Watchman on the Wall

Announcer: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. From developments in Israel to global events making headlines around the world, it's time for Headlines from the End Times. Join Josh Davis as he takes a biblical look at the stories shaping our world and what they may mean in light of prophecy.

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The headlines are changing rapidly, but God's Word remains the same. It's time now for Headlines from the End Times, where Josh Davis examines the latest news and current events through the lens of Bible prophecy. Here's Josh Davis.

Josh Davis: Greetings, fellow Watchmen on the wall, and welcome to another Headlines from the End Times. We wish America a happy 250th birthday all week long. During this month of July, we've got lots of special programming as we reflect on America's past, present, and future. We're connecting the dots between the past, bringing you information about how God has worked in this land. I hope that you tuned in to a couple of special programs that kicked off this week with Bill Federer and Liz Cutshall as they talked about the founding of our nation and how God answered many prayers to providentially begin the United States of America.

We've been hearing that kind of information all week long, tying the dots to the future, America's role in Bible prophecy. Join us next week as we have some more devoted programs to these topics, including a special guest joining us for a two-day discussion on America's role in Bible prophecy. But today, as I said, I want to speak more from the heart than from the headlines. Our June 2026 Prophetic Observer has been hitting mailboxes, and perhaps you've already received your copy. You might say, "What are you talking about? Prophetic Observer, what is that?" It's a free monthly newsletter that we send to mailboxes all across the United States of America.

If you're not currently on our mailing list, give us a call and you can request your free welcome packet at 1-800-652-1144. Again, the phone number toll-free in the United States of America is 1-800-652-1144. Just say you'd like to get your free welcome packet. You'll start receiving every single monthly issue of our Prophetic Observer newsletter. In the June 2026 issue, I wrote an article titled "Messiah or Magician: Do We Want the Blessings More Than the Blesser?" Now, what does that title mean?

Friends, over the years, I've observed many wonderful attempts to bring Christians together in a spirit of prayer. A prayer for revival in this land, a prayer for a Great Awakening to occur again in the United States of America before the Rapture of the Church. I have joined people in that prayer. I remember where I was a certain day, a certain time in my life. This is several years ago, and the Lord just burdened me so directly that I was to begin praying for the United States of America. As I began to do that, I noticed over the months and over the years that I was praying, God began to change me. I wasn't seeing big changes in the US, but I was witnessing and observing God changing my heart, God maturing my prayers.

As I began to ponder these things, deep thoughts began to sweep into my mind. Josh, why are you praying these prayers? Why are you hungry to see God work and move in the lives of people? Is it so that you can receive blessings from God, or do you really crave the one who gives the blessings? Friends, I want to walk through some scripture today. I want to give us some practical thoughts that we can understand why we are praying for a great move of God in this day, in the United States of America and around the world.

The truths that I want to share with you are speaking about the USA and our 250th birthday, but it's not limited to our national borders. These same truths apply no matter if you live in Canada, which I know several of our listeners do, or if you live in other parts of the world. These same principles that I'm going to share with you today apply to wherever you are. As I began to pray and as I began over the years to seek God's face, I noticed there were other Christians involved in similar things. I remember in January of 2020. Let's remember historically what January of 2020 was involved with.

Just a couple of months later, we would see something unleashed on the world that we had never heard of before. We were calling it coronavirus, and since then, COVID is a household word. We did not know anything about that in January of 2020. When I say we, I'm talking about the general public. I saw so many Christian ministries of different denominations, different groups, different circles, they were all seemingly coming under the same burden. A burden to seek the face of God, a burden to have dedicated times of prayer. I believe that the Holy Spirit was prompting people's hearts to begin seeking His face, knowing what was about to come just a few months later.

We would need the Lord in those hours. The spiritual battle would be unleashed with the physical battle that came with COVID. As the years have gone on since then, as I have continued to reflect on these things and in my prayer time, that goes back over a decade. That moment I was describing earlier, that goes way back before COVID and 2020 and all those kinds of things. As we open Scripture, I want to read one verse from John 6:24. This is what I began my Prophetic Observer article with for the June issue. It's a little bit of an unusual verse, so hang with me, and I'll explain why I'm quoting this verse.

