are to me.
The watchman was led to recall two other recent incidents which happened all within the week prior his travel. Incident one: Two lady bank staff came to him and asked at length about their stiff and painful knees (and the watchman noted then that the medical system and their religion did not give them divine healing). Incident Two: One newspaper man talked at length about his being a very sick man and that he had reached a point now that he had to rely on himself as taught by his religion to continue bearing the suffering on earth. On both occasions the watchman responded politely but rather impatiently according to his own convenience. He did not witness clearly how Jesus had healed him and his loved ones and could heal them too. He merely mentioned divine healing briefly and gave them the amount of time he thought was sufficient as he though he had other ‘more urgent’ things to do after a while!
But the Spirit of the Lord asked, “Are you a neighbor?” He was convicted and repented. As he confessed and repented, he was convicted of his ‘loveless’ old nature.
Incident Three: About the lady who could not stop talking. He noted how others in the prayer meeting did not respond the way he did to the lady. They remained in peace and let the Spirit of the Lord take charge. They accepted her and extended to her hospitality just as a good neighbor would do.
So on Day One of this recent journey on special ‘mission” he failed his first lesson, “sons of God are led by the Spirit”. However, he prayed for another chance to practice this. The Lord answered the following day.
On Day Two (sons of God do the works of the Son of God -Jesus): the spirit in him sang and woke him up with this song from 1 John 3:8b “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
He sang this on and on until the watchman was wide awake. He went to a Bible reading and prayer staff meeting that morning. They took turn to read the Bible verse by verse, from psalms and the whole Book of Philippians. After that the others proceeded to take their breakfast. One elderly lady staff stayed behind. She told him to help one woman and read psalms in her language. He happened to know her language. She was left alone in one corner as others could not read her language. She talked to herself and made animal noises (like swine snorting) at random and was told by others to shut up from time to time during Bible reading time.He was told that her grown son had put her there as he had to work.
So the watchman borrowed a Bible in her language and read with her. She could not read on her own. She was willing to repeat after him, verse by verse. After about half an hour or more the others came back, so the watchman stopped and left. Looking back he was amazed at his patience and acceptance of that woman. He was given a second chance and this time he followed the Holy Spirit. But he was not sure and did not cast out the ‘swine’s’ spirits (Mark 5:13)
Day Three (sons of God march on, being in the heavenly victory procession): The watchman was woken by the song in his spirit,
Psalm 68:1-4, followed by Judges 5:2-3, 31a. Specifically, the spirit sang, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered” and “But let those who Love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength.”
As his appointment was in the late afternoon he had the bulk of the day to himself. He rested in the Lord and met the appointed person and delivered the Lord’s message and carried out a prophetic act.
That evening he saw the ‘swine-possessed’ woman in a prayer meeting and she looked more in peace. The meeting went on for over four hours and she started her animal noises after midnight. However, no one was bothered. She stayed at her corner and continued snorting. Prior the start of the meeting, he also saw another young girl being ‘dragged’ as she clung to the floor at the doorway into the meeting . She had been accompanied there by her parents for healing for quite sometime, he was told.
That night he asked the Lord many questions. He perceived in his spirit that this ‘group’ had advanced toward a ‘higher’ level of Kingdom of God living. They had trained youth disciples well versed in singing and praying Bible verses ministering to the Lord in heavenly realm. The two young worship leaders replicated exactly what the senior pioneer preacher had spoken or prayed or taught. The watchman was told that most of their local meetings were mainly attended by the regulars now. The group had changed its ministry focus to preaching the Gospels to foreigners and claiming their nations for the Lord. He was told they had no manpower for that local ‘swine-possessed’ woman.
(1) The first big question the watchman asked the Lord was whether the requirement to fill the Wedding Great Supper according to Luke 14:13 and 21 was already over. The Lord actually mentioned twice the same group of ‘guests’ to be invited: the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. Are the number for the locals filled? He asked. He received the answer that like the Book of Acts, the events are repeatable for different ministry groups at different locations at different times. Only the Father in heaven knows when the number is up. He has to follow the Holy Spirit.
