Come Aside

And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain,
​and I will there talk with thee. Eze 3:22
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Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear:
​for they are a rebellious house. Eze ch. 3:24-27
RESTRAINTS IN SERVING THE LORD
​Seasons of Devout Solitude

The whole course of the history of the kingdom of God, as traced in the Old Testament, may be pointed to as showing that the godly, whose service is outlined therein, are met with recurring impediments to their efforts. The like feature is observed in the New Testament. Every true life for Christ, at one step or another, verifies the expression of Paul, “Without are fighting, within are fears.”

1. The restraints may be in the servants. They may be ready to spread the gospel, but are forbidden to enter the door which is apparently opened, or are afflicted with disease and unable to enter, or are prostrated in their energies by some domestic event and unfit to enter. In such and similar cases they must not conclude that they have offended the Lord because silence is imposed on them; they are not to write bitter things against themselves; they are to bow in acquiescence and wait till God opens their lips. This is the time to be "shut in" with God in their own chambers, and only speaking what God allows, in the manner of God's choosing. It's a time of using wisdom, and restraint.
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​2. The restraints may be from those for whom the service is required.
  (1)​ They may become violent against the persons who stand up for the rights of God. A prophet like Jeremiah was “cursed” by every one, and cast into a miry dungeon; an apostle like Paul was mobbed, beaten and imprisoned, and unnumbered injuries have been committed against less-known followers of Him who was crucified by wicked hands.
  (2) Or the people may be rebellious in heart. It was because of this their state that Ezekiel was shut up and trammeled. The soil, into which the seed of the kingdom was to be cast, had not those elements in it which would act upon and vitalize the germs. The gospel is unproductive in many a sphere, not because it is not plainly and faithfully set forth, but because men are irresponsive and unimpressed. They reject the medicine which would bring them health and cure. Such sad conditions should not prevent further efforts for the redemption of souls, though former ones have been made apparently in vain. We must not repress our longings for a change. We must watch as servants who wait for the Lord.

II. The restraints are under the direction of the Lord.
He concerns Himself with every matter relating to His kingdom amongst men. The enforced silence and disablement of the prophet and the “gross” heart of the people are controlled for His righteous and good ends.

1. Traces of His working are perceptible. Restraints are felt teaching His suffering servants to be patient, vigilant for Him, and so qualifying for future action and future reward. “If we suffer with Him we are glorified together.” Also by those restraints the evil which lies in hearts is disclosed. Their enmity to God is elicited. Their hardness becomes more intense. Blinded thus, they lead the blind and “provoke” God to send a famine of His Word. What more deplorable state can a lost traveller be in than that in which he can be no longer tracked by the guides who go in search of him? What more painful illustration of their state can there be than when the wicked and the righteous hear warnings no more?
This lesson is further inculcated by enforced silence. “Thou shalt not be to them a reprover,” a man who will endeavor to convict them of their sins, except so far as and how I direct thee. They are not always in a state fit to hear rebukes, “for they are a rebellious house,” and nothing effective can be accomplished as yet.

2. Hopes of His working may be entertained. When men make void His law, that is a time to ask God to do special work. The restraints which lie in the prophet’s disablement or the people’s sin will not always continue to press. God will not be served only by silence. He will open a door of utterance, and again send forth His words to the people that He may prove whether there is yet a heart in them which will take heed how they hear. However, any movement on this part, should only be taken after long seasons of prayer and having received a sure guidance. The servant needs to know the path and direction of the Lord, in the ministry he/she is working in.

