The Watch Letter | 20:25

Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. The words of Thomas in John 20:25.

I was talking with my Pastor and father, Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn, this week, and the Lord spoke through him: “Believe your leader.” He said this is what the Lord is talking about now.

Recently, God has been telling us through messages he’s given Chief Apostle Gunn that 2025 will be a serious, critical year both for those who serve the Lord and those who don’t. He said serious doesn’t always mean bad, especially for the saints. After all, the Lord said all things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose (and answer that call) (Romans 8:28). He said, in 2025, God’s will is that what the devil means for evil, he will turn it for the good of his people.

When the Lord reminded me what he told Chief Apostle Gunn regarding 2025 and after going over, “Believe your leader,” I felt compelled to find the scripture that had 2025 in it. John 20:25. Thomas refused to believe his leader. Jesus told his disciples after his death he would rise. But Jesus' words were not enough for Thomas, despite everything else he said before coming to pass. Then, his fellow disciples witnessed that Jesus kept his promise and stood before them resurrected. But still, Thomas wouldn’t believe.

Later in John 20, Jesus showed himself to Thomas and said, “because you’ve seen me, you believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believed."

The Apostle Paul explains this in Romans 10: “How can they hear without a preacher? And how can one preach without being sent?... Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

We’re coming into a place where we won’t have time to “wait and see” in order to believe. Chief Apostle Gunn said earlier this year that this is a season where we have to take God at his word -- period. This warning has been three years in the making.

The Bible says God always provides a way of escape. It doesn’t say a visual map or sign, but it says a way. What if the way requires following instructions that we hear? What will we do?

But we must also be careful of selective hearing. We want to hear blessings spoken over us, but we often don’t want to hear instruction, warning, or correction. Sometimes, we even follow selectively to try to hijack the blessing.

In April 2021, Chief Apostle Gunn taught “Let God Guide You.” He said:

Living shut away, like a hermit, and not being accountable to anyone is not God. You need to be guided. Don’t be one that goes to church all the time but still lets the devil steal you.
You never know what to do and make bad decisions because you need to repent and listen to the voice God sent.
God doesn’t want us to hit and miss. He wants us to live a guided life.
God spoke a rhema word through him to us saying, “I want to guide you continually.”
He warned of another scourge worse than COVID and that it was crucial that we walk close to God. He said the scourge won’t bother us and we’ll be covered if we stay under the blood of Jesus, walking in obedience to God like never before (Psalm 91).
The key is going back to seeking God, treating one another right, and treating our pastors like we should—with a listening ear, respect, honor, and care.