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 asked the Lord whether he might stay away from engaging in spiritual warfare. Can he be allowed to remain in his comfort zone? He pleaded that he had to take care of his own people first and make sure they are protected.
