Teaching the Children
By Watchman | March 10, 2010
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
The results of a study were recently released that categorized the chief wants and desires of America’s young people. The survey found that the greatest desire in life for most of the young is for wealth, closely followed by the desire for fame. Fed by a plethora of reality shows making at least transient stars of people who often have little to recommend them except their undeniable good looks, and untrammeled by the “obsolete” values of morality and Godliness, we have managed to raise a majority of the younger generation with no clue as to the real definition of what it means to be successful in life. Will they achieve the desires of their hearts, or will they find only the emptiness that comes from a life lived only for one’s feelings of greed and/or enjoyment? King Solomon, in chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes tells us that “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?” In other words, when money and fame are the true desires of the heart, there will never be enough: never enough money, never enough fame, never enough adulation. And yet, these are the things we have taught our children and grandchildren to lust after, instead of teaching them the love of those things which God has commanded of us.
Topics: A Special Word for Today, Kingdom Living | No Comments »
“My People Have Committed Two Evils”
By Watchman | March 1, 2010
“But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate,” says the Lord. “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:11-13)
“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “return to Me; and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory.” (Jer. 4:1-2)
O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return. ( Jeremiah 5:3)
“Do you not fear Me?” says the Lord. “Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it. But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; they have revolted and departed. They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’ Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld good from you.” (Jer. 5:22-25)
Jesus Christ is the same; yesterday, today and forever. What has been is what is and what shall be. As I have said before, many times, the words of God in the Old Testament still stand today, and the words of warning given to Jeremiah the prophet for the Israelites when they turned against the God Who had set them free are given to us today as well. Like Israel, America is a nation that has been specially blessed by the Father to be a light to the world. We were created to be a nation that would lighten the spiritual darkness that pervaded so much of the earth and, despite some inevitable weaknesses and evils, in the early part of our history, we did just that. Like ancient Israel, however, we have turned away from the One Who gives us our very being, and our sins are now withholding good from us. We have committed the same two evils: we have forsaken Him who is the fountain of living waters and tried to replace Him with broken cisterns that cannot quench our thirst.
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The Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living
By Watchman | February 23, 2010
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:1-3)
”The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid…Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear…For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord…I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the Lord.” (Psalm 27, verses 1, 3, 5, 6, 13, 14.)
Beloved children of God, we will indeed see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I believe this because we are told in Scripture that that is a reality, and Paul tells us in the 2nd letter to Timothy that ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God–for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. Life is difficult right now, but we will soon see the goodness of the Lord. Jobs are lost, money is non-existant in many cases, cupboads are emptying and diseases and ill-health have stricken many, but we will soon see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
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The Praise of Men vs the Praise of God
By Watchman | February 2, 2010
“Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Then Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him–the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.’ “ (John 12:42-50)
Scripture tells us that some of the temple rulers in Jesus’ day did indeed believe Him to be Who He said He was, but that they were fearful of the reaction of others. They were fearful of losing their positions within the temple heirarchy more than they were fearful of offending God. When we contemplate what God accomplished on earth through His most precious Son–the salvation He brought us, the right He freely gave us to stand before Him clean and holy despite our sins and iniquities by covering us with Jesus’ shed blood–it seems impossible that the temple authorities could have been more covetous of man’s praise than of the praise of God. Yet here we stand, two thousand years later, and many of us who believe in Him must say with them that we dare not speak the truth of Christ because we love the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Topics: A Special Word for Today, Kingdom Living | No Comments »
If You Continue in My Word…
By Watchman | January 25, 2010
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)
…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
Beloved friends, in an earlier post about the covenants God has made with man, I pointed out that while some covenants were unconditional, depending only on God’s willingness to bestow them; some were conditional, and needed man to perform his part in the “if/then” covenant. There has been so much talk lately, even within the confines of the church, about Jesus bearing the sins of all so that no one will be condemned. In other words, the new covenant which was birthed in the person of Jesus is an unconditional one which makes no demands upon His people. As a result of this refusal to trust in the words of our Lord, many people who call themselves Christians will die in their sins, for lack of knowledge.
Topics: A Special Word for Today, According to Scripture | No Comments »
I Will Sing and Give Praise
By Watchman | January 11, 2010
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You: And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.
I will cry out to God Most High, to God Who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.” –
Psalm 57:1-3
Lord, it’s 18 degrees outside and my furnace hasn’t worked in nearly two weeks, yet will I trust in You!
Lord, the mortgage isn’t paid, and there is no way to pay it, yet will I praise Your Name and lift You up, for You are God Most High!
Lord, my car is unsafe to drive and yet must be driven; yet will my heart swell with gratitude and thanks for the great gifts You have given me and the unfailing love and mercy You have shown me!
Lord, the enemy has overwhelmed me and stolen from me what You have designated for my use: send now from heaven, and save me from reproach!
Lord, the enemy whispers in my ear, “I have won; God no longer hears your cry”, yet will I sing and give You praise (Psa. 57:7), for You are the God of my salvation and the Lord of my life!
Lord, I lift up praises to You in the snow and the cold, and I lift them up in the sun and the warmth.
Lord, I lift up worship to You in the dark and in the depths of the pit, as I lift up worship to You in the light and in the full presence of Your glory!
Hear my cry, O Lord, and accept my adoration and my worship; for You are God and Lord of all, and in You alone do I put my trust!
