When Charisma magazine asked me to start a column on its Charisma News online property, it didn’t take me long to determine a theme: “Watchman on the Wall.”
During that season, I was heavy into reporting on the culture wars, which is one aspect of the watchman’s ministry. Over the years, God stationed me more prophetically to warn about as many spiritual dangers as natural dangers and cultural dangers.
See, a watchman can warn about sin—which is the assignment of a culture war watchman. Dr. Michael Brown is a modern-day example of the culture war watchman, dissecting with boldness and grace the issues in a post-modern world that are infiltrating the church. Some watchmen are assigned to the church, to warn of sin and spirits that overtake Christians. Still others warn about natural disasters, plagues and the end times.
Every watchman has a station, and, of course, there can be crossover assignments—and God can shift you into new roles in new seasons. I’ve stood as a watchman in many different operations, but my primary function is warning about spirits attacking the church. Regardless of the watchman’s expertise or assignment, the common denominators in the watchman’s ministry are warning and intercession.
A John the Baptist Mantle
God called me into prophetic ministry in a church. An apostle prayed over me and prophesied, “I’ve called you to be a voice of governing authority. I release that voice.” I had no idea what that meant. I was a brand-new Christian. I went home and started studying what the Bible said about governing and the voice. I was still largely clueless, but I was determined. I closed my Bible and asked God what He meant and was led to open my Bible again.
When I opened the Bible, it landed on Matthew 3:3 …
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