by Pastor Afolabi Oladele

In our last posting, we saw the Lord speaking to His disciples, “blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear,” but what did they see, and what did they hear?

They saw the Lord Jesus and the works He did that testified of Him as the expected Messiah; and all of that in the midst of Roman and Temple rulers’ oppression! They heard Him speak the word that brought to life all that the law and prophets declared. They were privileged to be there but it was their choice not to be distracted by everything else around. That was the pattern. Let’s consider two examples.

For context and for the first example, the beloved King of Israel, the man after God’s heart, had this to say in Psalm 101:1-7 (TPT)—Lord, I will sing about your faithful love for me. My song of praise will have your justice as its theme. I’m trying my best to walk in the way of integrity, especially in my own home. But I need your help! I’m wondering, Lord, when will you appear? I refuse to gaze on that which is vulgar. I despise works of evil people and anything that moves my heart away from you. I will not let evil hold me in its grip. Every perverse and crooked way I have put away from my heart, for I will have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness. I will silence those who secretly want to slander my friends, and I will not tolerate the proud and arrogant. My innermost circle will only be those who I know are pure and godly. They will be the only ones I allow to minister to me. There’s no room in my home for hypocrites, for I can’t stand chronic liars who flatter and deceive.

Three things stand out, David recognised

  • That the responsibility was his to control his eye gate,
  • The conduct started from his home, and
  • With his inner circle of friends

Job declared same regarding the eye gate in Job 31:1(AMPC)—I dictated a covenant (an agreement) to my eyes; how then could I look [lustfully] upon a girl? For what portion should I have from God above [if I were lewd], and what heritage from the Almighty on high?

Even stronger was Job’s declaration concerning his eye gate being well aware of the end that uncontrolled access to his mind or heart would bring him from God. Dearly beloved, the responsibility is ours individually to heed Paul’s admonition in our main text—Romans 6:12-13—Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [eyes, ears, mouth touch and nose gates] as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (words in parenthesis mine).

What will you do with this understanding? Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 shows the sequence of hearing and speaking! See the power of speaking things that are in alignment with God’s plan! A clear demonstration of the purpose of what instructions God gave to Joshua in Joshua 1:8; the word of God becomes your filter for what you hear, what you say, because you will say what is in your heart (Matthew 12:34) and Proverbs 6:2 takes full effect. We see why at this time we must discipline our tongues (James 3:2-13 AMPC).

The import of all of these is to bring clearly to us that the responsibility for the defense of these gates is mine and yours in these evil times. Times are difficult yes, but what does God say? Matthew 6:25-34; Isaiah 58:11 (if you meet the conditionality) and Philippians 4:17-19 (AMPC).

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:25-34

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:11

Not that I seek or am eager for [your] gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit [the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account]. But I have [your full payment] and more; I have everything I need and am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me. [They are the] fragrant odor of an offering and sacrifice which God welcomes and in which He delights. And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:17-19 AMPC

As the Psalmist did, you can acknowledge to our God that you need help, and you have one up on King David in that the Lord came and has left us His Holy Spirit, who as we ask Him will strengthen us in our inner man with might (Ephesians 3:15-16). It’s time to take control of your gates and live to please Him who saved you and me. Shalom.