The Tower Which Lieth Out

This is a watchtower, a lookout station.

The fleshly Christian is unaware of the present burden of the Spirit of God. He reads the Scriptures but he may be unaware the purpose of the Scriptures is to lead him to God.

The Scriptures are our guide to faith and conduct and we are to follow them. They are true and cannot be changed. But the Scriptures are the general Word of God. In order to be of immediate, personal use they must be made alive by the Holy Spirit of God.

Christians are to be led by the Spirit of God.

It requires much experience in Christ before we are able to separate the voice of the Holy Spirit from the multitude of other voices that speak to us. A saint, no matter how vast his experience in Christ may be, must never relax his vigilance concerning spiritual vision and revelation. We have a cunning, persistent, adversary.

Next to the Scriptures, one of the strongest methods we have for discerning the mind of the Lord, and the present day burdens of the spirit realm, is that of watching in prayer. The maturing saint learns to watch in prayer.

As the believer practices the art of watching in prayer he gradually becomes strong enough to be watching in prayer constantly throughout most of the day and night. He always is on his watchtower. He asks the Spirit's guidance in every detail of life. He prays without ceasing.

Joshua, the soldier, the type of Christ and also of the saint who is pressing forward to resurrection ground, made one damaging blunder. He allowed the Gibeonites to trick him because he did not seek the mind of the Lord in this one instance (Joshua 9:14).

It is not the will of Christ that His Church be blind to what is taking place in the spirit realm. The reason that the churches of today have little spiritual discernment is that the world is in their midst. Sin and worldliness put out the eyes of the saints just as the Philistines put out the eyes of Samson.

The spirit realm is exceedingly active today. God would have His people understand the present burden of the Spirit. In order to come to know the mind of the Spirit, we must give ourselves continually to prayer and waiting on the Lord. We continually must ascend into our watchtower and scan the spiritual horizon, listening and looking for the Lord Jesus.

Not all believers are visionary. Some Christians are called to prolonged waiting on God and are given many visionary experiences. Other believers, equally as spiritual, do not have this type of burden and gift and do not "see" or "hear" to the same extent. They do not spend the same amount of time in prayer and waiting on the Lord nor are they called to do so. Everyone has his proper gift of God and must press forward in Christ according to his or her individual gift and calling.

Habakkuk was called to be a prophet.

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. (Habakkuk 2:1)

God does not speak to every saint in the same manner. But God makes each of us aware of His will in one way or another if we will take the time to seek His face diligently.

Christ has commanded every follower of His to watch and pray.

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36)

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (Matthew 24:42)

And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. (Mark 13:37)

To be continued.