Corporately to His Children (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1982), 39.
working together in unity to push back the darkness trying to stop the manifestation of the glorious church. Prophets who have been hidden in the wilderness will emerge with fresh oil on their shields and fresh revelation in their hearts to declare the uncompromising word of the Lord by faith.
A final word for the praying watchman. Remember, as you do the praying God gets the glory. Psalm 127:1 tells us, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." This is a sobering Scripture. The Lord is not just a Warrior, He's a Watchman. He watches everything. He has the power to guard the city. So as watchmen we want to cooperate with the grace of God.
NOTE
1. Cindy Jacobs, The Voice of God: How God Speaks Personally and Corporately to His Children (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1982), 39.
Chapter 11
THE WATCHES OF THE WATCHMAN
watchman is always a watchman and can spring into action at any time. But God knows you can't watch and pray twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixtyfive days of the year. You have to go to work, play with the kids, make dinner, and take care of innumerable responsibilities in the natural realm every week. That's why God assigns watchmen to specific watches.
A watch is a period of time in which God has appointed you to watch and pray. It is one of eight three-hour periods— four in the night and four in the day—where God sets sentinels in the watchtowers to stand guard. Watchmen are assigned to various watches for various reasons.
Though some focus largely on the four that start from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., there are eight prayer watches. Understanding the time frames of these watches, their significance, and how to operate in those dimensions is part of your making process. Armed with this information, you'll better understand the purpose for your watching.
Your watch can change based on God's need of your eyes to see, ears to hear, voice to pray, and cry to warn. You could be on the first watch one week and the fourth watch the next. Your watch time may also change according to other shifts God is making in your life. Being flexible with God will lead you to revelation you wouldn't otherwise experience and rewards you wouldn't ultimately heap in eternity for faithful service. That said, God will often establish you in one watch for a significant period before moving you to new watches.
THE FIRST WATCH
The first watch runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is the first of four night watches and serves as the foundation of the night. The first watch is a time to be still and know that He is God (see Ps. 46:10). In Scripture, we see Isaac meditated on God in the first watch. Genesis 24:63 reads, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming."
Meditating on God's Word is essential for the watchman. It helps remind us of our covenant with God, prepares us for revelation through dreams and night visions, and prepares us for success in our watchman ministry because we become more sensitive to the presence of God. Jehovah told Joshua:
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8).
The psalmist wrote, "I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways" (Ps. 119:15). And David said, "When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches" (Ps. 63:6). And again Psalm 119:148 says, "My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word." When we meditate in this way, we are more familiar with how God moves in the spirit and are also more likely to discern disturbances in the spirit.
The first watch, then, is as much about preparing the watchman for future watches as it is about watching for danger. The first watch, you could say, is about watching for
the Lord, listening for His instructions, renewing your mind to His awesome power and love, remembering your covenant, and readying yourself for what lies ahead.
THE SECOND WATCH
The second watch runs from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. This watch starts with thanksgiving to the Lord as Protector and petitions for divine intervention in the battle for the coming day. Spiritual warfare marks this watch. The enemy wants to stand against the revelation God is trying to show you about the attack.
This is a time for the watchman to discern and stand against the enemy's onslaught before he even has time to enter formation. The enemy readies to launch his attacks during this watch, so it's vital that the watchmen are stationed on the wall with eyes wide open. The second watch is a time to cry out to God to break in with light to illuminate the enemy's plans.
The watchman's heart's cry in the second watch sounds like this: "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him" (Ps. 68:1). The enemy will try to scatter our attention. Distractions will come to cause you to lose focus on the mission. Your eyes may grow weary as you approach the latter half of the watch.
Remember, Exodus 12:29-31 describes how God passed over the Israelites and struck the firstborn son of every Egyptian family, setting up the ultimate deliverance for Israel. The second watch is a time of miraculous intervention, deliverance, and the overthrow of dark structures in society that keep people captive. At the conclusion of this watch, the watchman's cry sounds something like this, "At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments" (Ps. 119:62).
THE THIRD WATCH
Also called "the witching hour," the third watch is from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. Principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places are overactive during this watch. Therefore, this watch is usually reserved for more seasoned watchmen who are experts in spiritual warfare and understand their authority. Some also call this the cockcrowing watch. During this watch is when Peter denied Christ three times (see John 13:38).
The third watch is marked by witches, warlocks, and satanists who are releasing witchcraft, curses, incantations, potions and spells, and evil decrees over people, governments, cities, and nations. This is a strategic time for dark forces because most of the victims are sound asleep and unaware of the operations, defenseless to fight back. There are fewer intercessors pushing back darkness during this watch. That's why the watchman is posted as a guard to keep the city safe through intercession.
During this time, God may lead you to engage in battle against enemies attacking families, businesses, and churches in your community—or even your own life. Before you set out to pray, plead the blood of Jesus over yourself and claim Psalm 91. If this is not your assigned watch but you sleep during this watch, you may face nocturnal warfare or the enemy may deliver second heaven dreams—that is, dreams showing his plans and purposes with despair and hopelessness following.
The third watch is also the time to command your morning. Consider Job 38:12-15:
Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It takes
on form like clay under a seal, and stands out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld, and the upraised arm is broken.
Take authority over your day and command its way.
THE FOURTH WATCH
Also called the morning watch, the fourth watch is from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. The morning watch is the last watch of the night. Exodus 14:24 speaks of the morning watch:
Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.
This is the breaking of the day watch. Some call it the glory watch because it's when the glory of God begins to cover you from enemy sight. Look again at Exodus 14:24, quoted above. During this time, the Lord will trouble the enemy through your prayers in the glory.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning—yes, more than those who watch for the morning (Psalm 130:5-6).
The fourth watch is where we awaken the dawn. This is where we experience resurrection power over our enemies as they return to hiding before the rising of the sun. It is during the fourth watch that we find deliverance. Jesus walked on the water in the fourth watch and God delivered the Israelites from Egypt in the fourth watch.
Angelic activity marks the fourth watch. Consider Job 22:27-28: "You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways." As you decree God's will, you establish your day in His presence and angels hearken to the voice of His Word in your mouth to execute His will in your life and the lives of those for whom you are praying (see Ps. 103:20).
