Answer God’s Call To A Divine Appointment

Prayer: Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, we humble ourselves before Your mighty throne. Lord, we surrender ourselves to Your will and purpose. Lord, we are grateful for the blessings You have bestowed on us, and we thank You for forgiving our iniquities. Lord, thank You for motivating us to forgive others. Lord, we seek Your guidance to answer Your call to duty to speak the words You gave us to warn the people to examine themselves and change their ways. Lord, give me a fresh anointing so I may be the Watchman and Minister of Reconciliation You called me to be. I testify that You are an impartial and loving God. May the words from my mouth bear witness to Your omnipotence, be pleasing to You, and fill Your people with joy and hope. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.

Message! When the Lord calls us to be a watchman, it is a divine appointment. He desires that all people turn from their wicked ways because Jesus is coming back. For those of us whom God has given a divine appointment, it is a sacred duty to do what the Lord called us to do. We are commissioned to watch for His arrival, not by sitting idly and watching the sky but by doing what He called us to do as we live and breathe. To be clear, this is what God said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me” (Eze. 33:7, NIV).

So, Ezekiel was a watchman, called by God, and tasked with warning the people about God’s requirements. With a warning, hope comes because it offers the opportunity to change direction and repent (turn back). Warnings from the prophets and the apostles urged believers to resist being transformed from a loving creation molded by God’s hands into a new creation. Like the prophets and apostles, we have free will, and we are ambassadors for Christ. God makes His appeal through us (2 Cor. 5:20). The African American community is singled out as an example of a group that should understand the challenge of standing watch over the community. If we are to survive, we must use history as the blueprint for what works and what does not, because those who forget the past are bound to repeat it. Read and evaluate your history, especially your biblical history. “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord” (Jer. 17:7).

Being a watchman is a divine appointment from God and a sacred duty to the people, with consequences when the words God gives are not spoken to the people. However, too many watchmen are not accepting this as a divine appointment. Too many hear the words spoken by God, but do not carry out the second part of the assignment and speak the words to the people. We need to understand that God is working through us; this is how He involves Himself in human affairs to accomplish His purpose.

Consequently, not accepting this as a divine appointment means it is not carried out as a sacred duty, which includes upholding moral principles such as honesty, justice, and integrity, as outlined in biblical teachings, such as the Ten Commandments. Do not allow anyone to deceive you. When we hear His words, we must pass them on to the people.

If you do not recognize or identify with the word watchman, consider Minister of Reconciliation. Scriptures say, God “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). Much like a watchman, this role involves having and exercising a discerning spirit, warning the people about moral dangers, not just physical ones. Watchmen are to speak about moral and spiritual danger, from violence among youth to marital problems, to economic distress. As Followers of Christ, Leaders in the Community, and Ministers of Reconciliation, we cannot remain silent on these issues. A Watchman will be held accountable, God said in Ezekiel 33:8, “If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths”. Anyone called to this duty must ensure that they do not have a drawback spirit and fail to declare to the people what God has said.

Closing Prayer: I pray that those called to service will “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). Amen.