the watcher

2 Chronicles 1:2-3,6-7 Solomon called together all the leaders of Israel—the generals and captains of the army, the judges, and all the political and clan leaders. Then he led the entire assembly to the place of worship in Gibeon, for God’s Tabernacle was located there. (This was the Tabernacle that Moses, the lord’s servant, had made in the wilderness.) There in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the Lord’s presence and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it. That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” You begin a new programme, start a new home, a new project, a new job, a new position, etc. My friend - "Start with God". Solomon knew this and that is why he recorded: Proverbs 3:5-6,8-10 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for yo

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. These are the times of explosion of wisdom and revelations. Wisdom is released and sources of information abound, just from the comfort of your home you get access to information from all parts of the world and also have access to archives of history. (Yet many are ignorant of important things, Selah) At a time like this people question the very basis of the faith, they have access to other things they therefore want to compare and just as Solomon stated: Ecclesiastes 12:12 But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. Some have replaced the truth with the love of the world and the things of the world because they do not see the eternal but only the temporal. Emotions, sentiments and philosoph

John 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. The agenda of the enemy, "satan" or the "devil", is to take our hearts away from God. He wants us to focus on him, or that which is his. The battle had always been for the soul(mind, heart, intellect, emotion) of man, even from the garden of eden when he caused man to die spiritually thereby being separated from God. Man now has to battle with what he once had dominion over. What a loss! Knowing this, we who have been saved must not fall into the same error, we must not give in to his gimmicks. 1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. We must not give our heart or soul to him. Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. If life is lost or contaminated then death is the outcome. Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked a

John 6:46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. In the beginning God created heaven and earth . . . the presence of other persons was not reflected till we come to the creation of man Gen 1:25 -26 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." We see then that when God was to make us He had to reveal His personality that is, it was not just the will of God as the Father but involving the Son and the Holy Spirit. It will remain a mystery to those who are yet to believe and be saved. Look at the book of John John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word

1 Chronicles 29:1,9 Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy. Listen, there is a great chaos in the church today and its origin is not far fetched. Yes the enemy fights the church, but one enemy or would I call it rebel against God is Mammon! Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. David had the passion and goal of building God's temple in Israel, however, he received God's message that he couldn't because of the many battles he had fought, however his son would build it. Dav

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. Where does your strength lie? After all said and done, one will need to prove where one's strength lies. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. Challenges, trials, in times of peace, when at work or when one is at rest. Where your anchor is rested will definitely be questioned and tested. David was a king with great military might and with soldiers who could give their lives for him yet he said: Psalms 20:7& 8 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Isaiah said: Isaiah 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the

Psalms 143:8 Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I do trust in You; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Do you know that God loves you? Do you think about it and carry that consciousness? Before your mind goes to worries or anything you think the Lord has not done for you, first remember that you: * are alive today * are in good health * have food and can eat * have sense organs and can use them * have people around us, and we can communicate with them * have something to act on (even worry about) * are saved through His Grace in Christ Jesus * can come boldly to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) These we feel are basic things, but wait .  .  . What if you don't have them? Would you be longing for those other things you think you lack? Selah We could go on to talk of family, source of income and so on or do we talk of our eternal insurance. Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God co

Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. People ask: "Do we have any control at all or does God just control all things and we are irrelevant just flowing in His tide?". Well, we do. There is a measure of control we have over situations and that control is "the right to choose". In all aspects of life the power we have is to choose where we stand and that power lies solely with us. The enemy knows this, heaven knows this. That was why Joshua told the children of Israel: Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." "Man" that God created was given a will, the power to decide what he would do and what will become of him. That is why judgement is even possi

Matthew 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. It is hypocritical of us to expect people to stand with us when we are experiencing challenges yet when we see others face their own challenges, we begin to imagine what they must have done wrong or maybe they annoyed God or did one evil or the other instead of reaching out to help as we would desire others to do for us. The same thing goes for prosperity, when the Lord opens a door for us and we have abundance of wealth or a breakthrough we expect others to rejoice with us, more so, some would even find it hard to give to others. What is our reaction when someone else gets this breakthrough, do we get suddenly suspicious without reason. Do we expect the person to reach out to us? It is better to stay on the side of encouragement than to sit as a judge or prosecutor. Jesus said, Matthew 7:2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same

