Watchmen, Movements and Change

David’s reach for the heart of God again and again transcended his grasp of the realities of his own struggles and tapped a timeless picture of dynamics to manifest in ages to come. So it has been reflected prophetically in this encapsulation of the prescient 24th Psalm:

• The earth is the Lord’s.
• Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.
• This is the generation of those that seek Him.
• Lift up your heads O gates, that the King of Glory may come in.

The advertising community’s messaging has long featured the premise that “the perception is the reality.” This seemingly innocent dynamic has ranged from simple salesmanship to more recent dark manipulations of the social sphere to the degree that the perceptions of key realities have been restructured. Yet, there also has begun emerging an awakening and with the awakening a recent push-back and reach reflected in David’s glimmer of reality: “The earth is the Lord’s” and “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?”

Pop culture too often presents a slice of reality reflecting the confusion and struggle that society grapples with in getting it right. The musical “Wicked” makes just such a presentation. Within the overview of a captivating story with complex characters, powerful music and a mix of moralities where black is white and white is black, the message-impact softens the perception of and creates a human resonance with the concept of its title: Wicked. Yet, the reality is that “wickedness” is the gateway to destruction and death.

And so, wickedness and corruption have entwined their way into the underbelly and undercurrent of a range of misapplications of not just social programs and policies, but the very thinking being presented as upright and right …. reflecting black as white and white as black.

With that thought in mind, we have David’s grasp of the reality: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord.” His psalm makes it clear: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart. Who has not lifted up his soul unto falsehood nor sworn deceitfully.” There is a standard and that standard is at the core of what is upheld by the age-old function of the watchmen.

The Amassing Role of the Watchmen
Throughout Scripture we have the example of the watchmen on the wall, who keep an eye on what is coming the way of the righteous. The watchmen sound the alarm for both threats and opportunity.

Then, when there is an amassing of their efforts, movements are birthed …. and with the momentum and shift in the atmosphere, the glory is released. In short, this has been the role of the intercessors, as the ones anticipating enemy incursions, guarding the gates, standing in the gap for the awakening of members of the community who may have been blindly going about their business …. or perhaps simply lured into complacency by the representations of reality by the pop-culture.
“Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads and look; and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. See that I have set watchmen over you, saying, hear and obey the sound of the shofar!” Jer 6:16-17 “Go through, go through the gates, clear the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples.” Is 62:10

Beyond the Watchmen: Attracting a Generation
Back to David ….. with the standard made very clear ….. comes the awakening, not just for a community, but across a generation that embraces what is right and upright. The result is in genuinely seeking the Lord.

“This is the generation of those who seek Him.”

Throughout the history of God’s people, the Lord has sought for the generation that would turn and seek Him. Doing so begins with shared values. When an awakening to the enemy’s incursions takes place, the pushback in seeking the Lord triggers the groundswell of a movement …. shared values involving uprightness and righteousness: the mix between the voices and the actions. With these shared values will come strategic alliances of those embracing common ground.

Movements take time to gain traction. In the faith world, movements are unique from revival, yet comprise many of the same characteristics and are the cannon fodder for revival.

They encompass times of change that reach for the standard, drawing strongly from diverse ideological backgrounds. There’s a common ground that embraces passion but defies emotion. Movements are defined by acting on, believing in and embracing the passion of what is believed to be perhaps the new, but more likely the restored-right thing. Like revival, as they gain traction, movements are fueled by faith and an honoring of God …. embracing the opportunity of that which is not as though it were.

That’s how reality maintains the standard and resists the subtle reshapings. Which is what movements do …. they trigger change. The change that reshapes priorities and the focus bearing on the perceptions of reality.

Yet there is another vital dimension defining movements, especially with biblical movements. That dimension is drama. Drama takes current reality and superimposes on it out-of-the-box opportunity …. fueled by passion. In short it frequently parallels the first step of faith.

AND not to be overlooked in the birthing of movements is the dynamic of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is based on the ability to create, build, innovate and bring increase. To create and bring increase: being vital God-factors defining His ways. Entrepreneurship spots unseen opportunity and knows what to do about it.

