Matthew 7:13–14 – “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Jesus commands believers to “enter by the narrow gate” and this is exactly where you should be seeking to enter. If I asked you to “narrow your walk,” what would you have to purge from your path to accomplish that task? Jesus did not speak of this gate as our destiny, but as the entrance to a path. There is a right way and a wrong way, and Jesus appealed to His listeners to decide to go the more difficult way, which leads to life. He understood and taught that not all ways and not all destinations are equally good. One leads to destruction, the other to life. The true gate is both narrow and difficult. If your road has a gate that is easy and well traveled, you should definitely watch out. The narrow gate is the way of personal faith in Christ. This is precisely what the Pharisees missed so badly (Matt. 5:20). The Pharisees used the wide gate, which is the normal human tendency toward dependence on self-righteousness.

Challenge:

The gate that leads to heaven may be narrow, however, the blessings that follow are abundant. Once you find Jesus and enter through the narrow gate, He opens up to you a life that is abundantly rich. Do you sometimes lose your way as you follow Christ? Are you putting your hand to the gate of destruction or the gate of life? There may be obstacles in your path that are being placed by your own hand. This week, your challenge is to do a “Path Assessment”. Look at the life you are living and ask yourself, “is this the life God has planned for me?” Consider all the hurdles that you are having to jump over. Determine all the thoughts and the behaviors that you know are ensnaring your walk with the Lord. Compare your thoughts of failure and suffering with the truth of God’s Word, that tells us we are more than conquerors and that our suffering is only for a moment. What is causing you to walk in the flesh, more than walking in the Spirit? When we live in the flesh, we are living for ourselves and not for Christ and His kingdom. May this be the week that you close the wide gate that is waiting with destruction and open the narrow gate that leads to all of His spiritual blessings. God bless you.