Isaiah 26: 20-21
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sins: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
What does the global lockdown mean to us as believers? Why did God allow this to happen? Why did God allow that our many churches be shut down, too, because of Coronavirus? What does shut the door mean to us, believers, and the nations as a whole? Where there times like this in the countries in the Bible?
God showed us a shutdown in Egypt during the time of His Passover. Could this hour be the hour of His Passover? He said to His own, "take the lamb for every household and eat it, and take its blood and put it on your doorposts when I pass, I will see the blood and protect you(Exodus 12). He was talking about Jesus Christ here. Can Jesus and His blood defend us all from this terror? What must we do, then to receive His protection? Jesus can heal all diseases. His blood is our protection till day (Hebrews 9). Amen
What should every believer do during the lockdown?
Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your unseen
Father. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Whenever Jesus was about to perform a real and severe miracle (Luke 15:6), He entered the room and shut the door behind. We see this with Elijah and Elisha too (1 Kings 17:17-24, 1 Kings 17:17-24). They were going to pray for the resurrection of the sons of the two of the widows. It means when you want to hear God clearly about something and conceive his mind, then manifest His word. You need to shut the doors of the noise in both the spiritual and physical realm to hear God very well. Amen!
1. What are the spiritual doors in us that must remain open for Jesus?
Jesus is the only door to heaven. He alone paid a high prize of saving all humanity by dying on the cross of Calvary. He shed His on the cross, and tore the veil of the temple that through Him all may enter heaven. We all have access; we can all talk to God because He is our Father; therefore, we do not need a medium or another mediator or any idol god.
Just as we have physical senses (doors) in our physical bodies, we also have the same in them in the spiritual realm.
2. What are the physical doors that we must keep open for Jesus?
3. Which spiritual doors should be shut ?
Any false tokens and altars that are used to worship a foreign god by an individual, family, community, and nation can bring curses to a person, family, or society. False gods can remove the protection of God from people and cause satan to come and destroy them like in Egypt (Exodus 12). Note that Jesus is the only mediator to God, the Father, therefore bow to Him alone in worship. If you knelt to a foreign god, Repent and be saved. Repent and gain life in abundance! Do not close your heart to Jesus, close to other false gods that are stealing from you and return your heart fully to Jesus. Amen.
Prayer of declaration:
Lord, I repent for following a false god unknowingly. In my ignorance and because of the wrong teachings, I worshiped false gods and not you. Heavenly Father, may you forgive me. Yes, wash me with your blood that I may receive your son Jesus as Lord and that I may worship Him in truth and Spirit.
Lord, I also pray for my nations, my families, and all those that have worshiped foreign gods unknowing. Jesus forgive us, pardon our sins and the sins of our ancestors too, that we may receive blessings from you. You said in your words, cursed be any man who trusts in another man, and we had believed dead men and other men above you. Forgive us, Lord, forgive our nations Lord.
Father, now that we have repented according to
1 Chronicles 7:14 (state this verse), we pray for you to heal our land in Jesus' name. Amen.
4. What are the physical doors to shut?
There are the things the Holy Spirit may deem as your destructions during the time of prayer and fasting. He will instruct you; accordingly, not everyone will be called to follow the same thing religiously. This lockdown is a type of fast on its own, and it's putting restrictions on our bodies and soul to experience God more and deeply. The doors could be:
Learn to travel light with God this time. His yoke is easy and light. Ask God to sanctify you and to open your channels of communication so that you can commune with the Holy Spirit and do not participate in the worship of idols. Sin doesn't have power over you after Jesus washed you with your blood, you are a new creation, and old things have passed away, and now you have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do not go back to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Prayer: Lord, we want to practice listening to You, but our hearts are full of the issues of life and all the bad news of the world. We took less of your word, which is an anti-virus, empty us Lord, and fill us afresh with Your Word. (Ask forgiveness for any sin you felt it untangled you in the past and pray for God to unfold the chains of your sins in Jesus mighty name. Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you the doors that you need to shut in Jesus name. Thank the Lord and worship Him. Amen.
Exercise:
Find and study the following cases and explain why each minister chose to shut the door in every instance, what was their destruction?
Case study 1: Jesus shut the door when he went to heal Lazarus (John 11:1-44).
Case Study 2: Elisha shut the door to resurrect the son of the widow( 2 Kings 4:32-33).
Case study 3: God commanded Israel to close the door through Moses.
Case study 4: Moses shut the door to go to the mountain to be with the Lord. Why did Moses leave the people that God gave Him to lead to cleave to God?
Case study 5: Jesus withdraw from the disciples to pray alone in the secret place (Luke 5:16). Does this suggest that we should not always feel the pressure(that's noise) to minister in every area or be pushed by people, we should have time for everything.
Case study 6: Mary withdraws from the catering ministry to go and sit with Jesus. She went to sit at the feet of Jesus, and Martha complained to Jesus about that (Luke 10:38-42). What was Jesus response, and why?