PROPHETIC WATCHMEN (2)

“So you, son of man: I have made you a WATCHMAN for the house of Israel, therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me” – Ezekiel 33:7

PROPHETIC WATCHMEN not only focus on looking for the enemy, but essentially, serve the Lord: “So you, son of man: I have made you a WATCHMAN for the house of Israel, therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me” (Eze.33:7). God makes watchmen! As the prophetic ministry is being restored to its place in the Body of Christ, being a watchman becomes more important to understand and function in. Prophets were called watchmen because they basically functioned in the spiritual realm, just like the sentinels did in the natural.

Usually positioned on the walls, watchmen had clear visibility of the coming of the king or other nobles, in order to announce their coming. They were also to watch for enemies and any disorder arising within the city or camp of Israel. This was a position of great responsibility for which unusual accuracy and reliability were required, and only those with the best vision and judgment were appointed. They had to be accurate in discernment and not overly prone to sound the alarm or to request that the gates be opened. If there were too many false alarms, the people would begin to disregard them. If they were careless and let an enemy in the gate, they could jeopardize the whole city.

True watchmen see from the Lord’s perspective – in Faith, not fear. Prophetic warnings can be very useful, able to save people from awful setbacks. However, one must be wary of any warning that has a spirit of fear attached to it. God is never afraid of the enemy. He is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands and worrying about anything. He sees the end of all things. He is in absolute control of His Universe. Therefore, prophetic watchmen must learn to walk in the Light of Faith, not in the darkness of fear, cautious of substituting suspicion for true discernment. True discernment operates by godly love: “God is Love” and “Perfect love casts out fear” (1Jh. 4:8,18).

The paranoia that can be sown into the Body could be far more damaging than the supposed attacks fear-laden warnings claim to be protecting us from. Warnings that emanate from the Spirit of God would see attacks or problems as opportunities for victory, rather than something to dread. The primary focus of the prophetic ministry is to prepare the way for the King, not to look for the enemy.

Prophetic Watchmen are not mean-spirited, critical “fault-finders” who spread fear and sow division: “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts” (Jude 16a). Folks who behold the glory of the Lord, will be changed into His image (2 Cor.3:18). Those who spend more time looking at the enemy, will be changed into Satan’s image and end up as accusers of the brethren.