As we continue with studying the duties and methods of being watchmen, we want to understand how these are related to growing in the nature of Christ. The most effective watchmen are not motivated by fear, but by love for those they are protecting. As we are told in I Timothy 1:5: “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
This should be our goal in everything we do, including becoming skilled watchmen. We want our increasing devotion to protecting people to be motivated more by our increasing love for them than out of fear of the enemy. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.” Love is the foundation of “real knowledge” and “all discernment.” Fear and suspicion are not a basis of discernment, but abounding love is.
As we are told in I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” We must keep this in mind as we start to cover threat analysis. The first thing we must guard is our own hearts, and we guard them against any fear or hatred that would seek to gain entry to them. If we sense this is starting to happen, we may need to back off from this duty for a time to re-fortify ourselves in the Lord and His love for us, and for our enemies that threaten us.
Some Christians cannot face anything negative. Some teachings in recent times have conditioned people to not be able to hear anything that does not make them feel good. This whole mindset is contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. It is contrary to the prophetic warnings about the end of this age. Those who have embraced these teachings tend to fall away when something negative happens to them, but some wake up to how they were deceived. Those who awaken from this delusion can become strong and become overcomers in what is unfolding.
We now have no time to waste with those who would consume most of our time and attention but bear little or no fruit. One of the greatest threats to the body of Christ that is more dangerous than false prophets, false teachers, or even false shepherds, is “false brethren.” These are people who pretend to be believers, and may truly think they are, but they are led by the enemy and have been sent to wear out the saints. They can take so much of our time and attention that we get distracted from those we are called to serve, or other duties we have. Jude called them “clouds without water” (see Jude 1:12), because they never produce any fruit, and our time with them will be wasted.
The true love of God loves and serves those He has called us to, and does not get distracted by those He has not called us to. We will be criticized and attacked far more if we’re doing the Lord’s will than we will if we give ourselves to pleasing people, but as Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10: “If I were still seeking to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” The more devoted we are to pleasing people, the more easily distracted we will be from the will of God.
How did Jesus, who is God, who is love, step over all of those hurting people that He could have easily healed to heal just the one man at the Pool of Siloam? He did that because He only did what the Father showed Him, not what He could have done. If we are going to be obedient to Him so that we can be trusted with that kind of authority, we are going to have to learn to only do what He shows us to do and not respond to all the things we could do.
So, being a good watchman begins with watching over our own heart, and discerning anything that would distract us from the will of God. Far more people will be helped by us if we have this resolve than if we get drawn into doing things He did not call us to do.
© 2021 Rick Joyner. All Right Reserved.
