then one day he saw the door...

A few thoughts are swarming (and have been for over a week). I was watching America's Got Talent again this week and my girl Emily David was back on there. She said, "I've been waiting all my life for this door to open". Sharon says, "The door is standing wide open, all is left is for you to walk right through it". A few days later, I was watching the Olympics when Cullin Jones (now an Olympic Gold Medalist) said that when he was a child, the first time he really got into the water at a water park, he had a near-drowning incident. He said he had a choice to overcome his fears and never get in the water again, or face it. He didn't want to "miss out" on anything, so he faced it. This concept of doors has been redundant in my thoughts lately. It had to be talked about.

What is keeping you from walking through your door? Has God brought you to a place that is a new realm for you? Has he taken you so deep into your heart to a place you have hidden sins or memories? Maybe you have already knocked on the door... the door is standing wide open. Why won't you walk through? Most likely the answer is fear, but what is it you fear? Fear itself? God makes a promise in Jeremiah that may be of help.

Jeremiah 33:17ff
"For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.' "

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'"

I know this may seem like an obscure text, it was odd to me at first, too, but I felt like it went with this blog. After a few days, I realized there really is an awesome promise in the middle. In the Old Testament, God makes covenants with his people. A covenant is simply a promise, something that can be trusted to the upmost degree. God has made a promise that through the line of David (the King) there will always be a king on the throne. The ultimate person in this line being Christ. God is saying, "If you can break my covenant with day and night, then you can change the outcome of my entire plan for the world I created". That's pretty powerful. Do you think you can change his mind? I know I sure can't. There is power in the bonds made by God. Power in your relationship with him. Power in the words he has spoken. Power in the words he has spoken for you through his promises. The Bible is full of promises that are as good for the people in the old and new testament as they are for you.

If God has brought you to a door, then he has a purpose for you pertaining to it. Take that step and see what he has for you. If you fear what that door may bring, then look to his promises. If you don't know where to start, flip to the back of the bible and look for the index, search by topic and chase down what you need. There are also books of scripture called "God's Promises for...." that you can purchase at retailers. You can also pray and ask God to give you a promise/scripture to stand on. Here are a few to get you started:
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Psalm 94:14
For the LORD will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.

Psalm 46:1-5
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Psalm 91 (sorry, it's long, but totally worth the read)
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."