Post by Betty on Mar 18, 2005 5:30:00 GMT -5
I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven
(Matthew 16:19, NLT).
Dear friends:
The story is told of a man who put his keys into
one of his shoes each night when he went to bed.
In the morning as he dressed to begin a new day,
he would take the keys out of his shoe and repeat
the following prayer: "Lord, this day I will come
to certain doors that are locked, but I shall use
these keys to open those doors. Remind me today
that there is a key to every situation, a
solution to every problem. Please don't allow me to
surrender to one of life's locked doors, for I know
that all authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to you."
Keys and locks make good analogies. Our Lord
referred to them in Matthew chapter 16, verse 19,
when He tells His disciples, "And I will give you
the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you
lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and
whatever you open on earth will be opened in
heaven"(NLT).
As Christians, God desires to give to us the keys
of His kingdom to help us spread the Good News of
His love and forgiveness and to help us fulfill
the Great Commission of our Lord.
A problem is that we often see or experience
locked doors but we do not use our spiritual keys to
unlock them to accomplish God's will. What are
some of these keys?
In the context of the above verse, Jesus had
asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered,
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living
God"(vs.15-16).
This is where Jesus gave His classic reply, "Now
I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my church, and all the powers of
hell will not conquer it" (v. 18). It is in the
very next verse that Jesus refers to the keys to
the kingdom above.
The first key, therefore, as with Peter, is our
confession. Peter had just confessed that Jesus
is "the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." It
is important to confess Jesus Christ as Lord
(confess His deity). "For if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved" (Romans 10:9, NLT).
It is also important to continue to confess God's
Word in our lives, which opens kingdom doors and
releases God's power in everyday situations.
Other important keys include faith, love, obedience,
prayer, and witnessing.
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission
each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
(Matthew 16:19, NLT).
Dear friends:
The story is told of a man who put his keys into
one of his shoes each night when he went to bed.
In the morning as he dressed to begin a new day,
he would take the keys out of his shoe and repeat
the following prayer: "Lord, this day I will come
to certain doors that are locked, but I shall use
these keys to open those doors. Remind me today
that there is a key to every situation, a
solution to every problem. Please don't allow me to
surrender to one of life's locked doors, for I know
that all authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to you."
Keys and locks make good analogies. Our Lord
referred to them in Matthew chapter 16, verse 19,
when He tells His disciples, "And I will give you
the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you
lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and
whatever you open on earth will be opened in
heaven"(NLT).
As Christians, God desires to give to us the keys
of His kingdom to help us spread the Good News of
His love and forgiveness and to help us fulfill
the Great Commission of our Lord.
A problem is that we often see or experience
locked doors but we do not use our spiritual keys to
unlock them to accomplish God's will. What are
some of these keys?
In the context of the above verse, Jesus had
asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered,
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living
God"(vs.15-16).
This is where Jesus gave His classic reply, "Now
I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my church, and all the powers of
hell will not conquer it" (v. 18). It is in the
very next verse that Jesus refers to the keys to
the kingdom above.
The first key, therefore, as with Peter, is our
confession. Peter had just confessed that Jesus
is "the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." It
is important to confess Jesus Christ as Lord
(confess His deity). "For if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved" (Romans 10:9, NLT).
It is also important to continue to confess God's
Word in our lives, which opens kingdom doors and
releases God's power in everyday situations.
Other important keys include faith, love, obedience,
prayer, and witnessing.
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission
each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