1 Chronicles 28:7-8 And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’ “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance. From the beginning of the creation of man we observe that man had been blessed. However, note that there has always been a condition. Genesis 2:16-17 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” The condition has always been there, it is because man was created with free will, that is, we have the power of choice and reason. As long as we stay in obedience we are assured of the fulfilment of God's promises in our lives, however, when we walk in di

https://ikthewatcher.blogspot.com.ng/ Proverbs 15:31 The ear that hears the reproof of life will abide among the wise Proverbs 4:24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. According to some scholars, the Soul is the mind, will & emotion The soul is the first component of the media created by God. It is a media because it is the mediator between the spirit and the body The soul receives from the senses and deposits in our spirit. We should understand that it may not just be: * entertainment but containment Let us look at the definition of media. Media: the medium between the source and the object Media means to interpret The media controls the message, not the source The media can * corrupt * clarify * pervert * protect or * destroy the integrity of a message. Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. It is our duty to guard what the media feeds us, our places of influ

1 Chronicles 27:32 Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a wise counselor to the king, a man of great insight, and a scribe. Jehiel the Hacmonite was responsible for teaching the king’s sons. We can learn from king David what every good leader in time past has put into practice. SURROUND yourself with the right people. Build the right team. Listen, when you take up any position or assignment your success is as good as your team. Listen again, no matter how good a coach you are if you have a bad team, winning remains a dream, it cannot be fulfilled, they could even be individually great players but if they break the rules they are penalized. If they refuse to work as a team then they lose.  Also, as an individual you need to surround yourself with the right people. My personal policy is to have good friends and associates or not to have any at all. To be close to me then we must be able to impact each other positively and neither bring each other nor others down. Proverbs 17:17 A friend is alway

1 Chronicles 26:1,16 These are the divisions of the gatekeepers:From the Korahites, there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the family of Abiasaph. Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate and the gateway leading up to the Temple. Guard duties were divided evenly. We cannot take for granted the security of what is important to us. I will say "what you don't guard you tend to lose". We do not have to wait till we are invaded for us to build gatekeepers around our treasures, if we keep the gates guarded, any invader would meet an opposition and they would flee. Yes it was the temple of God, yet gatekeepers had to be assigned. The same for the palace and the city gates. Military personnel from families of each tribe were assigned to guard the gates using a roster. Listen, the first place to guard is your heart: Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Be careful what you allow to get in, mind what you listen to, see/read an

Luke 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? It is one thing to listen and study God's word, it is another to obey. You could claim to know about someone and what they expect from you, but are you ready to live that expectation? If we are of God, our lives must show it by the daily obedience to His Word. It is easy to do the talking but what is the essence if we only do the talking but do not live the life? It is true that the only way to know His word is by studying them, so we must study having in mind that the Holy Spirit keeps reminding us of them. John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. So if you then go further to obey them that is when we can truly say that we are serving God. We should remember that whom we obey is who is Lord over us Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you prese

Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones. Envy should not be assumed to be from someone of low status alone it is envy that brings about the feeling of hatred or displeasure from a person of higher status against a person of lower status. In reality we experience envy even the other way round. Look at Haman and Mordecai, Laban and Jacob, Saul and David etc. Most times our judgements and conclusions are based on limited or erroneous information. It could even be an unconscious or conscious neglect of the truth. So how do we know we have envy in us. It is by the thoughts we have towards the other person. Does the person just annoy us for no reason, do we find ourselves wondering why that other person is always happy or not complaining. Is there an urge for you to see things go wrong with the other person. Then You are envious! Envy is dangerous and as the scripture says: ". . . it is rottenness to the bone . . .". It is a cancer worm

