ARTICLES
How To Storm The Gates Of Hell! - Part 1
by Jeanniene Lee
How long have you been praying and believing God for what you're praying and believing Him for right now, yet, without any change! No visible manifestation! It seems the answer to your prayer will never come. You've been waiting, it seems, for eternity. Still nothing! Nothing has happened!

I John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

When you are walking in obedience to God's Word, and are believing Him for a promise expressed in His Word, and yet the answer has not manifested, what must you do? To get the answer to this, we must go to God's Word the Bible.

Matthew 11:12 declares that "...from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and THE VIOLENT TAKE II BY FORCE."

God's Word declares that the moment you call upon Him, He hears and answers you.

Isaiah 30:19
19 ...He will be very gracious unto thee at the VOICE of thy cry: WHEN HE SHALL HEAR IT, HE WILL ANSWER THEE.

Isaiah 58:9
9 Then shalt thou call, and THE LORD SHALL ANSWER; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am...

Jeremiah 33:3
3 Call unto me, and I [THE LORD] WILL ANSWER THEE...

So you've called upon Him; and, the Bible says He has heard and answered; yet, you don't see the manifestation. The visible, tangible answer to your prayer has not yet manifested.

Now you don't want to walk in bondage to or become dependent upon what is visible to the senses; you walk by faith. Faith is knowing that what you have asked God for, He has given it to you.

Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified)
1 Now Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

When you know you have prayed in faith, are standing firm, believing God, and holding on by faith for the visible, tangible manifestation of the answer to your prayer; yet, nothing has happened, YOU MUST LOOK TO GOD'S WORD AND SEE WHAT IS WRONG! WHAT IS THE HINDRANCE? WHAT IS KEEPING YOU FROM RECEIVING THE ACTUAL, VISIBLE MANIFESTED ANSWER?

As you have seen from God's Word, He has heard and has answered your prayer (I John 5:14-15). Everything that you need to live a fulfilled and complete life was made available to you through Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. However, it WILL NOT come to you automatically, just because you are a Christian, believe in Jesus Christ and believe what the Bible says. You must take a VIOLENT STAND in order TO ACTUALLY POSSESS the promises of God!

We have been deceived into thinking that God is withholding the answers to our prayers. We have accepted the lie that perhaps God doesn't want us to have that; yet, we know that the Word of God clearly and boldly declares that He does. This kind of thinking will cause confusion and will turn your heart away from trusting God, having confidence in His Word and the truths declared therein.

Absolutely, positively "...no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." When He said NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHHOLD FROM YOU, He meant just that! God is not withholding the answer to your prayer. In actuality the devil and his demonic hosts are the very reason that the manifestation has not come forth! Did you hear me? The devil and his demon spirits are arrayed against you in an attempt to destroy your life in every area. They want you to turn from believing in and trusting God and His Word. They want to cause you confusion and heartache. They are the culprits withholding, hindering and delaying the answer to your prayer. THE DEVIL AND HIS DEMON SPIRITS ARE THE REASON THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYER HAS NOT YET MANIFESTED! NOT GOD!

God HAD given the promised land unto the children of Israel; but, they had to go into the promised land and actually take possession of it. In order to actually take possession of what was already theirs, they had to TAKE A VIOLENT STAND!

We can not just passively sit back and wait for our prayers to be answered. During the time that you ask of God and the time that you actually receive the visible, tangible manifested answer to your prayer, there is something you must be doing.

Beloved, we must STORM THE GATES OF HELL and TAKE BY FORCE what is already ours, because of our covenant with God which has been ratified by the blood of Jesus. The Amplified version clarifies what is meant by to "TAKE IT BY FORCE."

Matthew 11:12 (Amplified)
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and INTENSE exertion.

Proverbs 4:7 says that we are to get understanding in everything. Oftentimes we just read a passage of scripture, and do not understand clearly what is being communicated to us. Let's get an understanding of what is being said in Matthew 11:12, "...the kingdom of heaven suffereth VIOLENCE, and the VIOLENT take it by FORCE."

I want to draw your attention to several words from this verse. The words "violence." "violent." and "force."

The biblical definition of the word "violence." as defined in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of biblical words from its original Greek language, means to force, to crowd into, to be seized press, suffer violence.

Strong's definition of the word "violent" is one who is a forcer, one who forces, one who crowds into, one who seizes, one who presses, one who is energetic, one who is mighty violent.

The biblical definition of the word "force" implies to seize, to catch, pluck, pull, to TAKE BY FORCE.

Webster's definition of the word "force" implies to do violence to. To press, drive, attain to, or effect against resistance. The general definition of the term implies an OVERCOMING OF RESISTANCE BY THE EXERTION OF STRENGTH, WEIGHT, OR POWER. TO MAKE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE YIELD [whether that something is a physical or a spiritual being].

What is actually being said in Matthew 11:12? The writer is saying that we as members of the kingdom of God are being assaulted by the devil and his demonic hosts. We are being pressed and pressured by the enemy through his attacks against us. The answers to our prayers are being seized by our evil opponent. He is hindering the manifestation of our prayers from coming forth.

We can no longer sit back and passively wait for our prayers to be answered. WE MUST STORM THE GATES OF HELL AND TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS!

