‘Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation’

Presiding Minister of House of Prayer Ministries, Pastor Segun Adewunmi, in this exhortation, differentiates between praying and watching. Excerpts: To watch and pray means different things. While praying is talking to God, watching is hearing from Him. Prayer must include watching because it is a conversation that must be two ways communication between the petitioner and God. Every believer has a guardian Angel that forms the link between him and God. “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries”. (Exo 23:20-22) In ignorance brother Gideon thought God had forsaken Israel in view of the terrible affliction visited on Israel by the Midianites and the Amalekites. Until he was convinced that God has indeed given him power to fight the Midianites and prevail. As soon as Gideon offered the kid and unleavened cake of epha of flour and flesh as offering he became another man because the very God that he thought had forsaken Israel started to speak right from the inside of him. “And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:13-15) “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die”. (Judges 6:22-23) The above is how a two-way communication system was established between God and Gideon. What is implied here is that prayer cannot be one way. In prayer we do not talk to God but talk with Him. Every believer must therefore possess the Revelation gifts of Words of Knowledge, Words of Wisdom and Ability to discern and understand the spiritual environment. The Word of Knowledge is the complete understanding of the situation of things. It is not only about knowledge but also perspective. Knowledge is knowing while Perspective is a deeper understanding of why. “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.”. (Psalm 103:7) Word of wisdom is a projection into the future that tells you what you must do for a predetermined goal in the situation you are. Yet ability of discernment will guide you to recognise your own thought and differentiate same from the desire of God. The above are the complete equipments required for watching. Sadly many believers and indeed so many prayer doctrines encourage believers to pray without watching. Believers are subjected to long fasting and prayer for that which God has answered. Some are so busy with prayers that attempt to let them see that the problems they are praying about has been solved is seen as a disturbance and interruption to their prayer. They do this because of their lack of watching while praying. Similarly Satan changes strategies in his warfare against us. This situation requires us to also change our strategy against him. Our ability to know what Satan does and how to counter him is also in our spiritual watch. The Bible clearly warns us not to be ignorant of his device. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. (1st Peter 5:8) Nehemiah was programmed to be confused by the message of a monk advising him to run into the temple for safety against an impending attack. “Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.” (Neh 6:10-14) If Nehemiah had not watched with his ability to discern, he would have fallen a victim to the tricks of Satan. Similarly Jehoshaphat through his discerning power was not convinced by the bold prophecies of four hundred prophets led by Zedekiah who told Ahab to go into the battle at Ramoth Gilead. “Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” (1 King 22:6-8) Culled from National Mirror Newspaper