The Entry Point

When warriors want to go and fight enemies, they will look for an entry point so that they will not lose most of the warriors in the combat.

If a lady or a guy is interested in a guy, she will be seeking for the entry point into the heart and life of the guy.

When a case is taken to a lawyer by his client, the lawyer after hearing all that his client has to say would seeking for entry point, how he can file his documents to win the case for his client.

Since the call of man in the garden of Eden has the Lord been seeking for the entry point to come into the world bringing a definitive salvation to mankind. He at first carved out a family for himself which he turned to a nation and from there gave them a law which would be template for all the nations of the world before coming through the virgin into the world to save mankind from their sins.

However, as stated above there are different entry points for all that man does on earth because presenting circumstances and scenario differ. God also knows that the entry points into the lives of men differ because we are not the same. We have different personalities, perspectives and views to life and her issues. Therefore, what appeals and attracts a person may not appeal to me.

We thence see God bringing salvation to individual person in the world in a different way. Herein, I want us to see few of the ways which God used in penetrating (entering) different people’s lives as found in the bible.

God knows that Moses loves him and his people in servitude, but when Moses went about it the wrong way, his life became threatened by the king and those whom he thought he was defending did not acknowledge him, he had to flee for his life. However, deep within him, he still nurses the ambition of doing something for his people were it to be in his power to do but having been explored all that his human knowledge and understanding could carry him and found out that he was not accepted he left all and faced his life.

“And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

“And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

“For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

“And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

“But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

“Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

“Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.” (Act 7:23-29)

Sometimes we also act like Moses, we would have in our hearts someone’s plight and would be willing to render the needful assistance to him, but having gone about it all wrong before, the person may have shunned us, and we wouldn’t know how to enter the person again.

Moses did not know how to enter the people again to save them from their travails in the land of Egypt. However, God knowing this for him decides to wade into the affair having been looking for means of pulling him to himself but finding none, he used the unexpected to pull him to himself.

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

“And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” (Exo 3:1-3)

When he discovered that this appeals to him, God spoke through the flame of fire to him and by that developed rapport with him, making him know through their discussion that he has gone about it all wrong before, what he did was not the means he wants him to use, but now, he will give him the entry point to use to enter the Egyptians and the Israelis. We shall see that when he was given this entry point, he was able to do what was initially difficult for him.

The people of Israel have grieved God and he has sold them out to the hands of their enemies those who have put heavy burden on them. They were in such strait gates that they cannot eat from the labors of their hands without getting approval from their rulers for when they discovered them doing this they are done for.

They are in this terrible condition when Gideon started applying wisdom to hide some of the farm produce from their enemies those which he secretly takes home for his family.

“And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” (Jdg 6:11-12)

As he was secretly doing this, the angel appeared unto him and said unto him if he can be as bold as this, because other people were not that bold to go into their farms and be hiding their produce, coupled with his intelligence, then he can lead warriors to face their enemies and deliver his land.

Gideon thought within him that what is this man talking about? Does what he was doing have an effect at all, does it signify anything?

It was the needful entry point for the Lord, the means to draw him out of his shell, the means to show him that he has something within him which others do not have that could be used to destroy the strongholds of the enemies.

What God eventually used in correcting and bringing Samson to himself was the enemies. He has been flagrantly disobeying the orders of the Lord for long and after those disobedience would still scale through, but on a certain day, God did not allow him to scale through as he allowed the enemies to overpower him.

Assuming God wants to deliver him, he could have caused something to happen that would take him off Delilah’s laps as he had done before, but he did not allow that, because he is seeking for entry point into his life which he has been unable to get all the while that the power of God has been manifesting in his life.

After the enemies succeeded over him and his eyes were pull out, then he was attracted to God, he could seek the Lord in that position and was found of God and delivered by God although in a hard way did he learnt his lessons.

“And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” (Jdg 16:28)

Some people are like Samson the mighty that the Lord has been appealing to their consciences to be saved when they are among the people, but they do not yield only to be arrested and imprisoned and while in prison met with God and became saved.

Through the death of his spouse was her heart moved to get to know the God of Naomi the more. For she puts herself in the position of the woman, that if she was the one, was this how she would die without having assistant? She decided to be her second since she has no one left with her, and it is sure that people whom they have left for long may want to mock her when she returned to her country, that would be too much for her to bear alone, the depression would soon have debilitating effects on her health and she would die in no distant time. She does not want that to happen and desired to be by her side come what may, to dust off her the shame others may want to bring unto her.

