#soap # Ezekiel 44 ## Title: Guarding the Gate ## Scripture: (Ezekiel 44:2-3) The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut. Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal before the Lord; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.” (NET) ## Observation: Life moves through seasons and cycles. One such season and cycle is our passion for God. We will go through a time when we are passionate for the things of God and guard our hearts from the temptations around us. Then, we will go through seasons when we drift and have to come back again. In the passage today, the Lord is instructing the people of God to guard the gate to the presence of God. Never take it for granted. This is a good lesson for us to remember today. Never just assume the glory of the Lord is close. Guard the gate. Keep away those things that draw us away from the Lord. ## Application: Take time today and think… is there anything I am letting past the gate of my life that will draw me away from the Lord? ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for warning us to stay vigilant.