Your Keys to the Gates of Heaven

With all the focus on opening Heaven’s gate and receiving God’s blessings, you might wonder, “What causes Heaven’s gates to shut in the first place?” The answer is — we do. When we choose our will over God’s will, the Heavens are shuttered. Choosing our will effectively shoves Jesus off the throne of our heart and makes us idolaters.

Throughout the Old Testament, we watch Israelites choose to worship idols and pagan gods. It’s the same for Christians today; it’s idolatry when we chase the things of the world rather than God. Personal comfort, prosperity, popularity, power, and political correctness all compete with obedience to the commands of God. Each of these things closes Heaven’s gates, separating us from the power and presence of God.

God hates idolatry because it prevents us from receiving His best gifts. God loves to bless us and give us the opportunity to pour His blessings out on others. The great desire of God’s heart is for the world to know Him! He sent Jesus to earth for that very purpose. And He’s given you a similar job.

God made sure to fully equip you for your mission. His power provides everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and every spiritual blessing in Heaven is for your use as well (Ephesians 1:3). But you can’t enjoy God’s presence or utilize His power when your heart is stuffed with idols. Heaven closes until you turn your heart fully to the Father!

When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, He said, “Ask the Father to bring Heaven to earth”:

You Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Your job as a child of God is to reveal to the world that God is present, and God is good. You are to “open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:7). You need an open Heaven to accomplish your mission because these miracles require more than just lip service.

People need to experience God by seeing Him living in and flowing from you! You and I need to be like the early church — they didn’t just talk about God. The first-century world saw average Christians living with confidence in the resurrection power of God! The world knew Christians were different because of what they witnessed in their lives. The early church lived in the power and presence of God all the time. You and I need to live the same way.

Our lives must resonate with the sweet presence of Heaven, so others will see God and seek Him for themselves! But it’s crucial to understand that the Christian life can’t be lived just by studying what the early church did and trying to duplicate it in your own strength. The Words of God are not a script to be read. The Christian life is Jesus, the Living Word, taking up residence in your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The key to Heaven’s gates — the key to revealing God’s presence to our desperate world — is allowing the Holy Spirit to live in and flow from you. The Holy Spirit is not just a gift from God; He is the gift of God! He is the key to receiving the spiritual riches of Heaven into your life.

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Do you want to know you have eternal life?