GAPNET

TYPES AND CATEGORIES OF GATES Part 2

2011-08-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

Roads

Gates include roads as access points. The entrance point of any road is a gate because it is a port of access to some place for both entry and exit from that place. Road junctions are more important gates than the single roads since here two or more roads meet. Ezekiel 21:21 says,

For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.

If we want to go to the most important gate of the City, we have to go to the main entrances or exits of the city, and at cross roads where many gates (roads, rail lines, etc.) connect.

Walls, Frontiers, and Boundaries

Many times people think that gates are only doors, windows, or main gates to the house. However, Walls, Frontiers like State, Regional, National, and International Boundaries: such as those of Territorial waters, Aviation Airspaces, Land Boundaries, etc., are all Gates (Isaiah 62: 10-12, Ezekiel 21: 18-27). They are points of entry into territories

The Tribal or Language Gate

Tribes are gates. Language is also a gate. For example, if somebody came and spoke your language he or she immediately enjoys a special affinity and enters the gates of favor with you.

The Gates of the Society

The gates of the society are: the family, church/religion, government, economy/business, education, science and technology, the media, and the arts, sports and culture.

For example, we came to the earth by the gate of the family. Religion is the gate that enables us to relate to God. Government is the gate by which people are organized in a nation. The gates of business offer us opportunities for both domestic and international trade. The gate of the media provides an avenue for societal conscientization, and the transfer of value systems within and without a nation. Education opens the door for the transfer of knowledge: facts, thoughts, ideas, skills, and values between nations and peoples.

Do you know what you wear is a gate? Your garment is a gate both for the purpose of entry and exit. Acts 19:11-12 says

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Garments, aprons, handkerchiefs are all ports of access for the purpose of both entry and exit, whether it is entry of power or exit of power – “If I touch the hem of his garment … I shall be made whole.”

The Love of God

Through His love, God gave us access to Himself.

Jesus Christ

The most important gate of all is Jesus Christ. He described Himself as the gate (Joh 10:7). You want access to life? He is the gate (Joh 6:53). You want to reach the Father? Jesus said He is the way (Joh 14:6); You want access to heaven? You cannot enter except through the Son. You want the love of God? Jesus is the gate to that love (Joh 3:16)

Gates of time

This is the main topic of this book. Gates of time comprise of moments, seconds, minutes, hours, watches, days, weeks, months, years etc. Everything is controlled and measured by time. Whoever controls time controls everything. Remember that time has to do with your life. That is the raw material that you have been given in order to fulfill God’s purpose in – your lifeTIME.

Excerpt from The Book "Praying Through The Gates of Time" By Pastor Abu Bako. To be continued

http://www.gapnetwork.org

TYPES AND CATEGORIES OF GATES

2011-08-22T01:46:00.000-07:00

Gates, as already stated, are ports of access for the purpose of entry and exit. They can either be Visible or Invisible. The most important gate in your house might not be your door, or your physical gate; it might be something else that had been there before your house was built, e.g. a covenant, an altar, etc. Sometimes, the most important gates might even be invisible and it is only God that can reveal them to you.

We can classify Gates by location, or the realm in which they occur, the realm of occurrence can be physical, spiritual and relate to the soul. Gates of the soul relate to the mind, will, emotions and the heart.

Gates of the Heavens

Jacob had a dream in which he dreamed that he saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven. When he woke up he declared that indeed he was at the gate of heaven. He was sleeping in the site of an ancient altar his forefather Abraham had erected in that location in Bethel.

The gates of the heavens include the highest heaven, second heaven or the abode of angels, angels themselves, the heavenly hosts, the sun, the moon, the stars, and other aspects of other portions of the universe such as: constellations, planets, bodies of water above the firmament, including the Four Winds (Zechariah 2:6; Ezekiel 2:11), etc.

Genesis 7: 11,12 talks about the floodgates of the heavens, which were opened (See also Genesis 8: 2, Malachi 3: 8-11). According to Job 38, you have the gates of light and the gates of darkness in heaven. In the case of Isaiah 24:17-23, it talks about the fact that God will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings of the earth below.

