The Narrow Gate Podcast

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

— 1 John 1:9

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

— Romans 8:1-2

Episode # 59

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“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

— James 1

Episode # 58

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“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

— Hebrews 10:19-23

Episode # 57

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At the beginning of the year, I did a podcast entitled, Discerning The Will of God. It was a popular one.

People want to know what God wants, and they want to do it.

Yet, many stay stuck for years, never finding what it is that God wants.

They just keep putting out fires, hoping that one day things will get better.

They keep up the smile while dying on the inside.

We have been transformed for a purpose, and the purpose is to do good works that are planned in advance for us to do by God.

“There is a way that seems right to a man,But its end is the way of death.”

— Proverbs 14:12

Episode # 55

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There comes a time in your walk with God where you just accept it.

You accept that you have been chosen.

I don’t know how much of this I chose myself, but I was not forced to follow.

God has a way of wooing us.

So, in this podcast, I share my thoughts on my devotion to God and where I think it may have come from.

Below is an article that resonated with me today - I thought you might enjoy it too.

It’s by Adam Lawley…

Me enjoying a ramble around Bond Street. :)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit orla.substack.com

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

— Romans 12:10

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“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Episode # 54

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Forgiveness is a process, so go easy on yourself. Take time to reflect on all your relationships and ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas that have not yet been healed.

Below are articles I have written on the topic of forgiveness…

Why We Need to Forgive Others: How to Let Go and Find Peace Again—Forgiveness is for you, not them

Forgiveness Will Set You Free from Anger, Bitterness, Malice, Hostility, Rage, and a Bad Attitude—Breaking out of bondage by the spirit of God

Forgiveness and Reconciliation: What to Do If Someone You Love Has Hurt You Deeply and Broken the Trust Between You?—Reconciliation is not mandatory for forgiveness to happen

Below are three podcasts on forgiveness…

Episode # 53

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Below is a poem I wrote when I was living in Portugal…

Episode # 52

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“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it..”

—Psalm 24:1

There is no shortage in the kingdom of God.

Before we can have any need met in the physical realm, we first have to believe we have it already. This may sound odd, but it is how it works in the spiritual realm.

To have an abundant life, we first have to understand how it works.

Ultimately Fullness Is Found In Him

All the things we think we need and so desperately long for can and will only be fulfilled in God alone.

Why?

Because - what you get from God is much more than you could ever imagine.

No eye has seen no ear has heard what god can do for those who LOVE Him (1. Corinthians 2:9)

Ask for MORE.

Don’t settle for less.

Ask BIIG - ask and expect more!

What you must do to be on the receiving end of these blessings

Prayer and thanksgiving is key.

Develop a grateful heart that’s overflowing with love.

Thanksgiving and prayer - Ephesians 1:15-23

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

What should we ask for?

To KNOW GOD BETTER.

A relational knowing - intimacy with God

Ask for insight and revelation.

Lack says..

I will feel love, happiness, success, peace, and abundance when … (your need is met..)

But that is wrong thinking.

Feel love now.. feel abundant now… feel happy now…

Make yourself happy.

Receive God’s blessing every day.

You are rich already.

You are already blessed.

So..

Stop feeling angry, impatient, frustrated, bitter, or empty now..

… and trade it in for..

love, abundance, success, and prosperity.

Receive your healing NOW.

… and then walk into your future life.

See it first.

That is how the Kingdom of God works.

Receive it in the Spirit first.

… then you will manifest it in the physical world.

YES.

That’s how faith works.

When you come from a place of lack e.g. frustration, impatience, or disappointment.. you are keeping all that you want at arm’s length.

You cannot receive it if you are not in a spirit of love and trust.

You simply have to believe, trust, and then wait.

Ahhhh. yes, but waiting is HARD.

Maybe…

But trying harder… pushes the blessing away.

It’s a paradox.

The more you want it, the more you have to detach from it.

Let go of the wanting and it will come to you :)

YES.

Come Out of Survival Mode

Neuroscientist and researcher, Joe Dispenza, says we just need to trade those survival emotions for elevated emotions.

Practice Opening Your Heart

Living in lack is to be living in those low-frequency emotions.

For example, people say..

“Oh, I’ll feel love when I find my ideal partner” instead of feeling love now.

Instead of anger, frustration, impatience, bitterness, emptiness, disappointment —feel gratitude and love now.

When they do this they are creating a reality of more lack and more frustration.

This blocks the flow in your magnetic energy field.

The Spirit of God operates in surrender and an open heart.

Science is now in harmony with spiritual laws.

Joe Dispenza and other scientists have discovered that we can teach our bodies to feel love now and when we are in these higher (godly) emotional states we draw to us what we need.

We can create the reality we want when we are coming from a place of love and abundance, and not fear or lack.

How can we do this?

First, we must be able to observe ourselves when we are trying to get something we want and because it’s not coming as fast as we would like we get mad which causes us to feel frustrated, angry, mad, and impatient.

According to brain experts, we are cutting off the power from the divine source (God) because we are in dark emotions.. This in turn pushes away what we want.. love, success, health, etc.

So, to get what you want, you have to be prepared to CHANGE the way you think and the way you have always gone about creating.

By creating your future the way you want it.. love, blessing, joy, prosperity, abundance…you have to do it this way.

Combine your Clear intention (your prayer) with an elevated emotion (feeling love, joy, peace, harmony, patience).. when you are truly in the present moment and know exactly what you want you are aligning with God’s will for your life.

Practice by training your body to be calm and not stressed.

It becomes a physical exercise because thoughts produce emotions and our thoughts and emotions create our reality.

So, if you are calm in the present moment, the energy moves into your heart and then your brain gets a rush of energy.. oxygen and oxytocin and other positive healing hormones.

In this state.. the person can then see clearly and the brain starts getting organized and working on its behalf bringing in love, success, abundance, peace, opportunities, etc... what you prayed for earlier.

If you do this as a spiritual practice daily, your body and brain start to work in harmony.. and you are now creating your best life with ease and joy.

So.. you first must get connected to your sense of wholeness in God.

You are complete in Him.

Clear away your negative emotions (take every thought captive to Christ)

Now you are looking at your future.. you see it clearly.

Then you can move towards it as it is waiting for you to step into it.

It means you must overcome your fear of the unknown.

Your beautiful future is in the unknown.

It’s unpredictable.

If we create from our negative emotions - fear, lack, separation, frustration.. we create more of the past which we don’t want.

You don’t want your future to look the same as your past..

So, get good at self-regulating.. notice when you are slipping into lack.. not trusting in the process, and trade those emotions in for higher emotions.

Trust in God’s timing and providence.

We need the analytical mind to be on pause for us to be able to create from a place of love.

You start to fall in love with your life (before you have what you asked for) and you are no longer trying to control outcomes. You no longer try to predict how things will be because you don’t know.

You must trust in the flow.

Trust that the longing you feel will be fulfilled in God’s time.

All you have to do is be grateful for the love you feel now, always giving thanks to God and believing that whatever you ask for will be given to you. God is the giver of life and He is a good God who loves to bless his children.

However, he also loves to have a relationship with you.

A real intimate relationship with you.

God wants oneness with you - all the time.

This is the secret to having all that you want or desire.

Jesus has come so that we have an abundant life in Him.

Do not settle for less.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

—John 10:10

Thank you for listening and reading!

If you would like to know more about what I do, send me a DM or an email and I will explain more…

[email protected]

Episode # 51

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