"The Watchman"

"But if the watchman sees the sword coming 

and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people 

are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any 

one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, 

but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand."

(Ezekiel 33:6)

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand,

and the seven golden candlesticks.  The seven stars are the angels of

the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou

sawest are the seven churches." 

(Revelation 1:20)

"Is my Pastor an angel?" you ask.  You better believe he is!  The Holy Bible says that he is; the "angels" of the seven churches are the "Pastors" of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation.  He is the most valuable person in your life! He watches for your soul!  He stands in the gap between us and God; He hatches us,patches us, and dispatches us! Who do we call when we get  that terrible diagnosis; who do we run to when we need help reaching Almighty God in a big way?  He is alert, armed in Word and Spirit, and He is ever and continually, faithfully standing upon the wall, guarding our very souls, protecting us from the wolves, praying for us, giving an account for us, battling for us, laying hands on us, covering us, protecting us, going before us, rising in the early morning hours to intercede for us, and he is "The Watchman." 

Moses on the mountain

"For the Lord does nothing without revealing his secret

to his servants the prophets."

(Amos 3:7)

Mighty Moses, the prophet, the Watchman of Israel, had quite a flock to watch over.  So do our Godly, anointed, called and chosen Pastors, as they watch for our souls.  Why do we need a watchman?  "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."  (Ephesians 6:12)  What heavenly places?  There are three heavens: the clouds and sky we readily see are the first heaven; above that is the second heaven which is satan's domain; and the throne room of God is the third heaven.  This is where the term "pray through" comes from.  We, in earth, must "pray through" the second heaven or the devil's territory, to get to God. 

Praying is WAR; it's not "lay me down to sleep" two- minute, moments of storybook rituals; it is a battle, and sometimes it takes many hours on the knees in prayer, seeking, and searching the Word, for us to have the feeling that we have actually "broken through" that second heaven.  Our Watchman, our Pastor, is adept at reaching God, because he spends many hours a day praying for his flock, this fallen world, and the kingdoms of this world.  If you do not have a Pastor who does this, FIND ONE  ...  And find one who preaches exactly what the Apostles Paul and Peter preached in the Book of Acts.  Time is short before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, before the Rapture of the Church, before the terrible Tribulation period  ... it is essential that we, all of us, have a Watchman! 

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the

spirits to see whether they are from God, for

many false prophets have gone out into the world."

(I John 4:1)

You say, "I just don't believe anybody would follow a false prophet."  No?  What about the hundreds years ago who followed Jim Jones and they all committed suicide, men, women and children, from his false-teaching, lies, beguiling words, and hellish commands so many years ago?  How do we "test the spirits?"  We first must be filled with the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ our Lord, with the evidence of speaking in tongues as His Spirit gives us the utterance.  We, then, can have the gift of "discerning of spirits" to determine the source of a spiritual manifestation: ie whether it is of God (Acts 10:30-35); whether it is of the devil (Acts 16: 16-18); of man (Acts 18:18-23); or of the world.  This is not reading the mind, some kind of psychic ability, or a form of criticism.  This is an anointing in the Spirit of Almighty God.  Entire so-called religions have been established based on an "angelic visitation."  Demonic angels exist; they were cast out of heaven with satan, and they go about deceiving.  Whose voice do you hear?  Is that word from the Lord?  We must have wisdom to know what is demonic and what is truly of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Testing the Spirit:

  

                                                          What does the person do?  In Matthew 7:15-20

                                                          Jesus explained that false prophets are known

                                                                       by their fruit, their actions.

                                                        Does the person exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the

                                                                Lord and Savior?  I Corinthians 12:3

                                                         What does the person say?  Do their words line up

                                                              with the truth of God's Word?  I John 4:1-3

The Spirit, or Holy Ghost gives us the ability to discern other spirits, and the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit when something is, or is not, of God.  Sometimes this takes much prayer and fasting; other times, it is immediate.  We know that

we know.  These are things obtained through growth in the Lord, and disciplined searching and seeking.  God will never say anything other than what is already in His Word.  And, as my very wise Pastor has said many times, "If someone is pulling fire out of heaven (miracles, signs, and wonders); you better find out his doctrine."  Doctrine is EVERYT'HING; we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone.  (Ephesians 2:20)

"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they

are keeping watch over your souls, as those who

will have to give an account.  Let them do this

with joy and not with groaning, for that would

be of no advantage to you."

