Tongues of fire

Gatekeepers

    Pay attention to the gatekeepers in your life. Gatekeepers have the ability to block blessings and people they dislike. This can hinder our relationships, ministries and businesses.

     For example my mom felt she was supposed to work at a clinic by our home, but for several years she kept turning her resume in without any luck. She began wondering if she had made a mistake and eventually moved on, it had been years. After much prayer my mom decided to try again. A new lady called my mom right away. My mom was in shock and told the office manager how she didn't expect to hear anything since she's tried so many times before. According to the new office manager, the old office manager was throwing away all applications and only hiring her buddies; no one outside of her circle had a chance. The frustration my mom experienced had nothing to do with her, but a gatekeeper. Another example would be when my dad continued to get looked over for a raise. After much prayer and faith the old boss was moved, and a new boss gave him a $7 raise to catch him up with everyone else. In both instances the blessings was stopped by one person in a strategic position holding the gate closed. It’s scary to think one person could dictate so much.

    These gate keepers withheld goodness and purposely hindered the divine flow of things. Thankfully, they were moved and replaced. Sadly, some biased gatekeepers are never moved and continually hinder productivity and divine connections for years. I've honestly never seen one removed by leadership identifying the issue. I've seen these people removed after prayer. Through random events the gatekeeper finds a new job or is moved to a different positions and a new person comes in who allows the divine flow.

     Who is your middle man? They can make or break you. Whether you own a business and have an assistant, whether it’s a friend blocking new connections for you, we all have people that can dictate important areas of our lives. I know a lady who took me off her boss' mailing list because she disliked my Christian world view. Is it a big deal in the grand scheme of things? No. Did it hurt my feelings? A little but what can I do?  Gatekeepers make decisions based on what they want, not the team or other people's feelings. 

     I’ve seen people hit it off great, it seemed like a divine connection, but the person’s friend gets jealous and sabotages the connection. I’ve seen this happen in numerous ways. One of the lowest ways I’ve heard about is with Facebook. People often leave their facebook accounts logged in on their computers or cell phones and a sneaky friend goes and deletes a person or two from their account. It seems unreal, right? People do these things. It’s just another person blocking and shifting the natural flow of things. It’s another example of people playing gatekeeper.

     Who can swings doors open and locks doors shut in your life? These people have the ability to shape parts of the narrative in different areas of your life by lying, hiding or blocking important information and connections. These gatekeepers stop you from doing what you know you're supposed to do. They stop you from being where you are supposed to be.

     If you feel frustrated and can't pin point why there may be a biased gatekeeper on the other side holding you back. We often assume "well, I guess it's not meant to be" when in fact it's a gatekeeper using their position for their own agenda. This is why we must have discernment. Everyone does not have integrity, not everyone is mature enough to handle a little power. If you pray, God will reveal what's clogging the pipes in your life. Sometimes he'll change someone's heart if they are willing to change and other times he'll kindly move them on to something else. Prayer changes everything. 

        This is a lesson for us as well. Have we ever held a gate or door closed for personal reasons?  When we let jealousy, hate, or anything else get in the way of someone's path we risk being moved by God.

God is the finder

King of my heart

We are free....

     "I used to think being a godly woman meant getting up early to read my Bible and pray every morning. The only problem is I don’t process thoughts or words early in the morning, so I’d beat myself up for being distracted and groggy. One day, God interrupted me with this thought: Renee, I made you. I know you are not a morning person. I know you like variety. I created you, so work with Me.

     I felt like God was telling me to spend time with Him but not to put so much pressure on myself.
From that point on, my time with God has been more adventurous and enjoyable. Some days I sit with God and read or pray. Other days I go running and listen to my Bible on my iPod. Then I’ll pray and talk to God while I am walking back home.The point is I’m free now to spend time with God in ways that fit my personality, and I love it!"

 - Renee Swope, 

Proverbs 31 Ministries