Have you ever had what seemed to be an open door in front of you, but you weren’t sure if you should move forward?
Life is full of decisions and opportunities. Sometimes, the decisions that need to be made seem much more obvious. For example, as a Christian, if a decision is either contrary to Gods Word or going to pull you away from God, you shouldn’t do it. But what about those decisions and opportunities before us that appear to be good, that could even have the potential to help or reach a lot of people?
I’ve often heard it said that “Not every good opportunity is a God opportunity”. Can God use various opportunities to accomplish something great? Yes. God can even take our mistakes and redeem them. The Bible is full of examples where God works through many, many ways that we may not expect. Nothing stops His plan. However, there are also times when God wants us to move in a specific direction for a specific purpose.
Here is an example from Acts 16.
Acts 16:6-10- They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Did you catch the beginning? “they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia…the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” Even though their goal for going to Asia was to preach the Gospel, God did not allow them. Once they sensed the Holy Spirit saying no, the responded in obedience. This doesn’t mean that God didn’t care about Asia, it just meant that He had other specific plans for them. He uses each of us to reach specific people along the way. If you continue reading through Acts, you see the details of all of that falling in to place. God had a purpose for closing the door in Asia and leading them elsewhere.
So, what are some take aways for us? Here are a few to consider:
- We shouldn’t force doors to open.
In my life, I’ve learned that I shouldn’t force doors or opportunities to open. I do believe that if the Lord is prompting your heart to take a step, you should do so. But if that step does not end where you hoped it would along the way, it may not be the door for you. God may just want to teach you something in the process and open a different door, that is better for you and what you need. Knowing when to initiate a conversation, ask a question or put yourself out there takes discernment and wisdom from the Lord. As Paul said in Galatians 5, “Let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Then, we trust Him with what may be next.
- When we don’t have the peace to move forward, we should take a step back.
There’s not much worse of a feeling than not having peace. In Christ, your circumstances can be difficult, confusing and not make sense to you and even be painful at times, but you can still have peace. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is set on you.” If you’re walking with Him, you can have peace. However, if you aren’t in tune with Him, it’s going to be difficult to make the right decision in peace. We need to take a step back and examine our hearts and motives. Even if we are walking with the Lord and move in a direction without peace, take the cue from the Holy Spirit to slow down and re-evaluate.
- Seek the Lord.
Simple statement, but easier said than done. Psalm 27:8 says, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face.’ Lord, I will seek your face.” If you’re striving to seek the Lord each and every day, you can’t go wrong. He’s got you!
There’s a lot more that could be said, but I pray that the Lord speaks to your heart in some way through this Scripture and thoughts, as He has mine.
Lord, give us wisdom to walk through the doors that you desire for us.
Grace & Peace!
Matthew Weaver 