the watcher

Psalm 105:1&2  O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. As we conclude another year, it is wise to look back at what the Lord has done and give Him thanks, firstly of course that we are among the living. We must remember that any other thing matters only after we have life.  The year came as many others did, some with full joy, some mourned a lost one, some had high hopes of great things ahead, many looked for a new thing. Well, the year had its own package and met every single human with surprise, for our daily lifestyle was altered.  No matter the shocker the year brought, the Lord is yet in control and He is the master of new things: Isaiah 43:18-19 “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?  I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create ri

Hebrews 1:5-6,8,10 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:  “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”God also said,  “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.” And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,  “Let all of God’s angels worship him.” But to the Son he says,  “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. He also says to the Son,  “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. We must understand the person of the Son. He existed with the Father at the beginning and it was through Him that the Father created all things. John 1:1-4. Read through Hebrews 1: 1-14, you will understand the person of Christ and how God addressed Him. Yes the prophesy called Him servant, remember that in doing God's will as we learnt days ago, "you serve" the same way we are His children but we are also His servants cause "we serve". The Lord gi

Hebrews 1:2-3 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. Everyday is a good day to give God the glory. For what He did for us through His Son is no small sacrifice.  All prophets prophesied till John the Baptist after that no other prophet exists, except as one speaking of Christ. Christ has become all in all.  Hebrews 1:1-2 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. Colossians 3:11  Where there is neither G

Jude 1:24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. We have a choice, to choose between life and death, to decide if we spend our eternity in the glorious presence of our Heavenly Father or in tears and regret. However, the Lord has the ultimate decision.  The bible records of a king, Ahab who tried to outsmart God. He kept doing that which was abominable and working in disobedience also with the encouragement of his wife Jezebel, when he was confronted he quickly becomes sober, but eventually awakes and continue to do wrong. He was playing away with God's mercy. He was eventually dealt with. 1Kings 20:35-43, 21:1-29, 22:19-28. We must understand that the first thing the Lord is interested in is our heart. Yes the Lord is ready to help us, He is willing to empower us to live faithfully to the end but is our heart totally for Him.  1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do

Isaiah 54:17 But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed.  You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you.  These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken! Certain positions carry certain privileges, this also applies in the spirit realm. For those called of the Lord, they are His servants and there are privileges attached to this position.  Now when we say servants it indicates that we serve the Lord, it does not negate our being His children but emphasizes that we work for Him. Just like a son working in His Father's company. The Messiah said: John 10:36-37 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. John 5:17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So every child of God is employed into the Kingdom business where we serve the

Jude 1:20-21 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. As the world celebrates the birth of the Messiah (whether they know Him or not) the reflection should be on the essence of the coming.  John 10:10b I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. For as we saw yesterday, love was the reason for His coming. The expression of His love was to bring us out of death into life. This love God expressed towards man was in Yeshua, Jesus the Christ. He was the definition of love.  For man died when he disobeyed, for he chose death. The condition was made clear to him "the day you eat this fruit, you die". Thus man chose death in disobedience. Of course man cannot save himself, no one could save man except the creator Himself, thus Christ had to

Matthew 1:21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 1 Timothy 1:15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. This is what the whole world remembers today, that the Heavenly Father is not just the Man up there, but a loving Father who cares for His creation and reaches out to them even though they had sinned.  So we rejoice and give thanks, for love was the reason He came.  Thank you Dear Father.  He calls us blessed.  Love  @the watcher. 

Jude 1:16 These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. When you read through the book of Jude from verses 12 to 16, you see a description of a set of people with terrible character who have infiltrated the church. Their character pointing to the fact that they do not love the Lord and the whole essence of their commitment is personal gain.  Jude 1:11 What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion. Most of them do not mind deceiving others, for there agenda is far away from that of the Lord. Their character is far from that which is the nature of the Holy Spirit, remember what Christ said: Matthew 7:20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. They could be with you in fellowship, but

Jude 1:4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Definitely, no one has ever taught that in scriptures, not the prophets, not Christ neither any of His disciples, definitely not Paul. Let us listen to them: Enoch: Jude 1:4,14-15 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done

Jude 1:1b I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. Coming to the end of the year what the whole world has in mind is Christmas. Of course it is not the exact date of His birth physically on earth for no one knows the exact date, but we know He was born.  Yes it has been secularized, in that a lot of fiction has been added to it, "father christmas", "santa claus", "the reindeer " etc. The main point is that someone can ask, what is the noise all about? The noise is about "joy to the world", "glad tidings", etc Then you can tell the story of the one who came and his coming caused a shaking to king Herod, a restlessness to the Jewish leaders and confusion to the powers of darkness.  The same way people like Abraham taught his children about the Lord, though surrounded by so many pagans.  His coming made man relevant again, for the wondered why man was created

Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Christ finished the work after the resurrection and the mandate was for His disciples to continue. We must understand that when God created man, be made him to create other men. He did not have to create again, he gave this power to man.  Genesis 1:27-28 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created the conducive environment then empowered ma

Matthew 28:6,9 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. This issue of resurrection is the crux of the Christian faith, for if He did not rise, there would have been no salvation. This is why a lot of people and powers try so hard to disprove it. We will see that much later.  For the main problem of man was death, of course death came as a result of sin. Thus to overcome death one had to die to confront death in its own domain then overcome it.  Acts 2:23-24 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. For man went into the bondage of death, so Christ who was like the ne

Matthew 27:64-66 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it. How hard they tried, even after his death they wanted to end everything about Him, what they didn't know was that it was just the beginning.  They come after you, they thought they have won but they do not know that the Lord is just beginning with you.  Psalms 70:2-3 May those who try to kill me be humiliated and put to shame.  May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace. Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!” Psalms 35:19 Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. As we saw

 Matthew 27:59-60 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. There was tears and sorrow He had died. How painful these exists are, I should know my father just left the scene.  Christ was rejected by all, the entirety of His followers either fled or stayed cowed through the suffering because of the intimidation of His oppressors. Many forgot all the good He did for them Acts 10:38. The healings, the miraculous feeding, resurrection from the dead, deliverance from demons and the pure teaching of the word. Some foolishly joined the mockery.  All left except extremely few including the Marys who prepared His body. He was abandoned yet He was finally buried in a rich man's tomb. It was divinely planned.  In all, God’s will must be done. No matter how the opposition takes us round circles, it is just for a season, that good wh

Matthew 27:50-52,54 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” After all said and done, the truth will be revealed and what is the truth? Jesus brought the truth.  John 8:40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. He was the truth: John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. The manifestation at the site of Christ's crucifixion showed those who witnessed it that He was no ordinary man.  Matthew 27:54 The Roman officer and the oth

Matthew 27:42-44 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way. What was His offence? He called Himself the Son of God. The further went ahead to call Him the king of the Jews, for whoever was to save had to be a king.  You will appreciate the impact of this when you see Herod's response when he heard a king was born. It was similar to the same effect it had on Pharaoh when it occured to him that Israel may rise against the Egyptians. Both fear led to the massacre of innocent children.  If only they knew! 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the

Matthew 27:27-31 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. A whole regiment! On one man!  What are they trained for? To kill and torture, they ought to fight  with other trained men. Yet a regiment came to deal with one man, imagine the pain, the inhumanity, the torment on one man. (Note: A regiment consist of battalions)  Why was all these necessary?  Isaiah 53:3-5 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.  We turned our ba

Matthew 27:11-14 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.Jesus replied, “You have said it.” But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise. It is easy to go with the flow when you know what the will of the Lord is, for in this generation it seems that we are too carried away with the things of this life that we do not even know when to let things be.  Christ ascertained who He was, the other things being said didn't matter to Him, His focus was on the cross, so He endured all the accusations.  1 Peter 4:14-16 If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, m

Matthew 27:7-8 After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. To do wrong may at first look juicy. It is most likely just for that moment. That stolen moment may look like what you cannot do without, that vengeance, that desire to get even or to get satisfaction. Wait, it is all a mirage.  Proverbs 20:17 Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth. This is what Judas must have felt after he had betrayed Christ. Going with the account of Matthew, he became remorseful, however before then it looked like a perfect plan till when it was now time to dine, just like Proverbs says it becomes like gravel in the mouth.  How many people have destroyed their lives and that of others by just a wave of pleasure, and outburst of immorality, or moment of anger, it could also be as a result of being under the influence of alcohol or other substances. That

Matthew 26:34-35,74-75 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly. It is all so exciting, you feel so passionate and on top of the game till you meet opposition, threat or persecution.  1 Corinthians 10:11-12 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. Peter was so sure of his faithfulness to the Messiah, he and the other disciples swore that they would neither deny Him or leave Hi

Matthew 26:63-64 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Now the deed had been done, the Messiah was arrested, false testifiers were called to testify against Him. It just didn't stick.  Remember Daniel, the sought from morning till evening looking for a fault against him they couldn't find. They understood that the only way to get Him was to come concerning His God.  So the high priest had to ask directly who He was. . .  Listen to Paul: 2 Timothy 2:13(NLT)  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. 2Timothy 2:13 (KJV)  If we believe not, [yet] he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. I have had cause both face to face and on social media to deal with religious people and