John 6:24: "When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took shipping and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus." Seeking for Jesus. I get it, that seems like a weird verse to begin this discussion out of John chapter 6. It's one that you're not going to see on many people's list of memory verses. I've never seen this verse sewn on a throw pillow, and it's understandable because this verse does not stand alone. It's just a small part of a fabulous passage of Scripture that describes one of Jesus' most famous miracles of all.

I shared that verse with you, John 6:24, because it hits at the heart of what I want to share with you today on this special America 250 Headlines from the End Times episode. I'm afraid that there are some conservative Christians who might be praying amiss as James warns us about in James chapter 4, verse 3. I believe that there are some conservative Christians who may be committing the same spiritual error that Jesus addresses in John chapter 6. Here's a big question for you, and it's a central question to what I'm sharing with you on today's episode: Why do we pray for revival in America? If you're not American, you can substitute in your country. The same thing applies to you.

As the United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday, there are many Christians who have fervently prayed for this nation. I am equally burdened by the sin that's rotting America from within. Friends, I have loved ones who need to be saved. I see churches that are struggling to survive. I see Christians who aren't walking closely with the Lord like they once did. I see entire neighborhoods destroyed by sin, even in my own hometown. Even in the city that I live, I see neighborhoods destroyed by sin. Now, you add to that the sheer insanity and the unbridled brokenness that fills this nation because we are pursuing our own lusts.

It is a difficult burden to ponder these realities. It is right to take these to God in prayer. I do pray for these kinds of things, and I will continue to pray over these kinds of things and for those people who need the Lord. I'm not knocking that kind of prayer, and I want to be upfront with you that I'm not saying it's useless to pray for revival or it's useless to seek God for a spiritual awakening. That's not what I'm saying. What I am really getting at today is that I'm concerned that there are some good Christians in the USA and around the world that are praying with the wrong motivation.

We want wokeness to evaporate just like it was a bad dream. We want common sense to return to this land. We want illegal drugs off our streets. We want righteousness to reign. We want our children to be blessed with peace and prosperity. We want America to discover a new golden age of flourishing. So we pray for revival and we pray for spiritual awakening as a means to an end. Do you see what I'm saying? Do we crave the blessings more than the one who brings those blessings, more than the blesser Himself?

How can we even tell what we desire more? I want to help you understand how you can discern these things. Carefully ponder what I'm about to say in this next question. I believe that it helps to pull back the curtain on our desires. If God answered all our prayers and America flourished like never before, no more drugs on the street, relationships repaired, churches filled to the brim, all these things that I've just talked about; if God answered every single one of those prayers and America flourished again like it never has before, would we still seek God? Or would we grow distracted by the blessings so that we no longer are seeking the face of the one who gave those blessings, the blesser?

In other words, is God worthy to be sought based solely on who He is, or do we seek Him only for what He can do for us? Friends, I understand these are some soul-searching questions. Jesus called out the crowd in John chapter 6 for having a similar attitude. That's why I quoted that verse to you a few moments ago. Jesus knew that they only wanted what He could give them more than they wanted Him. His comment sent them into a tailspin and led to one of the saddest verses in all the Gospel record. I'm going to share that with you momentarily.

In John chapter 6, we read about some people who had the right desire but they had the wrong motivation. Let's go back to that curious verse that I quoted at the beginning. In John chapter 6, we read as it opens near the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus and His disciples ascended a mountain, or perhaps just a local hill. There's many hills right around the region of the Sea of Galilee. They were followed by a large crowd according to the first three verses of John 6. Jesus knew the people were getting hungry, but all the disciples could rustle up was a boy who brought five barley loaves and two small fish.

Jesus took that small meal and He miraculously multiplied it to feed about 5,000 men, plus women and children who were there. Now, the people who saw this miracle said in verse 14, "This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world." They were amazed. They were saying, yes, the prophet is here. Just as God provided manna and meat for His people in the wilderness through Moses, so too the Father provided bread and fish for His people in those Galilean hills through Jesus. The prophesied prophet like Moses was here. You see in Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 15 to 19, God promises and prophesies that He would raise up a prophet like Moses.