THE FIFTH WATCH
The fifth watch is a watch of Holy Spirit preparation that runs from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Technically, it's the first watch of the day. When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it was during the fifth watch. In Acts 2:14-16, Peter said:
Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.
The fifth watch, then, is a time to watch for the leading of the Holy Spirit for the day—and to pray for an outpouring of His Spirit in your life, city, and nation. Just as the Holy Spirit poured Himself out on the 120 disciples in the Upper Room, He will do it again. Declare Isaiah 44:3: "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring." Pray for evangelists to be emboldened by the Spirit to be witnesses that Jesus is alive (see Acts 1:8).
In the fifth watch, step into the prophetic spirit and prophesy over your life, prophesy over your family, prophesy over the economy, prophesy over the seven
mountains of society, prophesy over businesses, prophesy over cities and nations. The Holy Spirit is pouring Himself out and your response is to pray and prophesy. Write down what He says and use those prophecies to engage in intercession.
Wage war with the prophetic word according to First Timothy 1:18: "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare." Pray for the Body of Christ to receive a fresh infilling of His Spirit to equip and empower them to do the will of God and resist the attacks of the enemy.
THE SIXTH WATCH
The sixth watch, from 9 a.m. to noon, is a watch when promises are fulfilled. This was the watch during which Jesus was crucified. Jesus hung on a cross at 9 a.m. (see Mark 15:25). This is the watch when God delivers people out of darkness and into His light (see Col. 1:3). It's a time to meditate on the power of the cross, who we are in Christ, and the yes-and-amen promises of God in Christ.
The sixth watch is a time of intercession for lost souls to come out of satan's grip and into the hands of the loving Father through faith in Christ. It's a time to pray for the benefits of our salvation found in Psalm 103:1-5:
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good
things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
This is a time to pray for the Bride of Christ to willfully crucify her flesh; live, move, and have her being in Him; and be willing to lay aside all self-will for His will as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed three times to the Father, "Not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). Like Paul said:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).
THE SEVENTH WATCH
The seventh watch is from noon to 3 p.m. After Jesus gave up His spirit at noon, darkness covered the earth until 3 p.m. This is when Peter and John went up to the temple for the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (see Acts 3:1). This is a time to take authority over the powers of darkness in prayer. Watch for enemy activity in this day division from the secret place.
While darkness is working to overshadow the earth, dwell in the secret place of God and He will hide you under His shadow (see Ps. 91:1). From that place of refuge, you can trust God to give you a vantage point to see the fowler's snare and the deadly pestilence the enemy is planning to release in your midst. His faithfulness will be your shield and buckler as you make intercession against the work of the enemy.
This is a time to get ahead of the enemy's plans to release satanic arrows and disaster in the day and night
terrors and pestilence that stalks in darkness. The trouble will not come near you as you dwell in the secret place of the Most High. This is a time when you will gain confidence in your authority as you watch with your eyes the punishment of the wicked.
This is also a time of angelic activity, as angels are dispatched to guard you and those for whom you are making intercession in the secret place. This is the time to boldly tread on demon powers that are treading in your city, understanding Jesus gave you the authority to tread (see Luke 10:19). This is a time God will deliver those for whom you are praying and deliver prayer answers that have lingered.
THE EIGHTH WATCH
The eight watch, which is the last day watch, is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. It's sometimes called the history-making watch because Jesus died on the cross at 3 p.m., forever changing history. This is a time to meditate on the blood of Jesus. This is a time to come boldly before the throne of grace to find grace and obtain mercy (see Heb. 4:16). This is the time to make intercession for healing and deliverance made possible by the shed blood of Jesus.
This is a time of repentance, even identificational repentance for cities and nations. Cry out to God for the sins of the land according to Second Chronicles 7:13-14:
When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
In this way, your prayers can change the course of a nation's history.
Break curses that have been spoken over you, your family, your cities, the economy, and your nation. Understand Galatians 3:13-14:
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Chapter 12
PITFALLS FOR WATCHMEN
EYOND demons and glory, the modern-day watchman has to keep his spiritual eyes open for something else— personal pitfalls. The enemy hates the watchman because, many times, the watchman is the only one to see him coming in to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10). And if the watchman is not the only one who sees the works of darkness approaching, the watchman is often the first to see it and the first to sound the alarm, blow the trumpet, and otherwise blow the devil's cover.
Put another way, the watchman is one of the greatest threats to the kingdom of darkness because of his mantle to watch and pray, his passion for prayer, and his keen discernment. The enemy digs pitfalls in the watchman's path, hoping he will stumble and fall into miry clay. Therefore, the watchman must not only watch in the spirit but must also watch his path, watch his motives, watch his mind, and watch his mouth.
As a prophetic prayer ministry, the watchman's journey is rife with prophetic pitfalls and abuses. The enemy wants to pervert your voice of warning one way or another, and he sets you up for a fall at strategic points on your pathway to maturity. The good news is if you understand the most common pitfalls, stumbling blocks, and deceptions, you are more likely to avoid the enemy's snare.
As I write in my book Prophetic Protocols & Ethics, developing strong character will help you avoid the pitfalls, abuses, and even potholes, which are less damaging but can hinder your progress on your watchman's journey. In my experience, I've witnessed many people fall and some get
back up again. If we can remove our foot from evil as fast as we recognize the temptation to step into it, we escape the polluting powers of the enemy in our prophetic ministry.
PUSHING PAST MINISTRY PITFALLS
Merriam Webster defines pitfall as a "trap, snare, a pit flimsily covered or camouflaged and used to capture and hold animals or men" and "a hidden or not easily recognized danger or difficulty." An abuse is a "corrupt practice or custom; improper or excessive use or treatment, misuse; language that condemns or vilifies usually unjustly, intemperately, and angrily; physical maltreatment, or; a deceitful act."
A pitfall in any ministry, but particularly for the watchman, is finding identity in the gift instead of the gift Giver. Our identity should be rooted and grounded in Christ, not in a gift. In your making process, if God sees you are too wrapped up in what you do for Him instead of who you are in Him, He may put you on a shelf for a season to work on identity issues. Remember, when Jesus was in the wilderness satan attacked His identity saying, "If You are the Son of God" (Matt. 4:6). Jesus didn't fall for the temptation because He was secure in His identity as a Son.
