Jesus used parables of everyday things that the Hebrew people would have understood to communicate messages about the kingdom of God. He spoke of sheep and shepherds, lost coins, lost sons, wheat, tares, wineskins, fish and nets. Parable after parable after parable trying to communicate kingdom realities to a people who had eyes but could not see and ears but could not hear.

The Lord often does the same for us today. He uses parables, symbols, numbers, whispers to get us to understand a message He is seeking to communicate to us, that we tend to miss for whatever reason.

I pulled out an old journal the other day dating back to 2014 and when I was removing a few pages, out of the binding fell three little keys. Two bronze and one silver. I have been reading Daniel so my mind drifted to the statue in Daniel 2. But it did not resonate, so I have left those keys sitting on my desk all week long.

This morning the Lord whispered to me, “Keys are for locking and unlocking doors. You like doors that open, you like to open doors for people, but keys also shut doors, lock doors. I know you do not like to shut and lock doors, but some need to be shut, some need to be locked.” I looked down at those keys and realized what they have been saying to me all week, lock some doors.

Isaiah 22:22 says, “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” Matthew 16:19 says, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Keys are both for locking and unlocking doors; opening and shutting doors. I am not sure which you have a propensity towards, whether it’s locking or unlocking doors, but the Lord is inviting us to know that keys are for both. Knowing which He is asking us to do is needed in this hour, for not every door is to remain unlocked and not every door is to remain locked. We have been given the keys, now we know need to know what to lock and what to unlock. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org