Over the course of this journey God has gracefully taken me on, his word continues to expose my flaws and pricks my heart over issues I never saw before. My prayer is I stay close enough to him, that he will continue to transform my life, because in the midst of my deceitful heart, I earnestly desire to live a life pleasing unto the Lord! I never want God to look at my life and pass me by because I’m unwilling to change my ways, but I want to habitually measure my life by the word of God, and allow his spirit to work on my inner man. I want to keep my heart tender enough that when I hear a message that pricks my heart, it will absorb instead of deflect. If we will allow the Word of God to penetrate our heart, and be led by his spirit, he will mold us into his likeness, NOT OURS! History teaches us, Man’s way is epic failure, but God’s ways are perfect.

The purpose of my blog is by no means to give a persona that I’m some spiritual guru, but my intent is that I can share my experiences to help someone out. I’m a just a country boy on a journey to make it to Heaven. My top priority in life is to take my family with me.

This brings me to my topic “Standing in the Gap.” God pricked my heart over this issue a while ago, and I’d like to share it with you. God awakened me out of my spiritual slumber over two years ago, and it’s changed my life forever. The first event that changed my life was the birth of my daughter. I felt like God spoke directly to me and said “I’ve given you a family, now it’s your responsibility to lead them.” My wife and I had been married around six years at that point, and my hearts endeavor was to always be a good husband and gain her trust, but to be honest I never knew how to truly lead her spiritually. I believe with all my heart, a core issue with all families that see conflict and perpetual struggles is the Man doesn’t know how to lead his family and follow the God ordained Order of Creation! I had no earthly ideal, and I’m still learning, but God nestled within my heart the RESPONSIBILITY to lead, Stand in the Gap, and be the intercessor on the behalf of my family. As the high priest of my home, I am to build the hedge around my family with the help of The Lord!

From the primitive days of Kingdoms and dwellings of refuge, the walls of protection from the enemy was considered the hedge. The main objective was to protect what was within the walls. If you study the make up of kingdoms and fortresses, you will find through out the lands, Watch Towers would stand guard and watch for enemies that may be lurking by waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate the camp. These towers were to be occupied day and night watching at all times, because lives were at stake. Many occurrences where the enemy broke through the hedge, you will find it was from negligence on the behalf of the watchmen. The enemy would methodically wait patiently waiting for a golden opportunity to strike, and he would look for a weakness to invade the hedge. In Nehemiah, you will find a similar scenario. Nehemiah was inspired of The Lord to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but the enemy never wanted him to succeed.

“But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them,” Nehemiah 4:7-9 (KJV).

Nehemiah COMMANDED the people to watch DAY AND NIGHT.

In verse 17, they built on the wall, working with one hand, and carrying a weapon in the other. In verse 21, they worked and watched from the rising of the sun until the stars appeared at night. In verse 22, they even guarded one another throughout the night.

Nehemiah knew the importance of a watchman, someone to stand in the gap between the enemy and their goal of rebuilding Jerusalem. The enemy was determined to stop the work of God, but the watchmen and the prayers of the people put a hedge around them and God allowed Nehemiah to finish the job!
Nehemiah’s situation compares to our lives today. Whether we choose to live our life in a slumber state of mind, it doesn’t dismiss the fact that we have an enemy who roams the earth seeking whom he may devour. He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our life. He wants our children, he wants our spouse, and he wants to steal our salvation through Jesus Christ! God pricked my heart through a dream a while ago, now some may say it was just a dream, but I believe God allowed me to see a spiritual realm that we cannot see with our naked eye, and from that point he made me see above all else as the High Priest of my home, it is my responsibility to be the Watchman. He made me see it wasn’t just for my wife and daughter, but for my entire family.
Satan is cunning, and will use all means necessary to infiltrate our homes if we allow it. The only offense we have to his devices comes from The Lord! We are absolutely outmanned if we try to fight the devil on our own. God isn’t looking for the self sufficient to do his work, but he’s looking for a man who realizes our help comes from Him!

Psalm 121: 1-8 (KJV)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

My desire is for us to see the need to Stand in the Gap for our family, for our church, for our friends! As a man, we are to be the watchman on the behalf of our family. Dear God in Heaven, Men, if we don’t build the hedge then who’s going to. We need to saturate our homes with prayer and supplication on the behalf of our loved ones! God has absolutely chastened me over this and I thank God because I see the need more than ever to build a hedge around my home, my marriage, my daughter, my wife, and our spiritual life!

Abraham stood in the Gap and pleaded for Sodom, Moses stood in the Gap for Israel, Esther stood in the gap for her people, WHO IS WILLING TO STAND IN THE GAP FOR THEIR LOVED ONES? I do not want it to be said of my family:
Eze 22:30   (KJV) And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

God is looking for those who will be the watchman and protect their families by being spiritually sober and keeping a watch for the enemy! I pray my experience will have a lasting affect on someone, and you will see the need to Stand in the Gap!

Job 1:10    Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. I want it said of my family that THERE IS A HEDGE ABOUT THEM!

GOD BLESS, JDS