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Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
(Mark 13:33-37 KJV)
Years ago, before our dear praying brother, Phil Halverson, left the earth to be with the Lord, he used to say to me, "Lynne, you're a last-days watcher!"

Back then, I didn't really know what he was talking about. I'd just look at him with a puzzled face and think, What does that mean?

In the years since, the Lord has begun to enlighten me and I've come to understand somewhat about watching in the Spirit and in prayer. I've also come to understand that I am only one of many last-days watchers.

Recent events both in the natural world and in the world of the spirit have given clear indication that the end of this age is upon us. We have moved into the time of watching. Certainly in years and centuries past, even in Old Testament times, praying men and women of God have watched. But something now is changing. There is an urgency that demands a more constant vigilance.

We have entered the time referred to by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians and his words speak to us today of the coming of the Lord even more intensely than they did in the day they were written.

In that passage, Paul says the end shall come like labor pains upon a pregnant woman. Think about that for a moment. For nine months, a pregnant woman can carry on a normal life. She goes about her day - working, going to the grocery store, running errands. Now and then she must alter her life because of her pregnant state but for the most part, she just goes about her business.

When labor sets in, however, things change. She begins to focus on the impending birth of her child. When she in is the strong grip of labor pains she doesn't even try to continue her normal activities. All she can do is have that baby.

Spiritually we're in labor! Jesus is coming and He is coming soon. We can't afford to continue spending our time on worldly pursuits and amusements. We can't afford to just pray now and then. As Jesus said, we must now give strict attention to the things of the Lord. We must watch and pray!

The Greatest Watcher of All
Maybe you're sitting there right now looking at this screen like I used to look at Brother Halverson when he told me I was a last-days watcher. Maybe you're thinking, I don't even know what watching is...much less how to do it! I'm just a simple believer living my little life for God.

God has put within us His big Life. He has sent His own Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of every believer. And, although we don't know how to watch and pray - the Holy Spirit does. He's the greatest watcher of all time. Jesus called Him "the watchman" who opens the door for Him (See John 10:3).

The Holy Spirit's role as watchman is so important that you can see Him performing it in the very first book of the Bible. There, Genesis 1:2 says that when "the earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep, the Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters." Then, at just the right moment when the Word of God came forth and God said, "Let there be light!" the Holy Spirit released His mighty power and brought light into being.

So we're to follow Him. We're to hover over those situations with Him. We're to speak the Word when He gives us the unction so He can move in mighty power and bring forth the will of God.

Let the Breeze Lift You
If you'll let Him, one of the things He'll teach you is how to watch. He'll help you step over into the realm of the spirit and operate effectively there. You don't even have to ask Him to do that. It's what He's there for.

Although we don't have to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, we do need to ask Him to help us be sensitive to His leadings. That's where most of us run into trouble. We're just not sensitive enough.

One of the ways you can work with the Holy Spirit and develop our sensitivity to His voice is to spend much time in the written Word of God, for as you tune your ear to His voice in the Word, you'll more readily recognize His voice in your spirit.

Another way to develop sensitivity to Him is by talking to Him all the time. Talk to Him while you're taking your shower in the morning. Talk to Him while you're driving in your car. Talk to Him while you're washing the dishes.

The more you talk to Him, the more intimately you'll become acquainted with Him. As you turn your attention toward Him, you'll be tuning in to Him. You'll be tuning the ears of your heart so you can more easily sense His promptings. That's very important because you learn to watch in the spirit by following those promptings, and they're usually very subtle.

The Bible likens the move of the Spirit to the wind (John 3:8) but He rarely blows hurricane force. Usually, the Holy Spirit moves on you like the gentlest breeze. If you're sensitive to that breeze and you yield to the Holy Ghost, He will lift you from one level to another until you get where you need to go.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.

Years ago, just before my husband, Mac, was scheduled to leave on a trip to Peru, I was going about my day talking to the Lord. I was just praying along in the Spirit when I noticed the gentle breeze of the Spirit touching my heart. He didn't come and hit me on the head with a brick to get my attention. He just gave me a small nudge in my spirit.

This is where a lot of Christians miss it. When that nudge comes, they don't stop and seek the Lord about it. They don't turn aside like Moses did when he saw the burning bush to see what the Lord wants to say to them, so they miss the whole thing!

In this instance, however, I did turn aside. I finished quickly what I was doing and knelt down to pray. I was prompted to pray for Mac so I said, "Thank you, Lord, for my husband." The moment I said the word husband, I sensed the touch of the Spirit again.

Now, as long as the Spirit of God is touching me, I stay right there because with every touch, He lifts me a little higher in the spirit realm. So I kept on praying for my husband. I said, "Thank you, Lord, that my husband obeys you. Praise You, Lord...." As I waited in prayer and watched for a few moments, suddenly I saw the spirit of death with the eyes of my heart and I knew that spirit was planning to attack Mac.

I didn't jump up right then and rebuke the devil because I didn't have an unction of the Spirit to do so. I knew it wasn't the time. So over the next few days I just watched over that situation in prayer. Every time it would come to mind I'd pray as I was led.

I'd say things like, "Thank You, Father, for the blood of Jesus. I plead that blood over my husband. I thank You that You preserve him intact, spirit soul and body from now until the coming of the Lord." I'd pray Psalm 91 over him. (When you don't know what else to pray, you can pray the Word. It's always anointed.)

A few days later, in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, I sat bolt upright in my bed and declared, "Mac's wings! Lord, you give him wings. Wheels...wheels. It's going in. Mac take your position of authority in the name of Jesus and they'll get out!"

As it turned out, Mac's plane crashed in Peru that very day. The landing gear failed and the wheels didn't go down so they had to belly in. When Mac told us about it, he said it was a miracle they all didn't burn up.

The gas tank ruptured and poured gasoline all over the runway. Instead of jumping up and getting out as quickly as possible, everybody in the plane froze in terror. Sparks were flying. The engines were running. And they were just sitting there until Mac stood up, took His authority in Jesus and instructed everyone to get out.

If I Can Do it, So Can You!
Notice that when the Holy Spirit moved on me that Sunday morning in my bed, I didn't ask God for anything. I commanded. I declared. Some people don't realize it, but that is a form of prayer. Jesus referred to that kind of prayer in Mark 11:23 when He said, "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."

Watching often involves such saying or declaring. In Daniel 4, for example, you can read about a heavenly watcher who declared the fate of king Nebuchadnezzar. In Isaiah 21, the prophet Isaiah fills the role of the watchman as he describes the vision God gives him of Babylon's fall. Verse 6 says, "For thus has the Lord said to me: Go, set yourself as a watchman, let him declare what he sees."

"Well, Sister Lynne," you may say, "it's wonderful that God could use people like Isaiah as a watchman. It's great that you are able to watch and pray that way, but I'm not like you. I'm not called to pray like that."

Yes, you are. Jesus said, "Be on your guard...and watch and pray.... And what I say to you I say to everybody: Watch!"

So start right now to develop your sensitivity to Him. Ask Him to help you hear His voice. Develop your faith in Him by studying what the Word says about Him and talk to Him all the time. Certainly it will take time and effort but in the end, it will pay you to do that...and it will cost you dearly if you don't!

Copyright © Mac Hammond Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Lynne Hammond
Web site: Lynne Hammond Ministries
 
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”
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