Gates Part 2: Guarding the Gates to Remove the Strongholds

Gates Part 2: Guarding the Gates to Remove the Strongholds

It is essential to understand the importance of Gates in the natural as the Old Testament teaches. When we recognize our bodies as a temple with gates it brings deeper meaning and significance to Bible stories. We have to make this knowledge practical application to understand how to guard our gates in our daily challenges in thoughts, behaviors, and circumstances.

In Acts 9:23-24 we see Saul’s enemies looking for an opening at the gates.
“After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.”
Acts 9:23-24 (NIV)

In the natural Saul was aware that there was a threat against him and that his enemies kept watch on the gates to do him harm. Saul was guarding himself from being murdered. In our current society we are deluged with violence and crime. A day does not pass without a news story telling of some vile act that has been committed.

If you were aware of a dangerous escaped convict in your neighborhood would you go to sleep at night and leave your door unlocked, or even worse leave the door wide open? Of course not! Yet, as Christians many of us do the exact same thing in the spiritual. We don’t leave the doors to our homes unlocked, but we leave open the doors to our soul.

We have a sworn enemy whose purpose is to destroy us. If we know that the enemy is outside our doors or gates, we will be diligent to guard those openings.

“…But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:7 (NIV)

God warns us to protect our gates with righteousness, peace, and truth. “These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;”
Zechariah 8:16 (NKJV)

It is our will and our choices that stand at the gates. We will never be perfect by our words or actions, but our perfection is credited to us through faith, based on Christ’s righteousness. We have a carnal nature and we will sin, but a humble heart that is quick to agree with God and repent remains pure. When our heart is perfect before God our gates will remain closed through repentance. We must seek the gates of righteousness, and love what is true and just.

“Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter.”
Psalms 118:19-20 (NKJV)

Are we humble before our God with a repentant heart longing for His truth, His peace, and His justice? We must seek after our God and invite Him to search us. He desires our obedience. This means die to self. When He shows us sin in our life we must be faithful to repent and pursue Him. In doing this our doors remain closed and His truth, justice, and peace, guard our gates. Through our obedience and worship we remain in the gates of the Lord.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”
Psalms 100:4 (NIV)

Our walk with the Lord in His truth, peace, and righteousness, strengthens our gates against the enemy. When we do not walk in righteousness, our gates will be opened and our bars devoured by fire. We are commanded by God to destroy the strongholds of Satan.

In Isaiah 23:11 (NKJV) the prophet says, “He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook the kingdoms; The Lord has given a commandment against Canaan to destroy its strongholds.”

The Old Testament depicts the destruction of strongholds by removing groups of people who defied God. The Canaanites were pagan inhabitants of the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. Just as the Jews were to smite the strongholds of the wicked that were encroaching on their inheritance, so must we also crush the strongholds and its inhabitants that seek to kill, steal, and destroy, robbing us of our inheritance through Christ Jesus.

“I liken enemy strongholds in a person’s body, soul, and spirit, to ancient cities with high walls, thick gates, and moats. In the spiritual realm, there are gates or entrances to a person’s body and soul which the enemy attacks. Once a gate is conquered the ruling spirit appoints a powerful demon to act as gatekeeper.”

A gate keeper opens the gates for like spirits to join him, and closes the gates when we come against the stronghold. Therefore, when we tear down our strongholds we should bind up the gatekeeper and command him to inactivity.

We must guard our gates and doors remembering that we are triune beings. Therefore, in all three areas our enemies devise plans to keep us hindered and locked in bondage. Our release is imminent if we appropriate all that Jesus Christ has done for us.

For example, consider depression, a common problem that befalls many people. The soul area is affected in the following manner. The mind thinks faulty thought patterns, false beliefs, motives, and attitudes, and interprets experiences in an unhealthy way.

The will makes poor and sinful choices which strengthen the beliefs and thoughts, enhancing the stronghold. The emotions feel, based on thoughts and beliefs, and then produce more thoughts and beliefs based on those feelings, and thus the cycle repeats itself. The body responds to our thought patterns and beliefs by secreting hormones and chemicals that are the molecules of our emotions.

Then in the spiritual realm the demonic seeks to set up gatekeepers as guards to protect the bondage in our body and soul, thus making us ineffective and hindering us from the fullness of God. They block our ability to move into our body and soul what God placed in our spirit when we became new creations. This is how we are oppressed as triune beings.

The Hebrew word for gatekeeper refers to a guard that is stationed at any entrance including cities, public buildings, temples, houses, or sheepfolds. The gatekeeper controls the entrance of the gate. Again, in the spiritual we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are the sheep of His sheepfold.

Who is our gatekeeper, the Lord or an enemy? We must let the Lord search us and repent for anything He shows us, and then we can pray to close all the doors to the enemy. Invite the Lord to be your gatekeeper, draw near to Him and heed His voice.