Stewardship of your Gates

Stewarding our Gates:

Joel & Sarah

Intro:

Happy Mother’s Day! Sarah is the best mother in the entire world.

• Sarah and are celebrating 8 years of marriage the end of this month

• 4 kids all under 7. You have probably seen them running around here there’s a lot of them.

• We do not sleep

Bike Joke

Joel:

Stewarding gates in our lives

Gates or passageway in our lives

What are you allowing into your life?

Nehemiah 1:1–3 NKJV

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

So The city is in ruins:

• The walls have crumbled

• The gates are destroyed

• people are scattered

• Distracted

Sarah:

A Gate isn't just an opening, its a LEGAL ACCESS point. In history, Gates were places of battle. Victory and defeat is decided at the gates. Gates are places of authority and decision making. Access is granted or denied. We are the gatekeepers. Like it or not, everything has to pass through us to get into our lives. So if you’re seeing things in your life that isn’t reflecting God’s promises-you need to take a spiritual look and see what gates you’ve left unattended. Because as Christians, God has given us EVERYTHING for life and godliness.

Joel:

3 Gates we have to Steward in our life:

1. The Gate of our Spirit

Nehemiah recognized a problem and decided to do something about it.

-Stewardship is taking responsibility for the situation at hand

Hebrews 13:17

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account

Sarah

The condition of your Spirit is your responsibility.

Proverbs 25:28 NKJV

28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit

Is like a city broken down, without walls.

The Bible likens the person who does not control their own spirit as being like a city with walls that have fallen down. That makes the city defenseless so it is vulnerable to any attack. In the same way, if we don’t ‘take care’ of or ‘rule’ our own spirit, we are like a city with cracks in our foundations, open to every kind of attack imaginable. Sunday morning church can’t be the premise of your relationship with Jesus.

When I stand before God, I won’t be giving account for Joel’s spirit and what he did or didn’t do. It will be just me and the Father. And I want to recognize His voice when I see him. And the incredible thing is we can. We have FULL ACCESS to the King of Kings and Lord of lords RIGHT NOW. He’s waiting to reveal hidden mysteries to us-but it takes us disciplining our spirit and making our highest priority in life TO KNOW HIM. JOHN 4 Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman at the well and she was shocked that he asked her for water and he responds:

“10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

He is waiting to give us Living water, all we have to do is ask and seek him.

Joel:

Natural authority comes through spiritual responsibility

In the beginning of our relationship we had no gates to guard our lives

Talk about daily time with God, priority of first, ect

2. The Gate of our Soul (Mind, will & emotions)

Joel:

Not only sin or making a covenant with our eyes

But our mind can’t be stayed on our insecurities

Sarah:

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

What is your mind stayed upon? Is it His promises? Is it the news?

James1:14-15

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. THEN after the desire is conceived- it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown it gives birth to DEATH

Sin always starts as a thought. And it always ends it death. That’s why we have to be vigilant about what we set our mind on.

Our thoughts are seeds that will eventually bear fruit in our lives

Joel:

What are letting in?

What are you entertaining?

What are you planning?

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Not only renew our mind to the things of God but renew our mind to the thoughts we think about our spouse!

We believe the best of each other.

I Corinthians 13:7-8

7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening] 8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.

The ring Story!

I wasn’t making my assumptions in Love

I was filtering my thought life through the filter of Love

Love doesn’t keep score

And it doesn’t take into account suffered wrongs

Martyr syndrome

Sarah:

• Colter story

Your emotions can be in the car but they can’t drive. Your emotions are God-given and are for enhancing your relationships. But cannot STEER our lives.

3. The Gate of our Mouth

Proverbs 18:21 (Amp)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit andbear the consequences of their words.

Loose lips sink ships. If you cannot control your mouth, you cannot control your future.

Psalms 141:

“Set a guard over my mouth O LORD, keep watch over the door of my lips”

Guard your lips, guard your life.

James 1:26

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is useless”

Joel

Is your mouth setting you apart from the World?

What are you agreeing with?

Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Proverbs 12:14 “14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.”

We have what we say. Good or bad. God set the foundations or the world with His words. We set the foundation of our marriage through ours!

Sarah:

In conclusion, we are Gatekeepers. We have to steward the gate of our spirit, soul and mouth. Take some time this week and evaluate any gates you may have left unattended. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything that you’ve given legal access to. Before we can steward the calling God has given us, we first have to steward ourselves.

Joel:

CONCLUSION:

The jumping off point for stewardship is choosing Jesus

Your life might be a mess

It might be chaos

Your walls might be broken down

Choose Jesus today

Romans 10:13 NKJV

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”