Walking on the Constricted Way that Leads to Life by Living and Walking in Spirit

As believers in Christ, we have two possible ways of our life and work before God – the way that leads to life and the way that leads to destruction; we need to enter in through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life.

May we choose the way of life and not the broad way, the way that leads to destruction. Christ is our life (Col. 3:4); we believers in Christ and members of the Body of Christ have the same life, and that life is a person – Christ Himself.

The life of God is the life of Christ, and the life of Christ has become our very life (John 5:26; Col. 3:4).

What does it mean that Christ is our life? Nothing is more subjective to us than our life, for our life is ourselves; for Christ to be our life means that He is subjective to us to the uttermost (John 1:4; 14:6a; 10:10b; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rom. 8:10, 6, 11).

Christ is very subjective to us; we need to be saved from our natural subjectivity and enjoy and experience Christ in a subjective way so that He may be subjective to us in a thorough way.

It’s impossible to separate a person from his life; a person’s life is the person himself.

For us to say that Christ is our person means that Christ has become us and we have one life and one living with Him (John 14:6; Phil. 1:21).

This is the reality of every believer in Christ in the spiritual realm; our very life is Christ, and He has become us and we have one life and living with Him.

For this to be real to us in our experience, however, we need to take Christ as our life and live Him in our daily life (John 6:57).

We need to eat Christ and take Him in as life so that we may live because of Him, express Him, and live Him.

The truth that Christ is our life in Col. 3:4 is a strong indication that we are to take Him as life and live Him daily.

This is something we are learning to do in a daily way, in the aspects of our daily life. We are now in a lifelong learning and training to take Christ as our life and live Him.

He must be our life in a practical and experiential way; day by day we need to be saved in Christ’s life (Rom. 5:10).

As we turn to Him, contact Him, and are saved in His life, we will spontaneously live out the new man. The new man is the spontaneous issue of our taking Christ as our life and living Him (Col. 3:3-4, 10-11).

May we be such ones today, the children of God who live not by their human life or even by their improved or perfected humanity but by the divine life so that Christ may be lived out through them.

May we learn to take Christ as our life and walk on the way of life, entering in through the narrow gate and walking on the constricted way that leads to life.

Entering in through the Narrow Gate and Walking on the Constricted Way that Leads to Life

According to Matt. 7:13-14, there are two possible ways of our life and work before God: the way that leads to life and the way that leads to destruction.

We need to be those entering in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it.

But narrow is the gate and constricted is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

There are many believers today, and many of them walk on the broad way, not entering through the narrow gate or walking on the constricted way.

May we allow the Lord to shine on us and examine us in the light of these verses so that we may be those who enter through the narrow gate and find the constricted way that leads to life.

The world today and even Christianity in general offers a broad way, an immeasurably broad way; if you go online and look through the social media posts, the way is so broad and unrestricted.

In order for us to take the way that leads to life, we need to enter in through the narrow gate and then walk on the constricted way.

To enter through the narrow gate is to consecrate ourselves to the Lord without any reservation; it is to make a decision to take the constricted way our whole life.

And this is something we have to do daily, not only initially when the Lord shines on us and captivates us.

As the years go by, as things get more complicated and the situations are more troublesome, we need to be those entering in through the narrow gate and walking on the constricted way that leads to life.

The more we advance with the Lord, the more constricted we are; there are more restrictions on us, not just outwardly but also inwardly in and by the divine life.

The narrow gate deals not only with outward conduct but also with inward motive.

The narrow gate excludes the old man, the self, the flesh, the human concept, and the world with all its glory; only that which corresponds with God’s will can enter in (Matt. 7:21; 12:50).

The kind of person that can enter through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life is one who is poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, making peace with all men, willing to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and willing to be reproached for Christ.

Only those who have such a nature can enter through the narrow gate.

Such ones live under the higher laws of the kingdom, having no anxiety concerning their living; they have the confidence that their heavenly Father is taking care of them.

These are not lazy nor idle but diligent and industrious.

The more we advance with the Lord, the more there’s a constricting factor in our being, a narrowing factor; there is no glory here for us, we cannot become a “somebody” in the church life, but rather we are for Christ and the church.

Together with the saints, we want to enter in through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life.

First, we need to enter in through the narrow gate and then walk on the constricted way, a way that is lifelong and that leads to life.

There’s no retirement from such a walk on such a way; we can’t take vacations, there are no reprieves, but there’s a 24/7 living in the constricted way.

Such a lifelong walk on the constricted way leads to life, for it leads to being in the kingdom of the heavens in its manifestation, in the wedding feast, being part of the bride, being a co-king with Christ for a thousand years.

This way leads to life, that is, the ever-blessed condition of the kingdom, which is filled with the eternal life of God!

