Doors of Faith

Have you ever heard this phrase? When one door closes, another will open. In Acts 14:27 Paul wrote about a door. “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” Of course, we know Paul was talking about the gospel being extended beyond the Jews, to the Gentiles, through which every person can come to know Jesus Christ as Savior. However, this is not the only door we will walk through in our Christian life. God has many “faith doors” or opportunities for us to believe, for our believing should reach far beyond our conversion or bon-again experience!

Some people hang on very tightly to this natural life even though the Bible warns us that it is very fleeting. “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” Psalm 103:15-16 Jesus taught us the way to find true life in Matthew 16:24-25. We can be a loser or a finder, but to follow Jesus Christ we must learn to let go, because as we choose to let go of this natural life, we will find true life in Christ. This is the life that God has for us. This new life is one of righteousness.

In Romans 1:16-17 we catch a glimpse of this new life. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Jesus makes His righteousness available to every believer, and He calls us to live from faith to faith. Salvation is not the end result of our faith; salvation is just the beginning of our faith. We give up our old life in order to receive new life.

Pastor Nathan went on to share much of his personal testimony of salvation. As a young man growing up in a Christian home, he had a desire to try the things of this world. He thought the ultimate joy in life would be to live with no rules and make his own decisions, but at the age of 21 he realized how empty life had become. The old door was closing as God opened a new one! In his lowest moment, God showed Pastor Nathan a picture of his new life, one in which he would preach the gospel. He had a radical conversion, giving up his old life to follow the plan of God he was shown. He began to go to church and got involved in serving God. He chose to leave the old life and follow Christ. He walked through the door that opened before Him.

Pastor Nathan then compared our walk with God to a “connect the dots” picture. Much of our life is a mystery, but as we follow him and connect each dot, eventually the picture of our lives will become clear. We can’t just stay at one point, for God is trying to get us somewhere. He has a plan and we must live by faith. Life with God is a journey, but it is up to us to take the first step. Think about getting into a boat. If you put one foot on the boat and leave the other foot on the dock, you will likely end up in the water. We must put one foot in the boat, push off with the other, and step all the way into the boat. God shuts the old doors (the ways of the flesh) and opens new doors which we can only enter through faith.

When we walk through the doors of faith, we begin to mature. We put away childish things and trust God. (I Corinthians 13:11) When we do so, our faith begins to grow. We are able to walk out of impossible situations by faith, for what God says is far greater than what you can see with your natural eyes. If we see one door closing, it’s time for a new door to open. It’s not about taking the path of least resistance, for God has a higher way. Quitting one step during our journey that may seem too difficult can cause us to miss the next step.

When things don’t work like they used to, perhaps God is closing one door and opening another door, a new door. It is up to us to trust God and walk through to the new thing God has waiting for us. Perhaps where God is taking us is a way we have never been before. (Joshua 3:4), but God will bring us through! Perhaps your open door is a word of instruction from the Lord. Let’s learn to recognize the open doors set before us and walk through!