(Hebrews 13:17)

Oh, how thankful we should be for the Watchman of our souls, the Pastor who brings us salvation, lays hands on us to be filled with the Holy Ghost, who buries us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism, who marries us, dedicates our babies, buries us with words of "thou good and faithful servant," who fights the wolves from his flock, who keeps us from drowning in waters too swift and too deep  ...  but goes upstream and dams it up for "still" waters, who checks us daily for "burrs" in our thick wool, who fills the snake holes with oil and then anoints us with oil so that when the snake smells the oil, it flees  ...  Ah, our Shepherd in earth, our Pastor, our Watchman  ...  Night and day, he's on the wall.

"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom

knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of

preaching to save them that believe."

(I Corinthians 1:21)

Barnes notes' explains it most perfectly, "By the foolishness of preaching - Not by 'foolish preaching,' but by the preaching of the cross, which was regarded as foolish and absurd by the people of the world.  The plan is wise, but it has been esteemed by the mass of people, and was particularly so esteemed by the Greek philosophers, to be egregiously foolish and ridiculous."

Well said, Brother Barnes!  That so-called "foolishness" kept "me" from suicide and a torrential burning hell.  So, I say, PREACH IT, Watchman, PREACH IT Pastor, PREACH IT!

We are admonished in the Book of Luke 21:36, "But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."  Who keeps us awake?  Who blows the trumpet in Zion?  Who walks the wall in the weary moonlight hours?  Who warns, exhorts, corrects, prophesies, and preaches?  Who will say, "It is time; He is even at the door?"  Who will Awaken the world?  Who will keep us alert to the times?  Who will speak prophetically at the appropriate season?  ...  "The Watchman." 

  

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He's a Watchman like no other!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sunday 10:30 am and Wednesday 7:15 pm

~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~

Please send your prayer needs, and if you would like

to sow seed in fertile ground that reaches to every 

corner of the world, please go to promiselandchurch.net.

God Bless you, and I know He surely will!

PromiseLand Church!

We have a Prophetic,Wise, Loving Watchman, 

for over 46 years now!

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for our Watchman!

{Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of

graphic text generator}

"Anointed!"

"Is any sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of

the church; and let them pray over him,

anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."

(James 5:14)

Have you ever been anointed with oil and prayed over for healing, for ministry, for direction, and for answers?  The anointing oil and the hands of the Minister will bring the victory to your life!  The answer, in obedience to God's Word, is to be "Anointed."

It's not only for sickness and disease; the prayer and anointing oil is for position and ministry.  Samuel poured the anointing oil over David to bless him as king.  Our Pastor, Kenneth Phillips, anoints the ministers every year at the beginning of the year; it's always a very powerful service when this is done.  By the laying on of hands, and anointing with oil in the name of the LORD, one is appropriating His will, His authority, and direction in accordance with the Holy Word of God.

"They drove out many demons and

anointed many sick people with

oil and healed them."

(Mark 6:13)

I have been healed when anointed with oil and prayed over by my Pastor.  We need the medical profession, and God uses all kinds of methods for healing, including them, but many a trusting and faithful Saint have sought the holy hands and prayer of the "Anointed" and the anointing oil, "before" they take that trip to the doctor.  If one is truly healed, it will be verified and authenticated by the medical profession, and many, in that profession, have admitted, "This was, indeed, a miracle."  Thank You, Lord Jesus!  Our Pastor has anointed and prayed over ladies to have children, and one recent and others, had twins!  Hallelujah!  It works!  

Woman with alabaster box of precious ointment

"Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."

