UNDERSTANDING THE GATES OF LIFE

Gates of your life

What are gates

Gates are:

• Entrance or exit to a place
• a means of access or entrance
• an opening in a castle or city wall or other defensive structure
• an opening in a wall or fence
• a movable barrier, usually on hinges, that closes a gap in a fence or wall

In the Old Testament gates were key areas and were critical to the functioning of the city/town. This was where the government of the city sat.

· The elders who were the keepers of the city made decisions concerning the city

• Decisions were made concerning the buying and selling of land. ( Abraham buying land to bury his wife serah)
• Marriage decisions were made at the gate( Judah asking for a bride from the keepers of the gate)
• Guards were posted to keep out unwanted people (Paul being let down by the wall of the gate,)
• Watchmen were posted at the gate to notify the king and the city of any impending danger

Nothing came in through into the city unless by the gate. When the gate was locked then you could not enter the city. Once the gates were breached then you had conquered the city. A city without any walls or gates could easily be taken

Today in the modern world there are still gates and keepers of the gates. In every nation, continent and land sphere

An understanding of gates and the knowledge of the keepers of the gates will give great insight to any believers.

Every geographical region has a gate and a gatekeeper, every nation and every city has a gate and a gate keeper. Some gates are actual physical areas that are used to access a place. Traditionally Satan who likes to counter everything that God does seeks to control the gates to regions, nations, cities and towns. Ephesians 6:12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

This is the satanic hierarchy

• Principalities: controlled by princes, e.g prince of Greece, Prince of persia they control regions
• Powers: report to the princes; control the nations
• Rulers of the darkness: control cities
• Spiritual wickedness in high places.: control towns

Once you understand this hierarchy then you gain an understanding which you can use in your daily prayer life. Paul says that I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I Corinthians 14: 15

PRAYER POINT

Father open the eyes of my understanding, give me a 20/20 vision in the spirit

Let every gate in my life open in the name of Jesus

let the gates of my nation open in the name of jesus

Role of a worship leader

what is the role of the worship leader
Sometimes it is not clear what exactly is the role of the worship leader. Many times a worship leader, is the song leader during the service, carries out pastoral duties, is a group leader, a full time ( or not )staff member, a member of the congregation. It may seem to be many things to many people. The roles depends on where you are standing!. That influences how you quite see the praise and worship leader.

To the congregation

He is the song leader,
The person who invites and takes them into the holy presence of God.

He at the same time may speak the word of God to the congregation, encouraging them with scriptures as they come before God

To the worship team/choir:

• He is the leader,
• Offers guidance and couselling
• Song leader
• Mentor

He selects the songs with suggestions(sometimes!) from his team members. His team mates will view him as a mentor by reason of the annointing that rests upon his life. People tend to view the men and women that God uses tremendously as role modes.

How does the word of God view him:

• He is the servant of God; answerable to God and accountable to God for his actions
• He is a person who serves/ministers under authority of the mantle of the angel of the house.
  
• He is the minister who oversees the different expressions of ministration to God through music and other arts.
• He is a song leader; David led the priests in praise, when he met the prophets and the spirit of the lord descended on him
• He is the The keeper of the flame; the oil in the tabernacle was kept burning by the priests who tended it day and night. The levites who are the priests ensured the oil in the lamp did not go out. The worship leader has the responsibility to ensure that the oil in the tabernacle does not go out. He is the leader of the keepers of the flame.
  
• Drawer of the glory of God; the word of God has reports that when sacrifices were made to the Lord at the tabernacle, when the priest lifted their voices in praise, the glory of God came down and no one could go into the tabernacle. the priest with their praise drew the glory of God to the tabernacle. Says may our praise be like incense to him, God inhabits the praise of his people
• kept away the spirit of the devil; when Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, David was called before Saul and ministered to him in song and the evil spirit departed from him.( 1 kings)
  
• Sustains the anointing; in the old testament when the prophet needed to prophesy, they often had a musician come and begin to minister to the lord in song and instrument, and the anointing of God would come upon the Prophet and his spirit would be stirred up and he would be able to prophesy to the people. you will therefore find that many ministers when ministering to the people often like to have music in the background. It sustains the anointing and continually charges the atmosphere
  

In the present day ministration praise & worship is taking an increasing major role in the services. Many services comprise of praise, announcements, and, the sermons and I belive that as the days continue as the Lord continues to unveil his glory he will use more of the ministers of worship where the glory of the lord will cover his people as they worship and lift his name.

Weapons Of Our Warfare

WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

 The bible admonishes us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.

When praying we need to pray smart, i.e specific measurable, attainable, being Realistically, With a time frame.