When it comes to warnings, being too confident in your gift to let others judge serious warnings before releasing them is a pitfall that can damage your credibility. You don't want to be known in the Body of Christ as the boy who cried wolf, releasing warnings prematurely, incompletely, or from the second heaven and frightening people for no reason. Yes, everybody can miss it, but if you are too proud to submit your warnings to others to judge, then you are setting yourself up for a fall before you even start walking. Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (see Prov. 16:18).
Positioning yourself as a watchdog instead of a watchman can be tempting if you don't know how to deal with righteous indignation over errors (or what you perceive as errors) you see in the Body of Christ. Watchdogs behave more like dogs that guard a property. They bark at everyone who approaches whether good or bad. A watchdog is typically self-appointed. There are secular watchdogs and spiritual watchdogs. But most watchdogs are not tamed and they can easily slide over into the realm of heresy hunter. Watchdogs may carry a spirit of control or a spirit of criticism or even a spirit of suspicion rather than discernment.
Looking for a devil behind every doorknob at the expense of looking to see what the Lord is doing is a pitfall that can mark you as a dark watchman. Yes, there's a lot of demonic activity. And sometimes there are three devils behind the doorknob, but if you never have anything good to say or if you never see anything good to say, there's something wrong. You may have a bent toward seeing demonic activity, but press in to see the Lord's plan and glory and you will be a balanced watchman.
Going beyond the bounds of your authority is a pitfall that can bring tremendous warfare on your life. Paul wrote, "We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you" (2 Cor. 10:13). The Greek word for measure in that verse is metron, which means a sphere of influence. If you try to take on the entertainment mountain of society but God has not called you there, for example, you may not know how to battle the principalities and powers in that realm and end up with massive backlash for which you are not prepared.
Mistaking the enemy for the Lord or the Lord for the enemy is a mistake young watchman can make. That can be because they aren't seeing clearly in the spirit. It can also
be because they don't know how the Lord moves or the ways of His Spirit—or they don't know how the enemy slithers or his sinister devices. Safeguard yourself against this pitfall by being a student of God and His emotions, His ways, His character, His attributes, and comparing that to the ways of the enemy.
Warning presumptuously can bring damage to an individual, the local church, or the larger Body of Christ. Presumptuous means to overstep bounds. Presumption is sort of like assumption in that you see evidence that something is probably true but you don't know that is definitely true. When the Spirit of God shows or tells you something, you won't have to wonder if it's true. Beyond bias, watchmen fall into presumption by putting too much emphasis on natural perceptions, like prophesying blowing wind in the natural correlates to spiritual circumstances (it can, but doesn't always) or they may erroneously apply a dream God intended just for them to the whole church.
The Bible speaks over and again about presumptuous prophets, but you could apply those same verses to presumptuous watchmen:
"But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die." And if you say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?" (Deuteronomy 18:20)
God is not going to strike the watchman dead, but presumption will hinder your eyes, ears, and voice.
Getting the timetables wrong is an issue with watchmen who are hasty in spirit to release a word or feel pressure to put a date on a warning. The Holy Spirit who gave you the warning will give you the timetable. If you don't have a
timetable, then don't try to stretch into one. Just wait on the Lord. You can discern a sense of urgency in your spirit when the time is short. Don't be hasty in announcing timelines. Proverbs 29:20 warns, "Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
OVERCOMING PERSONAL PITFALLS
Beyond ministry pitfalls that can stem from immaturity or issues of the soul, there are deep heart issues that can lead you into dangerous territory as a watchman. Sometimes these are unresolved hurts and wounds and inner healing is mandated. Other times, it's wrong teaching and the mind needs to be renewed. Still other times it's demonic oppression and deliverance is required. Still other times it's the flesh and it has to be crucified.
One personal pitfall is the temptation for worldly fame. Remember, the devil led Jesus up to a high place and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus wanted us to have a heads-up about one of the devil's most successful tricks—seducing offers of worldly fame, glamour, and riches in exchange for our worship. When watchmen fall, it's often because they got ahead of God's timing in the face of opportunity for fame, glamour, or riches and chose to compromise to get now what God would have given them in the future.
Bitterness in the heart can lead the watchman into witchcraft. Simon the Sorcerer wasn't a watchman, but the gall of bitterness led him into witchcraft practices and his experience serves as a model. Simon was well known for his sorcery, but after he got saved he didn't get healed from the bitterness, and when his magic powers were gone he tried to buy the Holy Ghost. Peter said to Simon, "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see
that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8:22-23). Bitterness will defile your warning ministry (see Heb. 12:15). Bitterness is often behind the gloom-anddoom watchmen and prophets and their mouths are full of curses and bitterness (see Rom. 3:14).
Fear of man will bring a snare into the watchman's ministry (see Prov. 29:25). Jesus told His disciples, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). When God told Ezekiel the blood would be on his hands if he did not share God's warning with the people, I am sure it put the fear of the Lord in him. I am sure he didn't necessarily enjoy being the warning guy, and he may even have battled fear to speak those words. But the watchman's fear of the Lord must be greater than the fear of man.
Poor relationship skills are a pitfall to the watchman because God did not design the watchman to walk solo. The watchman may watch alone, but to fulfill his assignment he needs to build relationships with other watchmen who can judge a revelation and with intercessors willing to pray something through in private. The watchman must also build credibility with the larger Body of Christ so his voice is heeded. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says two are better than one. Jesus sent the disciples out two by two (see Luke 10:1). One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight (see Josh. 23:10).
Being unprepared for the persecution can cause the watchman to abandon his post. Persecution will come. Many people, even Christians, do not like to hear warnings. In Luke 6:22-23, Jesus said:
Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
The same truth applies to watchmen who are standing in a prophetic function.
Rejection and pride can go hand in hand and can derail a watchman's ministry as quickly as anything. Paul said knowledge puffs up (see 1 Cor. 8:1). That means knowledge can give you a tendency to get prideful. On the other hand, rejection tears down. These are often two sides of the same coin as people who have rejection can compensate by operating in a pride or a false humility. Remember Solomon's wise words, "When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom" (Prov. 11:2). You'll have to keep a watch over your soul for pride, because it creeps in as you grow in your anointing and in prominence. If you have rejection issues, you need to study your identity in Christ. You are accepted in the beloved, not because of your role but because He loves your soul (see Eph. 1:6).
