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I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8
There are many times in the Bible when God closes doors. These are times when He shows His great strength and power. He ‘closed’ the gate to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned. And with that closing it was never to be entered again.
God closed the door on the Ark as the Great Flood began. It was a show of power, protection (for Noah and the animals) and finality. Life would never be the same again on planet earth.
There are other times when doors were closed symbolically to show that God’s timing was not yet complete. The Israelites were delayed from entering the Promised Land due to doubt. David was prevented from building the temple because the time was not yet right.
God closes doors for a reason. In each of our lives there are times when we pray, we plead, we earnestly seek God’s working in particular areas of our lives. It’s frustrating for us when the doors close in front of us. It can cause us to doubt, to become angry, or give up all together.
God also opens doors. When He opens a door there is no shutting it. The Pharisees tried to shut the door of the tomb where Jesus lay. But God opened that door with a thunderous earthquake and NO ONE could close it. Man can try to hold back God’s power but He will never be thwarted by man. God’s open doors are no match for man’s power. Ever.
In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John delivers a message to the churches around him. In each letter the message is basically the same. Clean up your act…or else. There’s one exception to that pattern and it’s seen in the letter to the church in Philadelphia. The church in Philadelphia is described by John as being a weak church. John says, in verse 8, “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
The church in Philadelphia was given many opportunities that the other churches around her were not, yet, it appears she was the weakest of all the churches. There was one redeeming quality that brought blessing to the church in Philadelphia. In spite of her weakness she had remained true to her faith in Jesus Christ.
The same is true for each of us as we travel this journey called life. There are times when we feel weak. We look at where we are and where we’ve been and can feel like total failures. Hopelessness and despair can attack us and try to keep us from experiencing the joy of Jesus in our lives.
It’s during these times that each of us needs to look to the open door! In spite of our weakness, God has a multitude of opportunities and blessings for us to enjoy. And when God opens a door for us, there isn’t anyone who can slam it shut.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. Thank you for the message to the church of Philadelphia. Thank you that even in my weakness you have placed an open door of blessing and opportunity before me. Empower me with your Spirit to refuse to listen to the voices that tell me I’m a failure. Forgive me for the times I have failed and help me to walk boldly through the open doors you have set before me. Amen.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Bad habits. It only takes a few days to learn them and sometimes a lifetime to break them. They hound us day and night. They lurk in the shadows waiting for a moment of weakness on our part so they can pounce on us and cause us to fall…once again.
Sometimes the habits are relatively harmless, like chewing your fingernails or leaving the toilet seat up! Sometimes those habits are life crippling addictions that destroy our reputation, steal our character or obliterate our relationships with people we love dearly.
In order to learn to cope with bad habits we label them and categorize them according to our opinion of their severity. Pornography, anger and drug addiction are bad habits. They hurt people, even kill people. Gossip? Worry? Sarcastic, hurtful comments? Now those aren’t so bad. In fact those can even be funny (we think). In reality, in God’s eyes, they are all the same. They are all sin.
The Apostle Paul was struggling with something. We don’t know what it was. Some think it was a physical ailment, an eye problem left over from the Damascus road perhaps. Others think it could have been something else, a spiritual issue. The Bible doesn’t tell us what it was for good reason.
The problem in Paul’s life wasn’t the issue. The issue was how he handled it. God doesn’t want us to know what Paul’s struggle was. He wants us to realize that all of us struggle. Not only do we all struggle, but the struggle we have isn’t as important as what we do with it!
Every day we need to remind ourselves that failure is inevitable in the human life. God knew that when He first created us. That’s what Grace is all about. Grace reminds us that even though we are weak, in God’s eyes we can be strong. Through Grace God can use our weaknesses for His Glory. Every day He uses ordinary, sinful people for great and mighty things.
You may be ready to give up. You may be tired of falling, getting back up and falling again. You may be thinking “I’ll never be able to conquer this”. That’s good! Once we realize we can’t fight the battle on our own God has us right where He wants us. When we feel our weakest He is ready to jump in and use that weakness as strength.
Once we accept the fact that we are weak the power of Jesus Christ will be able to work through us to tackle life’s struggles and to show others the way to Jesus. Let God’s grace turn your weaknesses into powerful weapons for good!
PRAYER; Heavenly Father, I confess to you that I’m often discouraged by my inability to live the way I want to. Like the Apostle Paul I find myself doing the things I don’t want to do and not doing the things I want to do! I hereby confess my weaknesses to you and ask that You use those weaknesses for Your glory. Work through me to rely on you daily. Amen.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6
We live in a society that worships strength. We admire the athlete that excels at what they do and are in awe of their strength. We applaud modern day heroes as they risk their lives to save the lives of others or battle personal adversity. There aren’t any reality shows in which the winner is the weakest person!
In God’s society the idea of personal strength is just the opposite of what He looks for. In the book of Zechariah God sends a message to a guy named Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel had a huge task to perform and was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the challenge that lay before him. But God informed Him of two things. First, the task would be completed and, secondly, it would not be done by Zerubbabel’s strength but by God’s strength.
The wording of the verse implies that if Zerubbabel would lean on God’s strength every mountain would be removed and every obstacle would be conquered. It would not be done by physical strength (might) nor would it be done with the inner ability to influence those around him (power). It would be done by God alone.
Some people rely on physical strength (might) to get their way and handle conflict. But physical strength only works when you are stronger than the enemy, and gives way to youth as we grow older. Others rely on inner resolve and mind manipulation (power) to sway things their way. But that too proves fruitless in the face of the enemy. While we see weakness as a hindrance, God seeks the weak to do His work. He promises that ‘He (Jesus) who began a good work in you WILL complete it’.
We all have mountains and obstacles in our way. Things from our past haunt us. We suffer from the consequences of poor choices, broken relationships, illness or a variety of other issues. God never intends for us to face the obstacles of our lives alone. It has always been His intent to help us rise above those challenges to reach the dreams we have for ourselves.
Relax. It isn’t your job to fight the battles ahead of you. You are only asked to ‘rest in God’s power’ and allow Him to handle the challenges of your life. Step outside the box. Trust His strength to endure. He may be waiting for you to hand it over to Him so He can use whatever struggle you have for His glory.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, there are so many things in life that are attacking me right now. Many of them are a result of my own stubbornness and poor choices. Empower me to trust Your Spirit to motivate and encourage for today’s battles. Give me faith to conquer the obstacles ahead of me. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 