Ezekiel 1:1-7 also talks about open heavens. It means that the heavens can be closed also. When the heavens are open, favor and blessings flow. When gates of heaven are closed then it means that disfavor and disconnection from the power of God is experienced on earth. See also Hosea 2:20-23.

Everything that we see in the physical realm first happens and is controlled from, the realm of the spirit by opening or closing the gates there. How do I know that? To begin with, to control anything, anywhere, you must do it from its roots, from its foundation. To control a tree, you must control it from its roots. You want to solve the problem of cobwebs? Deal with the spider that spins them. You want to control a car, control it from the one who started it. If you want to control a car, you need to go to the manufacturer and he will teach you how best to do so, because he knows everything he has put in there. In the same way, even for remote controlled cars, it is the one who started who can stop it. I want you to know that everything is controlled from the realm of the spirit.

Gates of the Earth

According to Psalm 148:7-13, the gates of the earth include: great sea creatures, all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds. Also included are mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.

On earth, we have gates of bodies of water, the atmosphere, the sea, rivers, nations, life, human beings. Other gates include monuments, altars, etc. The sea (Job 38:8,9,10,16); Rivers (Nehemiah 2:6); The Land (Nehemiah 3:13,14, Mark 11:2-4, Zechariah 9:9-12, 14-17); Nations (Ezekiel 26: 2), Cities (Ezekiel 21:18-23); The atmosphere: Air/winds, Snow, Hail, Lightning, and Thunderstorms (Revelation 7:1, Ezekiel 38:9, Job 38: 24-26, Zechariah 9:14).

Among the creation trees are very important as gates. There are many places and towns where some trees serve as the gates to or from the town. Even heaven has a tree - a tree whose fruit is supposed to be the gateway to the life and healing of the nations.

There are trees that have been planted for people. Those people behave the way the tree does. When it withers their lives also reflect that withering in health, business, famiy relations etc… when the tree flourishes they too flourish in their lives. There are trees that have been planted in people’s names and anything that happens to the tree happens to the person. There was a case of somebody who was in London, and some people somewhere in Ghana chopped off the branches of the tree that was supposed to be representing him. When they chopped off the branches of that tree, the man became crippled. That tree was being used as a gateway into his life.

Money can be a gate. There are many ways in which money can be used to unlock doors. People will bribe in order to have favor. Proverbs says that money answereth all things. It opens doors. Really it can be both a key and a gate. People can draw power from others using money. That is why we need to pray over all monies that we receive.

Gates of life

The Gates of life include the Gates Of The Spirit; The Gates Of The Soul; The Gates Of The Body; or the Seven Information Gates. The Seven Information Gates comprise of our senses, namely our 2 ears for hearing, 2 eyes for seeing, 2 nostrils for smelling, and 1 mouth for speech and tasting. Our hearts, heads, feet and hands among others, are additional information gates. Other gates of our lives include our reproductive organs, umbilical cord, etc.

It means if the devil wanted to catch you, the easiest way for him to go about it, is through the information gates. For most of us the battle has been concentrated at these information gates, especially in the area of our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and speech (Proverbs 18:20-21). For instance, a lot of temptation has been from what you see or what you hear. The most important of all the information gates is the heart (Proverbs 4:23).

Titus 1:15, says your mind and heart color everything you see and hear. Two people can see the same thing and the interpretation is different- this one says it is beautiful and the other says it is not.

Your hair is also a bolt to the gates of your mind and life. It is inferred as a bolt of the gate, which some people can use to gain access to the ignorant. Many people who practice voodoo can use hair. Hair is seen as the crowning glory of the head. In others it is used to display age and wisdom (Pro 16:31, 20:29). It can also signify life and blessings. Hair cutting or loss signifies, sickness, loss, death, curse (Jer 7:29).

Similarly shoes, are also the bolts of your feet: that is the covering for the feet. Feet can be a major entrance into your life. Feet generally transport you from place to place as directed by your heart.