More often than not it will be this entrepreneurial gift of spotting opportunity that is largely unseen to those locked into tradition. It is why entrepreneurs, who typically think outside the box, wind up playing such key roles in movements. They are change-artists.

Biblical Examples of Movements
It is instructive to take a closer look at some biblical examples of movements. Each began and were fueled with a mix of drama, faith and entrepreneurship.

The exchange between Joseph and Pharaoh involved drama, the drama tied to God giving dreams to Pharaoh. The cup-bearer knowing of Joseph’s accurate gift of dream interpretation mentioned it to Pharaoh. The depth of Joseph’s interpretations presented a grasp of the reality of the future that Pharaoh simply had not considered.

The spiritually sensitive Pharaoh, no doubt greatly impacted by these dreams, liked what he heard ….. and in faith, embraced and acted on the opportunity and strategy that Joseph as God’s representative discerned. Simply stated, Pharaoh entrusted Joseph with the change needed to embrace the opportunity. In other words, he made him chief-entrepreneur. It should be noted that this movement extended to include a full range of Egyptian non-believers serving to facilitate Joseph’s strategy.

So it was, with the prophetic insight into the quantum shift about to impact the entire Egyptian society, Joseph anticipated the opportunity in the change. For the Egyptians it became a movement in the seven-year time of preparing for the famine.

Then there was Moses. Can you imagine the drama as Moses confronted Pharaoh? Yet God was in the drama …. with judgment for Egypt and miracles for God’s people, as Pharaoh resisted the opportunity. What unfolded then was what God does: operating outside the box. Releasing the change needed to embrace the opportunity.

No doubt it took faith and then some for Moses and Aaron in their exchanges with Pharaoh. Despite the bondage, the Israelites of those days were strangely skeptical and resistant to change, but with Moses’ leadership, faith took root and a movement ensued. There’s no question that in the process this movement had its wobbles, but the result was still a time when everything changed …. with opportunity looming.

Elijah is another story still. The drama in his encounters with Ahab were off-the-charts. The famine captured everyone’s attention …. but the time of the fire-from-heaven triggered the return to faith of the people …. that set in motion a movement and reality that changed the toxic spiritual atmosphere that had been hijacked and dominated by Jezebel and her cohorts …. and yielded to the change needed for the opportunity of restoration. So, this movement released judgment of the wicked for their influence on and treatment of the household of faith.

Then there is the story of David. Drama seemed to define the various stages of David’s life and exploits …. and mishaps. That David was responsible for morphing Israel into a Kingdom was the pinnacle of the movements he triggered. David was a master game-changer for the Lord. A master of timing, again and again, his actions resulted in opportunity. As described in Acts, David always did what God asked him to do.

And then came Jesus …. with the drama of His miracles. Likewise, His central message was that of faith, of changes to the reality of and thinking that defined the natural world. And with it probably the greatest movement and single most monumental change of any movement to happen, ever.

Movements and Change
Moves of God are not for the cautious or hesitant. They involve risk, significant wisdom and great faith. And more often unusual alliances. For Jesus, the tip of the spear of these alliances was his encounters with the woman at the well and with the Centurion. Kingdom access and grace was being extended to non-believers. It was a movement of Light penetrating the darkness. Restoration. Something out-of-the-box and beyond the scope of tradition …. yet at the core of the change …. that was needed for the fullness of the opportunity that was to follow.

Yet, alongside all this, over the course of history, have been counterfeit movements. Jesus pointed out that those whose efforts were on the side of darkness would be distinguished by their fruits. In simple terms movements from God would be led by being givers of Life and Light while the counterfeits have been defined by hatred of the righteous and destruction. In more recent times, the more influential of these counterfeits have been those of the Marxist and Communist movements. Each being proactive deniers of God and haters of God’s people.

Yet, despite the change brought about by the counterfeits has been the eruptive dramas, faith and movements reaching crescendos of incredible, dramatic revivals, bringing restoration and hope to the millions of those being oppressed by darkness.

So it is that we have entered times of change, with awakenings far more than the ordinary, resulting in a movement extending beyond the traditional household of faith, with shared values, uprightness and righteousness being at the core of the common ground. This movement of Life has also triggered counterfeit backlash and hatred, as the turmoil and subtlety has grown and been extended globally.

