Faith Filled Friday – Week 6

I seriously loved Leah’s guest post on Wednesday, where she shared about embracing the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11 and believing God not only has plans for our lives, but that they are always so much better than our own plans!  I am such a firm believer in this verse, and I hope you are beginning to be as well!

Yet even when we believe that promise to be true without a shadow of a doubt, it can still feel frustrating and maybe even intimidating, to decipher what those plans are, and what doors God might be opening for us – or closing. We can also find ourselves feeling anxious about how to determine if God is in deed opening a door, or if we are just trying to figure life out on our own and following our own set of plans and dreams (aka, doors).  In fact many of you posed that exact frustration in your questions on Wednesday’s postBut sometimes, figuring out what door He is opening is harder than walking through it, so they key is learning to understand how to discern if an opportunity is really an open door from God, or just something we want to do.

So today I want to share with you 4 ways to discern if God is opening a door for something in your life, whether it’s personal or ministry related. Whenever you feel a little holy nudge to take a baby step out of your comfort zone, or to take a huge leap of faith, think about these four tips and reflect on whether or not what you are feeling meets the criteria for being from the Lord. 

KEEP ON KNOCKING

(1) An open door from God will never cause us to go against something in His Word. God will never lead us towards an opportunity that would require a compromise of what we know to be true or that would disobey His Word in some way. If you really feel called to do something, but the Holy Spirit is convicting your heart and something just doesn’t feel right, then pray for guidance and direction and seek clarity from scripture.  We can’t bend scripture to suit our own desires, and if we have to do so in order to support the door we want to walk through, it might not be from God.  If after praying for direction, and making sure what you are hearing lines up with scripture, then pray about moving forward in faith with bold courage.

(2) Seek confirmation and you will receive.  Matthew 7:7 says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  Walking in faith can feel mysterious and scary, especially if we think we are just flying by the seat of our pants and hoping we’re doing the right thing and not just following our own desires. God always wants us to hear His voice so He can confirm His plans and make His will known, but keep in mind that although He certainly won’t reveal all the details, we will know what we need to know right now. God can confirm our calling and what we are feeling led to do through scripture, comments from friends, sermons we hear, music, dreams, books, etc. No matter how you feel God is speaking to your heart, if you see a pattern regarding something you’ve been praying about, most likely those are God-incidences, not coincidences. Ask God to fill your life with God-incidences to help you gain spiritual clarity.

(3) If God seems to have closed a door, don’t get discouraged. Sometimes what we want is not what God wants for us, because He usually has something even better in store. If you feel God has closed a door, spend some time praying for clarity about the direction God might want to steer your towards, and write down a few verses that  you can recite to memory to help you trust God with your future.  Don’t let the fear of wondering if you heard God right paralyze you from doing anything at all. It is hard to discern God’s perfect paths for us, and exact doors to walk through, but sometimes we just need to take a chance if we feel we have heard God in our spirit.  If we take a chance and it turns out a door gets closed, then we haven’t lost anything, but rather gleaned further confirmation about what God might be calling us to do.

(4) Know that any door we feel called to walk through will not be easy – because God wants us to depend on Him. Just because it seems impossible, doesn’t mean it is not from God – in fact, it might be just the opposite.  If you think you’ve got it all figured out and don’t need to depend on God, the old phrase “pride goeth before a fall” might become a reality. God doesn’t want our efforts and goals to drive us away from Him, but rather to drive us towards Him, because all things can be done in His strength, not in our own.  If you find yourself thinking “there is no way I can possibly do this unless God paves the way”,  or “I simply can’t do this in my own strength/confidence/abilities/etc.”, then God probably is calling you to cross the threshold of faith – to stretch, get your feet wet, and move in faith.

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God wants nothing more than for His children to trust that He has great plans for them, plans to prosper them and give them hope and an incredible future! Why? Because when we trust Him with our lives, we not only walk through His doors of opportunity, but we experience new beginnings and new blessings and new ways to be shining lights for the Kingdom of Christ.

Next week, we’ll be wrapping up this study by focusing on living our lives as proof of the power of Jesus Christ – but not only in the big, divine, life changing ways, but also in small ways – like walking through every little door of opportunity God provides on a daily basis to impact the lives of someone else and share the truth of our Savior. Even if right now you don’t feel like God is opening any doors, you can remain faithful in your devotion to Him and trust that He has promised to open them in His timing and in His ways.

Let’s have some discussion about this subject of open doors and closed doors from God.  If you’ve either walked through a door of opportunity in faith and experienced something incredible,  or you’ve had a door closed but later realized it really was God’s protection and redirection, will you share that with us today? I’d love to hear some encouragement on this subject, and I’m sure all your bible study sisters would too!

Click here to leave your thoughts and start some conversation 

DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT LIVE WEBCAST! 

YLSC BIBLE STUDY LIVE WEBCAST 

APRIL 27, 2015 

8:00PM EST 

Click here for the webcast page. Visit this page at 8:00pm EST on April 27 and get your questions from Wednesday’s post! We’ll also be taking questions in real time throughout the webcast. You can also still leave a question for us to consider answering HERE.

** The winner of Wednesday’s giveaway YLSC coffee mug was Kathy; notified via email.**

11 Comments

  1. Andria on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 8:14 am

    I left a job for less than half the money so that I could “help people”. Little did I know just a few days later I would be helping escapees from Hurricane Katrina as a part of that job. What an honor to be a help to them that was beyond a huge blessing to me to minister in even a small way to share love with them. Still thankful!



  2. Kathy on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 8:53 am

    I recently had a door close unexpectedly in my career, and it gave me a great opportunity to lean on God and seek His will for me in my life. After a lot of prayer (including asking God not to open doors He didn’t want me to go through, since I didn’t want to make a mistake) I did an interview at another job and it went really well. As I was walking out of the interview I saw a plaque that said “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps 37:4) I love that promise. (And I got the job!)

    Now I’m looking forward to leaning on God to give me the strength to do all the things involved in the new work to which I have been called.



    • Bree on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 1:12 pm

      Thank you for sharing, Kathy! Your experience was inspirational to me.



  3. D Garrison on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    What a perfect time to walk through this study. At age 68 and having advanced stage breast cancer, I am eager to make a difference in people’s lives, to leave the world a little better than I found it. I want my life to count. I want to leave a legacy of love and faith for my children and grandchildren and to carry God’s message of love, hope, and healing to those struggling in darkness. God has used this study to inspire me to live with passion and purpose. I have come to recognize that He writes our stories for His puposes and never wastes our pain. He has opened new doors for me to redesign my blog, to expand my outreach, and commit to consistently reaching out through the blog I began two years ago. God is introducing me to new mentors, encouraging me through scripture and other believers, and stirring my heart through Christian music. In 2001 during my late husband’s cancer journey, it was “Redeemer” by Nicole Mullen. In 2005 during my cancer treatment it was “Hold On” by Selah. In 2013 it was “Overcomer” by Mandisa. I really needed to commit to being an OVERCOMER as I recovered from a broken hip while continuing my cancer treatment. Currently, God has inspired me with Mandisa’s new release–“Press On.” I am answering God’s call to go and share. He loves and cares for his sheep, and we will come to truly know his voice as we faithfully follow our Shepherd (John 10:4). Pressing on boldly for God in his grace and strength, and for his purpose. https://dgarrisonfhl.com



    • Tracie on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      Wow D – you are truly an inspiration. What an incredible story you have of leaning on God and trusting Him every step of the way. I pray that God blesses you with abundant joy and peace and blessings that overflow, that He heals your body completely from cancer, and gives you inner strength as you face this journey to recovery. There is no doubt God is using you in amazing ways to impact the lives of many. Thank you for your sweet words about the study – that has blessed me beyond measure. 🙂



  4. Lisa Hunt on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    I would love some Christian feedback on some situations in my life. I really need some strength, courage, and willpower from some women filled with Jesus!!!! Life is so tough sometimes, we just need a little help and encouragement from time to time. It would truly be a Blessing to here back……Thank you!!!



    • D Garrison on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 7:55 pm

      Lisa, I am sorry you are feeling overwhelmed just now. I also have battled discouragement on many occasions over the years. What has helped me most is spending time in God’word, in prayer, and in his presence. I love the devotional book “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young and read the devotions daily. They have been a great source of encouragement and have taught me much about the importance of thankfulness and trust. I encourage you to pour out your problems before the Lord. We have received so much wonderful teaching and beautiful scripture in this study. Taking time to review some chapters that truly touched you would be helpful. You might even find it helpful to read some of the posts on my blog. I write a great deal about how God has brought me through various trials and literally transformed my life. God’s love, Word, faithfulness and power are certain and unfailing. God desires to be our strength and our song. When we are weak, He becomes our strength (2 Cor 12:9). The Psalms offer special comfort and refreshment. May God encourage your heart today, Lisa. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). These verses from Proverbs were among the first that I learned and leaned on. They have served me well. Love to you Lisa. Blog: https://dgarrisonfhl.com



  5. Donna on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    This could not have come at a better time! Wonderful, encouraging and absolutely true – Praise the Lord! I am printing this out and keeping this in my “file”. So thankful for God leading others to write and share their thoughts on this subject. Amen!



  6. lc on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    A year ago I was blessed with a job working for the company I’d dreamed of for years! (I’d been unemployed for many months and was seeking God daily) I thought I could “take over” after getting the job and drifted away from Him and began living MY way- apart from God. I ended up losing that job and learning, in a very difficult way, humility and the fact that I desperately need the Lord to lead and protect me every day of my life!
    Please let this be a lesson to another woman out there. In Jesus’ Name I pray! Amen



  7. ChristineKY on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    Faith. This is a word that keeps popping up everywhere. I am certainly on a journey that requires faith. You know that feeling you get when you’re driving and all of a sudden there’s a torrential downpour? You can’t see the road in front of you. You slow down on the gas and grip the steering wheel til your knuckles turn white. This is how I feel at times. I’m embarking on a new journey toward God’s plan for my life. It’s one that scares me stupid. I mean the pee-your-pants kind of scared cuz I know I can’t do this on my own. I am totally dependent on the Lord to show me the way and give me the strength and courage I need to keep taking the next step even though I can’t see the next step in front of me. I read this from Isaiah today and it encourages me: “I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

    Thank you so much for this post, Tracie! Your words are timely!! I so need it today cuz I have that lost feeling again and fear has been gripping my heart, but this post reminds me that God sees me. I’m not lost.



  8. Janice on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    This was such a timely post. I have been contemplating the direction for my future. I have been writing in a journal for the last 5 years through my divorce and resulting fallout. I have also rediscovered art. It had been 20 years since I really spent time doing either one of these. I’m not sure where God is leading but art and writing have been healing for me. I do have a deep desire to share this journey and the truths I have learned through it. Praying for direction and confirmation. God knows the way.



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Tracie Miles is a bestselling author and the Director of COMPEL Training with Proverbs 31 Ministries.  She helps women grow stronger in their faith, pursue the life of purpose God designed them for and live a life of peace, joy and happiness despite their circumstances.

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