29/07/2011 - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPEN DOORS!

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But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

I Corinthians 16:8-9

It is not wise not going through a door opened by God; actually, we must take advantage of it. The salvation of a family, for instance, can start either by the head of the household or by any other member. The important thing is that the door – regardless of its size – will stay open forever and, through it, those who are sensible will do the divine work in that family environment.
If we are on a mission and pray for help from Heavens, we must be prepared to take advantage of what the divine wisdom is telling us because the Lord is wise (Job 9:4a) so He will always make His best in order for His will to be fulfilled. Therefore, you should never disregard what the Most High grants to you.
The enemy will do everything he can for you to give up but you must not forget that nobody can shut the door opened by the Lord (Revelation 3:8). At one point that person who was used to open the door for your family might turn against the divine plan, go astray or even fall into sin, but you must stand firm and take good care of that person because undoubtedly, he/she is the door through which the Most High will take other people to salvation. The Lord would not do anything inappropriate because He knows how to prepare the success of His servants.
The leprosy of Naaman – a Syrian army commander – was, for instance, the door used by a girl to show that people that there was a God in Israel. She was taken to Syria to be a slave of that officer’s wife but she became a great missionary instead (II Kings 5). When Paul found a great and effective door in Ephesus, he stopped everything he had to do and did not waste what he had been given (Acts 19:26).
In fact, all doors opened by the Lord are effective and have a purpose. Sometimes a door can be an insight someone might have that by selling goods he will prosper or that, with a certain word, he will be healed
or that with a certain divine instruction he will do something on behalf of the Lord’s work.
At the same time the Lord offers us an opportunity, the enemy gets in our way to try to prevent us from fulfilling the Lord’s will. Oftentimes even hardships will come up which, apparently, are impossible to overcome. But that actually does not exist because we will never be taken into a battlefield without the weapons that will grant us victory. Therefore, you must always bear in mind that you will defeat all enemies that rise against your life.
When we behave according to the faith that has been given to us (Judah 1:3 b) we are obedient and we make our God rejoice. By the way, this is the best thing we can ever expect in life, my brethren. Thus, if we are faithful He Himself will fight for us (Exodus 14:14) and give us the victory.
In Christ, with love,
R. R. Soares