To show respect in the ancient East, when they greeted, they touched the feet. The greeting of submission, respect or honor means “I am at your feet.” The Bible gave a blessing to feet that bring good news (Isa 52:7). The Bible also goes on to give the armor for feet (Eph 6:15). Apparently it is the readiness to bring good news. Feet are important. Shoes are like the bolt to your feet. If they can get the bolt then they might gain access to the gate.

In some places people try to access your life through your shoes. Some ask for a bride or bridegroom’s pair of shoes. We’ve had to pray with some people whose shoes disappeared from the closet or wardrobe, after the wedding. Maybe you have had the experience where your shoe or some other very personal item has disappeared; then you should pray and cut off anything that is trying to gain access to you through such gates.

Apart from the gates of life mentioned above, other gates of life are the entrance to the various seasons of life, which are namely, birth, childhood, initiations into youth, adulthood, marriage, parenthood, grandparenthood, death.

Gates of death

The Gates of death have to do with death, the grave and hell. With regard to the grave, it is illegal to have an encounter with people who are dead. Once a person dies, they can never return in any way or form to life, except resurrection from the dead. Abraham pointed this out to the rich man who wanted Lazarus to be sent back to earth to warn his brothers concerning hell’s woes. Other portions of scripture speak of cords of death (Psalm 18:4-6; 116:3) and snares of death (Ecclesiastes 7:24-25).

Excerpt from The Book "Praying Through The Gates of Time" By Pastor Abu Bako. To be continued

http://www.gapnetwork.org

GATES

2011-08-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

There are millions of gates of different types. Gates are a very crucial part of the foundations of any kingdom. The foundation of any kingdom is composed of its gates, altars, and covenants. To destroy anything successfully, you need to go to its foundation.

This is why battles fought, are usually won, or lost at the gates (Isaiah28: 5, 6). To take and conquer any place or kingdom you will need to take the gates thereof. For example, when we possess the gates of our enemies or the gates of hell, we possess that entire territory not just a particular structure (Genesis 22:17, 24:60, cf. Matthew 16:18).

Any point of contact can be referred to as a gate. Therefore, altars as well as covenants can be referred to as gates.

Rules of Spiritual Warfare

The first rule in spiritual warfare is to locate the enemy. Secondly you locate his source of strength. For example Pharaoh’s power base was the Nile River. After you locate his source of strength look for places through which he channels that power. This includes altars, gates, covenants, devices and keys that he has been using. The fourth rule is to assess his strength relative to yours – Who is our strength? What is our Strength? God is our strength. When you have that information you can begin to concentrate your firepower and never relent until he is finally eliminated. Most importantly, ensure that the Holy Spirit occupies the enemy’s territory because there cannot be any vacuum anywhere.

There is no vacuum in the realm of the spirit or the physical. Though some places might look as though they were empty, they are not. There is no space in a room that is left unfilled. Every part of a room is filled. It depends on what is filling the room. When you empty a glass of water, it is not empty; it’s full of air. Remember God said, ‘I am not going to drive away all the people at the same time, lest the wild animals take over because there will be no vacuum even on the land. So I will drive them away a little at a time until you have increased enough to take over” (Exod 23:29-30).

In Genesis 3:15, God says that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent and the serpent will bruise his heel. Jesus came as the seed of the woman, and the seed of Abraham, to leave behind people after His kind, who will destroy the works of the devil. He then ascended on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. We are the ones who are to use what is given to us now to destroy the works of the devil.

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE CHURCH (Matthew 16: 16-19)

God’s purpose for the Church is to possess the gates of the Kingdom of God including the gates of the prison houses such as hell and all rebel territories currently under enemy control. This is why, I believe in Matthew16: 16 – 19, Jesus said, “ . . . upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it . . . and I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom . . .”

The Holy Spirit is the Master Executor of all of God’s plans, purposes, and programmes. This is why His gifts and manifestations were given to build up the body of Christ until we come to the unity of faith and to the knowledge of the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ. This includes building up the church in warfare in such a way that we destroy the works of the devil, much more by the quality of our lives, than by just binding and loosing. For example, by the fruit of the Spirit, as a result of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we can combat any work of the flesh.

