In our efforts to rebuild our spiritual Jerusalem, once we have rebuilt the altar, restored the temple, and reassembled the walls, we are finally ready to focus on the gates.
Gates, in ancient days, were for protecting the
citizens, keeping the good inside and the evil outside. They were a place for
congregating and a place where leaders came to conduct business. They were a
place where decisions were made, where transactions occurred,
where covenants were sealed.
Gates refer to the access points to a stronghold. When a city provides gates, it is to monitor who goes in and out of the city. In the case of our lives, gates refer to our decision-making, those places in our life we allow or deny access into the vulnerable areas of our innermost person.
"Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a
watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and
give them warning from Me. (Ezekiel 33:7 NAU)
Before the
gates could be rehung along the walls of ancient Jerusalem, they had to be
reassembled. The gates had been brutally damaged and burned during the Babylonian
invasion. There would be little purpose of watchmen on the walls if the gates
could not keep out the enemy or prevent citizens from sneaking out of the city.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to
the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely
powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and
every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking
every thought captive to the obedience of
Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NAU)
Therefore, we must concentrate on making decisions
regarding what comes in and goes out of our lives; we must place watchmen over
the city to warn of those attempting to sneak in or out. In the next several days, we will look at the various gates of our spiritual city and determine the manner in which we must guard each gate.
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