(2) His second question concerns money (and manpower). In the same chapter 14, Jesus warned, v28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-…” v31 “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?”
He knew he had to follow the Holy Spirit and not his analytical mind or emotion.
By 2am he was very tired. In answer, his NLT Bible opened to 2 Chronicles 3:1-2
“So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord…on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the site that David had selected. The construction began in mid-spring (April/May)…”
Day Four: The watchman woke and felt rested. He continued the previous day’s question on winding up business and offering the premises for divine use.
His NKJV Bible opened to 1 Chronicles 21:26 “And David built there (watchman’s remark: on the threshing floor of the Jebusite, which David bought) an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.” After receiving this second confirmation he felt peace.
It is awesome that both answers refer to the same event, building the Temple of God!
In the physical realm, both King David and King Solomon had ample wealth. David purchased the land, built an altar, and prepared all the materials needed for the building of the Temple. The Temple building construction project was duly started and completed by Solomon according to plan and pattern given in heaven. Neither king had any lack.
Thus, during this unusual spiritual journey, the watchman thus resolved important personal issues through seeking and asking the Lord, while attending to others’ spiritual matters. He slept few hours but felt rested and refreshed in the Presence of the Lord.
He left for his next destination before noon and arrived well and fit, finding to his surprise the long awaited rain had come, washed and cooled the whole country side prior his arrival. He has always found the Lord answering his parched needs by opening His personal storehouse in heaven and send forth His rich resources!
His fasting also went well as he hardly felt it and the four days had passed quickly and fully. This was indeed a Kingdom journey led by the Spirit of the Lord!
In summary, the lessons for the sons of God are:
1. Led by the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life.
2. Live the lifestyle of Kingdom of God on earth, desiring and expecting to fulfill mission on earth as sons of God (just as the Son of God Himself had commanded His disciples).
3. Pray and intercede according to God’s words prompted by the Holy Spirit (use spiritual gifts and authority of sons of God).
4. Trust God to provide answers. Never tire of praying and seeking Him. Never give up.
Mark 10:27 (ESV)Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
The watchman sang one song in his spirit throughout the night. When he woke he realized it is Psalm 103. The verses he kept repeating are: verses 1-5. When he read the whole psalm he received it as a “flight to freedom” song. So he sings.
What a wonderful yearend this has become!
______________________________
Psalm 103
1 John 2:5
But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.
1 John 2:4-6 (in Context) 1 John 2 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 2:7
[ A New Commandment ] Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.
1 John 2:6-8 (in Context) 1 John 2 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 2:10
Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.
1 John 2:9-11 (in Context) 1 John 2 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 2:15
[ Do Not Love This World ] Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
1 John 2:14-16 (in Context) 1 John 2 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:1
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
1 John 3:1-3 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:10
So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
1 John 3:9-11 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:11
[ Love One Another ] This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:10-12 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:14
If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
1 John 3:13-15 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:16
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:15-17 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:17
If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
1 John 3:16-18 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:18
Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
1 John 3:17-19 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:23
And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.
1 John 3:22-24 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:7
[ Loving One Another ] Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
1 John 4:6-8 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:8
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:7-9 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:9
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
1 John 4:8-10 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:10
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:9-11 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:11
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
1 John 4:10-12 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
1 John 4:11-13 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:16
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
1 John 4:15-17 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:17
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
1 John 4:16-18 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:18
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
1 John 4:17-19 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:19
We love each other because he loved us first.
1 John 4:18-20 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:20
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
1 John 4:19-21 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 4:21
And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.
1 John 4:20-21 (in Context) 1 John 4 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 5:1
[ Faith in the Son of God ] Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.
1 John 5:1-3 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 5:2
We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments.
1 John 5:1-3 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)
2 John 1:1
[ Greetings ] This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth—
2 John 1:1-3 (in Context) 2 John 1 (Whole Chapter)
2 John 1:3
Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.
2 John 1:2-4 (in Context) 2 John 1 (Whole Chapter)
2 John 1:5
I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.
2 John 1:4-6 (in Context) 2 John 1 (Whole Chapter)
2 John 1:6
Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
2 John 1:5-7 (in Context) 2 John 1 (Whole Chapter)
Jude 1:2
May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.
