“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Matthew 7:14

Jesus presents us with a picture of two doors and two roads. The narrow door is the door of life and faith, and it guides us to an intimate relationship with our Lord. The wide door represents human logic, because we know that it is much easier to live according to circumstances. Logic and faith are incompatible because logic wants people to rely on themselves but faith requires us to depend totally on God. A person of faith does not take a single step without divine direction; even though everything seems set against them, he knows that God will give him the victory, and he takes action based on this conviction.

Believers are the extension of the character of Jesus; therefore, we should behave the way He did. Those whom Jesus called, He transformed and sanctified in order to entrust them with His work. God entrusts some people with a small responsibility. Perhaps, it is leading a cell. To others, He entrusts a church or a ministry, and to others, He entrusts a talent or a gift that can serve the community. Do not measure the size of your responsibility. God wants us to be faithful with whatever He has given us to do.

The book of Daniel tells the interesting story of three young Hebrew men, committed to their faith. They did not give way to the threats of the king, who threatened them with execution if they did not bow before an idol. They remained firm in their faith without looking at the circumstances. With conviction, they said to the enraged king, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18). People of faith remain firm; they trust that the Lord will deliver them.

“…He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual” (Daniel 3:19). For the believer, the fire is a symbol of a time of trial that they must go through. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). During the time of trial, we might feel like God has abandoned us to the executioner. However, when the young men were in the furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth person with them who protected them from harm. In exactly the same way, the Lord Jesus will also be with us through the trials, even though we may not see Him. He will be with us in a supernatural way, guarding us, so that evil does not harm us. Nebuchadnezzar recognized that God had sent His angel to save them (Daniel 3:28).

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Some years ago, in England, an eight-year-old boy was very ill at the hospital, and the doctors told his parents that there was nothing else they could do. “By tomorrow, he will be dead.” The doctors’ words pierced their hearts, but these parents were Christians. They went to a prayer meeting at their church, where a lady stood with them and cried out to God for their son. She said, “God, heal the life of this boy. The doctors can do nothing else, but You can save him, lift him up, and turn him into a preacher.” At that very moment the child was healed at the hospital. The next day the parents arrived and, as they saw the empty bed, they thought their son had died. But just then, the little boy ran in, and slid through the door, saying, “Good morning, Daddy! Good morning, Mommy!” I am absolutely certain this is a true story. How am I certain? Because I was that eight-year-old boy! God answers prayer when we draw near to Him and believe in Him with all of our hearts.” (Pastor Wes Richards, Windsor, UK)

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I come in through the door that is the Cross; I walk on the one road, which is Jesus, who is full of life and light.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 13-16; Psalms 143
• New Testament: Luke 11:14-28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28