There is a road to heaven and not many will travel down that road because along the way it does get rough.
Matthew 7:3 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14 But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. AMPC
I have encountered those who won’t take that narrow gate that leads to heaven. The reason they quit and turn back and follow along with everyone else through the wide gate, is because of the pressure that’s on the narrow path. As soon as they hear the Word just like Jesus said, Satan comes to steal it (Mark 4:15). He puts the pressure on them to quit and turn around, in fact run back to the old way as if they were frightened. Everyone on the wide path lives this way and it is comfortable and that is where I am going to stay is what they fearfully explain to me.
I understand the pressure, and that the road has few occupants, so if you are looking to a person it can be lonely. But —if you keep following Jesus you won’t need to have company and the pressure doesn’t last long. Once you determine to walk the narrow path and don’t move but cling to Jesus the enemy flees. Just like James says, submit to God resist the enemy and he will flee (James 4:7).
What God promises does happen— when we do our part. We need to do our part, we need to follow our instructions and when we do then we will win, then life gets really sweet! The more revelation knowledge you have (and it is acquired on that narrow path) the less the pressure will faze you.
We often quote the saying, anything good is worth fighting for and others like it, and then with that mindset —we go after what we want. But how often do we hear heaven is worth fighting for. How often do you hear the Words of Jesus, “The Kingdom of God is taken by force and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
Heaven and even living in the Kingdom of God here is worth fighting for. Anything you do now is preparing you for your eternal life when you leave here. Getting on the road to heaven now will empower you with the wisdom of God, so you won’t lack anything (James 1:4). On that road you will learn who God is and how much love He has for you —and the good He has in mind for you. And all that my friend is worth the fight in itself. To know how much God loves you, to know all that the enemy has kept from you, is worth the fight.
And if that doesn’t move you, then think of your children. They will follow you, they will do what you taught them to do while they lived with you all their life. Therefore if you spent your life as a thief, so will they, and if you held grudges so will they. Whatever life you lived will grow and bloom in them, whatever you instilled in their minds to be right, is the road they will travel.
Thus if you don’t teach them who God is and how to know Him—and how to stay on the path then they too will miss heaven.
If we all taught our children that the enemy is the thief who is trying to steal God (who is good) from us, instead of believing Satan’s lie and telling our children God is the thief —if we knew and taught the truth to our children we wouldn’t have to ask for prayer for them because we resisted the enemy ourselves, and we taught our children to resist the enemy as well. If we taught our children we wouldn’t have to be looking for someone else to minister to our children. Our children will listen to us when we have trusted God ourselves.
My mom and dad always said, “don’t do what I do, but what I say ”. That does not work, If you are unwilling to fight to get to heaven, to have a relationship with God— if you are unwilling to take time to know Him, they won’t either. And then sadly to say, you will fall into the category of if you have caused…
Luke 17:2 It would be more profitable for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea than that he should cause to sin or be a snare to one of these little ones [lowly in rank or influence]. AMPC
It’s not too late though! Make the change get on the path, fight the good fight of faith and your children will follow!!!
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses. AMPC