Jude 1:1-3 (in Context) Jude 1 (Whole Chapter)
Jude 1:21
and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
Jude 1:20-22 (in Context) Jude 1 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
Revelation 1:4-6 (in Context) Revelation 1 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 2:4
“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!
Revelation 2:3-5 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 2:19
“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
Revelation 2:18-20 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 3:9
Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
Revelation 3:8-10 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 3:19
I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
Revelation 3:18-20 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:11
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
Revelation 12:10-12 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 18:14
“The fancy things you loved so much are gone,” they cry. “All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours again.”
Revelation 18:13-15 (in Context) Revelation 18 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 22:15
Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
Revelation 22:14-16 (in Context) Revelation 22 (Whole Chapter)
In the end three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love. Let love be your highest goal! (1 Cor.13:13; 14:1)
GOD IS LOVE. (1 John 4:16)
How to know you belong to God? The identity is verified by the LOVE code in everyone. It is not a physical, mental or emotional thing. It is spiritual. God is Spirit. For those who believe in Jesus, the Son of God (the Messiah – Christ), a coding in the form of the Holy Spirit is stamped, sealed on or deposited in them. This is the LOVE identity from God.
Today’s message is “FREEDOM”. THE LORD SAYS, “WHEN THE sON OF gOD SETS YOU FREE, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!” bUT BEFORE YOU ARE SET FREE, YOU NEED TO ADMIT YOU ARE BLIND. iF YOU SAY YOU CAN SEE (gOD) THEN YOU ARE DECLARED “gUILTY!” bECAUSE YOU ARE LYING.On the other hand, those who admit they cannot see God, they are telling the truth. God looks for a repentant, humble heart. A humble heart and a contrite spirit the Lord does not overlook. What did Jesus do to the blind man? He set him free, giving him his sight supernaturally. How wonderful it is to be able to see supernaturally, led by the Holy Spirit, walking in the power of God!
New Living Translation (NLT)
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
(Disciples are humans who have no knowledge of the spiritual reality of matters of God and therefore rely on their knowledge and practice in the natural physical realm and come to conclusions based on human traditional belief and teaching).
3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
(Jesus corrected them. He told them about the “power of God”, in the spiritual realm and how he spiritual reality could affect the physical reality).
6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
(The humble materials used in the physical realm showed that physical resources do not matter at all in this miraculous divine healing. The blind man believed and obeyed Jesus. So he received his sight. He could not see what Jesus had done in the spiritual realm but he believed. So he was healed.)
8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” 10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” 11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” 12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.
(A miracle arouses a lot of interests. No miracle can be hidden. People like to hear a good story. But they asked and listened without really wanting to know the truth behind the story. The same truth about God who came to this world, that set free the blind man can set them free too if they believe. But they were not seeking God. They were not interested in God.)
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them. 17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
(The Pharisees-religious leaders who were not led by the Holy Spirit responded with blatant unbelief towards the spiritual reality of God. Though seeing the physical evidence, they were not only not interested to know God, but they were ‘haters of God’. They reacted violently to the works of God, accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating the might of God, in the person Jesus, the son of God, the Messiah.)
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.” 18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?” 20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”
(Even the ex-blinded man knew that God has healed him, and that Jesus was from God. He knew and believed the spiritual credential of Jesus who has the power of the Almighty and holy God! Indeed he found it strange that the religious leaders did not recognize this truth. His belief in and personal encounter with the true God gave him the courage to stand up and witnessed the truth regardless of what men could do to him physically. On the other hand his parents could not because they did not encounter God first hand, so they feared men more than they feared God.)
34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
(The first reaction when a man encounters God is to worship God immediately. The man had no doubt and had no option but to worship God when he realized that he had met God. This is the same experience the watchman had when he first encountered the might of God in the Holy Spirit. He attended a Spirit-led and Spirit-Filled worship and the moment he heard the Spirit song being sung he knelt down and was in awe of the presence of God. He knew God in his mind previously. But that was the first time he met God Who is Spirit just as Jesus said in John 4:22-23)
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied.“But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
(This is a very serious charge. The truth is only God knows who can see. Some see and some do not. How do we see God? Jesus said only the pure in heart can see God. The watchman sees in his spirit by faith. He does not rely on vision (though sometimes he saw visions) to prove that he sees. He just believes. He advises his class to see in their spirits, by faith, through believing in the word of God.
