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Sermon of the Week 
Friday, August 12 2016

Possessing The Gates…

Last week, while sitting in the service, the words “Possess the Gates”…. Came up in my spirit… I felt that it was a word sent from heaven, and I should pay attention….

Gates are a place of entering into something… a city, a country, an opportunity, or many other things… If you take control of the gates, then you have access to all that is beyond the gates….

Every wall, has gates. When you encounter a wall, you must find the gate. We can get so busy banging into walls of limitations, delays, and hindrances, that you aren’t looking for the gates, so you can get beyond the thing that keeps you out, so you can enter in.

This is true of relationships, of opportunities, and goals and visions.

So when the Holy Spirit said “Possess The Gates”…. He was saying, begin to lay hold of that which will give you access to what is beyond the walls, obstacles and limitations which you encounter.

Someone shared that they discovered while reading the classified adds, that the historic Piedmont Hotel in Atlanta was getting an extensive renovation, and its beautiful maple doors became available for sale as salvage items.

The individual bought several of the doors, and had them installed in their 19th-century home. They were entertaining friends and as they showed them around the house, they pointed out, that they had gotten the beautiful maple doors from the historic Piedmont Hotel."

One guest raised both eyebrows and exclaimed. "Most people just take the towels and leave it at that."

But today I want to challenge you to take the doors and forget the towels especially the crying towels which we use for our pity parties!

Genesis 22:17 “In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gates of your enemies”.

In modern supermarkets there are detection devices at the doors. Since you can only leave the store through the doorway, any stolen item is easily detected. Those running these stores realize that they need to take charge of the gate. And the thief is caught when he tries to steal from the store.

If we possess the gates, then the enemy can’t slip past and steal, kill, and destroy, because we have taken charge of the gates of the enemy.

The Psalmist David, wrote in Psalms 24:7 “lift up your heads oh you gates and be lifted up you everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in.”.

We have been given authority to take charge of the gates of our lives. We can determine what comes in and what goes out.

2 Timothy 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep all that I have committed unto him”. The thief comes only to kill steal and destroy, but Christ has come that we might have life and life more abundantly.

Our gates must be opened from the inside out, not the outside in….

When we receive Christ, The Holy Spirit on the inside of us, convicts us, woes us, and inspires us to open up to our redeemer, who desires to take us from the declaration of His truth, to the application and implementation of His truth as it comes in to shape and mold our lives….

So many folks want to enter the “Lion” level, of (authority, power and dominion) without going through the “lamb” level, of (humility, submission, and sacrifice)….

There are many forces that want to keep you from taking charge of the gates of your dreams, your calling and your destiny. If you don’t know who you are in Christ, and if you don’t know what the word of God tells you that you can have, then you will continue to be locked out of the blessing, and those forces will continue to exercise authority over you, and keep you out. You will be standing on the outside looking in, when Jesus has invited you to enter in.

It was David, who gave us the clean heart principle to God’s power….. It is a clean heart that will be chosen by God to entrust His treasures, His authority and dominion.

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”.

Surely this is a prayer we should all include every day, and then allow the Holy Spirit to respond by revealing any wrong motives, faulty thinking, erroneous conclusions, stinking attitudes, self-justification, prideful behavior, secret sins, and dependencies which would push the Lord from being at the center of our lives.

Joseph was a peacock that God wanted to use in a great way, but first he had to deal with His pride.

Samson was a man that God wanted to use to deliver His people, but first He had to deal with Samson’s wrong motives and attitude.

God had great plans for Peter, but God had to deal with His faulty thinking and anger issues.

God had huge plans for David, but He had to continue to deal with his self-justification, and self-gratification issues.

Just like them, we need to pray as well, “Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a right spirit within me”!

And what about that “Right Spirit” qualification….? To be forgiving, to walk in repentance, to be inclusive and not exclusive, to love our enemies because God loves them, to have a generous spirit, to continually seek to be molded into the image and example of Christ…..

When Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled the promise God made to all of Abraham’s descendants to all who are the seed of Abraham by faith –

God said in Genesis 22:17 “In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your decendents as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and your offspring shall possess the gate of the enemy”.

It was in Jesus’ death and resurrection, that God fulfilled this promise to Abraham. Jesus went before us so that we could possess the gates of our enemies. To possess the gate means to have authority and to exercise dominion, to supersede the forces that are committed to keeping you out. It means to displace the authority, power and effectiveness of the counsel, agenda and plots of Satan against you. We who are in Christ have the right to declare that we are the offspring of Abraham who have been given the right to possess the gates!

Jesus described this to his disciples, before his death. He said Mathew 16:18 “I will build my church (the body of Christ) and the gates of hell (the forces the enemy may use against us) shall not prevail against it’.

Just as the walls around Jerusalem have many gates (12 in all), to enter the city, so likewise our lives have many gates. (12 is the number that represents God’s government in the earth).

