I’ve had it on my mind for a while about opportunities where the Lord might choose to open doors for His glory. This morning as I listened to a podcast, When You Feel Like Giving Up, I received a clear picture of what it takes in our lives for Jesus to be willing to open doors. It comes down to this: “I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept My Word and have not denied My name.” (Rev 3:8)

No matter what we have been given, and all good gifts come from the Lord (James 1:17), the Lord watches what we do with what we have. We have all been granted the abundant grace of God (Eph 1:3–10), the Word of God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10).

He knows what we do and the reasons for why we do them. “No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” (Heb 4:13) In the verse above, we see what matters most to our Lord: “you have kept My Word and have not denied My name”. To keep His Word, we have to abide in His Word, and DO what it says. “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

There’s much more I want to unpack in this letter, but today I needed to hear that in order for the Lord to want to open doors for us, He first expects much from us. We are to abide in Him and His Word, stay on the vine because apart from Him we can do nothing. And we are to proclaim His name and His power, and not deny Him. First, that takes a profound sense that we are all sinners and miss the mark. It is only through the imputed holiness of Christ that we have a path to the Father, and apart from Jesus we have no ability to go boldly before the throne of God.

I encourage you that whatever doors you believe you need opened today, that you look deeply at what the Lord requires: obedience and the willingness to tell others that without Him we can do nothing. We don’t have to come up with the answers of where we lack on our own. We only need submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s work to show us how to apply God’s Word.