I Will Break Down Gates of Bronze and Cut Through Bars of Iron

Gates of bronze and bars of iron. Both sound impervious, ominous, and foreboding! So, we have a dream? What is that against so many things that can come along to try to stop it? With every dream and every endeavor come expected roadblocks, obstacles, and barriers. I understand that. So does God! Fortunately our dream is not a dream that was initiated by Yvonne and me. It is a dream, and dare I say, a Divine plan, that originated in the heart of God.

There are two facets to our ministry: in the first, our purpose was and is, to reach young military men and women in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area for Jesus Christ. To establish a Pentecostal hospitality house military ministry in our home: a prototype, or model. The second facet of our ministry is to help people in other parts of the country do the same thing. To replicate our model. To ultimately establish a network of Pentecostal hospitality house military ministries all over this country.

God spoke to me regarding His divine provision for these impending roadblocks and hindrances through two passages of Scripture: one in Isaiah and one in Revelation. These passages apply to both facets of our ministry; to the hearts of individual servicemen and women being open and not closed, as well as to ministry opportunities in other parts of the country being open and not closed.

The two passages of Scripture I'm referring to are Isaiah 45:1-3 and Revelation 3:7-8.

In Isaiah God said:

This is what the Lord says to His anointed…whose right hand I take hold of…to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord…who summons you by name.

 And in  Revelation He said:

These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open…See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.

I believe it’s only through God’s anointing and provision that we are able to minister to military men and women in this area. Some people view God as very impersonal and distant. But to me, He is very personal and loving, intimately involved with those who serve Him and who He calls. When I read the words in Isaiah, "This is what the Lord says to His anointed…whose right hand I take hold of…" I was blessed! I believe as this passage applies to me, God was saying I am His anointed. The concept of being anointed is used throughout the Bible to refer to God's special selection of a man or woman for a particular purpose or task. Reaching young military men and women for Jesus Christ is the particular task for which God has called and anointed us.

In addition to His anointing He also said He was taking hold of our hand. I want God's guidance, I want His direction and leadership in our lives. I don't want to be like the little boy who kicks and struggles and squirms against his father holding his hand because he thinks he can run and do things on his own. Only to find out in the end that he failed and had to run back to his father any way. I want to keep my hand firmly in my Master's hand so that whatever we do will turn out right.

God promised to open doors for us so that gates would not be shut. And that He would break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. When I read these words I thought about Jesus’ conversation with Peter in Matthew 16:13-20, where Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. To which Jesus replied, 

“…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” 

The devil has taken many eighteen to twenty-five year old military men and women captive. He holds them captive, imprisoned behind gates of bronze and bars of iron: addictions, attitudes, ungodly beliefs, immorality. Many times these gates of bronze and bars of iron are of their own making. So many have hardened their hearts against the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness simply because they have never been told about Him, or because they want to live their lives the way they want to. But the enemy of their souls will not be able to keep them captive. Jesus said He will break down those gates of bronze and cut through those bars of iron! The gates of hell will not be able to overcome our efforts to reach young servicemen and women for Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 49:24-25 God asks the question:

“Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives rescued from the fierce? But this is what the Lord says: ‘Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.” 

And in Isaiah 54:13 God continued this thought:

“All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace.”

I believe it's God's will for young servicemen and women to be saved. Jesus said that He was not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God's promise is to save our children. We call all of the young men and women who come to our house our adopted sons and daughters. And He has promised to teach them and grant them His peace.

And just as He said He would break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron in regard to these young men and women, I believe this also applies to others catching the vision of reaching young military men and women through Pentecostal hospitality house military ministries in other parts of the country. God will call others into this work to help set these captives free!

We are believing that God is going to open doors that no man can shut!

Perhaps He's speaking to you right now.