The time when he was alone with God, in the small hours of the day, when all else are quiet and slumbering, he could perceive the closeness with the Father in heaven. When he knelt down or sat on the floor at his little corner, he believed he could perceive the presence of God. He was never disappointed with the promise that Jesus made to everyone who follows Him, “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9-10)
The watchman was woken after five hours sleep but he felt refreshed. So he asked the Lord two questions. Then he received these passages.He was totally amazed at the answers. He knows time is urgent and NOW. He must start without delay the new direction – the school for prophet-disciples, with training focus on Spirit led worship, Bible reading, prayers/intercessions, living the Kingdom of God lifestyle (faith and divine health and healing), using the manifold gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the overcome life with the power and authority of the Son of God!WORSHIP IN HEAVEN
1 After these things, I heard what sounded like the roar of a huge crowd in heaven, shouting, “Halleluyah! The victory, the glory, the power of our God! 2 For his judgments are true and just. He has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her whoring. He has taken vengeance on her who has the blood of his servants on her hands.”
3 And a second time they said, “Halleluyah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever!” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, sitting on the throne, and said, “Amen! Halleluyah!”
5 A voice went out from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great!”
6 Then I heard what sounded like the roar of a huge crowd, like the sound of rushing waters, like loud peals of thunder, saying, “Halleluyah! ADONAI, God of heaven’s armies, has begun his reign!
7 “Let us rejoice and be glad! Let us give him the glory! For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and his Bride has prepared herself – 8 fine linen, bright and clean has been given her to wear.” (“Fine linen” means the righteous deeds of God’s people.)
9 The angel said to me, “Write: ‘How blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!’” Then he added, “These are God’s very words.”
10 I fell at his feet to worship him; but he said, “Don’t do that! I’m only a fellow-servant with you and your brothers who have the testimony of Yeshua. Worship God! For the testimony of Yeshua is the Spirit of prophecy.”
__________YESHUA – THE WORD OF GOD – GOES TO BATTLE
11 Next I saw heaven opened, and there before me was a white horse. Sitting on it was the one called Faithful and True, and it is in righteousness that he passes judgment and goes to battle. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on his head were many royal crowns. And he had a name written which no one knew but himself. 13 He was wearing a robe that had been soaked in blood, and the name by which he is called is, “THE WORD OF GOD.”
14 The armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 And out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down nations – “He will rule them with a staff of iron.”c It is he who treads the winepress from which flows the wine of the furious rage of ADONAI, God of heaven’s armies. 16 And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
_______________________WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD & HIS RETURN
Luke 17:20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is among you. “
24 For when the Son of Man returns, you will know it beyond all doubt. It will be as evident as the lightning that flashes across the sky.
26 “When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah’s day. 27 In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all. 28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business — eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building — 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the hour when the Son of Man returns.
__________THE RESPONSE JESUS EXPECTS FROM US
7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn’t just sit down and eat. 8 He must first prepare his master’s meal and serve him his supper before eating his own. 9 And the servant is not even thanked, because he is merely doing what he is supposed to do. 10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.’”
11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, their leprosy disappeared. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” 16 He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has made you well.”
Luke 14:12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a dinner,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will repay you by inviting you back. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”
15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a privilege it would be to have a share in the Kingdom of God!” 16 Jesus replied with this illustration: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come. 18 But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, so he asked to be excused. 19 Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen and wanted to try them out. 20 Another had just been married, so he said he couldn’t come. 21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was angry and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.’”
TODAY’S MESSAGE: CONSIDER YOURSELVES DEAD (TO SIN), ALIVE TO GOD – BE IN UNION WITH THE MESSIAH YESHUA!