An understanding of the weaponry at our disposal will enable us to fight more effectively and become over comers.  An understanding of the weapons we have at our disposal, will enable us to apply them strategically against the enemy of our souls

 Many countries spend billions of their money to train their soldiers and equip them to understand the weapons that they can employ against the enemy in whatever situation.  In fact the security budget is the largest in any given country and is given top priority.  A lot of research goes into security and new weapons are always being developed and tested, so that the army may remain relevant 

 Likewise as believers we should always seek to read and research on the weapons that we can use against the devil and his demons.  An understanding of the weapons of our warfare will enable us to deploy them more effectively and we become snipers in the hand of our master and saviour.  

 Today we will examine the first weapon which is :

1.                 The blood of Jesus

 “I’ve heard that” I can almost hear you say!!! But truly, a deeper understanding of what the blood is and what it did for us will enable any one to become more effective in their prayer life.  Many times we do not clearly understand what kind of victory the blood bought for us, and we only use it lightly.

It is by far one of the most powerful weapon we have in our armory of weapon

 When Jesus died on Calvary, Golgotha, and his blood touched the earth, several things happened,

• there was an earthquake,
• the graves opened,
• the curtain at the temple tore into two,
• there was darkness on the earth for 3 hours. 

It was a defining moment in time, in all history.  The defeat of Satan was being finalized. 

 You see this was the second time Satan was being defeated by the blood. In revelation 12, we read of Satan being cast out of heaven and before he was cast out there was war in heaven where Michael the archangel and his army fought the devil, and cast him out.  The bible says they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. ( a thousand amens!!!)

 

From then on Satan hated the seed of the woman, and he relentlessly pursues man because of the defeat he suffered, in heaven,(Genesis 12) read it please!!!!, it is simply delicious!!!.  

 We are in a battle standing in a position of victory, because the weapon we are using has already defeated our enemy and will continue to defeat him every time he comes into contact with it.

 That is why when even under extraneous circumstances someone can call on the name of the Lord and the blood of Jesus and the demons and Satan have no choice but to move. 

 What the blood of Jesus does

• It cleanses us from sin, confess your sins and ask for the cleansing of the blood
• It becomes a covering to us as we approach the throne room of the Lord for Mercy ( it is not by our works but by the blood of Christ)
• The blood speaks ( it has a voice) of a better promise to us
• It bloats out ( wipes out) ordinances(curses, stuff) written/ spoken over our lives
• The blood gives us a new relationship with God in that we now become his sons and heirs of his kingdom.
• The blood makes us have a covenant relationship with Christ.  All that he has is ours and all that we have is his.
• The blood overcame satan in heaven, when he was cast out, here on earth by the death of Christ on the cross.  So whenever we use it, Satan is reminded of his defeat.    

  No matter how stubborn an issue has been or no matter how long it has been in existence, the blood of Jesus when applied to that issue or situation can bring a complete turnaround.

 How can I say that, look at what the blood of animals did when Israel was delivered from Egypt.  They had been in bondage for over 400 years, ( I am yet to met/hear  a person  who is 200 years), but with a divine promise (covenant ) and the blood of the Passover, God delivered them overnight, with wealth, riches, favour, freedom, etc.  What then can the blood of Christ which is divine with the a divine covenant of God for Salvation do?  Is there any thing too hard for the Lord

 Further look at what God did when the walls of Jericho came down, the people had just been circumcised, blood had just been poured evoking a covenant of circumcision and walls which had stood for years, strong, unshakeable, immovable, fell down in one go.  Is there any thing too hard for the Lord.

 When Solomon in his dedication of the temple to the Lord slaughtered thousands of animals.  Historians say that the blood that flowed  that day was like a river, and it ran for days. That blood (of animals ) caused God to visit Solomon that night and ask him what he wanted God to do for him.

 We could go on and on, the blood of animals did so much in the old testament, can you imagine the divine, pure, unadulterated, holy blood of the lamb Jesus!!!! It is the ultimate weapon.

 Prayer points

• I activate the speaking of the blood of Jesus
• in my life,
• in my destiny,
• in my marriage,
• in my ministry,
• in my family,
• in my work,
• in my body, in the name of Jesus

 

• I activate the speaking of the blood of Jesus
• upon my foundations,
• my roots,
• my beginnings,
• my birth, in the name of Jesus

 

• I silence the voice of any blood shed in any sacrifice, covenant, agreement, bond, ritual, rite, ceremony, concerning me, by the voice of the blood of Jesus in Jesus name

 

• I bloat out the handwriting of ordinances written against me in the heavenlies, in the earth, under the earth by the blood of Jesus

( these should be prayed repeatedly,  tenaciously, with violence, holy anger, aggression, for a minimum of five minutes each)