LIFT UP YOUR HEADS O YE GATES

Gates are very important. Just as in the natural realm gates are used for security and protection, God uses spiritual gates which you can’t see with your physical eyes like you can see the gate of your house, church, or office, to secure, protect and fortify people’s lives.
The devil too has spiritual gates that are in operation. You can’t see them but they are there quite alright. These evil spiritual gates existed in the time of Abraham and other Bible characters. (Genesis 22:17). Evil spiritual gates still exist today.

Gates also serve as entry points; entry points to a house (Luke 16:20), city (1 Kings 17:10), palace (Esther 5:13), church (Acts 3:2), or a person’s life (Isaiah 60:11). While God has gates He uses to pass or release blessings and good things into our lives, the devil uses his own evil gates to pass or introduce sin, problems, afflictions and all manner of evil into people’s lives.

One of the blessings God gave Abraham which is ours in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:14) is the blessing of possessing the gates of our enemies (Genesis 22:17). Our enemies have gates that are to be possessed, captured and destroyed. If we don’t possess these gates, if we don’t destroy them, they can hinder us from progressing in life, they can prevent us from getting to where God has destined for us. Today we are going to possess or destroy every gate of the enemy contending and fighting against us. What are these gates?

1. Ancient or Everlasting Gates (Psalm 24:7-10)

As the name implies, these gates are very old. They are gates that have existed for so long in an individual’s life or in a family, community and nation. They are problems and issues that have been a part of a particular family, community or nation for ages. Before you were born, those problems and issues where there. It could be a health, marital, financial challenge that one generation after the other has to contend with. Ancient gates work in this way: a person meets particular problems and issues when born into a particular family. The person’s children meet those same problems and issues. Even the person’s grandchildren come to meet those problems and issues. For example, the great-grandfather had asthma, the grandfather, father, children, grandchildren all battle with asthma. Ancient gates bring about generational curses.

Through Christ Jesus we have victory over ancient, long-standing problems in our lives and family. Every problem that is determined to keep following you and your family year in year out, the Almighty God will destroy. The Egyptians were determined to keep following and oppressing the Israelites, but the Lord delivered them from the long bondage and captivity of the Israelites (Exodus 14:13-14). That ancient, longstanding problem in your life and family will not remain with you this year. That ‘Egyptian’ that has troubled your life and family for so long will be completely destroyed today.

When you are dealing with ancient gates you have to exercise the spiritual power and authority you have in Christ Jesus. You have to command them to give way. That was why a strong authoritative command was issued in Psalm 24:7 – Lift up your heads, O ye gates. So command every ancient, unending, longstanding problem in your life and family to be lifted up. Pray with authority:
Lift up your heads O ye gates of longstanding spiritual, health, financial, marital and educational problems.

The King of glory is the one that shatters ancient or everlasting gates. God’s glory is so powerful. The ancient or everlasting gates can’t withstand the King of glory. They will surely give way when they see God’s awesome glory. That’s why when addressing the ancients gates, the Psalmist said “lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” (Psalm 24:7). The King of glory is strong and mighty, He is mighty in battle that is why the ancient gates no matter how strong they are, no matter how long they have been there are lifted up when the King of glory steps in. As you invite the King of glory to come into your situation, all those long-standing problems in your life will surely give way. So pray:

King of glory, come into my life and fill my life with your glory. Cover my life and family with your glory so every ancient gate; every longstanding problem in our lives will give way as they see your glory in my life.

2. Gates of Bronze (Psalm 107:15-16)
There are gates of bronze and bars of iron that only God can cut through. Gates of bronze are very strong gates that are hard to penetrate. The enemy uses gates of bronze to hinder people from moving forward. They are gates that hinder people’s progress. They are gates used to tie down or cage people to a particular level. These gates of bronze are gates of stagnation erected around a person’s life; around a person’s spiritual life, ministry, business, career, education. To be free from every evil gate standing in the way of your progress, every gate of stagnation keeping you from moving from one level of glory to a higher level of God’s glory pray this prayer:

O Lord, shatter to pieces every gate of bronze; every gate of stagnation erected around my life.
O Lord, my Father, cut asunder, cut down all bars of iron hindering and resisting my spiritual, financial, career, educational, marital progress.
I declare all round progress into my life.

You need God to always go before you so you aren’t in anyway limited by any gate of bronze or gate of stagnation (Isaiah 45:2). You need God to go before you every day. You need God’s presence to go before you when you go for an interview, submit a proposal, write an exam, or embark on a project so you aren’t in anyway hindered by the gate of bronze. So pray this prayer:

O Lord, every day of my life, let your presence go before me.
O Lord, let your presence go before me as I go for that interview, submit my proposals, and embark on various projects. Let your presence go with my children as they go to school.
Father, let your presence go before me and grant me victory and success.
Father, let your presence go before me and clear my path of all obstacles and hindrances standing in the way of my joy, breakthrough and testimony.

