An Open Door

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." - John 10:9

So many times you hear people talking about open doors or praying for God to open doors for them as a means of God revealing His will to them.  Have ever stopped and considered that we might be looking at this thing of "open doors" all wrong?

Here is what Henry Blackaby said about this: "What we are asking God to do is engineer our circumstances to match what we think would be best.  The problem is that we misunderstand what the door is."  That is so true, Jesus said He is the door!  Blackaby goes on to say, "If you have substituted activity for your relationship with Christ, then circumstances can disrupt your activity.  When the activity is hindered, you may assume the door has been closed.  Yet, if Christ is the door in your life, He will guide you into every experience of Him that He wants, and there will be nothing that people can do to stop Him."

I know that I have been completely guilty of this in the past.  I did not have a proper understanding of what the door was.  The door is not opportunities or circumstances, the door is Jesus Christ Himself!  I'm afraid that there are many today in our churches who do not have the proper understanding of what the door is and Who the door is.  So many times from a human perspective we look around us at the circumstances and think that the door is closed for us; however, from God's perspective, we are exactly where God wants us to be.

So many times when people oppose us we become discouraged or we worry about what others are doing to us.  We are also guilty, many times, of trying to take matters into our own hands and accomplish what we think is the will of God.  Notice what Blackaby says about taking matters into our own hands: "This reveals that we do not really believe Jesus is the door for our lives.  If we did, we would be assured that through Christ we have access to everything He wants us to do in and through us."

Are you guilty of asking God to engineer circumstances in your life to match what you think is best?  We all have been guilty of this at some point, especially me.  Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is the door for your life?  If He is, then you can be assured that Christ will guide you into every experience of Him that He wants.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when I have asked you to engineer circumstances in my life to match what I want or what I think is best.  Help me to realize that Christ is the door for my life and that You will lead me into every experience of You and put me exactly where I need to be at the exact time I need to be there.  In Jesus name, Amen!

A New Opportunity

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life." - Romans 6:4



How did you do in your walk with Christ yesterday, the day before, or even last week?  Were you faithful and obedient to Him or did you fail big time?  If we are honest, we have to admit that there are days when we fail Christ so miserably.  However, we must not let our past failures keep us from being faithful and obedient to Christ today!

Today offers you a fresh opportunity to serve Christ.  It also offers you a fresh opportunity to allow Christ to have the rule and reign of your heart.  Each day you and I must surrender our hearts afresh and anew to Christ as we crucify our flesh.  We must daily take up our cross and follow Him in obedience.

Will you allow Jesus Christ to rule and reign in your heart today?  Will you crucify your flesh and surrender in obedience to Him today?  Will you take up your cross and follow Christ today?

Maybe you have failed Christ miserably yesterday or even today; don't dwell on it, don't fret about it.  Look at today or even tomorrow as a fresh and new opportunity to surrender to Christ and to let Him rule and reign in your heart!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me not to dwell on past failures in my walk with You. Help me to focus on today, that I might surrender to You in obedience afresh and anew.  Help me to this day to take up my cross and to follow You.  Thank You for new opportunities.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Do They See It?

"I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." - Psalm 40:1-3


Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior?  Has Christ put a new song in your heart and mouth?  Does your life show forth praise unto Christ?  Finally, the most important question is: do other people see it?  The Psalmist says that God will bring us up out of our pits, He will bring us up from the miry clay of this wicked world, He will plant our feet on a rock (Jesus Christ), He will establish our path, and He will put a new song of praise in our mouths.

Have you recently experienced a setback in your life?  Have you been in one of those horrible pits or bogged down in the miry clay?  If you are going through a valley in your physical or spiritual life, look for what the Lord is trying to teach you.  Don't murmur or complain against the Lord concerning the state that you are presently in.  You must view your valley, your trial, your pit, as an opportunity to be drawn closer to Christ and an opportunity to show others the new song that has been put in us.  The Psalmist tells us in this passage that when we do these things that many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.  Do you realize that the world is watching you when you go through the fire to see how you will respond.  The world is watching to see if Jesus Christ is as real to us as we say He is.  The world is watching to see if you really believe what you tell them you believe.  If you will allow the pits, valleys, and trials in your life to show forth the praise of Christ it will cause people to not only see it but it will cause them to trust in Him.

I want to challenge you to view your failures and disappointments in life as an opportunity to be drawn closer to Christ and then an opportunity to let others see the praise of Christ in our lives.  Life is difficult and the journey can cause us to grow weary, even jaded.

Will you view your failures, disappointments, and setbacks as an opportunity to let others see Jesus Christ in your life?  Is Christ as real to you as you say He is?

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me this day to let others see your praise in my life.  When I suffer setbacks, when I have failures and disappointments, may I see it as an opportunity to be drawn closer to You and to let others see You in my life.  I pray that you will help me to see what You are trying to teach me through the tough times in my life.  I desire You to be so real to me that others will see it, and fear, and trust in Christ.  In Jesus name, Amen!