Proverbs 28:11 Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them. The interpretation of things, happenings and events are as a result of various factors. * What we have experienced, * what we have been told and * eventually if we have the opportunity, we get to see what exactly it is. that is why we need the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Some were opportune to see Jesus physically as a person. They saw him as a man, son of a carpenter, a prophet some saw Him as Elijah returned. Only Peter had at that time the privilege of knowing who exactly he was. Matthew 16:16-17  And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has

1 Chronicles 26:20-21,27 Other Levites, led by Ahijah, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the gifts dedicated to the Lord. From the family of Libni in the clan of Gershon, Jehiel was the leader. These men dedicated some of the plunder they had gained in battle to maintain the house of the Lord. Every believer has a duty as a member of the body of Christ and the duties vary according to our talents, gifts and calling. We cannot say one is more important than the other, but we are certain that every member has a function and duty. We see David in the chapters of Chronicles which we have been going through, assigning various duties to the various families in Israel from temple duties, to king duties and also military.  No one is left out even when you do not have a specific duty you must be a giver to make sure that  there is progress and functionality. Much more has Christ given every believer a duty in the church. Here we mean the body of Christ.

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. One of the greatest attributes of leaders is humility and it always comes with the patience to listen. No matter how much we know and no matter how high the experience, there is an advantage in choosing to listen. Of course what we hear may not be of  importance all the time,  yet being able to listen could save us a lot of headaches and stress. In line with this, it is important to listen to God and we know that he speaks to us through * His word * His Spirit living in us * people John 8:43  "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. Psalms 62:11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. We don't have the power to predict all things but we do have the will to choose to listen to those above us, below us and those with us. The Holy Spirit then helps us discern the right direction and also the wisdom to know

Esther 4:14b and who is to say that you have not come to the kingdom even for such a time as this? Every human is relevant, no one was born as a mistake. Where we occupy now is for a purpose, we have relevance there, there is something to accomplish. There is a function. We could lose sight of these if we dwell on the difficulties or focus our mind on those aspects that do not look favourable to us. Also, if we make complaining a habit. Still yet we could just be enjoying the small victory or even pleasure so much that we do not hear His call to move to the next level. But God who sees all things and knows all things, is able to make all things abound towards us. God allows us to go from stage to stage, every previous stage preparing us for a new one. Higher and higher He takes us. Yes, there is a reason for where we are now. There is an expectation. The fulfilment of each stage takes us to the next, every stage relevant to our growth. So don't bring yourself down, don't compro

Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD." David loved to go to the temple, He was a worshipper. He knew it was the house of God. His greatest desire was to build the house of the Lord. He proved that He was after God's heart. Jesus showed from a child that He did not disregard being in the temple. Luke 2:46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. We have a greater privilege today for we worship without the veil. Not the building but we the believers are the temple, we come together to display His glory. We are people redeemed and empowered to be sons. * We hear and teach the word * We worship . . . sing hymns and making melody to the Lord. * We pray Psalms 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. So I begin by building my own temple and everyone do

Joshua 22:18 'but that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. We can't base important actions by the way we feel, or the situation at the moment. No, life is not about feelings, it is more than that. It shouldn't be that: we feel excited at the moment so we . . . we are annoyed at the moment so we . . . we don't feel like talking to anyone now so we . . . we feel so hungry now so we . . . we feel so aroused right now so we . . . we don't feel like praying right now so we . . . we don't feel like working right now so we . . . we don't feel like listening to what the Spirit is saying now so we . . . things look difficult right now so we . . . we don't have money right now, so we . . . things seem to be delayed today, so we . . . No, our emotions shouldn't be what leads us, it is of the flesh.  We need to take a deep

Psalms 116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people. Recall, that there was the time we sought God's face for one thing or the other. We desired so much we could even have gone to the length of making a vow or promising to do this or that when the Lord brings it to pass. Was it when we waited on Him for: * marriage * work * promotion * health/healing * money * a house * deliverance from one problem or another * academic success * help on behalf of family or friend * a position of authority * a breakthrough The situation could have been in any measure. Now that the Lord has done it for us, will we remember to fulfil all the promises, all that we determined in our heart to do? Where now are all those good intentions? God told the children of Israel: Deuteronomy 6:12 "then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Funny enough they did forget! 1Samuel 1:11 Then she made a vow and said, &quo

