Unlock the Door

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven." -Matthew 16:19

Recently I got new keys made for our office. Our office manager instructed me to go to a local lock and key store. I had never been to a store just for keys, but when I went inside what I found was pretty cool.
 
There were big keys, small keys, new keys, old keys - I felt a bit like Dr. Seuss!! There were beautiful, old, ornate keys, and some that were plain and modern too. There were rainbow keys, leopard keys, flower keys - you name it, they had it.
 
I thought about how this relates to us as children of God.
 
Each one of use is like a key. Every key is different, no key is the same. Each one is made to unlock a different lock, a special kind of lock, to a door that no one else can open. Because God has made us all different, God has fashioned us as keys - keys to unlock the doors leading to other people's lives. Have you ever had a close friend you felt understood you completely? Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you walk through a difficult time, because they had been there themselves?
 
We are created to open doors to cities, to communities, to nations - and to people who are the gatekeepers of those places. What door has God fashioned you for?

Open Doors

 

"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." -Gen 4:7

 

Once my dad left home from a trip, only to find a surprise waiting for him in his house upon his return. A cat had found its way into the house through the old pet door that wasn't properly sealed. The cat went upstairs, and took his bed for a litter box. Eww!!! It took us several days to find that cat, but we finally did!

Although it's rather uncomfortable and disconcerting to find a "present" such as this upon your return home, it left us with a good spiritual analogy. As we're moving forward, living our lives, we may not know what doors we might have open to the enemy, through intentional or unintentional sin. Of course the cat is still God's creature in this situation, but the analogy here is quite stark. The animal was an intruder; he was not supposed to be there, caused something of a havoc, and took some time to find.

Are there things that you know of that could be causing an open door to allow the enemy access into your life? We all need to examine ourselves from time to time to make sure we do not allow him in. Are we praying enough? Getting enough rest? Taking care of our physical bodies? Treating others with love and respect? Are we compromising in any area we shouldn't? These types of questions can help us discover any doors that may be open in our lives, so that the enemy cannot come in and wreck havoc.

Are there any doors that might be open in your life? If you're not sure, ask God to reveal them to you. Often our greatest enemy is one we do not know. Awareness is half the battle.