WHERE IS THE RIGHT DOOR
IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, I PRAY FOR THE LORD TO OPEN UP THE DOORS HE WOULD HAVE ME TO GO THROUGH AND CLOSE THE DOORS THAT WOULD NOT BE IN LINE WITH HIS WILL.
YET WE ARE ALL GEARED TO ASKING FOR A CERTAIN DOOR TO OPEN AND NOT EVEN CONSIDER THE FACT, OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS THE RIGHT DOOR BECAUSE WE WANT THINGS TO WORK OUT LIKE “WE” WANT IT TO.
FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD PRAYED FOR A CERTAIN DOOR TO OPEN AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! THEN, AT THE LAST MOMENT IT CLOSED IN MY FACE.
WAS I UPSET? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.
WAS I UPSET WITH THE LORD? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.
IN FACT, I’M STILL UPSET THAT THIS PARTICULAR DOOR DIDN’T OPEN UP BECAUSE IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED AND NEEDED TO HAPPEN; AT LEAST I THOUGHT.
IT WAS AFTER THIS I CAME UPON THIS SCRIPTURE:
1 CORINTHIANS 16:9 “FOR A GREAT DOOR AND EFFECTUAL DOOR IS OPENED UNTO ME, AND THERE ARE MANY ADVERSARIES.” KJV
AFTER READING THAT PASSAGE, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, WAS IT OUR ADVERSARY, THE DEVIL, BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE I WAS SEEKING?
AGAIN, I WAS STILL UPSET THAT IT DID NOT OPEN. BESIDES I KNEW THAT GOD WAS GREATER THAN THE ADVERSARY, SO WHY DIDN’T HE JUST KNOCK THE DEVIL OUT OF THE WAY!
WE NEED TO ADMIT THAT WE HAVE BECOME A SPOILED GENERATION OF WANTING THINGS OUR WAY AND WANTING THEM NOW.
IT IS LIKE THE ADVERTISEMENT ON TELEVISION, “IT’S MY MONEY AND I WANT IT NOW.” I BELIEVE YOU CAN APPRECIATE THAT, AT LEAST, I DO.
WE TRY TO BE SPIRITUAL, AND BE POSITIVE AND BELIEVE THAT THE LORD WILL GIVE US FAVOR OVER A PARTICULAR DOOR THAT WE WANT TO BE OPENED.
WHY COULDN’T MY SITUATION BE THAT AS RECORDED IN REVELATION 3:8; “I KNOW THY WORKS: I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU AN OPEN DOOR, AND NO MAN CAN SHUT IT: FOR THOU HAST A LITTLE STRENGTH, AND HAS KEPT MY WORD, AND HAS NOT DENIED MY WORD.” KJV
LET’S LOOK AT 1 CORINTHIANS 16:9. EVEN THOUGH A DOOR WAS OPENED UP TO PAUL TO PREACH AT EPHESUS, THERE WAS GREAT PERSECUTION AGAINST HIM AND OTHERS COMING WITH HIM.
THERE WERE TWO FACTIONS AGAINST PAUL BEFORE HE EVEN GOT THERE. ONE WAS THE JEWS, AND THE SECOND WAS DEMETRIUS AND HIS COHORTS WHO MADE IDOLS TO THE GODDESS DIANA OF EPHESUS. THEY DID NOT WANT ANYONE COMING THERE WITH BRINGING THE GOSPEL AND PREACHING TO CONVERT THOSE WHO WORSHIPED IDOLS OVER TO CHRISTIANTY.
THAT WAS NOT THE ONLY TIME THAT IDOL MAKERS CAME AGAINST PAUL. THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE IN 2 TIMOTHY 4:14:
“ALEXANDER THE COPPERSMITH DID MUCH HARM TO ME, MAY THE LORD REPAY HIM ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS.” NKJV
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE DOOR WE HAVE PRAYED FOR, HOPED FOR, LONGED FOR, BELIEVED FOR DOESN’T OPEN?
DO WE FORGET ABOUT IT?
DO WE HOLD ON TO IT EVEN IF GOD CLOSED IT?
WE HAVE ALL HEARD, “IF GOD CLOSES ONE DOOR, HE WILL OPEN UP ANOTHER. WILL HE? HAVEN’T FOUND THAT ONE IN SCRIPTURE YET, BUT THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF JUST THAT HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE!
