A Reminder: Watching and Warning

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

I was very much encouraged by a Roger Oakland article originally posted 3/28/19 titled: “The Jeremiah Calling: Watching and Warning.”

As believers, we are called to watch and warn. The section in the article that really stood out (as having ongoing relevance today and exhorted me to keep steadfastly fighting the good fight of the faith, no matter what) was the following:

Warrior, Watchman, and Witness
The Jeremiah Calling is still in place today. In other words, God still raises up watchmen to warn of impending judgment when God’s people are willfully disobedient. God is speaking to his people to be warriors for the truth. This does not mean to attack unbelievers and apostate deceivers with a sword. No. What this means is that we should be the kind of warriors who use the Word as the sword. . . .

A warrior is one who is willing to lay down his or her life for the truth. This is what Jesus did. Few are willing to lay down their lives today and risk their lives to take a stand, whatever the cost. Few are willing to pick up their cross and follow Him. But Jesus told His disciples:

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Mathew 16:24)” . . .

A watchman is someone always prepared to be on the wall looking toward the horizon to see if danger is coming. Sometimes those who are supposed to be watching have instead grown weary or aged and have fallen asleep. Others have been sidetracked by the cares of the world or the attraction of money, power, and possessions. They no longer see spiritual danger. This is very tragic indeed. Often when this happens, God will simply raise up other watchmen.

A witness is someone who will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah laid the foundation for the Gospel by pointing the people of his day to God’s Word, which is the truth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is based on the truth, which is the Word of God; therefore, Jeremiah was a true witness for the Lord. . . .

May we all be exhorted and reminded this day that we are called to be a “warrior, watchman, and witness.” If we are weary in the fight, He will give us His strength. If we are downcast, He will lift our hearts and minds unto Him: He knows all things, and He can do all things, and He is in control of all things (ultimately). When we are weak, He is strong. When we are afraid, He will help us overcome our fears. When we doubt, He will remind us of who He is: the Almighty, All-Powerful, God of the Bible, who knows all things and can do all things.

May we be like Joshua and Caleb who refused to let the daunting/seemingly impossible task of conquering Canaan (which God promised them He would help them do) derail their obedience to God’s will. Joshua and Caleb chose to believe what God said and believe God’s perspective on the daunting situation (not man’s perspective, or a natural/worldly perspective). They refused to let unbelief and fear undermine their obedience to God’s will.

And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:25-33, emphasis added)


And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. (Numbers 14:1-9; emphasis mine)

In these times, the Lord will continue to fulfill HIs word. All the future prophecies in His word, will be fulfilled, exactly as He has said (just like the past prophecies were fulfilled, exactly as He said).  While we wait upon Him to fulfill His word, may we continue to watch and work, and continue to shine His light in the spiritual darkness. God will continue to strengthen, and feed His flock with His powerful, life-giving word (even in the midst of the backslidden and apostate church)..and His gospel will continue saving souls: one man, one woman, one boy, one girl at a time…until He comes again…

Standing in His grace and the power of His might,
L. Sharp

(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)