Chronicles of a Watchman by Dr. James P. Norman Jr.

Forerunner for Antichrist Dear Saints: Eph. 6:12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies – the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and queens evil princes of darkness who rule this world; And against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves caught up in a conflict that spans both Heaven and Earth. The forces that confront us are “persons without bodies” – evil spiritual powers in the unseen realm that oppose all true righteousness and seek to establish Satan’s dominion over the whole world. Our responsibility in this conflict is unique, because Christ has committed to us alone the spiritual insight and weapons that can give us victory. The governments and the armies of this world, operating solely on the natural plane, have no understanding of conflict and no power to deal with the satanic forces in the heavenlies. On the contrary

The Holy Spirit is God himself personally present in the believer. "If" "Spirit of God" no more implies deity than does the Angel of God, why is not the Holy Spirit called simply the angel or messenger of God? The Spirit and the incarnation the Holy Spirit is God in his innermost being or essence, the principle of life of both the Father and the Son; that in which God, both as Father and Son, does everything, and in which he comes to us and is in us increasingly through his manifestations.  Through the working and indwelling of this Holy Spirit, God in his person of Son was fully incarnate in Christ (I Corinthians 2:11). This analogy must not be pushed to far, as if the Spirit of God and God were co-extensive terms, as the corresponding terms are, substantially, in man.  The point of the analogy is evidently self-knowledge, and in both cases the contrast is between the spirit within and anything outside.  We must not expect always to feel the power of the Spirit

I have read and pondered Ezekiel 28. As pastors, preachers, ministers, or teachers of the God's word, this text reminds me there is a responsibility.  The position as an expositor of God's word requires accountability to the task and function.  The text speaks of guiding, leading, and directing a flock as a shepherd.  The persons shepherded are likening to sheep.  The leader is to feed the flock the Word of God.  Feeding is important to the maintenance, development, and sustenance of sheep.  God has entrusted the leader with the care of the flock.  The leader -- pastor, preacher, minister, or teacher -- is subordinate to God as the under-shepherd.  An under-shepherd has three responsibilities: one to lead, second, to guide; and third, to feed.  We are to do all three responsibly and not haphazardly.  We are not to lord our position over the sheep.  We are to be examples of what it means to be God inside minded.  We set the pace based on experience in the faith, but more im

Mercy and Goodness, or Transitive Love By mercy and goodness, we mean the transitive love of God in its two-fold relation to the disobedient.  Scriptures such as Titus 3:4; Romans 2:4; Matthew 5:44-45; John 3:16;II 2 Peter 1:3; Roman 8:32; and John 4:10 serve as examples.   Mercy is that external principle of God's nature which leads him to seek the temporal good and eternal salvation of those who have opposed themselves to his will, even at the cost of infinite self-sacrifice.  Goodness is the eternal principle of God's nature which leads him to communicate of his own life, and blessedness to those who are like him in moral character.  Goodness, therefore, is nearly identical with the love of complacency; mercy, with the love of benevolence. Good People not necessarily saved people. The eternal and perfect object of God's love is in his own nature.  Men become subordinate objects of that love only as they become connected and identified with its princip

His omnipotence is a communicable attribute which expresses purpose; that is having to do with making and carrying out decisions.  Omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will. Omnipotence is derived from two Latin words, omni, "all," and potens, "powerful," which means "all-powerful."  God's omnipotence references his own power to do what he decides to do. God possesses and utilizes power to do all things which are objects of power, whether with or without the use of means.  If all power in the universe is dependent on his creative will for its existence, it is impossible to conceive any limit to his power except that laid on it by His own will (Genesis 17:1; Genesis 1:1-3; Isaiah 44:24; Hebrews 1:3; II Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 1:19). The omnipotence of God is illustrated by the work of the Holy Spirit, which in Scripture is compared to wind, water, and fire.  The rushing mighty wind at Pentecost was the analogue of the wind- Spiri

The Omniscience of God can be described as one of his communicable attributes.  In this instance, I desire to look into one aspect of his mental attributes, which is his wisdom.  In virtue of his wisdom, God chooses the highest ends and uses the fittest means to accomplish them.  In other words, He always chooses the best goals and the best means to those goals.  This is more than God knowing all things, but his decision's related to his actions are always wise decisions - they will always bring about the best results, from God's perspective, and the best results from the best possible means.  Wisdom is not invented conceptions, or harmony of theories with theories; but is humble obedience of the mind to the reception of facts that are revealed in things by God.  Thus man's wisdom, obedience, and faith are all names for different aspects of the same thing.  Wisdom in God is the moral choice which makes truth and holiness supreme.  It is not enough to mean well.  Ou