The word today is still ‘Power’. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THROUGH BEING UNITED WITH THE MESSIAH YESHUA! He is the risen Lord, being seated at the right hand of the Father (Almighty God) in heaven!
Ephesians 1:3 “Praised be ADONAI, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven.” “7 In union with him, through the shedding of his blood, we are set free – our sins are forgiven; this accords with the wealth of the grace 8 he has lavished on us. In all his wisdom and insight.” “In my prayers I keep asking 17 the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you will have full knowledge of him. “
Galatians 5 (Complete Jewish Bible)
1 What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words – I, Sha’ul, tell you that if you undergo b’rit-milah the Messiah will be of no advantage to you at all! 3 Again, I warn you: any man who undergoes b’rit-milah is obligated to observe the entire Torah! 4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by God through legalism have severed yourselves from the Messiah! You have fallen away from God’s grace!
5 For it is by the power of the Spirit, who works in us because we trust and are faithful, that we confidently expect our hope of attaining righteousness to be fulfilled. 6 When we are united with the Messiah Yeshua, neither being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters; what matters is trusting faithfulness expressing itself through love. 7 You were running the race well; who has stopped you from following the truth? 8 Whatever means of persuasion he used was not from the One who calls you. 9 “It takes only a little hametz to leaven the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident that since you are united with the Lord, you will take no other view; and I am confident that the one who has been disturbing you, whoever he may be, will have to bear his punishment.
11 And as for me, brothers, if I am still preaching that circumcision is necessary, why am I still being persecuted? If that were the case, my preaching about the execution-stake would cause no offense whatever. 12 I wish the people who are bothering you would go the whole way and castrate themselves! 13 For, brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love. 14 For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: “Love your neighbor as yourself”;k 15 but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other! 16 What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. 17 For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism.
19 And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency; 20 involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue 21 and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. 24 Moreover, those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua have put their old nature to death on the stake, along with its passions and desires. 25 Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
_________________________________BE IN CHRIST
FROM THE LOWEST WE WERE RAISED TO BE WITH THE HIGHEST!
1 You used to be dead because of your sins and acts of disobedience. 2 You walked in the ways of the ‘olam hazeh and obeyed the Ruler of the Powers of the Air, who is still at work among the disobedient. 3 Indeed, we all once lived this way – we followed the passions of our old nature and obeyed the wishes of our old nature and our own thoughts. In our natural condition we were headed for God’s wrath, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy and loves us with such intense love 5 that, even when we were dead because of our acts of disobedience, he brought us to life along with the Messiah - it is by grace that you have been delivered. 6 That is, God raised us up with the Messiah Yeshua and seated us with him in heaven,
7 in order to exhibit in the ages to come how infinitely rich is his grace, how great is his kindness toward us who are UNITED WITH THE MESSIAH YESHUA.
8 For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but God’s gift. 9 You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore no one should boast.
10 For we are of God’s making, created in UNION WITH THE MESSIAH YESHUA for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do.
1 For the Torah has in it a shadow of the good things to come, but not the actual manifestation of the originals. Therefore, it can never, by means of the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, bring to the goal those who approach the Holy Place to offer them. 2 Otherwise, wouldn’t the offering of those sacrifices have ceased? For if the people performing the service had been cleansed once and for all, they would no longer have sins on their conscience. 3 No, it is quite the contrary – in these sacrifices is a reminder of sins, year after year. 4 For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
5 This is why, on coming into the world, he says,
“It has not been your will to have an animal sacrifice and a meal offering; rather, you have prepared for me a body. 6 No, you have not been pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. 7 Then I said, ‘Look! In the scroll of the book it is written about me. I have come to do your will.’”
8 In saying first,
“You neither willed nor were pleased with animal sacrifices, meal offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings,“
things which are offered in accordance with the Torah; 9 and then,
“Look, I have come to do your will“;
he takes away the first system in order to set up the second. 10 It is in connection with this will that we have been separated for God and made holy, once and for all, through the offering of Yeshua the Messiah’s body.
11 Now every cohen stands every day doing his service, offering over and over the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this one, after he had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from then on to wait until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy.
