Worship
“Give Me Jesus” by UPPERROOM, featuring Abbie Gamboa
Scripture
“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” -John 10:7-11, ESV
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” -Matthew 7:13-14, ESV
The Shepherd’s Protection
Think of your life and the landscape of your days, your inheritance, and destiny as land given to you by the Lord. At one time, you crossed over into your spiritual promised land. It took the pursuit of Jesus to come and find you, rescue you, and save you. He walked you down a narrow road to The Gate, which is Christ Himself. You walked from a desolate land to a promised land of abundance. It didn’t mean there weren’t giants in the land or that the enemy would stop prowling. But it did mean you found the narrow road, and Christ met you there and walked you through the gate of His life.
As you crossed over with the Shepherd of your soul, He laid His life across the entrance of your life. It was the most perfect sacrifice, guaranteeing the protection and provision of not only your eternity but your pasture here on Earth. He set you in a spacious place where your Shepherd would keep you hemmed in and keep the wolves out. There was only one entrance through Christ, and you found it!
From this place, He promised you pasture and abundance, and all of His promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus!
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” -Psalm 16:6, ESV
The Spiritual Significance of Gates
I have been pondering the idea of Christ as our gate and the significance of gates in Scripture as it pertains to the life of a Christ follower. Think of Nehemiah and the grief of his heart when he assessed the gates of Jerusalem and found that they were in ruin. He had a calling from the Lord to repair what had been destroyed and what needed to be rebuilt. Jesus never allows the gates of our lives to crumble in ruin, but you can guarantee the enemy is out to storm your gates to leave you vulnerable and wide open.
Consider Nehemiah’s heart when he assessed Jerusalem’s gates. The Scripture tells us: “They said to me, “And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” -Nehemiah 1:3-4, ESV
Gates are also entrances to your life and your land. Are they fortified and built up? Do you understand, with godly wisdom, who and what is permitted to enter and walk through your life?
There is safety and protection when we stay in the pasture land of the Lord. It’s when we step outside the boundary limits of His Word and His presence that we leave ourselves vulnerable. Like Nehemiah, there are times when we have to assess the gates of our lives and see if any are compromised, in ruins, or in need of rebuilding. There are some gates that give the enemy access to us simply because we are on the outside of the boundary line of God’s Word. I have had many people share with me about the pain they are experiencing because of spiritual warfare, but if we are living outside of a breeched gate, anyone really is fair game. The Word of God builds up and establishes not only our boundary lines but the gates of our lives. If the enemies of a country want to take siege of a city or nation, they will go after the gates of the city to gain access to the heart of that place. Breeches in unfortified gates are dangerous ground. Nehemiah knew it when he assessed Jerusalem. We have to know this more than ever. One crack, and you can guarantee who’s picking up pace to gain access!
As I sat with the Lord, I asked Him to both speak into this metaphor of Christ being the gate and also why He highlighted this for me while preparing what I would write to you. These are the words I penned as I sat with Him and listened to His counsel:
Many shepherds in the Body of Christ have left their gates wide open for the Prince of Darkness to enter. It has scattered the sheep into factions that are causing destruction and even death. A false gospel has come in (social justice, humanism, new age, etc.). My sheep are being scattered into camps of ideology and anti-Christ theology instead of sticking to the Word of God. The gates of the Church are in shambles because even the shepherds have left their posts. My people must come back to Me, the true Gospel and the Narrow Gate. My people need My pasture, not the pasture of the world where things look like Me, but it’s not of Me. I am such a Good Shepherd. I will protect those who cling to Me, but they can’t live outside of My pasture and expect to be protected. The enemy prowls around in the places that look alluring to one’s flesh, waiting to devour you. Stay within My boundary lines. Stay behind the gate. I stand guard there, and you will live in abundance in that place. But here is one thing that is true: I will go and find the one who is stuck in the thicket. I will do everything to restore My people from the schemes of the enemy. I don’t want anyone to perish at the hand of the enemy. I don’t want anyone devoured. I will come and rescue and restore.
Living in God’s Protection
I believe it’s time to take inventory and assess the gates of our lives and make sure everything is fortified. What needs to be rebuilt? Some examples of these gates are relationships, partnerships, business contracts, theology, ministry focus, the Church you attend, the things you sow into financially, the books you read, the teaching you sit under, the shows you watch, and the music you listen to. These are all examples of gates to your life that pull you deeper into Christ or create breeches and access points for fortification or vulnerability. Jesus alone has to speak to these gates. This is solely between you and the Lord. Where you need counsel or redirection, the Holy Spirit will surely lead you there. He’s a very Good Shepherd who laid His life down for you and me.
“Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” -Psalm 24:7, ESV
As we assess the gates of our lives, like Nehemiah surveyed, there may be a call to repentance and returning. There will be counsel on how to fortify some that are breeched. Other gates are going to need to be closed entirely, because your life is too accessible to the hits of the enemy, and you’ve got to get hidden in the Lord and the Word of God. Sisters, the King of Glory wants to come marching through your gloriously surrendered life! He wants to manifest His goodness and His power to you and through you. He wants to glean a whole harvest through your life and fill Heaven in partnership with you. But He also wants to storm the gates of Hell with you and take back ground the enemy has taken. He wants to snatch others from the fire with you and release His Kingdom together with you. This is the inheritance of the righteous! And the beautiful part of repentance is just coming into agreement with His heart and His way. No condemnation—just grace. We’ve got a race to finish and a dying world that needs your life and lips to declare and demonstrate the goodness of the gospel. Time is short; let’s get our gates rebuilt and live in the abundance of pasturing with Jesus. Then let’s go to the highways and the byways and walk others down the narrow road to our Good Shepherd!
