Open Doors and Closed Doors

07.19.10

Doors

Have you ever prayed the prayer, “God, close the doors you do not want me to walk through… and open the ones you do?”

In my pursuit for God’s calling on my life, my wife and I have discussed many potential road blocks. Money, time, expertise, unknowns. All of these and many more have come up in conversation… and they are legitimate concerns. All of these conversations (God bless my wife) have ended in us agreeing to seek the Lord and ask Him to open doors He wants us to walk thru, and close the ones He doesn’t.

If you have prayed it, have you truly stopped to think about what that could mean?

As my internal drum beat gets louder and louder, I realize more every day how much I NEED God to show up to make this thing successful. This is so beyond me, that no man could think it up. A vision this strong only comes from the Creator of all vision. So, for me, the prayer of total surrender to God’s will is a comforting blanket. (a spiritual SNUGGIE… if you will!) ☺

Until recently, I haven’t totally or fully understood the sheer power of this prayer. Yesterday, I may have gained 10% better understanding through a “door opening” situation that had to have been God breathed. Here are the rough bullet points from yesterday:

- An adverse situation, that frustrated us at the time lead to my wife and I attending an event (pushed thru this DOOR)
- At this event, I networked with a fellow believer whom I respected greatly for his charisma and business acumen (met at the same DOOR)
- This fellow believer laid out their restless heart (only from Yah-Weh) in their current “job,” and then subsequently expressed their interest (unsolicited) in the core area of this vision… (the DRUM BEAT GETS LOUDER)
- I subsequently lay out brief conceptual vision of what God had placed on my heart… and it makes sense to us both. (another DOOR)

Lord, could you be this crazy? Could you be independently shaking our hearts up for change? Unsolicited, and without influence, you have stirred the soul of this fellow believer, in perhaps the same way you’ve stirred mine? What are you up to here, God?

I love your WORD, God.

In 1 Chronicles 28:9, King David says: “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD (Yah-Weh) sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. (opened door?) But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (closed door?) So take this seriously. The LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

By worshiping God with our whole heart and willing mind, we will find him and his plans. I love that last statement: “Be strong and DO THE WORK.” Powerful stuff.

My life is in HIS hands. They are capable. They are strong. Only by God’s ushering through open doors, will I truly discover the John 10:10 “Full” life He has offered me.

If you have not yet surrendered your life to the living God, I would encourage you to do so. Don’t be like me before: running head first into closed doors!

By surrendering your life to Christ, and inviting him into your heart, you can begin a relationship with the King of Kings. Through this relationship, you will learn to hear His voice, and just maybe… His guidance.

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Why walk blindly through life, when the giver of true VISION is offering you His Holy gift now?