A Troubled Mind And An Open Door

Written By: Amy Adams

Inspired and Quoted By: Steven Furtick

Paul invested a lot in the people at Corinth based on the two letters he wrote to them. People can hurt you deeply if you have invested a lot of time, love and effort in them. The proof of loving someone also gives you the capacity to hate them when they hurt you deeply. It’s almost impossible to hate someone you don’t love. In the eyes of God, there’s equal value to every one of His children. God doesn’t look at someone’s net worth and being children of God, we have to prioritize what’s really important.

2 Corinthians 2:12: “…when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord.” Your success is also an indicator of how God has situated you. “You have to remember He set up the opportunity to bless you. If you had to compromise yourself to gain their acceptance, what did you really get? There’s something awesome about the Lord opening and closing doors,” said Steven Furtick. Saul of Tarsas became Paul after Jesus knocked him off his literal horse and took away his sight when he was on the road to Demascus to continue arresting and killing Christians for the Jewish leaders. When Jesus blinded Saul, He had him seek out Ananias to restore his site, and from that point on, Paul was one of the most influential apostles when it came to spreading the word of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Only God could take someone who was trained in the Jewish faith and become an advocate for God saying the old traditions were rubbish and salvation through Christ is the only way. Paul established at least 14 churches and that’s being modest. The reason he started preaching to the Gentiles was because the Jews rejected it.

“Sometimes rejection is one of God’s greatest doors. When God opens a door, nobody can shut it. If the door you’re standing right now won’t open, it’s not your door. Have you ever struggled with having bitterness towards someone who should have defended you? I refuse to let un-forgiveness in my heart block the future God has for me,” said Furtick. 2 Corinthians 2:13 says: “I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.” The opportunity to forgive and move on with God’s plan is bigger than the offense someone caused you in the first place. Furtick responded, “You are an important city. I am a port for the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has placed opportunities in my life that are amazing.”

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”; “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied my Name.” Revelation 3:7-8. No one can shut a door that God has opened, but Satan has strategies that keep you from walking through that door and will do everything in his power to keep you from moving forward and take the opportunities God gives you. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says: “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” It’s all about the strategy and Satan is not stronger than you, though he would like to have you believe that he is. He uses fear tactics and makes you second guess yourself to trip you up and keep you from doing God’s will. Remember what 1 John 4:4 says: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in is greater than he who is in the world.” It’s hard when you have an open door but a troubled mind. This is something I have struggled with greatly because I never thought I was good enough and was always criticized when I did wrong and never praised when I did right. People didn’t love me unconditionally, but conditionally. They always treated me differently when I did something wrong.

Steven Furtick mentioned an acrostic, which spells out the word Door:

Disappointments

Outcomes

Offenses

Regrets of the opportunities

God is not the only one who opens doors; Satan can too. “Have you not been letting new people love you because of how old people have hurt you? Have you stopped trusting people period because you have found out that people are not trustworthy totally? Have you been standing at an open door but the enemy has your mind messed up to the point that you can’t go through it?” asked Steven. I have personally left an opportunity and the open door because of something that was irrelevant. Keep in mind that no devil can shut what God already opened. Furtick concluded, “There will always be a devil at the door God opens to you that is significant or important. The bigger the opportunity, the bigger the devil is going to be. The size of the devil at your door indicates the size of your assignment.”