You May Not Like What You Find

Life is one long hallway full of doors, some open and some closed, these doors come in many fashions. Some of these doors are opportunities, others are relationships some are short term and others are life long. How do we determine if a door has been opened by God or closed and that’s a great question. First let us establish a very important ideology and that is this; That apart from God we can do nothing. Oh don’t take my word on it for that came straight from Jesus in John 15:6

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

You see if He says apart from me we can do nothing then how could we ever recognize a door he has open or shut, that’s right we can’t. Now if we are walking with Him and He is in us leading and guiding us then along our path we will not miss opportunities that He has, we will not miss other open doors such as relationships or jobs or ministry that He wants us to be apart of and these will be open doors. If we are always attached to Him like fruit on a vine looking to please Him and looking for opportunities and if we are steadfast in His word with the Holy Spirit in us so He may guide us then we will recognize those closed doors, because trust me you do not want to pry open a a door the Lord has closed in our life because believe it or not you will not like what you find. The reason we have to be attached to the Vine “Jesus” is for multiple reasons but one important one is this, that satan himself will push you to open a door the Lord has closed and if your not planted firmly in good soil and anchored in His Word than you may be tempted to open the door,

I have a story pertaining to this so a knew this couple they have been married a few years and were trying to grow in the Lord , my wife and I were their mentors/biblical counselors so one problem the husband had was a love for money and he just couldn’t get enough, it was like they most important thing in his life so much it started to put a wedge in the relationship, so he was counseled to slow down and spend more time in his word and with his wife and together they needed to grow closer to God, they had plenty of money and there was no need to chase a bigger golden ticket I mean what would be the point if it would destroy your marriage, So it was agreed there has been mistakes along the way and they went through some wrong doors, they started to fall away from Jesus and the church, and really wanted to get back, they wanted to get back around their christian friends and get more plugged into ministry. Ok this was good news well wouldn’t you know it that at that very moment an opportunity came in that was so great and would bring in so much money, it was a lot of work and would take an additional team to make it work so what to you think happened. Well all I will say is they ran through that closed door and now a few years later they are divorced with a lot of hurt anger, bitterness and long lasting baggage to carry around, not to mention walking away from God. You see what God intended for good satan used to destroy, they would have been a great team for the Lord if they stayed the course but you see the Love of Money is the root to all kinds of evil. The bible says that obedience is better than sacrifice, we read in Samuel 15:22

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

The bible also says in John 3:36

that if we do not obey than we will have Gods angry judgment on us and we will never see the likes of heaven

We must read the signs, even if we think that the missed opportunity or relationship is a bad choice on our part, God knows best

As we go through life, we are faced with decisions.  Sometimes our decisions are good, others not so much.  As Christians, of course, we want to be led by God and we want our decisions and actions to be Godly.  But what happens when something we are pursuing, or somewhere we are going, or something we are doing goes sideways.  Do we consult God in this dilemma or do we just take care of it and fix it?  We are Christians, children of God, and we know that He is always looking out for us.  The Bible says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” A closed door is closed for a reason.

We must read the signs, yes even the seemingly, little ones that no one pays attention to.  Like this: You’re interviewing for a new job and you just are not getting hired, well you see if you trust in the Lord, thats a closed door.   Or lets say someone wants you to go in business with them, but something always seems to come up maybe pertaining to money or a number of reasons, this very well may be God closing the door  Refer to Romans 8:28 “all things”, yes that’s right, every little thing that happens is for a reason.

As Christians, we have to be aware, we have to realize that Jesus is very active in our lives.  We have been empowered by His Holy Spirit to lead us, direct us, and navigate us through a very uncertain and unpredictable future, that is if we are walking it alone.  Our future is certain and predictable for His followers because God is in control of all things.  You see here in the Word of God it says, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

God loves us so much that He tells us in Deuteronomy 32:11 that He is “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.”

We must and I can’t stress this enough, we must take notice to the little, sometimes meaningless, signs, and wonders because that’s where we hear God’s voice.

My wife and I have a saying and it goes like this, “Sometime we have to be patient while in the hallway” meaning Let God be God.

So, if something is not working out, if something is not going your way, if there are delays, if plans are derailed, if you lose a job, or are fired, if your car breaks and you can’t afford it, see it for what it is: Romans 8:28.

All things happen for good! and be patient in the hallway.