STEERING CLEAR OF STUMBLING BLOCKS
Beyond pitfalls, the enemy puts stumbling blocks in the path of the watchman. In order to avoid stumbling blocks, we need to recognize them when they arise along the narrow path. At the most basic level, a stumbling block is an obstacle to our progress in the Lord; it's something that gets in between us and God's perfect plan for our lives; it is anything that leads us into temptation. It's a snare. Strong's Concordance defines a stumbling block as "any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin."
One of the key stumbling blocks for watchmen (and prophets alike) is having one's own opinion rather than submitting to the Lord's heart. Watchmen should not take
on any opinion except God's opinion. Proverbs 18:2 puts it bluntly: "A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding but only in revealing his personal opinions and himself" (AMPC). Watchmen need God-confidence and to express God's warning and God's strategy for escaping danger or otherwise seeing His will come to pass in the life of a person, city, region, or nation.
The watchman can become a stumbling block for other people by making an unrighteous judgment. When you watch, you may see things about people that are ungodly. For example, you may see that someone in the church has a Jezebel spirit and is targeting the worship leader. As a watchman, you have to separate the personality from the principality. In other words, you have to learn not to pass judgment on the person but to judge a righteous judgment in the spirit (see John 7:4). Sharing with others what you see about someone in the spirit the wrong way can create a stumbling block to their freedom. Jesus wants to see people set free. If you paint them as the devil, who will want to help them? They will walk out of the church more hurt than when they came in. Wisdom is to warn and proceed with discernment while walking in love. Remember Paul's words in Romans 14:10-13:
Why do you criticize and pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon or despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God. Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and
endeavor never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother (AMPC).
A righteous judgment is a judgment based on the Word and the Spirit—a judgment that does not condemn a struggling heart. If God gives you a warning about a person, ask Him what to do next. Is this person just an assignment against the church? Is it a witch or some other type of person who has an agenda to cause harm and, therefore, needs to be expelled? Or is this person on whom you see an evil spirit merely seeking deliverance and help and came to your church to get it? Ask God to show you the motive of the heart before you make an unrighteous judgment against the person. Only God sees the motive of the heart.
If someone's steps were ordered by the Lord to your church for help and you sound the alarm in such a way that people withdraw that help, your ministry has become a stumbling block to the Lord. We can warn wrongly based on past experience with a person who looks or talks the same as a troubler in the past. We must go beyond the surface and see the roots before parting our lips.
Many years ago, I served in a ministry that proposed to have great discernment. Some of the prophets and teachers were experts at calling out the demons on people the first time they walked through the church doors. While they may have been right, their lack of love grieved the Holy Spirit. Many people walked in hoping to see transformed lives as promised on the church's website and instead stumbled over the watchman's judgment. The watchman who makes others stumble ultimately stumbles over himself. The watchman's motive must, at all times, be love. First John 2:10 tells us, "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him."
Yes, we can be a stumbling block to the Lord's will. We can be nearsighted in the spirit. Peter was. You may remember the scene, but perhaps you have not considered this in the context of the watchman's ministry. In Matthew 16, we read about Jesus' trip to Caesarea Philippi. He stopped along the way to ask His disciples who people said He was. Only Peter got it right, revealing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God (see Matt. 16:16). Jesus blessed Him and said he was hearing right from the throne room. But just a few minutes later, Peter became a stumbling block. Let's read Matthew 16:21-23:
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" (NIV).
Other versions of the Bible translate stumbling block as offense, a dangerous trap, a hinderance, in my way, or a scandal unto me. Can you imagine the Lord telling you that you were offensive, a dangerous trap, a hinderance, in His way, and a scandal to His Kingdom? Watchmen will make mistakes. There is a learning curve in any ministry, or you might call it a making process. But we must take care to watch ourselves so we don't stumble and offend the Lord. He is God, and He is the ultimate watchman. When we get rid of our judgment and biases, we can see what He sees and warn with His heart.
Chapter 13
A WORD ABOUT FALSE WATCHMEN
HERE was once a young shepherd boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by which he could get a little company and some excitement. He rushed down toward the village calling out, "Wolf, Wolf!" and the villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerable time.
This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterward he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. But shortly after this a wolf actually did come out from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried out, "Wolf, Wolf!" still louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help. So the wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock, and when the boy complained, the wise man of the village said, "A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth."
You probably recognize this story. It's one of Aesop's fables—and it offers plenty of truth. In fact, it serves as a strong illustration for this chapter. With the rapid rise of bona fide watchmen, we have to expect the rise of the immature, presumptuous, and false watchers. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't warn you about this phenomenon. Not everyone who cries wolf—not everyone who releases a warning—is doing so with accuracy or purity.
Some watchmen are yet immature in the ministry and are premature in their release, bringing fear on the Body of Christ in the process. Others are presumptuous,
overstepping their bounds of authority and bringing confusion to many with ill-timed or poorly communicated warnings. Then there are watchmen who are altogether false.
As far back as Isaiah's day, God was warning His people to beware of false watchmen. Isaiah 56:10-11 offers a strong indictment against poser watchmen:
His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory.
The Bible warns over and again about false spirits and people who operate in them. Jesus said, "Take heed that no one deceives you" (Matt. 24:4) False watchmen have deceived many over the years with date setting and warnings of economic collapse that drove fear in the hearts of mankind. Some best-selling books have been based on bogus warnings that frightened people into purchasing a revelation.
We can learn plenty about false watchmen from the warning in Isaiah. I want to stress there's a difference between a watchman who is learning the ropes or even one who steps into presumption and a false watchman. That's why books like this are so important. God is raising up a new generation of watchmen, and they need training.
BLIND AS A BAT
False watchmen are blind, figuratively speaking. They can't see what God would show them because they are
either not watching or they are puffed up with vain imaginations. That's right, false watchmen often don't watch. They take the title but they don't operate in the function. If they would look, they could be of service to heaven, but they don't watch and pray. Often, false watchmen fabricate visions. Paul warned:
Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God (Colossians 2:18-19).
