Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matt. 7:13, 14
We in America
like big doors, wide roads, tall buildings, and big houses. America is a huge,
wide expanse of land with large farms and ranches, big national parks, tall
mountains, extensive interstate highways, broad landscapes and, well... just
lots of big things. It has the largest economy on the planet. It has been the
land of unlimited opportunity. We are accustomed to seeing everything big and
broad as good, even seeing it as righteous and proof of God’s affirmation of
walking in His will and living our lifestyle. Yet Jesus said His gate to the
Kingdom is small and the road to life is narrow. In America, we find a narrow road to be an
unfamiliar path. Recently a prophet ministering in our church prophesied that
we must embrace an unfamiliar path in life.
Within the
context of all things big and broad in America, we will only find life, a
kingdom life through one gate--Jesus Christ. Jesus said He came to give life to
the fullest or abundant life. We will only live life to the full, or abundantly,
on the narrow road found in His will, following His leading, and responding to
the direction of the Holy Spirit. This is a narrow road. However, it’s the road filled with grace for
the journey, provision for the tasks, and free gifts to administer His Kingdom along
the way.
Through
faith, God’s grace positions us on the narrow road. Through obedience to His
voice, conviction, and His Word we stay on that narrow road. If we wander off
the road we experience some level of destruction and diminishment found in the
ditches and distractions along the way. If we get out of alignment with His
plumb line of Truth we experience excessive wear on our soul and body as we are
pulled off line. As believers in Jesus, we have eternal life either way…but we
have life to the full only on the narrow road.
If we stay
on the narrow road abiding in and aligned with Him, we have life that reflects
the will of heaven on earth. The narrow road is not a road without challenges,
obstacles, and opposition. But we navigate over, around or through them by the
overcoming power of the One who designed the road…the One who provides
direction along the way. He always leads us in life giving victory to overcome
every opposing force.
I believe
that now more than ever we must align ourselves on the narrow road. We live in
perilous times in cultures corrupted by man’s desires and Satan’s strategies.
Get aligned on that narrow road, as unfamiliar as it may be, and it will take
you through a full and abundant life of the Spirit.