The Holy Spirit has come to build the Church. So when Jesus says ‘on this rock I will build my church,’ the one to build it is the finger of God: the Holy Spirit. He is putting everything in place, and in shape: ensuring everything is the way it should be (Psalm104: 30; Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20).

Psalm 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. (Luke 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.)

Any church that is not built by the Holy Spirit but by man will not stand the test of time: it will crumble. Even if the Holy Spirit started that church but then He is driven out and not allowed to continue to run it, it will eventually collapse.

Every one of us needs to have the clear understanding that God put the Holy Spirit here as the one we must always be in constant fellowship with to tell us what to do every step of the way. As the Master operator of all of God’s weapons, He has what it takes to help us establish the supremacy of God’s Kingdom over all other kingdoms.

What is a Gate?

The Longman Dictionary of the English Language defines a gate as; ‘An opening in a wall or fence, or a city or castle entrance, often with defensive structures (e.g. Towers).”

A gate is any port of access used for the purpose of both entry and exit.

Any port of access is a gate that is why they are called ports, such as seaports, airports, etc. These ports of access could be in the spiritual realm, the realm of the soul, or the realm of the physical. They could be visible or invisible and we ought to know how to deal with these gates.

Any point of contact that is used for the purpose of gaining access to you or giving you access, whether it is in the spirit realm, the realm of the soul, and the physical realm, or the realm of the unseen world is a gate. Even the door leading to your house or office is a gate; windows are also gates; roofs are also gates. Our hearts, our eyes, our mouths, our ears, our feet and our hands are all gates. Television sets, telephones, radio sets, computers are all gates since they all serve as ports of access.

Since gates are not only physical: you might not always need to enter a gate literally or physically. That is why sometimes witches, for example, may make a contact with a person on the phone and thereafter the person dies. What ensures the success of these powers? They understand gates and use this understanding against the church, which ironically lacks the requisite understanding, let alone operate at that high level.

Gates are Immigration Posts

This is where your entry into nations will be allowed or disallowed. There are always immigration officers. These could be angels, men or other parts of creation. (Daniel 10:12-21, Cf. Matthew 28:2, Joshua 20: 4- 6)

Gates are also Security Check Points as seen in Esther 2:21, Isaiah 28: 5&6, (Joshua 8), Judges 9:52 & 53, 2Kings 6, (Mark 1:33-37 cf. Psalm 101:8) see Daniel 10:12 &13. It means if there are coup d’etats being planned, you could easily detect that.

Gates are Embassies, where you go to get a visa and the ambassadors reside and visit their home country from time to time. Ezekiel 8:14 (44:3), Daniel 2:48 &49, Matthew 16: 18 – 20,

Gates are Decision Making Places

Decision-Making Places are also types of Gates. These are the places where decisions are normally taken and such places are gates. The King sits at the gate (Deuteronomy 25:5-10, Isaiah 28: 5&6, Joshua 20:1, Jeremiah 17: 19-27).

Gates are Places for Transactions

Places where transactions are made are Gates. These transactions could be business, legal, marital, etc., (Ruth 4:1, Deuteronomy 25:5-10 Genesis 23, Deuteronomy 16:18).

Gates are places where Altars, Thrones, etc., are set.

In our villages, the main altar of the family is usually set at the entrance of the house of the family head, where all sacrifices are offered. Thrones are also set at the gates. 2Chronicles 18:9, Esther 5:1, Jeremiah 38:7, 1:15 (4:38), 2Samuel 18:24, 2Kiings 19:8; Exodus 35:15; 40:5,6; 28:29 (Leviticus 1:5, 3:2, 4:7,18; 17:6&7) 2Chronicles 8:12, 15:8, Ezekiel 8 & 11, Joel 2:17.

Other scriptures worth investigating are Isaiah 28:5&6, Micah 5:6, Judges 5:8, (2Kings 28:8), Psalm 87:2, cf. Leviticus 17:6&7, Revelation 4:1, 21:12, Isaiah 57:9 (1-10), Proverbs 8:2-4.

Excerpt from The Book "Praying Through The Gates of Time" By Pastor Abu Bako. To be continued

http://www.gapnetwork.org