Maranatha!
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On the First Day of Christmas…
By Watchman | December 22, 2009
“On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, five gold rings, 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtledoves, and a Partridge in a pear tree.–Old Irish Carol
Growing up, I never considered the origins of the 12 Days of Christmas (although the British produced a wonderfully funny short movie–I think in the ’40s–showing what a household would look like as these gifts arrived), and it certainly never occurred to me that the roots of this carol were Christian in nature. As a young adult I learned it dated back to the ancient days when England was in the midst of a scourge of Catholicism. Whoever was at the helm of the various European monarchies also determined the official religious leanings of the empires, often resulting in extreme persecution for whichever branch of Christianity–Catholicism or Protestantism–was not in favor at the moment. Needless to say, God never intended for these persecutions to take place, but with the leaders of the church and the leaders of the empires somewhat entwined and so much power reposing on these leaders, it was perhaps inevitable that they would occur. At any rate, although I had learned that “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was a carol written in code by a Catholic who used it to teach church doctrine under the guise of a secular song, I didn’t know what each of the “gifts” represented. However, a few years ago I discovered the meaning in a novel by author Emma Jensen:
12 drummers drumming=the 12 articles of the Apostles’ Creed
11 pipers piping=11 faithful apostles
10 lords a-leaping=the 10 Commandments
9 ladies dancing=9 orders of angels
8 maids a-milking=eight beatitudes
7 swans a-swimming=the 7 sacraments
6 geese a-laying=the 6 days of creation
5 gold rings=the first 5 books of the OT (the Torah)
4 calling birds=the 4 Gospels
3 French hens=Faith, Hope and Charity (Love)
2 turtledoves=the Old and New Testaments
Partridge in a pear tree–Christ in the manger, or alternatively on the cross.
No matter what denomination one adheres to, it is clear that this lovely and clever coded Christmas carol has found a permanent place in the hearts of people everywhere!
Merry Christmas!
Topics: Special Seasons of Worship | 1 Comment »
Let Loving Hearts Enthrone Him
By Watchman | December 17, 2009
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh; come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of Kings salvation brings; Let loving hearts enthrone Him.–”What Child is This”
Satan knew since the time written of in Genesis 3 (“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel”) that a child would one day be born of a woman who would bring about the deliverance of God’s people. It was his demonic desire all along to kill the Son of the Most High–this determination of his was apparent in Herod’s determination to kill all children two years old and younger in order to slay the coming king who posed, he believed, a threat to his future rule (Matthew 2:16). It was in the serpent’s message to “if You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down” from the pinnacle of the temple (Luke 4). Satan’s influence was in the crowd in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:29) that sought to kill Jesus by casting Him off the side of a hill.
What Satan could not know, since God the Father kept the plan of redemption secret from the beginning of time, was the effect of the atoning Blood of the Lamb of God. Jesus (Who’s Hebrew name was Yeshua) was born in a stable in Bethlehem in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies. He was the Light of the world; Love come down in human form–and He came to die. Every breath He breathed, every step He took, every word He preached and every person whose life He touched led the Messiah Yeshua to the cross. It was His destiny and His divine will.
Topics: Special Seasons of Worship | No Comments »
Let Your Light Shine at Christmas
By Watchman | December 7, 2009
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
“…Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
I have received several e-mails so far this year from Christian groups suggesting that we boycott stores and companies that prefer their employees to wish us “Happy Holidays” instead of a “Merry Christmas.” Those of you who have left your names and e-mail addresses on the websites of several Christian/family ministries have probably gotten at least one of these requests yourselves. Since I, too, have been disgusted with the current trend toward not being allowed to hear the name of my Lord spoken in public, I have some sympathy for those who think we should put unofficial economic sanctions on those companies who cave on the altar of political correctness. However, while I know many of those who are advocating boycotts are good and Godly people, I respectfully disagree with their conclusion that this is the best way of trying to put Christ back into Christmas. Indeed, I fear that these attempts to fight the “War against Christmas” may actually be robbing us of the privilege and opportunity to be effective messengers of this joyful season.
Topics: Special Seasons of Worship | 2 Comments »
Give Thanks
By Watchman | November 24, 2009
”Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son!”
–Henry Smith
I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed with difficulties lately, and my feelings of inner peace and joy that come with a life lived in the fullness of the Lord have been rapidly diminishing. I knew I’d been doing something that was wrong, or I’d never have let myself get into that kind of a spiritual pass, and prayed that the Lord might show me a way out of the heaviness of heart. You’ve really got to love God: He always comes through and remains faithful even when we do and say things that must hurt or annoy Him deeply! The next morning, I turned on the TV and Kenneth Hagen was preaching on discouragement. I’ve only seen him once or twice before, and so don’t know if he’s doctrinally sound most of the time or not , but I immediately realized that the Holy Spirit had led me to turn on the TV just then because Pastor Hagen was speaking to my heart.
Quoting someone else to whom I would give credit had I caught the name, Hagen said that there are three things that can destroy your peace:
1. Regret over the mistakes of the past,
2. Anxieties over future worries and
3. Ingratitude over today’s blessings.
“Seeds of discouragement,” he said, “will not grow in a thankful heart.” What a blessing to hear and what a help!
Topics: Special Seasons of Worship | 1 Comment »
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