Her compassionate heart drew her to God of Israel and thence she became a success such that she could be numbered among the Jesus lineage later.

“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

“Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

“When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.” (Rth 1:16-18)

He has not been following Jesus before the time of this contact, he has been mindful of the work he inherited from his parents which he and others have been doing. However, since God has a better work for them to do that the work he was doing, God was looking for entry point into his life which would not lead to him doubting him, neither rejecting the offer.

Thus, on a certain day he went a fishing with others but caught none, and as they were about to close for the day and head for their homes, then Jesus appeared on the scene and asks him for favor. Well, since the favor does not require money neither efforts on their parts and coupled with it that they are headed home to rest at that hour they agreed to Jesus request.

After Jesus finished his work, he asks him to launch his net into the deep. He though puts up a faint defense but yet did as he was asked to, and the miracle happened.

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

“For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

“And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

“And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” (Luk 5:8-11)

When he saw what happened, he became speechless asking him to leave him alone because he considers himself a sinner who shouldn’t have anything to do with a pure man like him. But he was told that he has a lot to do for and with him and as from then he started following him.

Some have met God through the work they are doing like Peter. It is through their chosen profession that God met with them and brought them to himself.

This man was a person who loves the Lord, he and his colleagues have been waiting for the appearance of the messiah as they have been told to until one of them introduced him to the Messiah. He reluctantly went with his brother to the Messiah, however when he gets to the messiah what he used to enter him was what he said.

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

“Nathanael saith unto him, whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

“Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” (Joh 1:47-49)

When we hear what we do not think others know about us we cannot but be surprised for hearing that.

Nathanael was not only surprised he by this became one of the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This woman perhaps would have been hearing about the Mosaic Law for a while that practicing adultery is not good, but she did not bulge, she continued in the act until she was set up by her enemies. When her enemies set her up, they let go the person with whom she committed the illicit affair and brought only her to Jesus Christ.

Assuming she was not caught and brought unto Jesus she certainly would continue in the act but when she was caught, she was touched by what the Lord said and retraced her steps back to the Lord, for the Lord saved her from untimely death which they have planned against her.

“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

“They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

“Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

“This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

“And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

“And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

“When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

“She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (Joh 8:3-11)

God would enter some people’s lives after they have been caught in sin and at the verge of being judged.

From the foregoing we shall discover that there are certain benefits that could be derived from finding entry points in whatever we want to do in life.

1. Makes the Work Easy: When we find entry point to what we are doing it makes the work easy. Consider a tailor who wants to repair a cloth, if the tailor does not discover the entry point to use, he would destroy the cloth that he wants to repair but when he discovers the entry point, the cloth would be repaired and yet be as new.

2. Allows for Acceptability: If a person does not know the how to present his case as lawyer, the case would be struck out by the judge. But when he discovers the entry point, he would be accepted by the judges and the populace.

3. Leads to Victory: Like a warrior who seeks how to penetrate the enemies camp but do not know how, but when such a one discovers the entry point which will give his subjects minimal loss, he would pursue it and would give the person victory.

“Therefore David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

“And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.” (1 Ch 14:14-15 see also 1 Sam 5:23-24)

Also important for a business man who wishes to establish a business in a new environment, when the person gets the correct entry point, the business would thrive there.

4. Reduces the Loss: Correct entry point reduces the loss that one would have incurred assuming one goes about it the wrong way.

5. Prevents Banishment: Moses was banished from the country of Egypt because he went about it the wrong way, but when he gets it the right way he was embraced and became the talk of the country. This is also useful for us today, because through this we would be saved from being banished in the environment.

6. Accomplishes More: We can through this accomplish more, accomplish what is beyond our imagination. A person who thinks his business cannot reach unto the ends of the world if he enters the market in correct way may discover that the company has expanded beyond his or her imagination.

7. Prevents Untimely Death: We have heard from ancient stories how some people get themselves killed because they do not know the correct entry point. Consider the case of those people who broke the news of the death of Ishbosheth unto David thinking that they would be favored by the king, what they did brought unto them untimely death.

“When one told me, saying, behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:

“How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

“And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.” (2 Sa 4:10-12)

ditto for what brings each person to God, some it is trouble and trials that would bring them to Christ, while for some it would come through wanting to know more about their maker, which ever it is, what is vital is after we have been brought to God, we should endeavor to continue in him and should not back out for it is for this purpose that he has been manifested not only to destroy the works of the devil but to lead us to himself and God blameless.