This week we continue to answer the following question: How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders for the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?
As we survey Pauline literature we will discover fourteen tactical strategies that the enemy will use to come after God's people along with specific antidotes in addressing that problem. See the introduction to this series to receive an overview of this subject.
9. Closed Doors
"Hearing God’s voice is indispensable to moving through or around closed doors." - Gary Rohrmayer
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:18 - For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us.
Problem: “Satan can block a believer’s guidance. So closed doors are not always clear guidance.” J. Robert Clinton
Antidote: “Get certainty guidance. Let all of the major guidance elements give weight to your guidance: God’s Voice in the Word; God’s Voice in the Heart; God’s Voice in Circumstances; God’s Voice in the Church.” J Robert Clinton
Reflective Questions:
- Is every closed door an attack from the evil one? See Acts 16:6-8
- How do you let the Word of God guide you in your decisions as leaders in the church?
- How do you slow down enough to hear God’s voice in leading the church? See Acts 13:1-2
- How do you interpret God’s leading in the circumstances you face whether good or bad?
- How do you as leaders hear God’s voice through the church?
Prayer: Father in Heaven, give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church and through the church. May our lives be so saturated with your Word that all our decisions will be based on your revealed purposes and promises. Teach us how to seek you in our leadership meetings through worship and fasting. Keep our hearts from being distracted from your mission because of our circumstances. Grant us courageous faith to stand against the attack. (HT)
Next Week: False Signs and Wonders
View the entire series of posts on Spiritual Warfare
