Entering His Gates and A few scriptures on Gates, from Scripture to reflect on:

Psalm 100 verse 4″

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His court with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

Matthew 7 verse 13 and 14:

V13: “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it”.

V14:”How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it”.

Throughout the Bible, “the gate” or “gates of the city” have authoritative significance.

Genesis 19 Verse 1: “the two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at Sodom’s gate. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground.”

We read, this example, in Genesis 19, that Lot sat at the gate of the city. He had gone from looking at the city, to living in the city, to helping lead the city. The gate was the place where the leaders would gather regarding the management and leading of the city.

Matthew 16 verse 18: “I {Jesus} will build my church, and the forces of Hades {hell} will not overpower it.’

It was a place of authority. In the New Testament, Jesus said, “The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.” In other words, the leaders of the demonic world will never be able to manage or overcome the Church.

2 Corinthians 10 verse 4: “since the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments.”

So often we forget the real battles of life are not physical but spiritual; not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of the unseen world

When Nehemiah and his massive team were rebuilding the walls,{Nehemiah 3} they would have come in contact with all twelve gates of the city. The gate we are focusing on is the Water Gate. For us in the West, “Watergate” represents scandal and law-breaking. But in Nehemiah’s day, it was at the Water Gate that spiritual renewal came to the nation of Israel.

How much of the Lord do you have in your life? You have as much of the Lord as you want. Your level of thirst will determine, every time, your level of satisfaction. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come unto me.” Jesus did not say, “if you are empty.” He said, “if you are thirsty” John 7 verse 37..

Revelation 22 verse 17:”Both the Spirit and the bride say. ‘Come’! And the one who is thirsty should come. Whatever desires should take the living water as a gift”.

There are a lot of Christians are empty but not thirsty. In Nehemiah 8, the leaders and the people had become thirsty for the Word of God in their lives, city and nation. When they began to rebuild the walls, they did not know what they were going to find. When they found the Word of God, they called for Ezra to read it.

Let us all become more thirty for Our Lord Our Redeemer and Our Friend.

God Bless.

OFJ