Our generation, particularly the church, is in a
dispensation where faith is mandated to work at rocket speed. To proponents of
such rocket-speed faith, when anything slows then it is either not faith or
small faith. Theirs is such faith that makes no provision for the period of
“waiting”. To them, to wait is to waste. You will fear such faiths…a faith that
celebrates the failure of another brother as their own basis for lifting. I
love where Jesus said “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them...” (Luke 9:56). Sometimes ago I wrote on the topic, ‘WHEN
FAITH ASSASSINATES FAITHFULNESS’ (PARTS 1-3)…I encourage you to get that
teaching from the blog (www.drwilliamsbukola.blogspot.com).
The devil has taken advantage of many people’s
urgent and fast quest for results and presented them something that looks
similar to the actual promise. He has presented opportunities and open doors
which many people have without discernment embraced but have ended in disgrace.
The devil doesn’t give out anything free, so underneath these opportunities he
presents are attachments of compromise. He gives you something that takes your
heart away from God. He gives you a suggestion that looks good on the outside
but inside it lays the nest of compromise and the webs of iniquity.
Sometimes, the devil knows you need an open door so
badly, and then he comes and presents you one. It takes the grace of God and
the spirit of discernment for you to identify that this opportunity is not of
God. Anything (money, fame, relationships, friends, businesses, opportunities,
etc) that tries to keep you away from God and the things of God is both an
enemy of your destiny here on earth and eternity. Things that attempt to
deflate your interests and pursuit for God are things you should be wary of.
The devil is a copycat. He's the father and founder
of piracy and that is why anyone who does piracy is working under the devil
unknowingly. That's why pirates make quick money...that's the devil's
handiwork-quick money, but at the expense of other people's happiness. The
devil is not a lion. He saw that Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, so he
decided to copy as usual and he made himself "like a roaring lion".
He is "like" and not! (1 Peter 5:8).
Another copyright that God owns is He as God
replicates His life in us and makes us gods; “I have said, Ye are gods; and all
of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 86:2). The devil decided to copy
and started replicating devils and giving false impression that he is
everywhere. Lie! He only copies. God is everywhere, but if the devil is in
London for example, he can't be in Nigeria at that same time, he uses his
devils.
My point is, if God will open doors and brings
opportunities, the devil will also attempt to copy that to confuse and take
advantage of people. Remember that Aaron and Moses were doing signs and wonders
and also the Egyptian magicians were doing same. So, friend, not every open
door that comes your way is truly an open door for you to go through...some have
entered unknowingly and slipped into hell. Let me show you something very
revealing from the scripture.
In Acts 16:9, Paul had a vision of a man requesting him to come over to Macedonia and help them; “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” And when Paul and Silas got there they were eventually cast into prison, and behold I perceived in my spirit that the man Paul saw in that vision was the same Jailor who was put to guard them. “They cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely” (verse 23). You see, by revelation I saw that God had planned to save that Jailer and his family and had taken Paul there to accomplish that divine purpose. But the devil all along also had plans for that same man-the Jailer, who was going to open the door of salvation to his family.
In Acts 16:9, Paul had a vision of a man requesting him to come over to Macedonia and help them; “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” And when Paul and Silas got there they were eventually cast into prison, and behold I perceived in my spirit that the man Paul saw in that vision was the same Jailor who was put to guard them. “They cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely” (verse 23). You see, by revelation I saw that God had planned to save that Jailer and his family and had taken Paul there to accomplish that divine purpose. But the devil all along also had plans for that same man-the Jailer, who was going to open the door of salvation to his family.
So, “at
midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God…And suddenly there
was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: AND
IMMEDIATELY ALL THE DOORS WERE OPENED, and every one's bands were loosed.”
(verses 25, 26). Do you see that the doors became opened? And then their bands
were loosed! I’d like us to imagine Paul and Silas after seeing the “great open
doors” start praising God for opening the doors for them to escape, then they
escape. But, let us see what would have happened afterwards.
“And
the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors
open, he drew out his sword, AND WOULD HAVE KILLED HIMSELF, supposing that the
prisoners had been fled.” (verse 27). That man would have
killed himself (suicide) and would have ended his journey in Hell. This was the
devil’s plan. I believe those particular doors were opened by the devil so that
Paul, Silas and others could escape and then the Jailer would commit suicide…meaning
he would have headed to hell, and there would be no salvation for his family.
Friend, that open door was the devil’s conspiracy and not of God. As a matter
of fact, God didn’t have to open those doors to bring Paul and Silas
out-remember Peter!
And then what became of the man? “And when he had brought them into his
house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his
house” (verse 34). He and his family met the Lord. I thank God for Paul; he
knew what doors were of God and those of the devil.
How
then do you know a door/opportunity that isn't of God?
One; pray and discern in the spirit. Once I got an invite for a job interview and as I finished reading the SMS, the Spirit said ‘you are not going’, and that was it. Safety is by leading and not by distance.
Two; any opportunity that drags you away from God is not of God. God cannot rise against Himself.
Finally, remember that not every open door or opportunity is of God. We are in a prosperity crazy generation where faith assassinates faithfulness, but anything that takes Heaven away from your eternity is not worth it. The “blessings” of the devil though maketh rich but for a while and added everlasting sorrow"…however, “the blessings of God maketh rich and added no sorrow” (Proverbs 10:22). May the enemy not take advantage of us.
One; pray and discern in the spirit. Once I got an invite for a job interview and as I finished reading the SMS, the Spirit said ‘you are not going’, and that was it. Safety is by leading and not by distance.
Two; any opportunity that drags you away from God is not of God. God cannot rise against Himself.
Finally, remember that not every open door or opportunity is of God. We are in a prosperity crazy generation where faith assassinates faithfulness, but anything that takes Heaven away from your eternity is not worth it. The “blessings” of the devil though maketh rich but for a while and added everlasting sorrow"…however, “the blessings of God maketh rich and added no sorrow” (Proverbs 10:22). May the enemy not take advantage of us.
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