The Breaking of the Gates of Brass

In life, many times we come face to face with blockages. We try so hard with our human efforts to break through, but it often feels as though these barriers are made of brass—the more we try to break them down, the harder they seem.

But God has already made provision for every brass door or gate we encounter in the journey of life.

In Isaiah 45:2, the Lord declares:

 “I will go before you

And make the crooked places straight;

I will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.”

Brass represents blockages, barriers, and bondage. In ancient times, brass (or bronze) was a strong, resilient material used for fortifications, making “gates of brass” a powerful symbol of strength and resistance.

In the journey of life, we often face gates that seem unbreakable—but the Lord has already made provision for them. He is saying that we are not alone in this walk; He has gone before us. Brass can represent sickness, delay, setbacks, or fear—but God has seen it all, and He has gone ahead of us to break them.

Notice that He didn’t say, “I will weaken the gates,” but rather, “I will break them in pieces.” That’s how I know sickness is shattered, disease is shattered, delays are removed, and setbacks are cleared—because the Lord has gone before you to break the gates of bronze!

That false sense of security—the “brass” that seemed like godliness but was really a trap from hell—receives the fire of God and is broken to pieces!

The first time the gate of bronze was mentioned in Scripture was in Psalm 107:16:

“For He has broken the gates of bronze,

And cut the bars of iron in two.”

It speaks of the shattering of these gates.

So, friends, gird up and pray your way through! Do not be silent. If you ignore it, it will continue—but don’t let it remain. The Lord God has already gone ahead of you; He’s waiting for you to rise, pursue, and confront that demonic gate.

Stand up and pray till you sense the shattering of this gates. 

Stay Revived!

When the Lord Calls for Ark Builders

It’s very easy to hear a prophetic word and, because it births that which we desire, we run with it. Just recently, I caught a prophetic word for this season, and since then, I have been doing that which I think is the best posture to take.

But as time went by, the structure didn’t quite settle in, and in that very moment, all I could think of was—what if this could be an ark? What if the Lord didn’t just want to bring His people into places of upliftment but rather set up an ark—a center of preservation for the generation He wants to birth?

The enemy is on a rampage, and he has hidden in several ideologies. Through this, he is tainting God’s seed so we are unable to birth that which would bruise the head of the serpent. But here is God saying again: At the very first moment I gave you the business idea, I gave you the marriage, I gave you the job, I gave you the relationship, the contract, the property—so it would be a seed to bruise the head of the serpent; an ark, a safe haven for a generation constantly plagued by the devices of the enemy.

If I could create cartoons, then as God’s child I would see that a loophole has been made by the enemy. And so, my counter-response would be to birth a counter-warfare strategy—to bruise the head of the serpent so a generation doesn’t get wiped away by identity crisis and misinformation, beloved, can you just pause—I just did—and ask:

“Lord, what kind of safe haven would You like me to build?

What kind of parenting strategy would You have me use?

What kind of wife would You have me be?

What kind of husband would You have me be?

Is this leadership strategy I use lethal enough to bruise the serpent’s head?”

God isn’t just looking for partnership; He is also very interested in people who would seek Him to build a partnership that becomes a warfare strategy.

For everything we do is God’s warfare strategy—even in the way we love.

Would you allow God to go to war using the very seed you just birthed?

Stay Revived!

What did you say?

How did you respond when you saw the dry bones?

I have been on a study of the book of Ezekiel 37 for a while now, but today, as I wanted to move on to chapter 38, I felt the Lord lead me back to it again. And for the very first time in over twenty days of reading the same chapter, this question jumped right at me: "What did you say to the dry bones?" Ezekiel's dialogue with God moved from a conversation with God to a conversation with the bones, the winds, and then to Israel and her crisis.

For a conversation that started with this question:

Ezekiel 37:3 (NKJV)

And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

The conversation became more of a battle of words. The Lord kept asking Ezekiel: *Can this? Can that? Say to the bones, speak to the wind… But for every word Ezekiel obeyed and spoke, it became a different reality — they lived.

Ezekiel 37:9 (NKJV)

Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

What did you say when the car broke down? You cursed and swore, "It’s definitely going to be a bad day. I knew it." But that was just a car — something that enhances your journey. What about your life?

There are moments I feel so stuck, and then I self-sabotage: "I knew I wasn’t good enough. I knew I would fail. I knew the business would fail. I knew I wouldn’t get the project." But today, God is saying: Say what I say.

I know you're tempted to describe the deadness and dryness of your situation, but you know what, Ese? You can speak *God’s own words* to this situation that’s leaving you feeling lost.

Don’t say what you feel. Say to the situation: "I know you are this way, but my God said He would cause breath to enter into you, and you will live."

I didn’t fail the interview because I was a failure. My God has a plan — all I have to do is align with it, because the four winds give life to every part of my existence. And so, I live.

I don’t live based on man’s standard; I live because God is my life. So I say: Live.

Today, choose to say to that life-threatening situation: Live!

Stay Revived!

Food to Eat

What food did you eat after the fast? While having a talk with my kids about the temptation of Jesus, a teaching class became more like a highlight point for the Holy Spirit to minister through. After Jesus’ fasting, He wanted food. Immediately after His period of waiting on the Lord, His body reacted by being hungry. Satan saw this hunger as an opportunity to present his offer. The enemy always sees our hunger — most times after the wait — the enemy sees our taste for that which we waited for, and he comes to present a counter alternative.

But just like Jesus, would we immediately sense Satan's ability to take advantage of our hunger and feed us his diet — and reject him? Or rather, embrace his lies to feed our hunger?

The hunger could be a marital partner, the alternative to raising a child, the business structure, the career path, the health issue. What food would you eat to satisfy the hunger in your spirit and also the physical pangs that cry out within you?

After the fast, the praying, the seasons of waiting — the devil comes and questions our sonship with God. The promises the Lord has spoken to us — he challenges them and tells us he has a better offer: the world, the glory, the liberty — if we could choose his way.

Most times, after the confirmation and the promises, we go into a period of hunger. After I was prophetically told that I would bear a child, the periods ceased. The child became more rebellious after God gave you the strategy to raise them. The marriage worsened. But all this hunger could only be answered by constant posture through the Word of God.

Recently, after going on a fast and receiving promises from God, two days later I was met with a mail stating a rejection from a company I had applied to. But God cannot lie. By faith, we press into every word He has given us — because God cannot lie.

Revive with JJ family — God cannot and will not lie to you.

Stay Revived!