The connotation of blind in this verse also speaks to being unable to discern the signs of the times. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not discerning the signs of the times:
When it is evening you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red"; and in the morning, "It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening." Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.' And He left them and departed (Matthew 16:2-4).
If Jesus called the pharisees hypocrites because they didn't discern the signs of the times, how much more so is He grieved with those who presume to be watchmen but are blind to the evil going on around them?
IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS
You've heard the cliché "ignorance is bliss." Well, that's not at all true in the realm of watching. Watchmen are supposed to see what God is showing them. The Bible calls false watchmen ignorant. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for ignorant in this verse is yada. According to The KJV Old Testament Greek Lexicon, it means "to know, to perceive and see, find out and discern, to discriminate and distinguish."
When I first read that, it startled me. Merriam-Webster's dictionary reveals the actual meaning of ignorant: "destitute of knowledge or education, lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified, resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence, unaware, uninformed." In Isaiah 56:10 God is saying the watchman should know, perceive and see, find out and discern, and discriminate and distinguish, but does not.
Ignorance is associated with hardness of heart (see Eph. 4:18). Ignorance is often related to unbelief (see 1 Tim. 1:13). Ignorance leads to sin (see Ezek. 45:20). Ignorance is also connected to foolish people (see 1 Pet. 2:15). God doesn't want us to be without knowledge or comprehension, unaware and uninformed about His Word, His ways, or satan's devices. Hosea 4:6 makes it clear: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Part of the watchman's responsibility is to release knowledge that helps God's people avert destruction.
DUMB DOGS DON'T BARK
False watchmen are dumb dogs who cannot bark. Dumb, in this sense, is not ignorant but the inability to sound the alarm and blow the trumpet. Dumb means mute, silent, or unable to speak. False watchmen may issue warnings that
come from their presumption, a false spirit, or a wrong motive, but they don't blow the trumpet to signal true warnings from God. Benson Commentary reports:
They are also slothful and negligent in instructing the people, and do not faithfully reprove them for their sins, nor warn them of their dangers, nor endeavor to keep them from errors and corruptions in doctrine, worship, and conversation, as they ought to do.
False watchmen don't truly care about the people. They are not serving the people; they are serving themselves— and part of the reason they can't bark is because sleeping dogs don't bark. Barnes Notes on the Bible offers this insight:
The idea is that probably of dreaming, or drowsing; a state of indolence and unfaithfulness to their high trust. Perhaps also there is included the idea of their being deluded by vain imaginations, and by false opinions, instead of being under the influence of truth. For it is commonly the case that false and unfaithful teachers of religion are not merely inactive; they act under the influence of deluding and delusive views—like people who are dreaming and who see nothing real.
SLEEPING AND SLUMBERING
False watchmen sleep on the job. While wet-behind-theears watchmen may fall asleep through apathy, complacency, witchcraft attacks, or waves of weariness, false watchmen regularly sleep on the job. They may brag
about how they are on a third watch, but they are hitting snooze on the spiritual alarms. By compromising with the spirit of the world, these watchmen are more comfortable sleeping through the noise of sin that's erupting all around us.
There are four stages of sleep, and each one is telling when paralleled to the spiritual realm. During stage 1, your eyes are closed and there's a reduction of activity. From a spiritual sense, this activity reduction could be caused by weariness, apathy, compromise, or sin. Our eyes are closed. We don't want to see it—we may even justify it. The good news is it's easy to wake up without much difficulty during stage 1. The bad news is this stage doesn't last long, so the opportunity to shake yourself loose from weariness, apathy, compromise, or sin is short.
Stage 2 is a light sleep. There are peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves, as the heart rate slows and body temperature decreases. At this point, experts say, the body prepares to enter deep sleep. Catch that! Your heart rate slows and your body temperature decreases. Can you see the spiritual parallel? In stage 2, your heart is not on fire for Jesus as it once was. Your love is growing cold. You are in a dangerous place.
Stages 3 and 4 are called the "deep-sleep stages." This is when you dream; this is when you are disconnected from reality. You don't see things as they really are—or you don't see anything at all. During stage 3 you may sleepwalk. It looks like you're going along with the church crowd, but you are actually sound asleep. In stage 4, voluntary muscles become paralyzed. You may not hear sounds in the waking world or respond to activity in the environment around you. If you are awakened, you may be disoriented.
INSATIABLE GREED
False watchmen have an insatiable greed, as do false prophets. As I wrote in my book Discerning Prophetic Witchcraft, the love of money is a root of all evil (see 1 Tim. 6:10). False prophets are usually associated with merchandising the saints—also known as fleecing the sheep, also known as prophetic pickpocketing.
Put another way, false prophets (and watchmen) are all about the money, money, money, money. Yes, it takes money to do ministry, but people who pursue ministry for money are ill-motivated and open themselves up to the temptation to bow to the so-called "almighty dollar" instead of the Almighty God.
False prophets aggressively market false miracles, offer manipulative prophetic words, and fabricate testimonies to steal your hard-earned money out of your pocket. These wily workmen operate in hype rather than anointing. We see false prophets merchandising people in the Old and New Testaments:
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money (Micah 3:11 MEV).
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words (2 Peter 2:1-3 MEV).
When anyone is focused more on money than on Jesus, it should be a red flag to you. Yes, ministeries have to take up offerings. But when people start calling out specific amounts
in exchange for specific breakthroughs and blessings, know that something is wrong. You can sow a faith seed, but you can't buy a blessing. Jesus paid the price so you don't have to.
SELFISH AND SELF-CENTERED
False watchmen are selfish and self-centered. Isaiah 56:11 says, "They all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory." All believers are supposed to be selfless toward the Lord—and one another. Philippians 2:4 says flat out: "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." If we're all supposed to watch out for each other, how much more so the watchman who has an anointing to watch and warn?
Selfishness is a sign of the times. Paul wrote in Second Timothy 3:2-5:
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
WRONG MOTIVES
Beyond greed, false watchmen have wrong motives ranging from control to platform to preeminence and the like. The watchman's motive should be love for God and His people. Any other motive is dangerous. Remember the boy who cried wolf? His motive was to get attention.
Philippians 2:3 warns us, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Our watchman ministry should please God even if it doesn't please man (see 1 Thess. 2:4). Service to the King and His Kingdom should motivate our watching and praying.