This Is the Generation
Again, we return to the 24th Psalm and David’s observation: “this is the generation that seeks Him.” It is the mobilization …. the movement of a generation ….. that will align things with God’s heart for restoration for the King of Glory to manifest.

This is the generation that will get the priorities right …. that embraces the impartations from the preparations and faithfulness of the generation of watchmen …. a generation passing the baton …. who do not shrink back or wilt at the threats of the wicked …. who reflect the admonition of Jesus “that from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence but the violent take it by force.”

The Line in the Sand
The toxic nature of the realities of our day are approaching the dynamics and conflicts outlined by Jesus in Matthew 24. The times reflect the need for those at the forefront of the household of faith ….. the watchmen …. to dig in even deeper with David’s reach for the heart of God …. enhancing the groundswell movement of uprightness and of the righteous’ grasp of the realities and priorities. Again the prescient focus and priorities are captured in the 24th Psalm:

• The earth is the Lord’s.
• Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.
• This is the generation of those that seek Him.
• Lift up your heads O gates, that the King of Glory may come in.

The line in the sand being drawn by the righteous is refusing the subtleties, lures, compromises and counterfeits presented by the wicked. It simultaneously discerns between the noise of those trapped by tradition and the naysayers resisting change ….. and the voices discerning and grasping the momentum coming from on high.

The response and momentum opens the gates for a time that will trigger what Scripture notes as the distinction between the righteous and the wicked …. and the distinctive judgment spoken of by the prophet Malachi along with the separation of the sheep and goat nations noted by Jesus …. the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who stand behind Israel and the Jewish people …. and those who do not.

The forerunner mantle has its foundations in roles played by the watchmen and intercessors ….. who through their efforts both prayerfully and as voices raise the alert and battle cry. Yet as the battle cry awakens and grows as a movement, penetrating deep into the bowels of society and leadership, the mantle must be embraced across the generation …. and shaped by the voices and mentoring of those who are the originators in raising the battle cry.

As the Mysteries Are Revealed
Again and again, Scripture points to the mysteries, matters beyond human grasp that bring alignment and connect the dots to be unlocked in the latter days. Many are those yet to be unlocked.

Jacob in his deathbed words to Joseph, imparted clues with his legacy to the sons of Joseph …. that while both Ephraim and Manasseh would both shine, that Ephraim would become greater and his seed become the fullness of the nations. With that is Zechariah’s complementary prophecy that “I will bend Judah as my bow and fill the bow with Ephraim. I will stir up your sons Zion and make you like a warrior’s sword against your sons, Greece.” Zech 9:11

Indeed, THIS is the generation of those who seek Him. A time to be alert and watching. A time of stepping out in faith. A time of great moves of the Spirit, a time of the lifting of the gates and great change.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel; so hear and give them warning from Me.” Ez 3:17 “Ephraim was called as a watchman and prophet to the surrounding nations; but has become a fowler’s snare in all his ways. There is enmity, hostility, and persecution in the house of his God.” Hos 9:8 “Yet the Lord will lift up a standard for the nations, and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those who harass Judah will be cut off.” Isa 11:12-13

“Lord, You have established and strengthened our walls and ramparts. So, open the gates, that all who are righteous may enter, the ones who have remained faithful. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. For in You we have an everlasting Rock. The way of the righteous is level and smooth. O Upright One, make the path of the righteous straight. While following the way of your judgments, we have eagerly waited for You. At night my soul longs for You. Indeed my spirit seeks you diligently. For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” Isa 26:1-10

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Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner of the Joseph-calling and God’s economy message, being an international voice for the higher dimensions of spiritual game-changers and intercessors since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation, the Strategic Intercession Global Network [SIGN] and designer of the God’s Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program and the Jewish Business Secrets YouTube series, Mr. Ruddick’s messages equip leaders and economic community builders with strategy where God’s light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.

He is author of “The Joseph-Daniel Calling;” “Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;” “The Heart of a King;” “Something More;” “Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;” “Leadership by Anointing;” and “Mantle of Fire,” which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.

Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to 3838 South Wabash Street, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at https://strategic-initiatives.org/donate/

2025 Copyright Morris Ruddick — info@strategic-initiatives.org

Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For more information go to https://strategic-initiatives.org