And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:18-19.
The first thing Jesus spoke about before he started his assignment here on earth; was that God has anointed him to preach the gospel to the poor. That was the first thing he said, if the liberation from poverty was not important; he wouldn’t have mentioned it. Jesus said am going to build my church. Who will build his church? Man can’t build the church, it is Jesus that will build the church and not even hell will be able to stop my church from expanding. So whatever gates the devil might try to close against you, won’t be able to stop you. How do you deal with the gates?.
He (Christ) will give you the key that will open it. So what you need to do is not to cry before the gate, no! you go for the key. It is he who possess the key that can control the gate. So Jesus said don’t mind the devil or the situation right now; but I will you “the keys” (plural). So there are keys that open different kinds of door (because even in your apartment the key that open your main door, may not open the door to your bedroom). So he said I will give you keys that will deactivate the gates of sickness, of marital problem, and all manner of gates that the devil will open against you. The devil will always attempt to open the gates against you but as long you have the keys; you don’t have to worry or weep. Success is not a product of luck; it is doing what is required to acquire what you desire. The devil is not a respecter of your age, race, geographical location but knowing the secret. So Jesus said I will give you the secret (keys) that will deactivate the effect of the gates. What then is the key?
Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
Luke 11:52.
Woe unto the lawyers (who are the lawyers) the expert in knowledge. They that Jesus was talking about was the knowledge of the truth, the understanding of the truth at any time will neutralise any gate. Jesus needed to feed 5000 people, the disciples were already scared but the bible said he (Jesus) knew what to do, he only tested the disciples to see where their faith was, and when he did (which was the right thing) food multiplied. For your business, marriage, career, health to grow; you must know what to do. It requires the knowledge and not just the mental ascent (but working knowledge), understanding the complexity of something, the system of how it works. Jesus said, don’t worry the gate of hell will attempt, but I will give you keys.
One of the major gate that the devil use to stop the church; is the gates of “lack and want”. There is no way the church can go forward without prosperity. So to check mate, stop the devil of lack and Want, you need the key. What is they key that will deactivate the effect of the gate of lack and want?
That key is “understanding of the covenant of prosperity”. Prosperity doesn’t answer to prayer or begging; because it is not a promise, it is a covenant. What is a convenant? A covenant is an agreement between two parties; this is God and man, that as all the conditions spelt out. If you don’t carry out your own responsibilities; you cannot enjoy it. Like we said supernatural supply is one of the redemptive benefit that has been given to us, so you can’t stop God from giving; because he had already given you, but what you can do is to disconnect from the flow. So, the understanding of the workings makes you to stay connected, to keep enjoying it.
The key is the understanding or the working knowledge of the truth. It is so important that Jesus through out his three and half years of ministry; the major thing he did was “teaching” the people. Why did he spend his time doing that? There was no record of where Jesus conducted a crusade and people were rolling on the floor, no! Jesus spend his time teaching them; because he knew the “need of understanding the truth”. How do we get the understanding? By teaching.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke 4:18.
To preach means: to proclaim and explain something to people. He (Jesus) said, you don’t have to worry; because all these things have been purchased for you. In (Genesis 1:26) before the man was made, God said have dominion over everything; so is not by you begging for it that will make you to get it, no, it has been given, before you were born; but you need to know. Place value on knowledge. Knowledge means to know and have an edge.
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jeremiah 3:15.
The importance of having your hands on the key is understanding of the truth and it is through teaching. Pastors in this context are shepherds which will feed the people with knowledge. So the principal function of your pastor is to feed you. With what? With knowledge and understanding; so that the keys can be placed in your hands.
For example: Job was wealthy, he had the key to prosperity, but he lacks the key to protection. But the bible says in (Job 33:33) that until the messenger taught him, and when he saw it; he recovered all. So when you lay your hands on the key, which is knowledge of the truth; you will recover, because until you discover you can’t recover. You need that key and that key is the knowledge of the truth. So, your breakthrough, multiplication, success is a product of laying your hands on the key. To stop the devil from stopping you, to trouble your trouble( the devil is the most fear loaded being, but he knows that when you don’t know; he will begin to play with you).
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:34.
When Jesus was moved with compassion, what did he do with them? Weeping, no! Weeping won’t help them. Remember (Jer 3:15-16) God says he will give them shepherd, what is the work of the shepherd? To teach them. Jesus said they lack shepherd; that means they lack people that will teach them.
The reality is that; it is impossible for the devil to stop you when you have the key. What is the key? The working knowledge of the truth. How did Abraham become wealthy, without loosing his righteousness. He had the key, God placed the key in the hands of Abraham, and he transferred it to Isaac and Isaac to Jacob and Jacob to the twelve tribes.The reason why God chose Abraham; is not because he his taller than anyone, but because he will instruct his children to walk in the way of the Lord, the way of the covenant. He had the key, he knew the button to press at any time to destroy the devil.
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
Acts 1:1-2.
The former treatise (that is the book of Luke). The commandment Jesus gave to the disciples was written in (Matthew 28:18-19).
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:18-20.
To teach, because once they have the keys; the devil is in trouble. Knowledge has to be relevant and adequate. So when it comes to financial prosperity, do you understand how it works. The Holy Spirit principally is our comforter. Jesus said I will give you the keys that will neutralise the gates. Supernatural supply is real. Jesus said he will send the holy spirit, what will he do? to comfort, teach, guide us to all truth.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
2corin 2:9-10.
But he said he has reveal it by his spirit, so what the eyes has not seen, the Holy Spirit can guide you to see it.
Do you have the keys?
Go for the keys!!!
Go for knowledge!!!.