There were 12 tribes with 12 heads, also there were 12 apostles that Jesus chose to set up his Church in the earth, and set up and teach about God’s kingdom.

God told Moses to tell the people in Deuteronomy 6:5 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. v6 And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart. v7 And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. v8 And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be a constant reminder between your eyes. v9 And you shall write it on the posts of your house, and on your gates”. (That’s about being God inside minded)

Jewish men can be seen, with a small container on their forehead, known as a phy·lac·ter·y. In Hebrew it is called the shel-rosh, which contains the Jewish biblical laws which guard the gateway of the mind.

It is important to see our mind as a gateway. It is the bridge between your spirit and your body. Your gateway can either give you access to what is contained in your spirit or it can limit you so that you live only in the things of the flesh. When your mind is filled with memories of past experiences, wrong thought patterns, the traditions of men, and all forms of compromise and self-centered thinking, you shut down the expression of the spirit. In other words, failure to possess the gates of the mind, can hinder the expression of the glory God wants to bring into your life. Am I capturing my thoughts and checking them against the things that God is saying to me or am I allowing my thoughts to capture me?

Our ears, allow what we hear – and what we choose to listen to – to be embedded in our memories, and influence how we think and what we do. So, it is the unpossessed gate, the unguarded gate, the broken gate, the open gate that we must be careful to watch.

We know that Rom.10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing the word of God” That means fear and doubt can come the same way, So we must be the watchman at our gate of hearing. Don’t allow just anything to come into your being through the ear gate that is allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged.

We often allow ourselves to unknowingly become the victim of what is known as…“passive  learning.”  It is, about a subconscious level of learning that takes place, by simply being exposed to the things of life all around us… Certain types of music can and does desensitize us, like background music…  with the message being embedded in our subconscious.

We should guard our eargate from exposure to gossip. 

Men should  be watchful concerning the kinds of off-colored humor that pervades the masculine banter and good old boy circles. You do not actively participate or seek it out, but you hear it all the same. You can receive prayer requests without having to know all the gory details.

What am I listening to? Whose voice am I allowing to influence me? The old song says “Shut de door, keep out de devil, shut de door, keep de devil in the night….light de candle it will be all right”.

We’re admonished and(advised) by Paul to not participate in certain kinds of activities.  We can expect sinners to act like sinners, but there should be a distinction with those who call themselves Christian.

Paul/says,in Ephesians 5:4 “there must be no filthiness and vulger talk, or course jesting, which are not fitting, but rather wholesome conversation.” Guard your ears.   Ask God to cleanse you from that exposure and do not  allow such things to cause you to compromise a righteous life­choice. 

We must possess the mouth – gate. The things which come out of our mouth, can defile our spirit and the Lord cautions us about this.

In Matthew12, speaking to the Pharisees Jesus says, “For out of the  abundance of the heart the mouth  speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the  evil treasure brings forth evil things, but I say unto you that every idle  word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of  judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you  shall be condemned”.  (with your mouth you shall be justified and with your mouth you shall be condemned)

That is quite a statement, and gives us good reason to guard the gates of our mouth…..James says it this way: “Out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be.”    What about guarding what enters the mouth-gate? We could quickly think in terms of illegal drugs or alcohol – or – how about this….we have all struggled with weight gain at some level! That’s a lifetime of battles…and that’s about the mouth gate…. 

God has promised to supply all our needs, not all our greeds! So – this mouth gate must be possessed, if we are to move into the victory that is ours for the taking. Our goal here today, is to possess the gates.

We also should look at heart-issues as gates….What do I store up and guard in my heart as treasure? What do I store up and guard that is not treasure, but is actually working against me to defeat me and rob me of power with God? How have I established my life priorities? 

Do I lead my heart or does my heart lead me? 

The Jewish men also wear a container, known as a phy·lac·ter·y on their wrist, that is similar to what is worn on the head….in the Hebrew this one is called a shel yad. It is to remind them that their behavior is a reflection of their level of submission to God. What am spending my time doing that is counter productive? What do I neglect? How do I fill up my day? Do I actually possess my own gates when it comes to my actions and my behavior? Someone has said, I can’t hear what you say because of what you do!

Possessing the Gates, is my inheritance as the seed of Abraham. It’s my God given “right.” It’s my privilege and that authority has already been given unto me. But It’s also MY responsibility… no one can do it for me….I simply need to surrender and obey…

A helicopter carrying passengers suddenly lost it’s engine power and the aircraft begins to decend. The pilot safely performs an emergency landing in the water, and tells the passengers to remain seated and to secure the doors, stating that in emergency situations, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat for 30 minutes, giving rescuers time to get to them.

He had no sooner finished speaking, than a man gets out if his seat and runs over to the door. The pilots screams at him, "Didn't you hear what I said, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat as long as the doors remain closed?! “Of course I heard you", the man replied, "but it's also designed to fly, and look how that’s working out!!"

