People Are Gates: How God Opens Doors Through the People He Sends
"We don't meet the right people by default. You have to pray them into your life."
There is a story in Mark 2. Four men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. When they could not get near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof, broke it open and let down the bed he was lying on. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:3-5).
Paralysis means his life had stopped. He was not moving forward. His hands and legs were not working. What advantage did he have in life? None. But he had four friends who did not give up on him. They knew where his life could be changed. The door was blocked, so they opened a new one through the roof. In one day his fortunes were reversed. He had a date with destiny.
Everyone knows what happened to him. Very few understand how it happened.
The Answer Often Comes Through a Person
Sometimes the real fight is not the problem you are in, because there is someone who can lift you out of that problem. You have a degree but no job? There is someone who can give you a job. You have great skills but no recommendation? There is someone whose voice carries weight who can recommend you. You have business orders but no one to work for you? There is someone who can work with you.
God is sovereign. Heaven is open and sovereign, but on earth God works through human vessels. We are "labourers together with God" (1 Corinthians 3:9). When Israel cried out because of their bondage, God gave them a man. Moses was the gate for their deliverance (Exodus 3:10). Deliverance is always personified. It comes in the form of a person, and many people don't recognize their deliverer.
Think of your own salvation. You were lost, but a man shared the good news with you. That person became a gatekeeper of the gate of heaven for you. The answer to my prayer often comes in the form of a man, because we live on earth and God establishes His plans through people.
The Gates God Places in Your Life
God raises people who become gates for others:
People who carry grace for healing and deliverance. You give your prayer request to such a person, he prays once, and the answer comes.
Teachers, prophets and mentors who bring timely wisdom and the word in due season.
People who bring protection and spiritual covering, shielding you from unnecessary attacks.
People who lay hands on you, prophesy over you, impart gifts or open the heavens through their worship.
Leaders you are positioned under. God very naturally guides you through that person.
Divine servants. As anointed as David was, he could not have done all he did without his mighty men (2 Samuel 23:8-39).
God-ordained spouses and companions. "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18).
For every Moses there is an Aaron (Exodus 4:14-16). Where I am weak, someone else comes with his strength. As important as Moses was, he was incomplete without Aaron.
Why So Many Only Meet the Wrong People
Maybe you are saying, "That sounds good, but all I have known are people who closed doors. People who delayed my destiny, mocked me and killed my dream." Wrong partners, wrong friends, wrong counselors. It is easy to meet wrong people in life. That is the default setting of this fallen world.
If God has to bless you, He sends someone into your life. If the devil wants to destroy your life, he also sends someone. Think back. The worst seasons of your life were ushered in by certain people. Every time your life changed for good, certain people entered your life and you heard certain voices.
True loneliness is the failure to find the right people. A man can be among many people and still be lonely. No man in this world is self-made. We are all products of influences, impartations, encouragement and direction.
Why People Miss Their Gatekeepers
They fight the gate instead of flowing with it. Some are proud: "I don't need anyone. I can do it myself." Some expect people to be perfect, but no one you meet will be perfect. When we meet God's vessels, we don't look for perfection. We look for fruit, and we recognize and celebrate the grace they carry. Some are closed to correction and counsel. And an angry person will most likely fight the very people God sends into his life.
Three Shifts in How You See People
1. Recognize God's instruments
God can use anyone, regardless of status or background, to become a door in your life. He used Pharaoh's own daughter to raise Moses, the man who would challenge Pharaoh (Exodus 2:5-10).
2. Value relationships
Being alone may be part of God's will for a certain season. Being alone all your life is not a divine strategy. The key to success is how we understand, value and maintain godly relationships.
3. Respect spiritual authority
There are certain people who carry authority over certain gates. They can open those doors for you.
How to Connect With Your Gatekeepers
Be a friend of God
God Himself is the original helper of destinies and the opener of gates. He is the lifter of my head (Psalm 3:3) and "a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). He has written your days in His book (Psalm 139:16). Marriages are made in heaven, so you must connect with heaven if you want your marriage to be from heaven. Every good relationship is not a God-ordained relationship. Only the Holy Spirit gives real discernment.
Don't live as God's enemy
You cannot be an enemy of God and then find godly relationships. Repent of every known sin. Living in secret sin will kill your destiny.
Know your assignment
Only when there is a destiny is there a destination. If you don't understand your path, how will you recognize the people sent to help you on it?
Connect God's way
For a God-ordained relationship, there is a God-ordained way to connect.
Pray them in
They don't come by default. Become a person of prayer. You can run by chance. You can never win by chance.
Declarations
Lord, help me recognize the people You have sent into my life.
I will value, respect and celebrate the grace You have placed on others.
I renounce pride and an independent spirit.
I will be close to the One who has written my life in His book.
I will not live in secret sin. My destiny will not be sabotaged.
I pray the gatekeepers of my next season into my life, in Jesus' name.
The Mystery of Open and Closed Doors Series
This is Part 3 of a six-part teaching on the doors God opens, the battles at the threshold, and how to walk through. Here is the full series in order:
The Stealer of Joy: Why Closed Doors Are Part of Your Warfare (and How to Walk Through Them)
A Great Door and Many Adversaries: Why the Battle Intensifies at the Door
People Are Gates: How God Opens Doors Through the People He Sends (you are here)
Open Heavens: Signs of a Closed Heaven and 8 Keys to See It Open
Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving: The Kingdom Protocol for His Presence
Saved but Not Free: When the Gates of Darkness Hold a Believer Bound
Previous: A Great Door and Many Adversaries | Next: Open Heavens
More Teaching Series
Marriage in the Lord series: Start with Part 1: Marry Only in the Lord
The Decision series: Start with Part 1: Why Decisions Matter
The Lordship series: Start with Part 1: Is Jesus Your Lord or Only Your Savior?
Stay Connected & Grow Deeper
Watch the full message: The Mystery Of Open And Closed Doors (Part 3) on YouTube.
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💬 Leave a comment below: Who has God used as a gate in your life? Honor them in the comments and encourage someone else to pray in their own gatekeepers.
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