The people recognized through this miracle Jesus is showing that the prophet like Moses is here. There's many other miracles that Jesus did. We're talking about John chapter 6. You could go back a few chapters to Jesus' first miracle in John chapter 2 at the wedding of Cana in Galilee, where He turned the water into wine. A mirror image of what Moses did in his first miracle. In Moses' first miracle, he turned the waters of the Nile into blood. Jesus turned the water into wine. A symbol not of death and judgment, as Moses' first miracle was, but with Jesus' first miracle, it's a sign of hope, of life, of a gift that can be given.

So we understand that Jesus is that prophet like Moses, and the crowd was not wrong in their estimation. The Messiah was truly in their midst. But when the crowd wanted to make Jesus their king, as the verses clearly tell us like in verse 15, He escaped alone to another mountain all by Himself. That evening, His disciples minus Jesus sailed toward Capernaum from one side of the Sea of Galilee up to the northern shore. The next day, the multitude realized that Jesus is gone. So they get in these boats and they cross from Tiberias to Capernaum, and at the end of verse 24, we see their proper desire. They had the right desire. They were seeking for Jesus.

When they came to Capernaum, they were saying, "Oh, Jesus, we were seeking for you." Their desire was fulfilled when they found Him in Capernaum. Capernaum, by the way, was Jesus' base for ministry in and around Galilee. Their proper desire to seek Jesus had an improper motivation. How do we know that? We read on into the scriptures and understand exactly what Jesus says to them. Instead of greeting them warmly and saying, "Oh, guys, it's so good to see you. It's such a blessing that you came to where I am. I should have told you. It was just my fault. It was a lack of communication." No, Jesus doesn't say anything like that.

He doesn't even address them warmly here. He cuts to the chase, really. If you read verse 26, this is what Jesus told the crowd when they found Him in Capernaum and acted like everything was great and happy. He said, "You seek me, not because you saw the miracles." Jesus is speaking about the sign from heaven that He is the Messiah. He says, "You seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled." Man, that had to really sting the crowd. Jesus knew they only sought Him for what He could give them, not for who He was.

He calls out their misplaced motives. You don't want me as the Messiah. You're not seeking me because of who I am. You're only seeking me because of what I can give you, because I can fill your empty stomach. So Jesus told them, you need to seek out the eternal truths more than temporary treats in verse 27. They responded with a question that many are asking today: "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" Friends, this is an important question that all of us need to ask ourselves and that many people in the world are wondering about today. Am I working the works of God?

Jesus says that there's only one way that you can do God's work. I believe that they wanted to know how they could get on God's good side so that they could get more blessings from God. Now, I wonder, is that what motivates some Christians to pray for America? Well, Jesus' reply spoke to their hearts. "This is the work of God," he's about to tell us. This is what God wants us to do. "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent." By the way, that's a powerful verse to use in evangelism, friends. If somebody is living a works-based system, you can tell them, "Hey, Jesus tells us exactly the works that we need to do to be made right with God. It's in John 6:29."

No amount of good works will ever make somebody right with God. Ephesians 2:8-9 is so very clear about that, friends. Only faith in Jesus can save us from our sins. Only faith in Jesus can make us right with God. We can't bargain with God to get something that we want from Him. Please do not miss that phrase. We cannot bargain with God to get something that we want from Him. I've heard numerous stories of people who prayed something like, "God, if you get me out of this mess, I promise I'm never going to cuss again, I'm never going to drink again, I'm never going to steal again," or whatever you want to put in there.

More mature Christians may laugh at something like that, but do we, who consider ourselves to be more mature Christians, use that exact same motivation when we pray for this nation? When we pray for revival for our country? God, if you get my country out of this mess, then we will... and just fill in the blank. That's another soul-searching question that we need to ponder, dear friend. Now, let's get back to this main thought now that we have this biblical basis in John chapter 6. The product or the person? Which is more important to you, dear friend? The crowd wanted the temporary blessings of bread, but Jesus wanted to give them an even greater blessing that lasts forever: a relationship with Himself.

