Recently I was able to again minister in a church here in New Zealand that is called “The Gate.” It is situated at the southern entrance to our largest city called Auckland. When we look into the Scriptures we see that the word “gate” (252 times) and “gates” (139 times) are mentioned frequently. The word carries significant meaning and means, “door, threshold, gate, gateway, an opening.” According to Collins Dictionary it is “a moveable barrier, usually hinged, for closing an opening in a wall, fence, etc., an opening to allow passage into or out of an enclosed space; any means of entrance or access,” It is prophetic in that those who are in charge of a gate have to know when to open it and when to close it. It speaks of being able to make decisions – many of them – that will all ultimately affect the lives of those who are allowed to pass through, or otherwise are restricted from passing through. A gate is meant for our good.

Each of us has gates in our own lives. The decisions we make in the using of those gates will determine our destiny. There are some things we can open the gate and walk through into, and there are some things we need to close the gate firmly on. No one else can use your gate as effectively as you! There is no substitute for personal discipline, and discipline is about knowing what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to. (That is what gate keeping is all about).

In our Christian and Church life, we find there are other people who have power to operate gates that will open or close doors to us. We may not always like the decisions they make in the using of those gates, but these times should push us closer to Jesus so we can see His will done in our lives in His way and time. Often, as we look back over our lives, we can see that a previous “closed gate” was actually the blessing of God to protect us from wrecking what God had in store for us further down the road.

GATES ARE LIKE KEYS

Gates, like keys, have the power to open and close, to release or restrict, to start or to stop, to loose or to bind. Those who are charged with operating gates over other people have a very grave responsibility to seek the wisdom of God as to when to open and when to close them. It will be different for every individual who approaches those gates. It is always sad when gate operators become influenced by their own ambitions, likes and dislikes of an individual, and shut the gate on those they should be opening them to, and vice versa. We need the wisdom of God in those times to see and to know what to do.

Those who carry the decision to open or close gates for others need to know the prophetic potential and destiny of those who come their way. Far too many have become disillusioned through inept gate operators. Those whose hands are on the gates need to have the Holy Spirit’s revelation, gifts and abilities functioning in their lives. For as we look through the pages of the Bible, we see that God often used those who were rejected by man (because they did not measure up), and they accomplished things to His glory that those “non-rejected” ones ever did! In operating gates for others we do need to see them through the eyes of the Holy Spirit rather than any personal bias we may have toward them.

Gates – they are much more important in your life than you may think. They hold the key to your future. If you are continually running into a closed gate, then it is time to stop and ask yourself the reason why. Find out what is causing the blockage. Ask others for an honest appraisal of what they see the potential, call and direction of God is for your life. It could be that you are pushing on the wrong gate! Gates are not there to harm us. They are there for our protection, and our good. Let us all learn to use them wisely. – Rodney W. Francis.

Bible  Readings:  

Matthew 7:13-14; Isaiah 62:10-12; Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 13:12-16; Revelation Chapter 21. .   

Please Pray This Prayer: