The Keys to the Kingdom

Greetings,

Matthew 16:19 “You have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

One of my favorite TV shows is the 1960's sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.  It’s such a funny show, and it seems like almost every episode someone winds up in jail, Andy is the town sheriff after all.  One time a character named Otis was locked up for the night and was waiting to be released.  Unknown to him, however, was that all along the keys were right outside his cell hanging on a peg.  That’s one of the running jokes of the show: The keys are always hanging on that peg within easy reach of anyone who is locked up.

So many of us are like Otis: The keys are right there, but either we don’t realize it or just plain don’t use them.  We stayed locked up in fear, loneliness, stress, hopelessness, sickness, and need because we don’t use the keys.

Which keys?  The keys to the kingdom.  And what are those keys? PRAYER.  We always come back to prayer.

Prayer is the means by which heavens doors open up and bless us here on earth.  Prayers eliminate barriers. Prayers give us complete and free access to everything God has to offer.  Please refer to Psalm 103 for a tiny glimpse of everything that is ours. 

Prayer is the means by which God decided to make a bridge between heaven and earth.  Christ gave us His life to build that bridge and like Otis, all we have to do is reach through the bars and grab those keys.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for so freely giving us the keys to the kingdom.  Some days, we forget to use the keys, or we forget they are right there.  But thank You that they are the easiest things to access; all it takes is a little talk with Jesus.  We say “YES!” to Jesus and the health, protection, peace, love, and hope that He offers right here where we are on earth.  And we say “No!” to anxiety, disease, worry, fear, loneliness, and hatred.  Heaven agrees with us, and we receive it! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

The Keys are Right There~

Matthew 16:19 “You have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

One of my favorite TV shows is the 1960's sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.  It’s such a funny show, and it seems like almost every episode someone winds up in jail.  One time a character named Otis was locked up for the night and was waiting to be let out when all along the keys were right in the middle of the two cells hanging on a peg.  That’s one of the running jokes of the show.  The keys are always hanging on that peg within easy reach of anyone who is inside.

So many of us are like Otis: The keys are right there, but we don’t realize it or just plain don’t use them.  We stayed locked up in fear, loneliness, stress, hopelessness, sickness, and need because we don’t use the keys. 

Which keys?  The keys to the kingdom.  And how do we receive them?  By prayer.  We always come back to prayer.

Prayer is the means by which heavens doors open up and bless us here on earth.  Prayers eliminate barriers. Prayers give us complete and free access to everything God has to offer.  Please refer to Psalm 103 for a tiny glimpse of everything that is ours. 

Prayer is never about a free pass to ask for whatever we want and to do whatever we want to do; God will never do anything contrary to His Word.

But prayer is the means by which God decided to make a bridge between heaven and earth.  Christ gave us His life to build that bridge and like Otis, all we have to do is reach through the bars and grab those keys.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for so freely giving us the keys to the kingdom.  Some days, we forget to use the keys, or we forget they are right there.  But thank You that they are the easiest things to access; all it takes is a little talk with Jesus.  We say “YES!” to Jesus and the health, protection, peace, love, and hope that He offers right here where we are on earth.  And we say “No!” to anxiety, disease, worry, fear, loneliness, and hatred.  Heaven agrees with us, and we receive it! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

God is Willing~

Tuesday Greetings~

This morning I was enjoying an early-morning phone conversation with one of my children. And as soon as we hung up I started reflecting on the joy this child brings me when said child (it was Hormone) called to say he urgently needed his spare keys, and I will spare you all the details.

Suffice to say that even the most beautiful and powerful car is of no use without the keys.

Likewise, prayer is the key to making our life work. We need keys to unlock things and start things up. We also need keys to lock things and turn things off. Prayer is the key to getting your life in gear. We all have so much potential--for good and bad--and we need God's guidance and protection.

Martin Luther is credited with saying, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness," and it's one of my favorite quotes.

God is willing to answer you. This means He wants to answer you. He has something in mind for you.

Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

If God is able to accomplish infinitely more, which means abundantly beyond and exceedingly above what we can ask, then yes, this shows He is willing--dear one--even to over answer you.

But we must use the key. Before we pray, think of an area where you would like an over-and-beyond-your-wildest-dreams answer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want our lives moving at the right pace--no detours and no dead-ends. We pray today because we want to plug into Your highest willingness. You are so willing, in fact, that we humans can't even begin to imagine how much You want to do. We invite You to over answer us today in this area ___________. Work Your awesome and mighty power into every area of our lives. In Jesus' name, AMEN~