3. Prison Gates:
Acts 5:17-20, Acts 12:1-10

The enemy uses prison gates to lock up good things. If he sees that God is using a person for something good or good things are coming the person’s way, he uses prison gates to try to frustrate these good things. Prison gates are used by the devil to lock up people’s destinies, ministries, glory, virtues, blessings and testimonies. The devil tried to lock up and cut short the ministry of the apostles but God sent His angel of deliverance to deliver them out of the prison gates.

Pray this prayer:

O Lord, my Father, send your angel of deliverance to deliver me out of every prison where my joy, glory, destiny, virtues and blessings have been locked up.

From the statement Peter made in Acts 12:11, we see that when the enemy locks a person with prison gates, he believes that’s the end of the person. That’s the end of the person’s life; marriage, career, ministry or business.  So pray this prayer:

O Lord for as many as think that it has ended with me or that my own case is finished, surprise them O Lord. Surprise those that think I can’t amount to anything. Surprise those that think nothing good can come out of me or out of my children or out of my business and ministry.

4. Gates of death (Psalm 9:13, Isaiah 38:10, Psalm 107:18-20, Job 38:17)

This gate is used to cut off people’s lives just in the prime of their lives. Just at the best time of their lives when they are about to start enjoying their labors and efforts, their lives are cut short. It is because of the gates of death you hear of people dying on the day of their graduation, or the day before or after their marriage.

Pray this prayer for yourself:

I pull down and destroy every gate of death that doesn’t want me to enjoy the fruit of my labor.

The gates of death are behind untimely death. God hasn’t finished with the person, it isn’t time for the person to go and meet with the Lord. It is powers of darkness that cut short this person’s life. The person is robbed of an important portion of the person’s life.  Lift up your voice and pray to God:

O Lord, destroy every gate of death that wants to bring about untimely death into my family, church and nation. Father in your great love and mercy put an end to untimely death in this nation.
I come against every gate of hell that wants to cut short my life or the life of my family members and church members.
Father, be a refuge and fortress to me all through this year (Psalm 46:1)
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, surround us O Lord with your glory and power, surround us with your hands of protection (Psalm 125:2)
Be a wall of fire; a wall of protection around me, my family, church and nation so no evil gate of death can prevail against us (Zechariah 2:5).
Make the walls around us walls of salvation and the gate shielding us gates of praise to keep ruin, destruction and death far away from us (Isaiah 60:18).

5. Gate of destruction (Matthew 7:13)
Matthew 7:13 tells us that there is a gate that leads to destruction. If you pass through this gate, you will be destroyed; your ministry, business, career, marriage can be destroyed if you pass through this gate.

This gate is full of evil distractions that can take you away from God. This gate is so subtle and deceptive that is why the Bible tells us that many find themselves passing through this gate. The major purpose of this gate is to derail people so that they don’t enjoy eternal life. So you don’t become a victim of this evil gate, pray this prayer:

Father, destroy every gate of destruction the enemy has placed before me to distract and derail me.

There are a lot of false teachings and doctrines going on to derail even strong Christians (1 Timothy 4:1).  So pray:

Father, ground me in your Word so I won’t be derailed by false teachings and prophets.
Deliver me from all sinful enticements and traps.

6. Gates of Hell (Matthew 16:18)

This gate is specifically against the church of God. It is opposition and resistance from the pit of hell to keep the church of God from moving forward. The gates of hell introduce confusion, strife, disagreement all forms of disunity in the church so God’s work can’t progress.

One thing the devil knows can keep the church of God from moving forward is disunity. Mark 3:25 says if a house is divided against itself it can’t stand. The church needs to be united so it can stand and no gate of hell can prevail against the church.  So let us pray:
Father, frustrate every gate of hell bringing division and disunity into the church.

The gates of hell contend and fight against the growth of the church.  For the gate of the hell not to prevail, it must be God not man building the church. Things in the church must be done by God’s leading and strength not in the flesh. Jesus said ‘I’, not a man, not a pastor, not you, not I will be the one to build His church. In other words, the church is God’s and He must have full control and charge of His church. So let us pray:

O Lord, take full charge and control of the affairs of our church so no gate of hell can prevail against our church. Be the One in control of our services and programs. Let things be done by your leading and not in the flesh.

The church of God needs God to lock every gate of hell and open the gates of righteousness to the church (Psalm 118:19-21). When the gates of righteousness is opened to the church, there will be such a great move of God that people will be coming to give thanksgiving and testimonies for the great things God has done. Righteousness brings about answered prayers. Sin can block the answers to prayers. You can’t be righteous on your own, with your own power and strength. You need God to open the gates of righteousness for you so you can enjoy the blessings of righteousness. Do you want thanksgiving, rejoicing and testimonies to abound in your life, church and nation? Then you need God to open the gates of righteousness. So pray this final prayer:

In the name of Jesus, I lock out every gate of hell from my life and the church of God. O Lord, my God, open the gates of righteousness to us so my life and church will overflow with thanksgiving and testimonies this year. Thank you Lord for hearing me for I have prayed in Jesus mighty name. AMEN!

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