THAT IS ONE OF THOSE SAYINGS THAT WE WANT TO HEAR AND IT BRINGS US SOME MEASURE OF COMFORT, HOPING THAT IT WILL HAPPEN.
BUT WHAT WE NEED IS “PERSEVERANCE.”
“PERSEVERANCE “IN THE GREEK IS: “EPIMONI”, WHICH MEANS PERSISTENCE, INSENTIENCE. TENACITY, STUBBORNNESS, AND TENACIOUSNESS.
DO WE ACCEPT THE DOOR GOD CLOSED OR SHOULD WE HAVE PERSISTENCE, STUBBORNNESS AND TENACIOUSNESS?
MY ANSWER IS YES!!! WE NEED TO ACCEPT IT BUT WE ALSO NEED TO PRAY FOR THE RIGHT DOOR TO OPEN. OUR INSISTENCE, TENACITY. AND STUBBORNNESS SHOULD BE IN PRAYER FOR GOD TO GRANT US FAVOR AND OPEN THE DOOR HE WOULD HAVE US TO GO THROUGH.
BUT HONESTLY, I DON’T WANT TO BE PATIENT, BUT WE ALL HAVE TO. WE WILL NEVER SEE THE FAVOR OF GOD, NOR THE RIGHT DOOR IF WE FAIL TO HAVE TRUST AND FAITH THAT GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST.
BESIDES, GOD WILL ALWAYS HAVE ANOTHER DOOR, WE MAY HAVE TO WAIT BUT IT WILL HAPPEN.
WHAT ABOUT THE FAVOR OF GOD?
HOW DO WE GET IT?
DO WE HAVE THE PATIENCE TO WAIT?
DO WE PRAISE HIM FOR IT?
THE “FAVOR“ OF GOD CAN BE DESCRIBED AS DIVINE KINDNESS, OR AN ACT OF TRUE COMPASSION TOWARD US EVEN THOUGH WE DON’T DESERVE IT.
I CALL THIS THE GRACE OF GOD. WHY?
GOD’S GRACE IS HIS UNMERITED FAVOR. THE WORD “UNMERITED” ACCORDING TO EPHESIANS 1:6 KJV “TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE, WHEREIN HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE; WHEREIN HE HATH ABOUNDED TOWARD US IN ALL WISDOM AND PRUDENCE.”
WE DON’T DESERVE REDEMPTION ANYMORE THAN WE DESERVE THE GRACE AND THE FAVOR OF GOD.
THERE IS A DIFFERNECE BETWEEN GRACE AND FAVOR. GRACE IS TO ADORN US, EMBELLISH US WHILE FAVOR IS TO LOOK UPON FONDLY: TO PREFER.
IN HEBREW, “FAVOR” IS “CHEN” FROM A ROOT WORD “CHANAN” TO BEND OR STOOP IN KINDNESS TO ANOTHER AS A SUPERIOR TO AN INFERIOR (STRONGS 2603).
WE RECEIVE GRACE AND FAVOR THROUGH SALVATION IN CHRIST JESUS.
WHEN WE APPLY THOSE PRINCIPLES TO OUR LIVES, WE CAN NOT ONLY FIND THE RIGHT DOOR BUT WE’RE ABLE TO WALK THROUGH IT.
JOHN 10:3 KJV "TO HIM THE PORTER OPENETH; AND THE SHEEP HEAR HIS VOICE: AND HE CALLETH HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME, AND LEADETH THEM OUT.”
JOHN 14:6 KJV “JESUS SAITH UNTO HIM, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.”
HOW DO WE GET GOD’S FAVOR?
Psalm 18 especially the first 19 verses describe the desperate prayer of the Psalmist. At the begging of verse 6 “in my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God”. The next several lines of that psalm indicates the situation that he found himself in. He writes about the “pangs of death,” the “floods of ungodliness,” the “snares of death,” and even the “sorrows of Sheol (or the grave).” It is no wonder that the Psalmist is crying out to God. The pressures of life that he describes here was just about too much to handle.
After hearing the frantic cry of the Psalmist, God literally released the fiery resources of heaven in response to his prayer.
We should never forget that. God, in Romans 2:11-16 “For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.’ KJV
JOHN 3:16 “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” KJV
IF YOUR READING THIS, DON’T GIVE UP!!!! GOD IS AN ON TIME GOD AND HE WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR YOU.