What is built and designed by man will let you down, but God will not fail to keep His promise, if we submit and obey!

The bible states that it is a major blessing when His people possess the gates of their enemies.. Isaiah 45:1-3 Thus says the LORD to His anointed, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, I will loose the favor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates, (going out and coming in) and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut asunder the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who calls you by name, is the God of Israel.

From this biblical passage we know that the right hand is the place of favor…it is where God gives you the advantage over others, where you will be put in a place of promotion, advancement and blessing above others who may be around you who are more talented or skilled. Opportunities and possibilities will come to you because of favor.

We also see that it is a place where the favor of others will be given to you. This is the law of attraction. People will be drawn to you, like the butler and baker, who brought Joseph before Pharaoh. There is no way that a common prisoner would hope to get an audience with the most powerful man in Egypt! But Joseph possessed the gates of His own life in his worse times, and favor was able to come into his life and bless him in the worst of circumstances !

We also see that a two-leaved gate….will open. This is the gate of covenant, it is where you enter into a covenant place that God must honor what he has promised unto you. Where God fulfills his word which He has spoken over and about your life. There is nothing that can keep covenant from finding you and coming upon you….

Next God says He will go before us…Hallelujah. That is about safety and protection, and knowing that God has already accomplished it before we ever get there! The crooked places will be made straight… God will simplify the complicated, and He will make the impossible, possible!

Notice also that He will break the gates of brass, which means that you will walk under an open heaven. Things that blocked, hindered, and confined you will be removed. The bars of iron, or the restrictions, limits, and barriers will be removed.

Next, see that you will be given -access to wealth and hidden riches, that you were never expecting or looking for. The Lord will direct provision and financial blessing through the gates as we take possession of them. And it will come from places and directions which you never thought. All of these things, God says in Isaiah 45, will be gained by possessing the gates.

Let’s look also at (Judges 16:2-3) “And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they encompassed him, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, in the morning when it is day we shall kill him. And Samson laid down till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts still attached, and went away with them, bars and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron.

That’s what Jesus did….He ripped the gates off with the posts still attached, the very gates that would keep us from entering in to healing, deliverance, redemption, freedom and access to all that God has promised to us!

And He invites us in to enjoy the victory. Not only are the gates to your promises not locked, they have been taken off their hinges so we could have total access. That’s what God was saying when He ripped open the veil of the temple, from top to bottom…

It wasn’t just to let us in, it was to let the glory of God, out to where we live every day, into all our stuff, our homes, our jobs and out into our entire city!

Here’s what I want us to see on this subject…. And I think an important key is in Proverbs 25:28 “He that has no rule over his own spirit (who has failed to possess the gates) is like a city that is broken down, and without walls (and no defence)”.

Any and everything just comes in and has it’s way with this person. They are like someone on a merry-go-round…. Lots of motion, but no progress… movement but no advancement.

They are subject to all the forces at work around them….

But we need to look at another scripture…. Proverbs 16:32 “He that rules his own spirit is greater and mightier than he that conquerors a city”.

*…..When Jesus was baptized of John, immediately He was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. This was at the gateway of His public ministry. He was possessing the gates of His destiny, a destiny which would see many healed, delivered, raised from the dead and set free!

Jesus used five keys in Possessing the gates to His ministry.

First He humbled Himself, and by doing so, he defeated pride, by giving all the glory to God.

Second, He fasted and prayed, denying His own flesh so that the appetites of the flesh would be ruled by His spirit.

Third, He declared and applied the word of God, not his feelings, or how it looked or seemed. He said It is written!

Fourth, He persevered. It didn’t happen in a day or a week, but He stood firm and resolute, until breakthrough came.

Fifth, Jesus commanded the Devil…. He said “Away with you, Satan”… and Satan left as angels came and ministered unto Jesus.

You are not alone as you take your rightful place at the gates. All of heaven stands with you.

Just take care of Possessing your gates, and God will take you where you never dreamed you could go, to do what you never dreamed you could do, with folks you never dreamed you would be with!

As we prepare our hearts, let us renew our commitment, to enter in to the gates of blessing, of favor, of healing, deliverance and freedom!

We remember His grace, we remember His love when we were so unlovely, We remember His faithfulness, We remember His sacrifice, that He left the glory of heaven, to live, bleed and die, and raise up from the dead, so that we might be joined back to the Father, and have an eternal hope!

We say It's impossible, God says All things are possible...We say I can't, God says I already have...We say I'm not able, God says I am....We say I can't forgive, God says I aleady have, just receive it...We say I can't survive like this, God says I have overcome the world so that you can overcome also....We say Things will never get better, God says the best is yet to come!

Take possession of the gates which will allow you to go in and claim the opportunity, the dream, the goal which has been blocked and limited. In the places where there have only been walls, keeping us out, we will possess the gates that will allow us in….I believe God is saying. “I am giving you the gates”…..

Posted by: AT 08:35 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
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