(Mark 14:3-9)               The woman, with the expensive perfume, anointed Jesus for his burial.  Anytime an anointing takes place it is special, but this was a precious, costly, love deed by a woman for the lover of her soul.  She broke the box of perfume and poured it all upon the feet of Jesus Christ.  The beauty of this action remains beloved in the hearts of Christians today. 

One time when I was deep into prayer, and had been weeping and praying for many hours, I heard the Lord say to me in my spirit, "Break the box."   He wanted the sweet fragrance of "worship"  ... the made-up love song from a lovesick soul; the words of beauty describing His omnipotence, glory, and power; the incense from the depth of a heart after God; the sweet smell of phrases of poetry for my everlasting love; the tearful renderings of many hours of sitting at His feet  ...  That's what He wanted  ...  Break the box  ...

When you have been anointed, you know it!  There is an unction in your soul, a moving within your spirit; words come that are not your own; the Spirit of the Lord is significantly present in whatever capacity for which you were anointed.  If you were anointed for leadership, you have direction and guidance, ideas and plans, and blessings of all things in that regard.  If you were anointed for healing, you feel it immediately, and medical tests prove it. 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken

away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the

yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."

(Isaiah 10:27)

What does it mean to break the yoke?  The Hebrew is literally, "From the face of oil," and many render it as from the Messiah, meaning the Lord takes the burden away, removes it, breaks the chains that bind, and sets one free!  Ah, beautiful, is it not?  Gill's exposition about Israel and its enemies says it with clarity:

"the people shall be broken from before the Messiah; who was anointed

with the oil of gladness above his fellows, and for whose sake, and by

 whom, the yoke of sin, Satan, and the law, has been destroyed. Vitringa

interprets it of the Spirit of God, and his powerful operations, whose

gifts and graces are often compared to oil and ointment; and

makes the words parallel to Zechariah 4:6."

The hands, the oil, the Word still break the yoke today!  Break the yoke of what?  Whatever's ailin' ya!  ... whatever has you bound, whatever has wrapped its twisted fingers of depression and oppression around your body, soul, spirit and mind  ... the yoke is BROKEN by the anointing!  Oh, it's so very incredible to be delivered, to feel light as a feather, to have no more guilt or shame, to be well and whole, to be walking in a Called and Sent anointing, and to go forth in the power and Spirit of the Lord God Almighty.  There is nothing in this world like it!

Jesus Christ anointing the Apostles

Don't you want it?  You can have it!  If you live in another country, please send a request to promiselandchurch.net for an anointed cloth to be sent to you.  Our Pastor and staff will pray over it, anoint it with oil for you, for your need, or for your family's need.  Then, believe!

Jesus Christ, our Lord, considered the woman's perfume offering of her heart to be a precious, beautiful, welcomed, holy and blessed anointing. Everyone who saw it grumbled, saying the woman was wasting a very expensive perfume by pouring it on Jesus' feet, but Hey; "those feet" walked on water, and "those feet" stepped up to Lazarus' tomb and said, "Lazarus, Come forth!"   It has been preached that if He had only said, "Come forth;" everyone in the graveyard would have gotten up!  Now, you know you wanna' shout!  "Those feet" stood on the grassy knoll when He fed 5,000, plus women and children, in a miracle food multiplication; "those feet" were on the boat, when He was asleep and they awakened Him in their fear and He said "Peace be still," and the oceans obeyed; "those feet" stood on the seashore as a chef, grilling fish for His pitifully hungry disciples; "those feet" were nailed to an old rugged cross  ... "those feet" ALL of YOU, who grumbled, are the Feet of the soon coming King, the Feet that will stand upon the Mount of Olives and rule the earth in a finale of Victory  ... 

We are in GOOD company when we have been "Anointed."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He anoints with oil for healing, for ministry, for power, for gifts,  

and then He sends them out to reach one more soul!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm

~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for joining us in worship of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Please send us your prayers, and if you would like to help us

reach SOULS before it's too late, you may give an offering

online @ promiselandchurch.net.  Thank you so much, and 

I know the Lord will surely bless you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PromiseLand Church!  

