CLOSED DOORS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Is there anything more discouraging than a “closed door”?

You did great in the 3 interviews for the job and all appeared to be a go, then an internal candidate springs up and they get the position.

Closed door.

Maybe you have found the perfect house with the perfect yard, the perfect picket-fence and maybe they even planned to throw in the perfect beagle puppy, then the financing “dumpster dives”.

Closed door.

Let’s face it. Closed doors can seem so cruel. There you are standing in the door-frame, you can see what you want just inside and then suddenly someone or something gives you the once over and WHAM you are left on the stoop.

Yuck…L

But doors do close and when we experience them we need to remember that familiar quote from Helen Keller…

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one, which has been opened for us.”
- Helen Keller –

Often for those in recovery, it is easy to stay on the stoop and stare longingly at the closed door. It is common for us to linger on the porch and seethe with bitterness and blame, transfixed on the closed door rather than learning from Helen to MOVE ON; that another opportunity is out there for us.

But sometimes we don't take that advice do we?

Sometimes after the door closes we convince ourselves it is God’s will and push ahead anyway. We send up a quick prayer asking for His help or blessing and we surge forward often manipulating people or circumstances to get what we want even when it could be outside of GOD’s plan for us.

We employ the old, “WE WANT WHAT WE WANT WHEN WE WANT IT” tactic.

We are good at that aren’t we?

Or we can do something else we are “good at” and that is pouting.

That’s when we replace our Christ-centered perspective with a self-centered one and play the BLAME GAME.

We get angry and rebellious, our “KING BABY” surfaces and we go ahead and break down that door regardless of the potential and likely “consequences”

However, as Christians and “recoverers”, we are called to manage closed doors differently.

We are called to respond to them in a GODLY fashion.

And a GODLY response starts with waiting and trusting.

When the Lord blocks our way, we are to have faith in Him and take the time to assess the situation, and pray for guidance. We should ask the Spirit to increase our sensitivity to the events around us so that we will be able to notice any open doors. And even if we find none, we are to live with hope, anticipating other doors of opportunity in His perfect time.

And even as tough as it may be, WE ARE TO THANK God for His work on our behalf, even when we the doors are closing.

Colossians 1:12

…It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

It is when we respond in this fashion, that we are demonstrating the faithfulness GOD desires of us!

Philippians 4:6-7

The Message (MSG)

^6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

So if you have experienced a closed door recently, don’t fool yourself or pout your way through the door instead, wait, trust, pray, obey and exercise some faith.

This is God's prescription for handling closed doors.

I love you all

Have a blessed weekend

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney