What do you do when the Lord opens a new door for you? Do you go take it trusting Him or are you pushed off by fear? The Lord God is very gracious to His children. His loving kindness toward us has no bounds. He is always keen to lead us into better and greater things. He has given us His Spirit as a down payment so we can clearly know His will toward us. He is known to create opportunities for His people. As His children we are to grab them quickly. Sometimes the doors He opens may seem odd to us as well and much more to those around us. But trusting Him, because He adopted us as His children in Christ, should be the act of the hour. There will be fears, worries and doubts to enter the door. Yet, when we begin to place our trust in Him, they disintegrate. Then, we get a clear picture of His intent for us. Peter said, “The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house” (Acts 11:12).
How often does the Spirit of God stir you? As long as we retain the fear of God He speaks to us about the intent of God toward us. God wants us to be fruitful, successful and most of all, bring Him abundant glory. Peter was a man like us. When the Lord wanted him to go to the Gentiles, he too was filled with fear, anxiety and doubt. Yet, God did not allow him to surrender to them. He kept insisting that he should go. When he realized that it was indeed God who was stirring him in the Spirit, he put all his trust in Him and went forward. He did not know what would happen once he took that door. But he believed God is all-powerful having every situation under His control. We may assume many things before taking up His offer and again may assume many things after accepting it, but when we use our self-control and avoid assumptions, we see His glory. Factually, it is our assumptions or thoughts of mind that puts fear in us. Hence, we do not dare to accept the door He opened for us and then, may even fear what might happen after having accepted His invitation.
However, we ought to remember that it is our intimacy and deep relationship with God that allows Him to open up opportunities to us. It is because we must be able to trust Him. Our relationship with Him has taught us many things of Him. They act as fuel to trust Him no matter the circumstances; though the odds are against us, we make the choice to enter that door. Much more, He insists by the Spirit on taking that door so we do not miss the wonderful things. The intimacy Peter had with God was of no small measure. Therefore, God also opened up a door for him. Peter was fully aware of His will and choice. And when he went to the house of Cornelius, he did not fail. Not only this, but by what Peter did that day salvation was made available to all the Gentiles. The opportunity God avails us is not only effective for that moment, but for years to come and for innumerable people. So, when we seize it, we are beginning something whose magnitude we cannot fully assess; in the latter days we shall realize it.
So then let us explore the reasons why God is willing to open new doors for us.
- He knows we are His sheep. “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is accursed’; and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). We have proved by faith that we do not deny the Lord. Unless this happens He does not open new doors for us. He must observe that by the Holy Spirit we have continually honored the Lord Jesus. He waits until we have become strong in faith, knowledge, wisdom and the Spirit. For the doors He opens up require greater responsibility. If the door He opened is for a small accomplishment, it is still based on the faithfulness we displayed.
- He desires we grow further. He does not want us to be stagnant, stale and tasteless. He wants us to grow in respect to the salvation we received. He wants us to emulate Christ and receive more of Him “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Imagine having the knowledge of heavenly things; they outweigh the knowledge of every earthly thing. It is then pertinent to say that we have become more responsible toward His calling. He allows us to explore the knowledge that is in His kingdom. We not only help ourselves, but also help others to attain to our standard.
- He intends to give us good things. One of the main reasons He opens up new doors is to bless us and equip us with better things. He wants us to realize the promise of His goodness toward us. One thing is certain that He never gives second best. And when He gives us His best, we do not feel inferior. For “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). Suddenly we will have more at our disposal to achieve more, and in this He greatly rejoices.
- He prepared for us eternal rest. After having grabbed all the opportunities He created for us in our life time, we achieve greater and innumerable things for Him. In fact, He opens doors so that we fight the fight, keep the faith and finish the course He planned for us. He wants us to enjoy eternal rest to the full. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).
- He wishes we obey Him. He desires we obey Him no matter the circumstances. Yet, at times we fail to keep His commands. But His grace and love is so unconditional that He opens up new doors so that we are able to obey Him. The apostle Paul echoes His wish in the Spirit – “that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:14). As He keeps taking us in new directions we rejoice and obey Him.
- He wants to turn us into a godly example. As new doors were opened to Paul and his companions, they did not have time to care for the worldly things. The more they accepted the Lord’s invitations, the more acceptable their conduct was before God and men. God wishes to make us into godly examples so that many see Christ in us. And Paul was able to say, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you” (2 Cor. 1:12).