III. Restraints may be associated with communion between the Lord and His servants.
This fact is brought to pass--

1. By a fresh consciousness of God in His service. When His faithful followers are “troubled on every side,” they often realize the power of God and the preciousness of Christ; when they are weak, then are they strong through His grace. He seems to come nearer to them, and they say, “Thou holdest me by my right hand.”
2. By a deepened conviction that He who has led them is the same for ever. Ezekiel is not left to remember that he had seen the glory of the Lord; it is shown to him again. He learns that God is all that He was. The glory of Christ which we see when He is first revealed in us, the glory which moved us to consecrate our lives to Him and His work on earth, that glory will be shown again and again, if we wait for Him. It is not the memory of a first love which is to sustain us in suffering and duty; it is a renewed sight, “day by day.” We are prostrated before His glory, but we, beholding that glory, shall be changed into the same image, from glory to glory—from the glory of suffering for Christ to the glory of reigning with Christ.
​3. By the power of the Holy Spirit. He is given to dwell in our body as His temple. He takes the things that are Christ’s and shows them to us. He teaches to profit, and we receive power, love, and a sound mind. The efficacy of all true ministry depends on His energy. It is as the servants of the Lord live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit that they adequately fulfil the mission to which they are called. And since He is freely and fully promised for the asking—as the gift of a father to his children—what sorrow and shame may not affect us who might have received so much of His power and yet have been satisfied with so little! “Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened? Are these His doings?” (Preacher's Homiletical)

​THE WATCHMAN’S RESPONSIBILITY

Ezekiel was bitter because of his message, but not because God’s fire was burning within him. It is a blessed thing for preacher, leader, or Christian worker, when the hand of God is strong upon the soul. But whatever your inward condition, you will never be able to do your best work, unless you can sit where the people sit. In other words you must take their attitude, know by experience their circumstances, and share their lot. We must live very near to God, or we shall never hear the word of His mouth. There is no other way of obtaining messages that will effect His purpose. Ponder again Eze_3:17. In Eze_3:20 God is said to lay a stumbling-block only in the sense that He has constituted the world in that way. When the prophet went forth into the plain God revealed Himself. Whether He bids us go to the plain, or shut ourselves in the house, the place of obedience and duty will ever be the right one for the manifestation of His glory and the communication of His message. The secret of a successful ministry is to be absolutely yielded in thought and in speech to God.  (F.B. Meyer)

CONCLUSION:
The Lord has been dealing with me on these issues for a long time, many months. Today, there are far too many "prophets" for hire, that have no discernment, and show their true intent by what they allow to come out of their mouths. They are either full of deceit, showing they are in it for the money, or the name their trying to make and maintain for themselves. They aren't willing to pay the prices of a true servant of the Lord, and take the persecution and rejection that God plainly says we will get. 

Many of them serve the god of this world, and Satan has the power to give them all they desire-the prosperity preacher's and prophets are reaping their rewards now-it's all they will get. When they die, they will receive their just rewards, and join their master, the devil in the lake of fire.

For anyone who thinks they are called of God to be a watchman, prophet, or serve God in any capacity, ask yourself a question an elderly pastor said to me, when I was newly called of God; he said "Ask yourself before you move forward into the work, or service you believe is from God- "Am I willing to die for what I'm doing or saying, literally." He went on-"Many begin, but soon find Satan is right there, and will use everything he can to oppose you and people will be put in your path, that will reveal to you what's really in you, and if you are truly called of God, or not."
This elderly pastor advised me to study the life and mission of the Apostle Paul. I took his advice and God has burned it into my heart, what the cost truly is to serve Christ-it costs you everything.

If God has called you to this work-you will know it, and you won't be anxious to speak out publicly because you will know that it's going to bring you hardships, misunderstandings, and rejection. But, if you are truly called of God in this realm, and you love God, you'll sit shut in with Him until you've gotten the message correctly-and know exactly what your supposed to say, and nothing more. You'll seek His face, and meditate on His word, and digest everything you can on the subject God's placed on your heart, and you'll take it all to God, many times. You won't have any desire to say anything, unless you know in your heart and spirit that this is from God, and not a deception.

Then you'll ask Him for the time to give it, where, and you'll obey, and let the chips fall where they may.
This is the heart of a true servant and watchman/watchwoman of God. 
​Lorna Couillard