Keys To The Kingdom
When Julie and I were in Uganda, we help lead the teens in a game called, “Keys to the Kingdom”. The leaders, who were dressed as demons ran around and tried to tag the kids. There were only two ways a kid could be safe. They could kneel and pray anywhere, or they could run to different safe zones on the field and recite a verse they had memorized to get Kingdom keys. Once the had gotten all the keys to the kingdom from all the Stations they would go to the final zone where they would receive the master key from the King of kings. I loved that game, not only because I saw the kids learning lessons about prayer, but also because I was younger and faster and I was a dangerous demon who put a lot of kids in the “spiritual bondage prison.” Now I’m older and slower, but in real life I talk with a lot of believers who are experiencing spiritual bandage in different areas of their lives. They know Jesus, but they are living in bondage and want to be free. They want to move forward in their spiritual journey but they keep finding the doors that they feel called to enter are locked and barred
Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
There are a lot of different opinions about who Jesus is and what it means to have faith. One of the reasons people don’t experience peace and joy is they don’t keep His word and they deny His name publicly. Some people go to church to learn about God, but don’t act on what He is teaching them through the word. They want to be inspired, but they don’t change. It’s like they are auditing a course in college, they want the knowledge, but they don’t want to be graded. They enjoy the teaching, but they aren’t transformed.
Jesus isn’t just a prophet, or good teacher, He is the holy Lord. One of the reasons we as believers don’t experience God’s blessing and direction is because we use the wrong key to try and open the doors that God has directed us to go through. We don’t keep His word and we act like undercover Christians in public. Jesus asked Peter, “who do you say that I am?” Peter declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” As a result, God gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, the master key.
Don’t use the wrong key and wonder why the door won’t open. Jesus has the master key. We don’t need to fear people because they have power over us. Our society wants to hold us hostage with its power and lies, but God has the master key and loves to use it. At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. God loves opening doors. He loves using the master key. When we step forward in His strength and His truth, he opens doors that are locked and barred. In what areas of your life are you trying to open doors in your own strength? Are you willing to repent and trust the One who has the master key? God loves opening the doors and he wants you to enjoy his will for your life.