The Omniscience of God can be described as one of his communicable attributes.  In this instance, I desire to look into one aspect of his mental attributes, which is his knowledge.  By this it is meant that God's perfect and eternal knowledge of all things which are objects of knowledge, whether they be actual or possible, past, present, or future.  A simple definition is that God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple eternal act.  Elihu says that God is the one "who is perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16) , and John says that God "knows everything" (1 John 3:20).  This quality of knowing everything is omniscience, and because God knows everything, his therefore omniscient (all-knowing).  In Latin,   omnis  means "all" and   sciens  means "knowing". Captured in this definition is first, God fully knows himself.  His own being is unlimited and infinite.  So only one who is infinite can fully know himself a

The Omnipresence of God God the Father can be known through his character, that is attributes, which give us an understanding about Himself.  It is easy to accept that He exists, and to throw out and easily accept terminology such as omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience.  Such three plus syllable words could stop us in our tracks.  However, God, our creator, our deliver, and our friend provides information, in the Bible, so that we might know Him.  This knowledge of Him is what distinguishes Him from other gods, inanimate objects, ideologies, and theories.  In short, God Is! I believe in thinking about God, as expressed as the Father, his immensity, that is possessing a nature that is without extension, and subject to no limits of time of space, but within contains itself the cause of space.  I Kings 8:27 states " But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! "  Rom

First off everything has already been written.  The source of everything is the Word of God itself. Then comes the revelation given by God.  That revelation is then moved from every generation to generation but always keeping the path.  The path goes through Christ Jesus the hope of glory.  John 6:29 -- this is the work of God that you believe in Him. God, Himself, in the last analysis, must be the only source of knowledge with regard to his own being and relations, theology is therefore a summary and explanation of the content of God's self-revelations.  There are, first, the revelation of God in nature; secondly and supremely, the revelation of God in the scriptures, and third, the revelation of in supernatural spirit activities. To whom shall I give greater credit concerning God that to God, Himself.  To know God without is impossible; there is no knowledge without Him who is the prime source of knowledge.  God's faith is not limited, it is available to those who a

Christ has set us free to live a free life.  So take your stand!  Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.  The moment anyone submits to any rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard won gift of freedom is squandered.  I repeat the warning: the person who accepts the ways of absolute church control trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens.  When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, and fall out of grace. What is being preached and taught today is making it very complicated and almost impossible to make the spread of the Gospel have any power universally. Meanwhile, we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit of God to come out of this preaching and teaching. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious belief nor disregard of belief amoun

Prophetic Declaration #1 based on Joshua 1 This is a new day.  I am entering into the Promise Land.  I am entering into the plans and purposes of God for my new life.  I am entering into my inheritance and receiving God's promises, Everyone. Nothing can stand in our way and no enemy will prevail against us, for God is with us.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  We are strong and courageous; we are not fearful or discouraged. We feed on the Word of God in our heart and we obey it.  We have success in that which God has called us to. Prophetic Declaration #2 based on Isaiah 54:1-5 We sing; We burst into song, We shout for joy, for the promises of God are being birthed in our lives.  The Lord is giving us spiritual children!  We are pushing out the boundaries around our lives.  We are making room for the supernatural.  We do not hold back. We are spreading out to the right and to the left.  Our children both natural and spiritual, are going to inherit this na

Not only does the average Christian miss the mark by failing to understand the laws of answered prayer, or if he knows them, to obey these laws faithfully, but the average believer holds more or less to fallacies which hinder prayer. Fallacy #1: God will not permit harm to befall a person who does the best he can There are times the so-called best one can do is not enough to please God or to ward off attacks from demonic forces.  Man's performance cannot always be adequate because of his lack of knowledge to conform intelligently to the will of God.  People frequently think they are doing their best when they are putting forth all the effort possible to live as they please and be religious as they can while living a life of pleasure and selfishness.  The best a person can do, if he really wants to do his best, is to forsake all sin, selfishness, worldliness, and everything displeasing to God and give himself wholly over to the total will of God according to the scriptures.