THE OPEN DOOR

How many times in our lives has God opened and closed doors for us? Whether it be through our finances, relationships or ministries there will always be doors closing and others opened. Not every door that opens is meant for us to walk through and not every door that closes is meant for great loss. We have to be ready to take that step when God calls us. There may be a door to close behind you or there may be a door that opens right in front of you. There are many times I have agreed to do things that God never told me to put my hands too just because I knew people needed the help and I burnt out very quickly. That was an open door that was not mine to walk through. Our job is to know if the open door belongs to us or if maybe that open door is a distraction from the real door that will pour out blessings.

 

When the door placed before us is opened by God then there's no one who will have the ability to close it on you. Revelation 3:8  I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. My point to all this rambling is that we will all face a season where God is going to close some doors and open others. No one is meant or called to remain standing still or growing stagnant in our walks with the Lord. We all have purpose and not everyone's purpose or gifts or callings are the same. Sometimes we just need to know where our place is within His Kingdom and allow Him to feed us in that area. Sometimes, we just need to know which relationships are not of Him and walk away peacefully. Always continuing to love and pray for the ones you felt led to depart from. Whether God is calling you to a new ministry, new friendships, a new city or maybe even a new country, He will never separate you from your current situation in a negative manner. Even if He calls you out, He does it in the most honorable ways and always in love.

 

I know for my family we will have big changes coming by the end of the year. Some I know about and some I am sensing in my spirit that have yet been revealed. Those are the ones you have to walk through by faith. Those times where you know God is telling you in advance that change is coming, but He doesn't reveal what that change is right away. Now as frustrating as that can be, it is also very exciting to know that God has great plans for you. Waiting on God can be very stressful or it can be exciting and adventurous, it all depends on how you choose to walk out your time of waiting on Him.

 

Because I have such trust in Him I know He will not fail me nor harm me, so I choose to walk out my waiting time with great expectations. Jeremiah 29:11 says: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God's word and His promises will never fail us. His plans are for us are to prosper, to bless others and to Glorify Him in the process. The best way to trust Him is to know Him. You see the truth is we should be very easily recognized as a child of God just by our fruits. The way we carry ourselves. The way we treat others, the way we love, the way we speak. Everything about us should say Jesus.

 

For so many years I thought I was living the example of the Christian lifestyle until someone pointed out to me how I spoke too and about my husband. Although I may have been right to be upset with him at that time, my reactions to him came nowhere near displaying the Jesus in me. My job was to allow God to shine through me especially in the darkest moments when we need to let His light shine in us. So many times I blamed my husband for the way I acted or reacted because if he would allow himself to act like a man of God then I would act like a woman of God. Well, it doesn't work that way. It is in our hardest of times and darkest of moments that God wants to shine His light through us so we look like Him no matter what our situations are. What changed for me? Crying out to God one day asking Him to change me. Getting to that point where I loved my husband in all of his ugliness more than I loved myself in all of mine. I wanted to look, walk and talk like Jesus.

 

 I know your asking what does this have to do with an open door? I believe God has many open doors for us that the enemy has no ability to close, but I also believe that the state of our spiritual walk will determine what door God chooses to open. I don't think He's going to open a door for you to be a marriage counselor if you can't honor your own marriage or a financial adviser if your checking accounts are always overdrawn. There will always be stumbling blocks in our lives, the question is: Do we walk around them and avoid the reason why they are there or do we die to our flesh, pick up our bibles and put on His armor so we can step right over them. I heard a saying one time that said stop trying to walk around that mountain a hundred times and just ask God for the strength to climb that mountain.

 

We need Jesus plain and simple. Our commitment and our faith will determine what doors close and what doors open and when those doors begin to open for us. Read, pray, fast. Seek God with all of your heart and trust that whether a door closes or your about to walk through an open door that God knows what's best for us before He even touches that door in either direction. Believe in Him and know that He is God.

 

 

                       Karen Hurl

                        4/21/2016