Let The Watchmen Arise by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Beware of Idols — Even His Blessings

Anything that takes the place of God in your heart and now makes you indisposed to waiting on the Lord has become an idol. And more often than not, it is with the very blessings that God gave us that we build idols. You realize what the children of Israel demonstrated is actually what a lot of believers do on a daily basis. The very job you cried for is now the reason why God is crying for your attention. You expect him to understand.

When they made the golden calf, they looked at it and said, "This is the God that brought us out of Egypt." You may think that is extreme, but consider many people who were once fervent, trusting in the Lord — the breakthrough happened, they claimed it was God who gave them the breakthrough. Do you realize you can be so prosperous you are no longer sure? You now think: what if it was my intelligence all this while? What if I was just too religious? Now you look at your past and edit it and say, maybe it was my might all along. Beware of idols. Wait on the Lord. Trust in him and only him.

An 11-Day Journey That Took 40 Years

Deuteronomy 1:2-3 — it is 11 days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea. And it came to pass in the 40th year, in the 11th month, in the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel.

A journey that was supposed to take 11 days had taken 40 years at the time of this writing. The distance was short but the delay was long.

Whatever represents delay in your life is broken. Several cases of delay will be broken today. Whatever represents delays, stagnation, retrogression — whatever makes you circle where you should be moving forward — I bring an end to it. Every family pattern of delay is broken right now.

So let us investigate why. God brings the children of Israel out of Egypt by mighty hand, shows them signs and wonders, brings them to the wilderness, and is just about to reveal the law. Moses is on the mountain talking to God. And because the children of Israel could not wait 40 days, those who could not wait ended up waiting 40 years.

This is fitting because this is a tarrying meeting — tar. One of the things you must learn in programs like this is how to wait. We are praying long and you are wondering what is next. That is what is next. You stay there. It is part of the lesson. God requires all our sinful cravings to hop onto the next thing to be surrendered.

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

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Apostle Emmanuel Iren
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• Because they were tired of waiting, they began to make idols — a golden calf. Here is a spiritual diagnosis: if you ever see anybody who cannot wait spiritually, there are idols in their life.
• Whatever you would rather do than pray, than wait on God — that is your idol.
• And more often than not, it is with the very blessings that God gave us that we make idols. It was the gold they received by the favor of God in Egypt that they gathered to make the calf.
• Your wife can become an idol. Your husband can become an idol — the very reason you do not fulfill purpose.

God-Permitted Delay — The Most Sobering Kind

Because God will not share his glory, he says: I have not even brought you into the promised land and you are already misbehaving. So instead of crossing the wilderness, you will circle it. And the dangerous part — as they were circling the wilderness, miracles were still happening. Manna was still falling every day. Enough to keep them engrossed. Enough to make them not sit back and say, "This is good, but this is not God's best."

You can show the spirit realm that you cannot handle more. And so this time around, it is not the devil causing the delay. It is God. And he does it because he loves you — because you have shown with how you handled one million that one billion will destroy you.

Throughout the 40 years, they were still led by the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. It was still divine leading making them circle. Their clothes did not wear out. As they grew, the cloth grew with them. Miracles were still happening — but they were circling what they were meant to cross.

The Effective, Fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man

James 5:16-18 — confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it should not rain — and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Elijah was a man just like us. The same nature. The same limitations. But he prayed and heaven responded. Do not wait for Elijah to come and minister to you. Elijah was a man like you.

God Is Waiting for You to Ask

Ezekiel 36:37 — thus says the Lord God: I will also let the house of Israel inquire of me to do this for them.

I want to do it — but I am letting you ask. This is what some people do not understand about the balance of the sovereignty of God. The sovereign God has determined that there are some things that will only happen in your life if you partner with him and say enough.

You are waiting for God to do it. He is waiting for you to ask.

Take a posture. 60 minutes. Focus on that issue.

Where are the watchmen? Where are the watch women? Stand upon your watch. Insist. Remember — heartfelt, continued, fervent prayer. In Jesus' mighty name we pray.