15 And the Ruach HaKodesh too bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 ” ‘This is the covenant which I will make with them after those days,’ says ADONAI: ‘I will put my Torah on their hearts, and write it on their minds . . . ,’ “
17 he then adds,
” ‘And their sins and their wickednesses I will remember no more.’ ”
18 Now where there is forgiveness for these, an offering for sins is no longer needed.
______________________________Yohanan (John) 8: 1-11
Yeshua said, “Now go, and don’t sin anymore”.
1 But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At daybreak, he appeared again in the Temple Court, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. 4 Then they said to him, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in our Torah, Moshe commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. What do you say about it?” 6 They said this to trap him, so that they might have ground for bringing charges against him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with his finger. 7 When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he bent down and wrote in the dust again. 9 On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first, until he was left alone, with the woman still there. 10 Standing up, Yeshua said to her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don’t sin any more.”
Complete Jewish BibleAre you that stupid? Having begun with the Spirit’s power, do you think you can reach the goal under your own power?
Read Galatians 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
so that your trust might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power.
Read 1 Corinthians 2 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power.
Read 1 Corinthians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
God raised up the Lord, and he will raise us up too by his power.
Read 1 Corinthians 6 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Therefore someone who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret.
Read 1 Corinthians 14 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
The sting of death is sin; and sin draws its power from the Torah;
Read 1 Corinthians 15 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
I can do all things through him who gives me power.
Read Philippians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline.
Read 2 Timothy 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
through the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Yerushalayim all the way to Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the Good News of the Messiah.
Read Romans 15 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
but he told me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is brought to perfection in weakness.” Therefore, I am very happy to boast about my weaknesses, in order that the Messiah’s power will rest upon me.
Read 2 Corinthians 12 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For although he was executed on a stake in weakness, now he lives by God’s power. And we too are weak in union with him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by God’s power.
Read 2 Corinthians 13 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, this same Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom!
Read 1 Corinthians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom.
Read Ephesians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
as they retain the outer form of religion but deny its power. Stay away from these people!
Read 2 Timothy 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
He did not by lack of trust decide against God’s promises. On the contrary, by trust he was given power as he gave glory to God,
Read Romans 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
in that you have been enriched by him in so many ways, particularly in power of speech and depth of knowledge.
Read 1 Corinthians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
and neither the delivery nor the content of my message relied on compelling words of “wisdom” but on a demonstration of the power of the Spirit,
Read 1 Corinthians 2 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
But I am coming to you soon, if the Lord wills; and I will take cognizance not of the talk of these arrogant people but of their power.
Read 1 Corinthians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
In the name of the Lord Yeshua, when you are assembled, with me present spiritually and the power of our Lord Yeshua among us,
Read 1 Corinthians 5 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
then the culmination, when he hands over the Kingdom to God the Father, after having put an end to every rulership, yes, to every authority and power.
Read 1 Corinthians 15 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it will be evident that such overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.
Read 2 Corinthians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
and truthfulness of speech; and by God’s power. We commend ourselves through our use of righteous weapons, whether for pressing our cause or defending it;
Read 2 Corinthians 6 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments
Read 2 Corinthians 10 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
But just as then the one born according to limited human capability persecuted the one born through the Spirit’s supernatural power, so it is now.
Read Galatians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
and how surpassingly great is his power working in us who trust him. It works with the same mighty strength he used
Read Ephesians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion or any other name that can be named either in the ‘olam hazeh or in the ‘olam haba.
Read Ephesians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
I became a servant of this Good News by God’s gracious gift, which he gave me through the operation of his power.
Read Ephesians 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine,
Read Ephesians 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Stripping the rulers and authorities of their power, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by means of the stake.
Read Colossians 2 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
who alone is immortal, who dwells in unapproachable light that no human being has ever seen or can see – to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
Read 1 Timothy 6 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
one who became a cohen not by virtue of a rule in the Torah concerning physical descent, but by virtue of the power of an indestructible life.
Read Hebrews 7 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, had their weakness turned to strength, grew mighty in battle and routed foreign armies.