The "Anointing" sends us forth with the 

power of the Holy Ghost and fire!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of 

graphic text generator}

Mothers Are "Always" Mothers!



Mothers are mothers when we are babies, and they're still mothers when we're 65 and they're 85; Mothers are "always" Mothers.  They still tell you to be careful going home, and lock your doors even when you're 65 years old!

   

Do you ever wonder if Jesus Christ, our Lord, was a compliant, contemplative, studious child?  Did He ever shout "No," and throw tantrums as a child?  Did He scuff His knees and scrape His shins, or was He a quiet, deep-thinking introvert in those early years?  We know He went missing at the early age of twelve and was finally discovered in the Temple confounding and amazing the Doctors with His wisdom.

            

Mary knew who He was, but He was still a growing child, and she was ever and always a Mother.  We have to wonder what she thought when wisdom emerged from His young mouth.  He must have said things that astounded her, because of how He shocked all those in the temple with His teachings.  Here, we have a mother just like any other mother, except "her" child is Almighty God in the flesh!  How does an ordinary mother behave with an extraordinary baby?  Mary, on the other hand, was more than an ordinary mother, since she is the only mother in earth to have given birth to God!  When we think about this whole plan; we almost sit with our mouths open.  It's an ethereal story, humbling the redeemed, haunting the foolish, and beckoning the hungry ... 

              

We fast forward and Jesus is throwing out the money changers.  He's wielding His authority in righteousness over their disregard for the House of God.  What is Mary thinking now?  As she has watched Him grow over the years and she has seen His very apparent power, visible in so many ways, did she struggle with the issue of Him being her son and Him being God?  She was, after all, first and foremost, still a mother. 

                                                              

                                                                      

The years go by and she sees Him writing people's sins on the ground, healing a deaf woman, and so many other miracles.  She thought, "this is my son?"   All the while, the mother in her was laid aside as she observed the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords "arise" day by day in the ordinary lives of everyone around her.  To her, He was still her son, her baby grown up, and her protective, nurturing instinct was still alive; it didn't matter that He was now in His 30's.  It didn't matter that He seemed to be tending the people in need  everywhere He went.  To the mother that she was, He would always be her baby, her son, or would He?

           

Then came the day when Mary's motherhood of this Son was given to another.  We can feel her heartbreak at the words, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!"  Jesus Christ never called Mary "Mother;" He called her "woman" many times.  She knew in her heart who He was, but she carried Him within her for nine months; she nursed Him; she raised Him; she coddled and burped Him; she watched Him grow into a man, and now ... He was giving her to another to call him son!  In the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ were the famous words, "It is finished!"  The God who came in the flesh to die for all mankind had "borrowed" a woman's womb for just a little while, and now the God of the universe had completed the story, and Mary was no longer a mother.  

But there's one thing nobody considers about "Mothers;" a mother never forgets the kicks in her womb, those little fingers, that sweet baby smell, that cooing baby smile, those baby giggles that thrill anyone who hears them; no matter how old the child; and nobody, "nobody" can take that away from her; she carries it to her dying day  ... even if she's been given away and told to mother another ...  It's because, and forever will be, that Mothers Are "Always" Mothers ...  Except one!

     

Mary holding Jesus after His death on the cross

Jesus Christ rises the third day

Jesus Christ leaves the tomb

Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Upper Room,

waiting to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ!

 (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips and 
First Lady Wanda Phillips

(He will always be our earthly Father in the Lord and 

she will always be our Mother in the Lord)

                                                                                                      

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm

~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~

Merry Christmas!  Bless you for joining us at PromiseLand!  Send us your 
prayer needs, and if you would like to sow seed in holy blessed
ground, please give a love offering online @ promiselandchurch.net.  
Thank you, dear one, and I know the Lord will surely bless you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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{Special thanks to cooltext.com.}