Coming In Through The Gates…

Coming In Through The Gates…

As we draw nearer to God, through Jesus Christ, our lives begin to change. How we conduct ourselves during our growth becomes all the more important. Our faith should be growing deeper and deeper while at the same time our reliance upon Jesus Christ should be more and more with each passing day. Our quiet time should become more meaningful and hearing from God all the easier. Unfortunately, since nothing is a bed-of-roses the road is not always smooth.

There are days, even weeks, where things go sideways and losing sight of Jesus means something. When our hearts grow weary from a weakened connection we can find our strength is weakened, our mind is foggy and we are much quicker to anger. These are signs the enemy, the devil, is moving in and is attempting to take up residence in our heart. We must be on guard at all times. How does one remain on guard in a weakened state? How does one remain on guard when they have gone astray?

“But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me,” declares the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.” ’ ” ~ Jeremiah 17:24-27 NASB95

Declaring a day of the week as Holy has been written since the beginning of time. It is how we remained focused on God. Fasting is another practice that keeps our heart and mind centered on God. When we fast and pray throughout the day and night all our energy, resources and thoughts should be focused on God. One day a week fasting, one day a week for sabbath changes lives in ways that is difficult to deny. Add Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to the mix and a person finds themselves living in very high cotton.

Either the Scripture is the divine Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of God, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.