Matthew 26:52,54,56 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled. One peak moment of the believers journey is when they can clearly hear the voice of the Lord. It has three components direct revelation, dreams and visions. No matter which it is, there must always be one clarifier - the Word of God.  This gives you the confidence to take the step. We must not forget that without the word, faith cannot be.  Romans 10:17  So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Having in mind that Christ Jesus is the Word of God.  It is simple, you either believe or you do not.  So Christ went up with three other disciples leaving the others. He asked the three to watch with Him as He went further to pr

Matthew 26:36,40-41,44 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. I used to wonder why Jesus had to pray at all, He was God in the flesh, that is the word made flesh. Wait, He was actually human for He left all His glory and took up flesh, which gave Him a legal right to live on earth and through this right He took back the authority man lost at the garden of eden.  One needs to understand that God Himself is just.  If only we had a clue of what Christ did for us: 1 Peter 2:21-23 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his step

Matthew 26:33,35 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. So arrogantly sure, you might say, but really one could be passionate of the battle till the battle begins.  This is why it is dangerous to lead one to Christ with what He did not promise. He did not call us into earthly pleasures but eternal inheritance. That is, we gain here but with persecution and eternally with no more tears. Selah Mark 10:30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Yes, there are so many blessings the Lord promises us here on

Matthew 26:27-28 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. There are quite a few things Christ instructed that we should do in remembrance of Him, one of them is the communion. It is not about the eating of the bread or the drinking of the wine but the significance of the sacrifice. For you can take the communion all you can but if you have not received the new birth and walk in obedience to His word, you drink to condemnation.  Remember that Judas also sat at the table. Selah Luke 22:19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” The communion is the new passover, for the same way the blood at the door post(which was a sign of later deliveran

Matthew 26:15-16 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. You may not be able to control the thoughts that prompt on your mind, they are so many sources of initial thoughts, they could be what you hear, see, or even the enemy dropping things. However, you can control what you retain.  See most times they just don't come, they keep building over time till they have a strong hold.  The chorus of the song "slow fade" by Casting Crowns, comes to mind: *It's a slow fade When you give yourself away It's a slow fade When black and white have turned to gray And thoughts invade, choices made A price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day* The enemy as Christ revealed had dropped the thought of betrayal in the mind of Judas, well it was up to him to accept or reject. James 4:7 So humble yourselves before G

Matthew 26:7-8,12-13 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” The alabaster box is known to be a precious stone, it was used to make the jar in which women of that time kept precious oils and perfumes, they were well sealed and thus kept the oils fresh till the time of use.  Of course they were expensive just as we read of the disciple's concern when this woman poured the oil of Christ Jesus. However, Christ who saw beyond their limited knowledge said His body was being prepared for burial.  A question comes to mind. How much of ourselves have we released to the Lord?  The woman who did this beautiful act, was referred to by one of the go

Matthew 26:2-4 “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. When you watch a movie that has been shown to you previously or watch a football match that you already know the final score, you are not too emotionally neither do you get over excited because you already know the outcome before it ends.  Christ's disciples wondered at His calmness as He told them about His death, He knew why He came.  Matthew 20:28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Of course this did not make the task easy or the pain mild yet the fact that He knew, made Him keep His mind on the goal. The enemies thought they were wise, they hid to plan His death, however they did not know that their evil plan was yet to fulfil God&#

Matthew 25:44-45 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ When we say that "it is by grace that we have been saved through faith", the faith is a doing word. The faith is active, your faith causes you to have His nature and obey His commands.  The summary of God’s commandments is love.  Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” And of cause God's nature is love 1 John 4:8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. And the evidence of us being

Matthew 25:29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. To give excuses is easy for there will be reasons why one do not do what they are called to do.  The call of Christ is not into idleness or mediocrity but unto good works. When Christ called Peter and his brethren out of fishing for fish, it was for them to fish for men.  John 5:17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” Work is done for profit, no one invests money to get a loss, all investments is meant for good return. In the parable we look at today, christ tells us of three servants given, five, two and one amount of money.  What was the master's expectation? Profit!  1 Corinthians 12:7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The Lord has not endowed us just to flaunt it or gifted us to stay dormant. NO. He expects us to use the

Matthew 25:10,13 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. Can we remember opportunities we have missed? When we look back at our journey through life, we would recollect opportunities that came our way that we did not utilized fully or we outrightly missed. Some could be so significant that we wish we could turn back the hands of time. It could be concerning our career, acquiring of skills, education, marriage or even about job opportunities.  One of my Sunday school teachers in a later meeting said: "I am what I am today because of what I did or did not do yesterday",  I further go ahead to add that "I will be what I am tomorrow because of what I did or did not do today".  For a pastor said some time ago "Favour = Opportunity + preparedness".  For there are opportuniti