Read Hebrews 11 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities – both his eternal power and his divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse;
Read Romans 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Dear Father!”).
Read Romans 8 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For the Tanakh says to Pharaoh, “It is for this very reason that I raised you up, so that in connection with you I might demonstrate my power, so that my name might be known throughout the world.”
Read Romans 9 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Now what if God, even though he was quite willing to demonstrate his anger and make known his power, patiently put up with people who deserved punishment and were ripe for destruction?
Read Romans 9 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and shalom as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh you may overflow with hope.
Read Romans 15 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For the Messiah did not send me to immerse but to proclaim the Good News – and to do it without relying on “wisdom” that consists of mere rhetoric, so as not to rob the Messiah’s execution-stake of its power.
Read 1 Corinthians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For the message about the execution-stake is nonsense to those in the process of being destroyed, but to us in the process of being saved it is the power of God.
Read 1 Corinthians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Just look at yourselves, brothers – look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the world’s standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth.
Read 1 Corinthians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For someone speaking in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, because no one can understand, since he is uttering mysteries in the power of the Spirit.
Read 1 Corinthians 14 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Moreover, God has the power to provide you with every gracious gift in abundance, so that always in every way you will have all you need yourselves and be able to provide abundantly for every good cause -
Read 2 Corinthians 9 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
The one by the slave woman was born according to the limited capabilities of human beings, but the one by the free woman was born through the miracle-working power of God fulfilling his promise.
Read Galatians 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For it is by the power of the Spirit, who works in us because we trust and are faithful, that we confidently expect our hope of attaining righteousness to be fulfilled.
Read Galatians 5 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Yes, I gave it all up in order to know him, that is, to know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings as I am being conformed to his death,
Read Philippians 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like his glorious body, using the power which enables him to bring everything under his control.
Read Philippians 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully
Read Colossians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
With this in view, we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill by his power every good purpose of yours and every action stemming from your trust.
Read 2 Thessalonians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
But the Lord stood by me and gave me power to proclaim the full message for all the Goyim to hear, and I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. d
Read 2 Timothy 4 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
For what the Torah could not do by itself, because it lacked the power to make the old nature cooperate, God did by sending his own Son as a human being with a nature like our own sinful one [but without sin]. God did this in order to deal with sin, and in so doing he executed the punishment against sin in human nature,
Read Romans 8 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Some of you used to do these things. But you have cleansed yourselves, you have been set apart for God, you have come to be counted righteous through the power of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and the Spirit of our God.
Read 1 Corinthians 6 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Does this mean that the legal part of the Torah stands in opposition to God’s promises? Heaven forbid! For if the legal part of the Torah which God gave had had in itself the power to give life, then righteousness really would have come by legalistically following such a Torah.
Read Galatians 3 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
that the Good News we brought did not become for you a matter only of words, but also one of power, the Ruach HaKodesh and total conviction – just as you know how we lived for your sakes when we were with you.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations
Therefore, since the children share a common physical nature as human beings, he became like them and shared that same human nature; so that by his death he might render ineffective the one who had power over death (that is, the Adversary)
The watchman and his class went through a miraculous weekend fasting the Esther Fast (three days without food or water) together in the sanctuary of God., some with variations (3 days with water; one or two days without food or water). For the watchman this was the first time without food and water for 72 hours (Thursday 6pm to Sunday 6pm).
A week prior to this, he fasted caffeine (coffee and tea) totally. For a week he suffered the withdrawal symptoms and had a hard time adjusting. But reading the word of God and seeking God enabled him to hold on. By the time the actual fast started he was amazed to find that he did not have any more physical symptoms (manifestations).
A pastor came to minister to the class by sharing God’s words on fasting. They sang hymns of God’s words put in music. They proclaimed God’s words. They worshiped and praised God. The brethren gathered together in one unison in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Spirit was in their midst. The anointing broke the yokes. During one session, on the second day, the watchman had chest pain which lasted thirty minutes. He prayed. He commanded it to go. When the hymn based on Isaiah 54:17 was sung, he decided to sing along.
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.”
