God Bless the Gap Fillers and the Watchman
It’s 7:33 a.m. Sunday morning and I’ve been into scripture, worship, prayer and coffee for a couple of hours, plus some. That’s not to boast of myself, that’s just to let you know my mindset has been on the things of God. I continue through the book of Ezekiel and read his prophetic words in awe as I watch it play out in the news of 2026. I hear his warnings to Israel and cannot help but take them to heart for the modern day church. It brings fear and trepidation to my heart knowing that I can place the names of people I know, in the place of the people that Ezekiel knew. Don’t tell me the Bible is not a living, breathing book, because I’ve experienced it. I pray that you have as well.
It has been so important to me as I tread these paths that God has put me on. There’s currently more than one path and I’m trying to stay out of the weeds. Staying with Mother is a clear path. There is no question God has called me for such a time as this to be there for her. There are no weeds in that path. My husband supports me, my health is relatively okay, I’m at the most peace when I’m here with her and all is good. And then there’s the path that leads to church. I’ll not be there today because it currently does not connect with Mother’s path. And I’ve come to terms with that and poured more time into the scripture, listening to preachers and worshiping God through art and music. And praise God for Facebook that allows me to tune into my own Pastor’s messages.
Now I go to the path of Ridgeview. Stick with me, I assure you I’ll get to one of your paths in a minute. Ridgeview News is my job for which I believe God called me to, so that I could be a watchman for Christ. I need to warn my community and family of the evils and dangers of the world around us, especially that of my close community. There have been some recent events that I have watched God’s hand in that just set me back on my seat, much like the first heart attack did on May 20th, 2018. Except in a good way.
I preach that God’s in control of this world to my husband and children, I give them mediocre examples and try to help them relate to how the Lord is working in our lives and then God outdoes Himself, and I’m like… “Did that just happen?” And you better believe that there were naysayers in my life ready to thwart God’s effort, even without knowing that they were doing it. I wish I could elaborate further on that, but it’s still playing out and I need to wait. I would also appreciate your prayers that God protect the players in this event, because they are under attack too.
The Prophet Ezekiel reminds me that I have nothing to whine about. He is in captivity in Babylon, preaching to his people who go from ignoring him, fighting him to making light of him and yet he continues to preach the house down around them… literally. He tells them that they have two choices: to either repent or face the judgement of God like they’ve never seen the judgement of God, but like the world today, Israel’s arrogance kept them from taking heed.
Listen to the words that Ezekiel had for the religious sect of that day:
Ezekiel 22:26-28 KJV
[26]Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. [27] Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. [28] And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.
Go online and tune into television evangelism, and you could use Ezekiel’s warning for the modern preaching of today. God help the prosperity gospel, wealth oriented, false prophesiers who people with an ounce of sense in their head know not to believe or trust. But those same people who know that the television evangelists are liars, are not seeking the truth for themselves. They are in the gap. And what they choose to believe is like that for which Ezekiel said the prophets were using “untempered mutter” in their building, which will fall apart over time or under stress. Just like the lives of those who choose to say they’re following Christ…. Yet not really.
This is where it plays out to my community and probably yours as well. We’re going into another election year and all the “Christians” are coming out of the woodwork to preach their version of the gospel. It’s the gospel of convenience and the congregation is large. It is filled with sayers of the word, but not doers of the word, and in my dealings with them, I have the desire but not the backbone to become an Ezekiel-ess. (Female Ezekiel). Ezekiel was a man’s man, well he was God’s man, and he suffered greatly as a prophet of God, eventually leading to his death. I am not that strong. But I am mouthy. Ask anyone who knows me.
Just a very little background on Calhoun County, West Virginia. We are one of the many poverty pits of the Appalachian region. The oppression by a handful of controlling wealthy people had beat down our community to the point that there was no hope for coming out of the state of poverty which had become (if there is such a thing) a mediocre medium income depression for the citizens. There are plenty of low income people, but in comparison to the world stage, most of our citizens are not starving, live in a house suitable for inhabitants and have comforts in life. But the depression comes from the loss of hope. The loss of hope came from the leadership that convinced the people that they were to sit down, shut up, and be grateful for what they have.
It’s how many people act in church. They arrive and leave the same way. Without hope. It may or may not be the preacher’s fault. I’ve witnessed a preacher, preach his heart out to a congregation of people who had no intention of changing their ways. That was Israel in the day of Ezekiel. They had the opportunity for redemption, but chose to live a life style that was to bring destruction. They were warned!
Ezekiel 22:29-30 KJV
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. [30] 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.
I feel God has called me To be a gap filler and a watchman to warn the people. But deed… nobody wants to hear from the watchman. Watchman, generally only brings bad news. But Scripture is clear that if the watchman called does not warn the people, then their blood will be on the watchman. But if the watchman warns and they heed not, their blood is on their own heads.
Ezekiel 33:6-9 KJV
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. [7] So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. [8] When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. [9] Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Old Testament, or New Testament, the message is the same… Jesus Saves. During the Old Testaments times it came through the belief and faith that the Messiah would come. And He did. Now salvation comes through the knowledge that Jesus came, walked among men, died for their sins on the cross of Calvary, and arose to return to His Father, where He is now defending us when we fail… and we do.
But as I continue to read Ezekiel I will get into the full redemption of Israel, when Christ returns. Glory to God and He will return. And when He does Israel will once again return to the world stage and we have the redeemed will go to Heaven in a cloud of glory to be with Christ. And for those who reject the warning, it will be too late.
Don’t reject the warning. If you have questions, please message me on facebook or at talk2shari@gmail.com.
Love you… mean it. – Shari, The Jesus Chick