That's why He tells the crowd, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not." That's John chapter 6, verses 35 and 36. What greater blessing is there in all the world than knowing Almighty God, the one who created us, the one who created all that exists? He invites us to walk with Him in a close relationship. It's amazing to me to ponder the fact that the infinite Creator calls to us finite beings. The Almighty God speaks to us weak human beings. The Holy One who dwells above all the earth calls to us unholy people.

The All-Knowing calls to the unwise. Why would we desire temporary blessings over the greatest blessing of all, the blesser, the one who brings the blessings? He alone satisfies the cravings of our soul. He is the greatest blessing ever. Sadly, many who heard Jesus teach in Capernaum synagogue that day turned away from Him, away from the blesser, away from the greatest blessing in all of creation. This is one of the saddest verses in the Gospels. John 6:66. "From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him."

A sad, sad verse that we read in John 6, verse 66. The term disciple here does not refer to the 12 in this context, but to the multitude around them. Those who followed Jesus only for what He could give them decided to walk away when He pointed them to the person instead of the products. Friend, I've just shared my heart with you today. I know it's a different tone than we usually take here on Headlines from the End Times. It's different than what I usually write in the Prophetic Observer newsletter, which I'm basing some of my comments on.

While I'm glad that many Christians are praying for the souls of Americans during this 250th anniversary year, I'm simultaneously burdened that we could crave the temporary societal and political products more than we crave Jesus. I pray that we would examine our motives and return to a place where we desire God for who He is, not for what He gives us. Let me leave you with this question that points us back to John 6:24 and the statement the crowd made: Why are you seeking for Jesus? They came to Jesus seeking Him, but for all the wrong reasons.

This is my prayer. As we have said here at Southwest Radio Ministries for decades now, God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. I believe that God could do great and mighty things through prayer. I'm not limiting what God can do. But I'm wondering, what is our heart motivation as we come before God? So I want to challenge you to seek God for who He is, not for what He can put in your pocket or put in your bank account or the answers to prayers that He can send you. He is worthy to be sought based on who He is.

Now, before we close, I want to encourage you to connect with our ministry. We have lots of wonderful resources and information and ways that you can stay in touch with us. Our website is swrc.com. Our toll-free number is 1-800-652-1144. As I said, much of what I shared was based off of my June 2026 Prophetic Observer article. If you would like to get a copy of this particular Prophetic Observer, or perhaps you would like to do what many of our friends often do each month, request additional copies for a small fee to help us cover the printing and shipping costs. Maybe you want to distribute something like this at your local church. Give us a call today and we'll be glad to get that sent out to you. Don't forget all the special upcoming events, including our Israel Tour 2026. Spaces are filling up. We have a few slots available. We'd love for you to travel to Israel with us in 2026. Until next time, friends, I want to leave you with that encouragement we often say: God is still on the throne and prayer changes things.

Announcer: Are you ready to stand firm in a world that seems increasingly hostile to biblical truth? Introducing Living on the Frontlines, a brand new weekly Bible teaching program for women from Southwest Radio Ministries. Hosted by Bible teacher Susan Butler, this powerful series is designed to help believers develop a biblical worldview, grow in their knowledge of God's Word, and confidently navigate the challenges of our day. With biblical illiteracy on the rise and deception increasing, now is the time to get grounded in Scripture. Watch new episodes each week and be equipped to live boldly for Christ right where the battle is being fought. Find Living on the Frontlines on the SWRC YouTube channel and learn more at swrc.com. Living on the Frontlines.

Thank you to everyone who's been giving support to Southwest Radio Ministries this week. Your generosity is helping us proclaim the Gospel and share biblical truth across America and around the world. If you haven't yet given, would you prayerfully consider giving your best gift today? Visit swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. Lord willing, we'll be back here Monday, ready to once again bring clarity to the chaos. Head into the weekend with the encouragement that God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful friends just like you. To learn more, please visit swrc.com. That's swrc.com.