FULL OF PRIDE
False watchmen, like anyone else, can get puffed up in pride because knowledge puffs up (see 1 Cor. 8:1). Watchmen see things others don't see, and pride can follow. But perhaps the most troubling manifestation of pride in a watchman is a refusal to be reasoned with. The prideful watchman cannot be told he is wrong in what he saw, or how he interpreted it, or his intercession strategy.
VIOLATE SCRIPTURE
A false watchman may report sights that don't line up with Scripture. Of course, everything the watchman sees won't necessarily be found in Scripture. But it should not violate the principles of Scripture. Scripture is a watchman's friend. It helps him find intercessory prayer strategies to stand against the works of darkness.
Chapter 14
WATCHMAN ACTIVATIONS
VERY watchman needs to activate and exercise the gift and learn how to flow in the grace and anointing of God at his station. These watchman activations aim to help you move in different facets of the watchman gift with practical application. With these activations, you can start deploying your watchman anointing now.
First, a word on how to use these activations, which you'll notice are all based on Scripture. Start by setting yourself apart in your prayer room, prayer closet, in your prayer chair, or wherever is your set station to watch and pray. Climb up into your watchtower and be still. By that I mean remove all distractions, calm your mind, and engage in activities like worship or reading of the Word that will bring you into His presence.
You'll notice some of these activations, like the morning watch or night watch, are intended to be done at certain times of the day. Others, such as "Go About the City," are intended to be done in a certain location. In that case, you'll have to leave your prayer chair for an on-location station to complete the activation.
Once you are settled in, read one of the activations appropriate to the time of day, setting, or goal, and ask God to show you what you need to see. Get a journal and write down what you see and hear.
ASK GOD TO HELP YOU BE SERIOUS AND WATCHFUL
In First Peter 4:7 we read, "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers."
The watchman can grow weary at times or feel like taking a spiritual vacation, especially after seasons of spiritual warfare. God will give you times of rest, but as a watchman you must always be willing to report for duty whether or not it's convenient. If the Holy Spirit is showing you something, He's showing you so you can take a specific action. This is a sober calling.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to stand serious and watchful. Help me not to grow weary in watching but help me to become more alert and more energized as I stand in Your will at my watchtower. Help me to continue to watch and pray while I am awake and even while I am dreaming.
WATCH AND PRAY FOR ONE HOUR
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him for one hour. In Matthew 26:40 we read, "Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?'" Three times, they failed to watch and pray.
Jesus set a standard for watching an hour. Have you ever wondered, "Why one hour?" There are many schools of thought on that. Here's mine: One hour represents a spiritual discipline. As you master the one-hour watch, you are building your strength to watch and pray for extended periods of time. Think about walking on a treadmill. When you are out of shape, you may only be able to walk 15 or 20 minutes. But when you build up your endurance, you can
walk an hour or more. Start disciplining yourself to watch one hour.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to watch with the Holy Spirit for one hour. The Holy Spirit is always watching. Teach me to endure in my post long enough to outlast the enemy's attempts to hide from my spiritual eyes. Teach me to endure in my post long enough to see Your glory coming from afar.
ENGAGING IN THE MORNING WATCH
The morning watch is the fourth watch. This is the watch that awaits the dawning of the new day. This watch occurs between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Remember, one of the aims of this watch is to discern and hear what the enemy may be doing to spoil the day.
The morning watch is mentioned several times in Scripture, including Exodus 14:24:
Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.
You will find interesting spiritual dynamics in the morning watch. During this time frame, the enemy works to sabotage the day before it ever gets started. Remember, Saul sent messengers to David's house to kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam. 19:11). We have to learn to command our morning (see Job 38:12).
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me station myself at the morning watch as one who is fully awake to what the enemy has planned for the day. Show me the enemies of the cross that are arrayed to steal, kill, and destroy. Position me to stand in the gap to make up hedges the enemy is working to break through so I can thwart the assignment. Help me see what You have planned so I can come into agreement with Your will and Your Kingdom.
If you see the spirit operating, name the spirit and bind it. If not, just push back the darkness that's trying to encroach on the daylight.
NAVIGATING NIGHT WATCHES
The night watches run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. These are the first, second, third, and fourth watches you read about in "The Watches of the Watchman." Psalm 119:148 reads, "My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word." And Psalm 63:6 says, "When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches." The night watches have various purposes, from stilling your soul to engaging in warfare against powers of darkness.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I dedicate myself to You in the night watches. Like David, I will still my
soul and meditate on Your Word. Empower me to see through gross darkness into the enemy's plans so I can stand in the gap and make up the hedge to lock him out. Help me not to shrink back from the adversity I find in the night watches but to stay steady until the day breaks.
GO ABOUT THE CITY
The Bible speaks of watchmen who go about the city in Song of Solomon 3:3 and 5:7. You may have heard of prayer walking; well, you can do prayer watching just the same. Drive around your city and begin to watch. You can do this at any time of the day or night. That is, you can combine the morning watch (or any watch) with going about the city.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, as I go about the city alert me to anything that is lurking in the shadows so I can stand against it. Help me see Your plans and purposes for the city, so I can stand in agreement. Give me fresh insight as a watchman into the goings on that most don't see so I can pray without ceasing.
DEVELOP YOUR CRYING OUT SKILLS
Crying out is a skill you need to develop. It goes back to releasing the warning. In Second Samuel 18:25, "Then the watchman cried out and told the king." Before you get to a place where you cry out to the king, cry out to some of your intercessor friends to see how they receive the warning.
Let them judge it and, if necessary, help you shape your language before you report the warning to someone in authority. If you lose credibility with a leader, you could wind up in a situation where people don't believe your warnings and bad things result from ignoring the warning. Crying the right way is a skill. Master the tactics in Chapter Nine.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me master the art of crying out. Help me move with a diplomatic spirit when diplomacy is required and with an urgent spirit when urgency is demanded. Teach me how to deliver a warning in the way people will hear it and act upon it.
CALLING TO THE GATEKEEPER
Second Samuel 18:26 reads, "Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, 'There is another man, running alone!' And the king said, 'He also brings news.'" Watchmen and gatekeepers need to work symbiotically.