This life is in the reality of the kingdom today and will be in the manifestation of the kingdom in the coming age (Matt. 19:20; Luke 18:30).

Lord Jesus, grant us the grace and mercy to be those entering in through the narrow gate and walking on the constricted way that leads to life. Save us from taking the broad way that leads to destruction. May we find the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way so that we may be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom of God. Amen, Lord, deal with all our inward motive and have a way to terminate and eliminate our old man, our self, our flesh, our human concept, and our love for the world with all its glory. May there be a narrowing, limiting, and constricting factor in us as we live and serve in the Christian life so that we may live in the reality of the kingdom today and be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom in the coming age!

The Way of the Lord’s Recovery is the Way of Life that Leads to a Reward in Life in the Manifestation of the Kingdom

There is a great difference in the outcome and result of our life depending on which way we take.

The broad way leads to destruction, and many are those who walk on it, but the constricted way leads to life, and few are those who find it.

The broad way is according to the worldly systems; it satisfies the natural tastes of man, and it maintains the career of a man, causing man to achieve his enterprise.

Such a broad way leads to destruction, referring not to the perishing of the person but to the destruction of a person’s deeds and works (1 Cor. 3:15; Matt. 13:31-33; Rev. 2:13, 20; 17:4-5).

If we take the broad way, the way of the world, the way of Christianity, this will lead to destruction; our works will be destroyed, and we will not receive a reward.

In the Lord’s recovery, however, we need to enter through the narrow gate and walk in the constricted way that leads to life.

We may not take the way of Christianity in a general way, for we may not use rock music or other worldly methods in our services, but we may still desire to be free from the inner restriction and constriction.

So many of us walk as if we are free, with no constriction or restriction.

The more we walk in the mingled spirit, the more we are restricted and constricted inwardly. Living in the spirit and walking according to the spirit restricts us.

We may love others, but we love them in a restricted way and not in a natural way. We may rejoice and be happy, but we are under the Lord’s restriction.

When we walk in the constricted way that leads to life, we will not cast off all restraint in our joy, excitement, or enjoyment.

Rather, even in the release of our spirit, in our fellowship with others, and in our care for others, we are inwardly restricted by the divine life, for we take the constricted way that leads to life.

We may want to exhort someone in the Lord, but we can’t do it so freely, for we are inwardly restricted.

We may want to fellowship with someone, but we won’t just spend hours and hours in fellowship with him, talking about this and that until midnight and forgetting about food or drink or rest.

We take care of our education but we do not pursue a career, for our career is really to just love the Lord and be one with Him to expand and spread His kingdom.

The way of the Lord’s recovery is the constricted way that leads to life, the way of life that leads to a living reward in life in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the coming age (Psa. 16:11; Jer. 21:8; Matt. 19:29; Luke 18:30; 1 Cor. 3:13-15; 15:58). Amen!

This is the way of the Lord’s recovery and the nature of the Lord’s recovery. May we not compromise this way and may we not dilute this nature.

May we remain in the word of God and allow the Lord as life to restrict us, constrain us, and limit us in what we do and say.

May we live according to the divine life and not take the broad way, the way of Christianity.

May we not change the way of the Lord’s recovery or the nature of the Lord’s recovery by bringing in elements of the broad way.

Rather, may we consider it a privilege and honor to be together with the saints who take the constricted way, for we can encourage, comfort, supply, cover, and protect one another as we enter in through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life.

Lord Jesus, we want to take Your way, the way of the Lord’s recovery which leads to a living reward in life in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the coming age. We choose life. We choose the way of life. We choose to live in spirit and walk according to the spirit. We allow the divine life to limit us and constrain us so that we may remain on the way of life, the way that leads to life. Save us from living a life without restriction. Save us from loving others, rejoicing, fellowshipping, or doing things without the inner restriction of the divine life. Oh Lord, we consider it a privilege to take the way of the Lord’s recovery, the constricted way that leads to life!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Life-Study of Matthew, pp. 298-301, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth (2021 summer training), week 12, Taking the Way of Life in the Lord’s Recovery.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Who then will choose God’s best, / And take the narrow track, / Though passing thru the wildest storms, / Yet never turning back? / Who now will dare press on, / Enduring pain and fear? / All such will then rejoice to see / Jesus, the Lord, is near! (Hymns #893)
  – Since it must be thus, I pray, Lord, / Help me go the narrow way; / Deal with pride and make me willing / Thus to suffer, Thee t’obey. / I for greater power pray not, / Deeper death is what I need; / All the meaning of the Cross, Lord, / Work in me-for this I plead. (Hymns #279)
  – Let all that look for hasten / The coming joyful day, / By earnest consecration, / To walk the narrow way; / By gathering in the lost ones, / For whom our Lord did die, / For the crowning day that’s coming / By-and-by. (Hymns #953)