“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-
One way to see this. Think of sin as gaining weight, with each pound gained we get larger, unable to fit through the narrow gate of heaven. God's word is healthy, keeps us thin enough to fit. When we ask forgiveness it is like a diet pill. Slowly there will be a change, as soon as repentance and denouncing the sin occurs, we are removed the weight, the sin.
Another way:
I recently stumbled, a nice way to put when one sins when trying to walk the path of holy and with God. “Mitch, just repent and renounce.” Yes this is true God does forgive because of Jesus's sacrifice for us we can be forgiven.
The narrow gate and road to heaven is truly very simply put and done by our God. When we stay the path with His word, His commandments we are immediately on the narrow road. When we sin, which truly we are walking sinners but when we ‘stumble’ we know to ask forgiveness and renounce it and not do it again.
The tempters are tenacious and never stopping their whispering temptations into your ear. Have you ever noticed you are going about your normal day, then out of the blue in the literal middle of a conversation or sitting with friends you feel you need a drink. Everyone of us has their weaknesses, mine was a bit of drink which lead to other easy to fall into sins. Something about sinning, it is always easy to do. Something about walking the path God wants, it is always difficult to do. Because we have not gotten close enough into His word to strengthen our ‘spiritual muscle,’ if you will and the tempter is the Prince of this world he makes the pleasures more pleasurable.
Out of the literal blue you want a drink or someone who has been pushing you and pushing you but you have relaxed and forgiven them. You snap, then in anger curse at them! Two sins right there, anger and foul language.
“No, Mitch that is just life and being a human.” That thought of it being a human having anger and cursing at someone is natural is also from the enemy. God hates anger and foul language.
Colossians 3:8 - 3:10
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
We carry on with our day and some time goes by, “oh, i can have just one shot of tequila.” After half a bottle and another sin added to it, we stumbled again. We ask forgiveness and beg to have help not to fail anymore.
With each stumble it is like driving down our Lord's narrow road to Heaven and we swerve a little. We hit those warning ridges that cause us to pull back onto the road. Those warning ridges are the Holy Spirit convicting us, letting us know we are doing wrong. Now, back on the easy narrow road, it is easy if you stay in His word and obey His commandments, which is very obvious it is not easy for humans.
The next stumble, which is the 5th in as many months, guess what happens. The warning ridges begin to wear away. They are being run over too often and start to smooth. We stop feeling any conviction of wrong doing, rationalizing it as just life and we are good people God knows our hearts.
With every continuing sin, a side road is formed, so we have room to keep living a sinful life and feel, “I love God, I love all..” Then sin against God with anger, cursing, gossip, laziness.
We all have our weaknesses that have been noticed by the enemy. And they are always whispering, waiting to see what we type, see if we are driving to the booze store. See if we are texting something sexual, gossiping, lying.
Then they add pleasure to it, they pounce and celebrate the soon stumble once more away from God. They laugh at God showing Him how easily His supposed sons and daughters fall away from Him. They get to rest, when we stumble. Two reasons they are tenacious and always whispering and tempting us, 1) they hate God, and we are in the image of God. 2) they get to rest with each fall from us.
Proverbs 4:16 kjv
“For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.”
With each time we give up trying to walk / drive/ the narrow road with God, it becomes a very wide road. That has been expanded by all of our sins that we did not repent nor renounce. Now justified in our minds eye, we speak the way of God “I love God I love all!” then we stab them in the back with gossip, which is murder.
The easy way to Heaven is the easy narrow Gate and Road God teaches us how to walk or drive down.
The enemy can do nothing unless we listen to their temptations and sin. The enemy has no power except to make all earthly things very pleasurable, then drop you in the dirt yelling in your ear how pitiful and dirty you are. They bring the temptation of yay, then degrade you with disgust and tell you God hates you and you will never be forgiven.
That which is inside you is greater than anything in the world. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have us.
Truly, easy is it to walk the narrow road and walk through the narrow gate when we stay in God's word, obey His commandments and love. Easy peasy!
May God bless all that read this with clear knowledge and knowing He loves us still until we turn so far away and fill with sin. He cannot even see us. Then we are walking the wide road and will fit through the wide gate to hell. God does not look upon sin. He had to turn away from His Only Begotten Son, who took on all of our sins up to the time He returns.
Another way to see this. Think of sin as gaining weight, with each pound gained we get larger. God's word is healthy. When we ask forgiveness it is like a diet pill. Slowly there will be a change, as soon as repentance and denouncing the sin occurs, we are removed the weight, the sin.