Who is the gatekeeper in your church? The head intercessor, head prophet, or someone who works very closely with the set man or set woman of the church. Until the watchman gains credibility with the leadership of a congregation, you will have to report to the gatekeeper and the gatekeeper will decide if and when the leadership receives the warning.
You can build a good relationship with the gatekeeper by respecting their position. They are guarding the leader from hearing information at the wrong time. Don't try to go
around the gatekeeper. Work with them. Earn their trust so they will be more inclined to share your warning.
Pray this prayer:
Father, please help me adhere to proper protocol in working with the gatekeepers who have the power to share my warnings with leaders who make strategic decisions. Give me wisdom in cooperating with the gatekeeper so that they will hear the words you have put in my mouth and handle them with care.
GROWING IN WATCHING DISCERNMENT
It's important to discern what you see in the spirit. Many Scriptures offer illustrations of watchmen reporting what they saw. It was critical that they report the right information. If they said one man was coming when it was five, the gatekeepers would not be ready. If they saw someone walking when they were running, the gatekeepers might not have the urgency to prepare. Consider these Scriptures:
So the watchman said, "I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." And the king said, "He is a good man, and comes with good news" (2 Samuel 18:27).
Then Absalom fled. And the young man who was keeping watch lifted his eyes and looked, and there, many people were coming from the road on the hillside behind him (2 Samuel 13:34).
And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone (2 Samuel 18:24).
Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company of men" (2 Kings 9:17).
So the watchman reported, saying, "He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!" (2 Kings 9:20) Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me grow in watching discernment. Help me discern clearly whether there's a friend or foe approaching. Give me the clarity of sight to see rightly and report rightly so we can prepare rightly.
WATCH YOUR MOUTH
Beyond watching in the spirit, there's another gate of which you need to be careful—your mouth gate. Psalm 141:3 pleads, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips." As a watchman, you have to know when to cry aloud, know when to report what you see to gatekeepers and kings—and know when to keep your silence.
You don't want your mouth to tip your hand to the enemy. You don't want to share the information you've picked up in the spirit with someone who might mishandle the revelation. It's not always the right time to release what you see. Many of the things you see need to be prayed
through before they are spoken out. Learning to hold your peace is a sign of watchman maturity.
Another side of this issue is gossip, slander, idle speech, and corrupt communication coming out of your mouth. If you want to be an effective mouthpiece for the Lord as a watchman, you need to keep your mouth off other people, be careful not to share your opinion in the name of the Lord, or otherwise speak words that grieve the Holy Spirit.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, set a guard over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Help me to think before I speak and to speak Spiritinspired words. Help me not to be rash, judgmental, or critical with the words of my mouth but instead to edify Your people and warn them in a right spirit.
WATCH AT THE GATES OF THE CITY
Proverbs 8:34 says, "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." There are gates in any city and some watchmen are assigned to those gates. What are the gates? Think about it practically before you think about it spiritually. A gate is an entrance or a door. Airports and seaports are gates because things come in and out. Courthouses can be gates because legislation is ruled in. Major universities can be gates because ideologies are entering minds.
There are also spiritual gates or portals. Jesus said the gate of hell shall not prevail against the church (see Matt. 16:18). Where are the gates of hell represented physically in your city? In Amsterdam, it would be the red-light district. In
Central Florida, it's an old witches' town called Cassadaga. Wherever you see a concentration of evil, the gates of hell are trying to prevail against the church in the city. This is where it's strategic for the watchman to partner with the gatekeepers in prayer at the gates.
There are also godly gates. Psalm 24:7 says, "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in." So we are not just watching for evil at the gates; we are watching for the King of Glory.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me discern the spiritual gates of the city. Help me to understand the dynamics and importance of the gates and gatekeepers so we can partner together to shut down the enemy's plans. Help me see the coming of the King into our midst so we can welcome in the King of Glory.
KEEP WATCH ON THE EVIL AND THE GOOD
Proverbs 15:3 tells us, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." And Psalm 37:32 says, "The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him." I want to reemphasize here that watchmen are to watch for evil and good. This has to be reemphasized because the watchman can become demon-focused and miss what God is doing.
As you watch, if you see evil, keep looking until you see good. Read Daniel 7, in which he has a dramatic encounter with evil. He keeps seeing evil, but he keeps on looking until he finally sees the Lord. By contrast, if you are a watchman
who only ever sees glory, keep looking until you see the enemies of glory that are seeking to disrupt people's attention or focus on Him. Although we may have a bent one way or another as watchmen, we want to walk in a balanced expression of our ministry and see all the angles so we can pray thoroughly.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me see the evil and the good. Help me not to be so mesmerized with evil that I turn away before You show me Your solutions and strategies for the evil that is lurking. Help me not be ignorant to the devil's devices to disrupt Your plans and purposes in the earth by not standing long enough on the watchtower to see the entire landscape.
WATCH OVER YOUR HOUSEHOLD
In your household, you are a gatekeeper. You decide what comes in. The enemy is roaming about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (see 1 Pet. 5:8). You must watch over your household and keep the gates locked to approaching enemies. Proverbs 31:27 says, "She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." As watchman, if we can't watch over our household, the Lord cannot trust us to watch over His household.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to watch over the ways of my household. Help me to
squash enemy attempts to infiltrate my home with accursed objects, gossip, foul entertainment, or dark powers in the atmosphere. Help me teach others in my household to watch and pray so that our dwelling is secure and filled with Your glory.
SET WATCHMEN IN PLACE
In a corporate setting, you will need to set watchmen in place. This activation may not pertain to you if you are not in a leadership position. But the principle is nevertheless valid and it's vital you understand it.
Nehemiah understood the importance of having watchmen set in place. Nehemiah 4:9 reads, "Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night." In Isaiah 21:5-6 we read:
Prepare the table, set a watchman in the tower, eat and drink. Arise, you princes, anoint the shield! For thus has the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees."
In Jeremiah 51:12, we find these instructions:
Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; make the guard strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done what He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to recognize the watchman gift on Your people so I can activate and deploy them to their proper assignments. Help me to choose the right watchmen for the right post. Help me to steward the watchmen you've sent me with wisdom so they can flourish in their role and be an asset to Your Kingdom.
WORK WITH THE WATCHERS
Daniel mentions the watchers three times in Scripture.
I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven (Daniel 4:13).
