Each man in God's image must have a gate in his personality. The purpose of the gate is to admit people to the Presence and blessing of the God of Israel. All that God is creating in us is for the purpose of making us God's chariot. God intends to move among the creatures of the world He has created and touch them through us.

It is easy for a conquering saint to become hard and unapproachable. The struggle against worldliness, sin, and self-will is so fierce, so vicious, that an iron determination is required. Then there must come some south winds, so to speak, that will make it possible for the overcomer to relate properly to God and to people. Too much hardness closes all gates to people and to God. This can happen to us who are determined to do God's will and so we must be prepared to have God create a gate in us. As Esther, we must have six months of the bitter and six months of the sweet. God is not making us super angels but "man."

Each one of God's conquering saints must have a "guardroom" formed in his or her personality. Numerous believers of our day are unguarded. They do not pray without ceasing. They babble constantly whereas the sincere Christian guards his tongue. They attend "Christian" parties and throw caution to the winds. This is why they are an easy target for the enemy.

One of the most important lessons a surviving soldier learns is to always post a guard. After a hard day's march it is a temptation to pitch the tent and get some sleep. But the officer who is competent will force his men to take turns standing guard through the night no matter how safe the situation may appear to be.

And every little chamber [guardroom] was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers [guardrooms] were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed. (Ezekiel 40:7)

Every "man" made in God's image must have an altar of hewn stone in the center of his or her personality. The altar must be stone. The stone must be hewn. And it must be an altar.

No person can relate to the Father by talk or education. God is a Spirit. We always come to him presenting our life as an offering. The offering is by fire. It is slain many times. The offering is slain on a stone table. God hews out stone in us—stone!

There is a part of man's personality that is to be soft, loving, compassionate. There is another part that must be as hard as the hardest basalt, the hardest granite, the hardest flint.

And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. (Ezekiel 40:42)

To be continued.