How to Choose the Right Door to Open

We walk through doors every day without even thinking about them.

How many doors do you have in your home? 28

How many have one of these? Sliding door? French Doors? Pocket door? Garage Door? Attic Door? Shower Door? Closet door? BR Door? Folding Door? Squeeky door?

A door can be an exit, a bridge or a barrier, a gateway or a portal. Doors can keep things separate, protect things, provide access, or prevent entrance.

Doors are used often in the Bible. 400 times in different translations. So they have spiritual significance.

Jesus sent this message to the church of Philadelphia… in modern Turkey.

Revelation 3:7–8 TEV

7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: “This is the message from the one who is holy and true. He has the key that belonged to David, and when he opens a door, no one can close it, and when he closes it, no one can open it. 8 I know what you do; I know that you have a little power; you have followed my teaching and have been faithful to me. I have opened a door in front of you, which no one can close.

He’s talking about the door of opportunity.

What is the key David owned?

Isaiah 22:22 NLT

22 I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.

Good has opened doors for me over and over again. Sometimes he has closed doors to lead me.

ILL - i wanted to move to the NS, but my house, which should have sold in Met would not sale. I was able to begin YFC and minister to thousands of students for 20 years. If God had not closed that NS door, I would not be here today.

What you need to know about doors in your life.

1. Every Door is a decision.

Doors are metaphors for the choices we make every day. When you walk by a door, you choose to open it or close it.

You learn early that some doors you should not walk through, you should walk thgrough and some you can’t walk through. But every door is a decision.

2. My Future will be shaped by which doors I walk past and which doors I walk through.

Hard part is knowing which doors to go through.

Has anyone besides me either walked through a door you should not have or not gone through one you should?

Bank of America… 3.95 per share… I thought it was too big to go under and I should invest, but didn’t. Knew someone who Sam Walton of Walmart asked personally to invest and didn’t. Mom - boss grandfather offred coke stock at $1/share…

Sometimes we go through the wrong door… I went into hospital management for 14 years running from the ministry. xit took me 14 years to get back on track.

Deuteronomy 30:15 CEV

15 Today I am giving you a choice. You can choose life and success or death and disaster.

We need to learn discernment.

For many people, this takes place in relationships. I know people who have been married multiple times, but still blame all of the other women. One comedian used to say he didn’t know all of his ex-wives names… he just called the plaintiff. He was the common denominator… not the ex-wives.

3. A door may be an opportunity from God.

God will give you opportunities in every area of your life.

1 Corinthians 16:9 NLT

9 There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

Just because you choose the right door doesn’t mean there will not be difficulties.

4. A door may be a distraction from others.

Everyone else has a plan for your life… how do you know an opportunity is for you or not? Discernment.

Story of Nehemiah and Artaxerxes… king of Persia (Iran) tell story… Artaxerxes - what would you like for me to do for you? Open door… Nehemiah had been praying and planning so he was ready with a plan that he presented to the king… the king approved it and helped him.

Would you be ready? Would you be ready if someone came to you and offered to help you? We are not just to sit around and pray, we prepare for what we know so far of what God wants us to do while we pray so that when he opens the door, we know what we want to ask him.

So while you wait, you pray, plan and get ready.

Nehemiah’s enemies tried to intimidate him… to distract him … ridicule him… threatean and to delay him, but he would not be pulled away from what God wanted him to do.

Nehemiah 6:3 NLT

3 so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?”

If you allow others to distract you, you may miss walking through the real open door.

5. A door may be a trap from Satan.

Trap doors…

Matthew 16:23 NLT

23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

6. If an open door is truly from God it will not contradict what he’s already said in his word.

God will never tell you to do something that contradicts what he has already told you… for instance…

… i’m divorcing my spouse because God wants me to be happy… kids…

… maybe a new employee begins working with you… good looking… nice to you… listens… she is asking can I get you something and your wife says get it yourself… You are heading for a trap.

I have had people say, it’s like God opened a door. He didn’t open that door, Satan did. It’s a trap.

Adultery - is foolish and causes pain to many and become multigenerational… Grass is greener...

If you put as much time cultivating instead of complaining.

You can only change yourself… not the other person.

Matthew 24:35 NLT

35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

7. Sometimes God shuts a door for my protection.

Genesis 7:16 NLT

16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.

Sometimes God removes people from your lives… don’t chase after them. (singles)

8. God will open doors for me if I will open doors for others.

Treat people with the golden rule.

Proverbs 11:25 NLT

25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Job 31:32 NLT

32 I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone.

God has certainly opened doors for us… but we try to open doors for others. We know a lot of resources … programs… people with jobs…

9. Sometimes God cracks open a door to give me a glimpse of my future before I am ready to walk through it.

Why would he do that? To inspire you to grow.

God has a purpose… a destiny for your life but he doesn't reveal it all to you at one time… you could not take it. He wants you to learn to depend on him step by step walking in faith. We all have to grow into who he wants us to be.

Habakkuk 2:3 The Living Bible

3 But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!

Three Steps to Help us Choose the Right Door of Opportunity

1. Gain understanding to know which doors to walk through.

We need to grow in understanding or discernment so that we will know how to take advantage of the right opportunities.

Philippians 1:9–10 NCV

9 This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; 10 that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ;

What helps you make right choices? Understanding or discernment with love.

2. Build Courage to walk through the right doors.

You might know the right thing to do, but be afraid to do it. You have to have the courage to take the opportunities… to walk through the right doors. Courage is not the absence of fear… it is doing the right think even though you are afraid.

It takes courage to ask someone for forgiveness. It takes courage to offer forgiveness to someone… to reconcile with someone. To admit you are wrong.

David to Solomon...

1 Chronicles 28:20 The Living Bible

20 Then he continued, “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly.

Personally, every major decision I have made… I was scared to death, but I did it anyway.

Leaving a secure hospital job to become a missionary raising money in YFC

Pastoring a church in a difficult time

Starting this church...

I was scared to death, but I did it anyway. fear doesn’t respond to knowledge, logic or meditation. Fear responds to action. You have to do the thing you are afraid of.

Action overcomes Fear

What are you afraid of? Don’t miss out on what God has for you because of fear.

When you are looking at different options, you will not always feel peace. When God shows you what he wants, it may scare you to death. But once you are obedient to the Lord, you will feel that peace. Peace comes from obedience. Courage is obeying… then comes the peace.

3. Learn how to open doors for others.

You might be thinking, I need some doors to open for me. Start opening doors for others. Be nice, hospitable, kind… do acts of love towards others. then watch what God does.

1 Peter 4:9–10 CEV

9 Welcome people into your home and don’t grumble about it. 10 Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.

Treat other people the way You want to be treated

Lord help us become door openers.