This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men (Daniel 4:17).
And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, "Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him" (Daniel 4:23).
The watchers are angels. As watchmen, you need to learn to cooperate with the ministry of angels on
assignment. When we speak the Word by inspiration of the Spirit, angels hearken to that Word to execute it in the earth (see Ps. 103:20). You can go deeper into this teaching in my School of Prayer and Intercession at schoolofthespirit.tv.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, give me a sensitivity to the presence of angels so I know when they are in my midst on assignment. Inspire my spirit to release Spirit-inspired words that the angels can pick up and war with. Teach me how to receive and cooperate with the ministry of angels.
BLOW THE TRUMPET
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand (Ezekiel 33:6).
In the natural, you have to learn to blow a trumpet. Well, technically anybody can blow it, but if you want anyone to be willing to listen to it, you need to learn the dynamics of blowing the trumpet to make a clear sound. Paul wrote these weighty words: "For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8).
It takes skill to blow the trumpet with clarity as to inspire a call to action rather than fear. It takes practice to blow the trumpet in such a way that it carries credibility and authority among those whom the sound is intended to
inspire. Listen and watch how mature watchmen release warnings.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, give me the courage to blow the trumpet loudly so that the warning reaches all those for whom it's intended. Help me to blow the trumpet with clarity so that people can understand precisely what You are saying. Help me develop my trumpet-blowing skillset by learning from those who went before me.
WATCH OVER THE NATIONS
Habakkuk 1:5 reads, "Look among the nations and watch —be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you." Habakkuk was a watchman over the nations. You may not have that same calling, but you may be called upon to watch over nations in specific situations.
Go to Google News and look at the world news. If something strikes your spirit or moves your heart, climb up in your watchtower, be still, and watch. When you're watching, write down what you see about and in nations. That will inform your intercessory prayer going forward. God will be exalted in the nations (see Ps. 46:10). If nothing else, you can pray that Psalm 46:10 prayer as reality over a nation.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me to watch over the nations like Habakkuk did. Stir my heart
toward nations that You are assigning me to in any given season. Help me climb to that height in the watchtower that I can see into the nations in the spirit and pray for Your exaltation, Your will, and Your Kingdom to come with confi-dence and authority.
WATCH TO SEE
I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected (Habakkuk 2:1).
Being a watchman doesn't make you a seer, but many watchmen will step into that seer anointing as the Lord wills for His purposes. Remember, every believer has the capacity to see in the spirit. (Check out my book The Seer Dimensions.)
As you climb up in your watchtower, ask the Lord to give you a seer's anointing. Be still and intentional about truly looking in the spirit realm. You may have to close your eyes and get in a quiet place with no distractions if you've never done this before. For 101 seer activations, check out my book Seer Activations.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, open my seer's eyes so I can see clearly in the spirit what You want to show me. Help me enter into the seer dimensions legally, through Your Spirit, and not be deceived
by familiar spirits. Help me learn to navigate the seer dimensions as I stand on my watch.
EYEING THE FOURTH WATCH
The fourth watch is from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. The fourth watch is where we awaken the dawn. This is where we experience resurrection power over our enemies as they return to hiding before the rising of the sun.
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea (Matthew 14:25).
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning—yes, more than those who watch for the morning (Psalm 130:5-6).
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me wait on You in this early watch that ushers in the break of dawn. Help me to tap into the breaker anointing to spoil the plans of the enemy so that the King of Glory can have His way in my day and in my city. Give me a love for the fourth watch.
WATCH FOR WARFARE
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
And First Peter 5:8 tells us:
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour (AMPC).
While you are watching, watch for spiritual warfare. Be intentional on seeing into the enemy's plans. Don't walk in paranoia or the "devil behind the doorknob" mentality. This is just an activation exercise. It's especially helpful when you are feeling a stirring in your spirit that the devil is lurking, but any time you watch it's good to watch out for what the enemy has up his sleeve.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me watch and see the spiritual warfare brewing in the second heavens so I can sound the alarm. Help me be well-balanced as a watchman, temperate, sober of mind, vigilant, and cautious in the spirit realm. Show me his plans to seize upon and devour so I can blow the trumpet with clarity and urgency.
ALLOW GOD TO WAKE YOU TO WATCH
"Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:6). Although Paul was speaking of spiritual slumber, this also translates to natural slumber. At times, God will wake you up to watch and pray. Remember how the disciples Peter, James, and John kept falling asleep
in the Garden of Gethsemane even after Jesus asked them to keep watch with Him? We don't want that to be us.
When the Lord gives us a charge to watch, we must be willing to rise up from our slumber—even if we stay in our pajamas—and watch with Him. You can be assured when He wakes you from restful sleep to stand on the night watch that He will show you something significant and He will make up for the sleep you lost supernaturally.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me not to roll over and hit the spiritual snooze button when You are calling me to rise up and watch with You. Help me cultivate the discipline and sensitivity to the Spirit to watch with You in the night, even when I am in a dead sleep. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.
PRACTICE BEING WATCHFUL IN ALL THINGS
A watchman is a watchman all the time. You don't turn it on or turn it off. It's your vocation. In Ephesians 4:1, Paul the apostle urges us to walk worthy of our calling. That means being watchful in all things at all times. Second Timothy 4:5 admonishes us, "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions…fulfill your ministry."
This means to be watchful at work. It means to be watchful driving around. It means being watchful in church. You never stop watching. You never allow your eyes to grow dim. Consider The Passion Translation of Ephesians 4:1: "As a prisoner of the Lord, I plead with you to walk holy, in a way that is suitable to your high rank, given to you in your
divine calling." As a watchman, you have a high rank and a divine call.
Pray this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to be watchful in all things. Help me practice the spiritual craft You have entrusted me with perseverance and purity. Help me endure the afflictions of the watchman's vocation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ENNIFER LECLAIRE is the senior leader of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founder of the Ignite Network, and founder of the Awakening Blaze prayer movement. She formerly served as the first female editor of Charisma magazine and is a prolific author of more than 25 books.
You can find Jennifer online or send her an
email at [email protected].
Destiny Image Books by Jennifer LeClaire
Discerning Prophetic Witchcraft
Your End Times Prayer Secret
Victory Decrees
The Seer Dimensions
The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Water
Spirits