He proclaimed the verses by applying them on himself. As he sang he could feel the pain which spread to his ear left just as suddenly as it came!
On the third day he found that he coughed out a bit of phlegm. Otherwise he felt fresh and well. The supply of moisture in his mouth was constant and supernatural. He could translate, speak, read aloud God’s words, sing and worship God. However when he felt he was safely near his goal, with four more hours to go, he had a frightful attack twice. At 2pm his breath stopped without symptoms or forewarning. He was taking a nap in his room alone when this happened. In that instant he got up. The first time it happened he did not take heed it was a spiritual attack. So he tried to sleep again. But this time it was very clear and he was not even sleeping when his breath stopped. (This time he heard in his spirit “take the Blood of Jesus, proclaim life!”) So he got up, knelt down and took the Holy Communion.
Later when he recalled this incident he recalled that just prior the fasting an agent called him for an appointment for a potential buyer to view his spare house on Sunday 2pm (the exact moment of the attacks). The agent said that this buyer can pay cash for his house and really wants to buy his house even at the rather high price he intends to sell. But a loved one who overheard this conversation immediately said no. She reminded him to Isaiah 58:13-14. The watchman obeyed. The words of God had saved him. (He dared not think of the consequences if he was driving long distance alone or in that empty house alone when the attacks occurred). The Lord was indeed merciful!
Some of the lessons learned from this fasting training for the watchman are as follows:
1. Believe and Obey the words of God.
2. Listen and obey the Holy Spirit.
3. Honor God (and His words).
4. Be humble and open to reminders from others (they are led by the Holy Spirit too!)
5. Watch and Pray always.
________________Bible Verses
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The watchman learned from last year’s experience that the most difficult part is not drinking water. He can stand the not eating part but needs to really fortify against dehydration. He is one of those who do not take much plain water. So the tips here are very relevant to him.
Here is a number of useful excerpts from various sources on how to prepare for this year’s Yom Kippur Fasting.
This blog is relevant as some of the watchman's brethren are preparing for the three days' Esther Fast, no food and no water. The Yom Kippur fast is the same, but only for one day. It is useful to learn more and prepare well, in body, soul and spirit.
Proverbs 23New Living Translation (NLT)
23 While dining with a ruler,
pay attention to what is put before you.
2 If you are a big eater,
put a knife to your throat;
3 don’t desire all the delicacies,
for he might be trying to trick you.
4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.
5 In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
for it will sprout wings
and fly away like an eagle.
6 Don’t eat with people who are stingy;
don’t desire their delicacies.
7 They are always thinking about how much it costs.[a]
“Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.
8 You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,
and your compliments will be wasted.
9 Don’t waste your breath on fools,
for they will despise the wisest advice.
10 Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers;
don’t take the land of defenseless orphans.
11 For their Redeemer[b] is strong;
he himself will bring their charges against you.
12 Commit yourself to instruction;
listen carefully to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t fail to discipline your children.
They won’t die if you spank them.
14 Physical discipline
may well save them from death.[c]
15 My child,[d] if your heart is wise,
my own heart will rejoice!
16 Everything in me will celebrate
when you speak what is right.
17 Don’t envy sinners,
but always continue to fear the Lord.
18 You will be rewarded for this;
your hope will not be disappointed.
19 My child, listen and be wise:
Keep your heart on the right course.
20 Do not carouse with drunkards
or feast with gluttons,
21 for they are on their way to poverty,
and too much sleep clothes them in rags.
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when she is old.
23 Get the truth and never sell it;
also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.
24 The father of godly children has cause for joy.
What a pleasure to have children who are wise.[e]
25 So give your father and mother joy!
May she who gave you birth be happy.
26 O my son, give me your heart.
May your eyes take delight in following my ways.
27 A prostitute is a dangerous trap;
a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well.
28 She hides and waits like a robber,
eager to make more men unfaithful.
29 Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?
Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?
Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,
trying out new drinks.
31 Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,
how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.
32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;
it stings like a viper.
33 You will see hallucinations,
and you will say crazy things.
34 You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,
clinging to a swaying mast.
35 And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.
I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.
When will I wake up
so I can look for another drink?”
