I like to walk.

Like, for real, that is my favorite exercise – in a controlled environment where when I get tired I can sit down.

Now ask me to walk down the street a block, or to the store – that is not happening. LOL

Anyway, I mention that because I am about to ask you to take a walk with me.

We are going to walk from gate, to gate, to gate…

It is a total of ten gates, and there are plenty of rest stops in between. Let me show you the path.

We are going to start at the sheep gate, walk over to the fish gate. From the fish gate we will visit the old gate, but we wont stay at that gate. From the old gate, we will walk down the valley gate. On the way to the fountain gate, from the valley gate, we will make a pit stop at the dung gate to discard any garbage we accumulated on our walk.  After we leave the fountain gate we will stop over at the water gate. That should be refreshing. From the water gate, we will head towards the Horse gate (might want to do some horse back riding while there, but not much because we need to get to the east gate. One gate left before we arrive back where we started and that is the inspection gate.

Its not a bad walk.

In actuality, how I discovered this walk was very interesting. Let me share that with you now.

Which gate is your favorite?

THE GATES

Many tend to stay at the sheep gate where we learn about the sacrificial Lamb of GOD who paid our debts for us. When you have a huge debt, for someone to come along and pay it off in full is overwhelming. I couldn’t keep that to myself so I took the challenge to “GO, Therefore…” (Matthew 28:19,20 …so I could tell everyone I know.

-That challenge led me to the fish gate where I learned to fish. (Mark 1:17) I learned so much about fishing. It is my favorite pastime. Because I don’t like worms, I learned to fish using different types of bait and lures. I also learned how smart fish are and how they will work together to get your bait without getting hooked. I like fishing.

But when I started learning that I was losing more bait than I was catching fish… I knew that I needed to examine my strategy and what a lesson that was.

That lesson took me to the Old gate where I was required to deal with myself first. (Luke 6:42) What a humbling experience that was, to be reminded of my constant failures. (Romans 7:19-25) It was a place where I had to make a decision – a place where I needed to choose. (Joshua 24:15)

That choice required that I put off things about myself that I came to realize were not pleasing to God. (Ephesians 4:22-24) I chose the difficult task of dying to myself daily (1 Corinthians 15:31).

When I said “difficult”, that is just what I meant.  I had to pick up my cross (Matthew 16:24) and set out on a new journey to a place I had never been before. I was heading into a valley experience because upon leaving the old gate, I found myself now in a valley.

At the valley gate, there is a lot of digging deep that takes place. This has to be my favorite gate over the fish gate. This is because I like to study.  So, my time spent in the valley has been amazing. I’ve been on all types of trails (studies that I call walking on water). It’s why I write so much.

I spend so much time digging and writing on that which I have excavated during the digging process that before I knew it I find myself at the dung gate.

I don’t spend a lot of time there at all for several reasons.

• First, I don’t like the stench.
• Second, it’s where one throws out the trash.

I feel pounds lighter after I leave this gate. Imagine all the stuff I drug thru the valley after having left the old gate. Yep, the journey from the old gate thru the valley is so that I can get to this refuse (dung) gate where I can toss out the trash. 

With joy, I let go of what cannot go with me to the next gate – where I am bubbling over from all the digging I did in the valley. From my belly flows living water. (John 7:38)  The Word of God overflows in the fountain gate. Hey there all you thirsty ones, come and drink life’s water free (Isaiah 55:1-6).

Jesus said that whoever drinks from this fountain will never get thirsty again (John 4:14-18) and this is so true because I can read from God’s Word over and over and always see something new or get a fresh revelation from what I read. Here at the fountain gate, we are filled with the word of God.

I have enjoyed my time in the Word of God so much that I find that I tend to spend a lot of time in it just soaking in it. Lo, and behold, the fountain led me to the water gate. It is at the water gate that I bathe and am washed not just with water, but with the Spirit. (John 3:3,5) I have found that there is nothing that I enjoy more than to be led by the Holy Spirit who is my tutor. (John 16:12-15)

This time spent in the presence of the Holy Spirit is amazing. Through the Holy Spirit, King Jesus is preparing us for something that we are not aware of. Jesus said, “look I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:25). The next thing I know, I see horses. I am at the horse gate, and here is my opportunity to demonstrate all that I have learned in the previous gates. This is the gate where the warfare happens. But the fight is fixed and I don’t stay at this gate long either when I apply in this gate all that was already learned from God’s Word.

And this is what leads me to the final gate. – the inspection gate. Here we are examined. Here our walk should match our talk. This is a serious time. Jesus said that we should be ready for this and able to discern this time (Luke 19:41-44) when it arrives.

Well, I have enjoyed this walk thru the gates. I hope that you have too. What is your favorite gate? Where do you see yourself spending the most time?

Until next time, be blessed.