The very minute you pray and ask God for something, He hears you, as we read in I John 5:14 and 15. God hears our prayers immediately. He encourages us to know that when we ask according to His will, he hears us (verse 14).

To eliminate any possible confusion as to whether or not what you asked for was in accordance with His will, ask yourself this. Is it in accordance with God's Word? If it is, you can rest assured that it is in accordance with His will! God's Word reveals His will for us!

Now, because we know what we have asked is in accordance with His will, we "...know that we HAVE the petitions that we desired of him" (verse 15).

Right now you might be saying, "Well I don't have it! I've been praying and believing God for it, but I don't have it! It has not manifested! There has been no change!"

If you really want it, you must STORM THE GATES OF HELL AND DEMAND THAT THE DEVIL AND HIS DEMONIC SPIRITS RELEASE THAT WHICH BELONGS TO YOU!
Ephesians 6:12 informs us that our battle as Christians is not against physical, flesh and blood opponents. We are wrestling with unseen forces of the spirit world.

Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified)
12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master SPIRITS who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the SPIRIT FORCES OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY (SUPERNATURAL) SPHERE.

The reality of our enemies in the spirit world is clearly revealed in Daniel, chapter 10. In verse 12 an angel reveals to Daniel that his prayer was heard the very first day that he prayed; but, that there was a delay of twenty-one days because of warfare in the spirit realm.

Daniel did not passively sit back and wait twenty-one days for his prayer to be answered, he was STORMING THE GATES OF HELL for twenty-one solid days until the answer he was believing God for was revealed. Notice what Daniel said in Daniel 10:2-3

Daniel 10:2-3
2 In those days I Daniel was mourning THREE FULL WEEKS.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till THREE WHOLE WEEKS WERE FULFILLED.

Three weeks is twenty-one days. Now, notice what the angel that appeared to Daniel said to him.

Daniel 10:12-14
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for FROM THE FIRST DAY that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, THY WORDS WERE HEARD, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia WITHSTOOD me ONE AND TWENTY DAYS: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14 NOW I AM COME to make thee understand...

Notice in verse thirteen that the angel that spoke with Daniel informed him that the reason for the delay of the answer to his prayer was because of "the prince of the kingdom of Persia." This WAS NOT an earthly prince; but a spirit being with the authority of prince in the spirit realm.

I read the testimony of a Christian brother whose wife left him for another man. He prayed, confessed scriptures and believed God for over seven years for his marriage to be restored. Nothing happened!

All during those seven years he was praying and believing God to restore his marriage, he continued to wear his wedding ring. Yet, nothing manifested. One day he saw a wedding procession and to his surprise it was his wife marrying another man.

Immediately the devil told him to give up because it was all over. He still, in the face of circumstances, refused to totally give up; but, he was barely holding on.

Beginning to get discouraged, the Lord spoke to him to STORM THE GATES OF HELL! It was then that he got his second wind and the revelation that he couldn't just sit back and passively wait for God to answer his prayer,he had to STORM THE GATES OF HELL AND DEMAND THAT THE DEVIL LOOSE HIS WIFE.

Matthew 11:12 declares that "...THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE!"

You CANNOT SIT BACK AND PASSIVELY WAIT for the manifestation of what you are praying and believing God for, YOU MUST STORM THE GATES OF HELL AND DEMAND THAT THE DEVIL TURN LOOSE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS!

When that Christian brother got the revelation of what God was saying to him, he began to TAKE VIOLENT ACTION! He increased his praying! He increased the fervency of his prayers! He turned up the INTENSITY of his praying!

Remember what the Amplified version of Matthew 11:12 stated? "...Violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize a share in the heavenly kingdom is SOUGHT WITH MOST ARDENT ZEAL AND INTENSE EXERTION]."

James 5:16 (Amplified)
16 ...the EARNEST (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

That Christian brother began to boldly proclaim that his marriage was restored! He began to couple his praying with fasting, and his fasting had purpose. He wasn't just abstaining from eating foods and drinking liquids, he was on a specific mission ...STORMING THE GATES OF HELL!

Remember what Daniel said in Daniel 10:2-3? "In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."

Daniel was in INTENSE PRAYER all during the time he was fasting. He was not just walking around with a long, hungry looking face. He was fasting with purpose. He was taking a violent stand and was STORMING THE GATES OF HELL! He was TAKING BY FORCE! His intense prayer and fasting all during the twenty-one days was instrumental in the angel getting the manifestation of his prayer to him.

Beloved, when that Christian brother began to STORM THE GATES OF HELL, the answer to his prayer that he had been waiting passively for was answered. Within thirty days his wife came home and God COMPLETELY RESTORED his marriage! Glory to God!

He had been praying, believing God and waiting for over seven years. When he got up and began to take a VIOLENT STAND and STORM THE GATES OF HELL, God brought victory within 30 days!

THIS IS AN AREA WHERE MOST CHRISTIANS ARE MISSING IT. The devil doesn't want you to know this truth because when you find out what the real hindrance is, and take VIOLENT ACTION, you will begin to see and experience more victories in your life! It's the TRUTH THAT YOU KNOW that shall make you free! "And ye shall KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth [that you know] shall make you free" (John 8:32).

Next month we shall study the specifics of HOW TO STORM THE GATES OF HELL! Until then, hold fast in the faith and TAKE A VIOLENT STAND!