1 Chronicles 25:1,3,6 David and the army commanders then appointed men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to proclaim God’s messages to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. Here is a list of their names and their work: From the sons of Jeduthun, there were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all. They worked under the direction of their father, Jeduthun, who proclaimed God’s messages to the accompaniment of the lyre, offering thanks and praise to the Lord. All these men were under the direction of their fathers as they made music at the house of the Lord. Their responsibilities included the playing of cymbals, harps, and lyres at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. Music had always been part of worship, we see people sing to God in time of trouble, as a response to His wonderous works and also just to show love for God. David was known as a man of worship, the book of Psalms records songs wr

Psalms 24:1 The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. Yes, God knows all and has all things in His control. Does that mean we have no say? No! We have our desires, plans, goals and expectations. Yes God expects us to. We bring them to Him in prayer. Sometimes things don't happen the same way we expect them to, we then forget all and focus on the exact thing we desired. No, we should always be thankful. When God looks at it, He looks far beyond our limited view, He has in mind the future and the details we are not privileged to have. Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, We can be sure that God has our best interest at heart. Those delays or difference may be for our own good. Trust Him. Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Psalms 92:5

Matthew 13:8-9,23 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” The giver is not the problem, the receiver is. What is the condition of your heart? Are you a fertile and good soil or are you: * the wayside  * rocky ground * overwhelmed with thorns You should be the good and fertile soil? It depends on you. The wayside are those who are carried away by every wave of doctrine, they don't understand it so the enemy snatches the word away from them: Matthew 13:19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their he

Matthew 5:48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Most people get acquainted with you because of one good nature or the other. Even places of employment take you in because of one good quality or the other they believe you have. Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Your good friends came close to you because of those good characteristics you carry. (although some might just be, because of what they can get from you or someone to support their bad nature). Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. In all, as time passes by don't let those characteristic good qualities of yours fade away due to pressures, challenges, bad relationships or the reaction of others among other factors. 1Peter 2:15 For this

1 Chronicles 22:5,13,19 David said, “My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced. And since the Temple to be built for the Lord must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world, I will begin making preparations for it now.” So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death. For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart! Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that you can bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant and the holy vessels of God into the Temple built to honor the Lord’s name.” Yes David was passionate about building the temple of the Lord. His motivation was love and honour, he was not looking for any special gain or personal recognition he already had that. However, God said he couldn't because his hand had shed a lot of blood. 1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 21:1,7,17 Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it. And David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? O  lord my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people.” One good advise to give to new converts is to begin reading scriptures from the New Testament. Most preferably from the book of John. Why is this so? Jesus said: Matthew 11:27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” The person who could really reveal the Heavenly Father was Himself through His Son, Jesus the Christ. None who recorded the old testament had a true knowledge of the Father. This is prove

1 Chronicles 20:8 These Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them. The victory of the believer should not just be a story of past exploits. No, it is a daily experience, a continuous event because it was done not just for a season but for all time. Psalms 16:11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. It is not a one time victory but a victory that has been settled so it is continuous. Matthew 28:18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. We read that David's slaying of the giant Goliath was not where his feats ended but actually the beginning of it. He and his men continued to enjoy victory because of God's favour. This is also what the believer received but greater than this. It is not like of old when war was the norm: 1 Chronicles 20:1a In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war,  Y

1 Chronicles 19:1-3 Some time after this, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king. David said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun because his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent messengers to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death.But when David’s ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the land so they can come in and conquer it!” It is definitely important to have advisers and counselors, a person or people with wisdom you listen to that give you counsel as you go on in life. However, it becomes tragic if these ones are not wise or knowledgeable. They could destroy you. When king Nahash of the Ammonites died, his son Hanun took over and by bad counsel he took king David's kind gesture as a threat, he then humiliated his messengers and thus humiliated David and the people of Israel