Specialized Spiritual Equipment
Not all of us believe we have what it takes to pray like Sister Wilkerson. But we actually do. After all, God wouldn't call us to be watchmen without equipping us for the job!

Have you ever stood on the border of a highly protected nation? Have you seen the sophisticated sensors, video cameras, infrared light detectors, and the other complicated systems that governments put there? God provides each of us, as believers, with that kind of equipment spiritually. And just as nations upgrade their systems when the need arises, God gives us more to work with as our prayer responsibilities expand.

I realized that years ago when Brother Kenneth E. Hagin prophesied about how the spirit of seeing and knowing would increase in the last days. The Lord showed me the increase was coming partly for the sake of the watchmen. He wanted to further equip them to make them equal to their task.

Watchmen need to see and know things by the spirit to function effectively. They must be privy to information others don't have so they can carry out their assignments in prayer. Think about Simeon, in the second chapter of Luke. He had amazing spiritual insight about the Lord's First Coming because he was divinely commissioned to watch and pray over that event.
An effective spiritual spy, Simeon foresaw the timing of the Messiah's arrival. The Holy Spirit even prompted him to go to the temple at the exact time Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus there to be circumcised. Recognizing Him instantly,

[Simeon] took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."
(Luke 2:28-32 NKJV)

My, what revelation Simeon had! He not only knew who Jesus was, he understood that He'd come to save both Jews and Gentiles. The apostle Peter didn't get that revelation until the early days of the Church when he fell into a trance and saw a heavenly vision. But Simeon knew it 30 years earlier—all because he watched and prayed.

Opening the Door for Jesus to Work
Actually, Simeon gives us a great example of what Jesus explained in John 10 where he said:

...he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way (elsewhere, from some other quarter) is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The watchman opens the door for this man, and the sheep listen to his voice and heed it; and he calls his own sheep by name and brings (leads) them out. (verses 1-3 Amp.)

Years ago, Brother Halverson taught me that the Holy Ghost is the one who opens the door for the Shepherd in that passage. So the Holy Spirit is the primary Watchman. But He does his work through our prayers. We yield our tongues to Him and He shows us what to say. Exercising the authority we've been given in Jesus' name, we give voice to the Spirit's declarations. We merge the divine will and the human will together—

And the door is opened for Jesus to work!

Here's something else Brother Halverson taught me: as we're faithful to watch and pray over the assignments God gives us, He increases our territory. As we persevere in praying, He grants us higher positions on His watching wall. He fulfills in our lives the promise in Zechariah 3:7:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you access [to My presence] and places to walk among these who stand here. (Amp.)

Or, as The Message Bible puts it:

If you live the way I tell you and remain obedient in my service or in my assignment, then you'll make all the decisions around here and oversee my affairs. And all my attendants standing here will be at your service.

Excerpted from the newsletter Prayer Notes by Lynne Hammond
(Minneapolis: Lynne Hammond Ministries)
All rights reserved. Used by permission.