It is in the narrow gate that we are known and overcome ourselves.
Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:24
Our Jubilee family has found ourselves in a narrow gate to enter our future. In the Fall, we were told that our lease would see a dramatic increase in August, (our lease expires July 31st, 2025). Our first response was to pray and seek the Lord, “For His kingdom to come and His will to be done.” Next, our finances dropped significantly in terms of our tithes and offerings.
I know in my heart that the Lord is bringing us through the narrow gate, not a lot of wiggle room and a difficult way to follow. I shared Jacob’s wrestling and His troubles to enter his future of blessing and new identity. We have done our due diligence to know our options and tonight we will share our discoveries with the Church Council and then share them with the whole community on Sunday Morning.
Why does God do these things? He squeezes when we must unpack our past, our comforts, our journey and press through into the broad place. But the greatest blessing of all these difficult ways and narrow gates is, here we are known by Him and we discover ourselves, as we press through the narrow and God heals our past, shifts our vision, reveals places that comfort never shows. Proximity to the Lord does not count, “Close only works with horseshoes and hand grenades,” we used to always say as kids.
I will share more on Sunday, but for meditation and comfort, here is the promise of being known, or rather the danger of not pressing through difficult times into His presence.
Praise Report! December and February we saw the Lord increase our giving. One of my “being known,” moments came when the Lord said to me, “The building is negotiable, but My faithfulness is not.” I knew then we were to see and increase our finances!
Here is the word of difficult gates from our Lord Jesus Christ.
When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, “Lord, Lord, open for us,” and He will answer and say to you, “I do not know you, where you are from”, then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our street.” But he will say, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.” Luke 13:25-27
Today our prayers are being answered, in this season of narrow gates. He will know us and where we are coming from.
