Locked in a Room with the Doors Wide Open

My Friend,
My prayer is that this message reaches you in the best of health and strength. I must say that the Lord blessed immensely as I was called to minister at both the Greater Bethel AME Church of Charleston and the Bethel AME Church of Ravenel on this past Sunday. At both services there was a great outpouring of God’s spirit upon the people. As the hands of so many were raised in adoration, release, and praise throughout the services, I knew that the spirit of God was revealing and speaking life into dead situations. I am beyond thankful to the move of God and I am totally convinced that witnesses left blessed, healed, and restored to do the work of the Lord.

Each week as I pontificate concerning the message I share with you, I am oftentimes consumed with making sure that I am attentive to the varying issues that you and I face daily. After innumerable email responses, personal meetings, prayer requests, church talks, and Facebook messages, I have come to the greater realization that many persons in the body of Christ are suffering from a condition or rather an insidious disease where they are locked in a room with the doors wide open…Think about it for a moment. Breath. Stretch. Shake. Let it go. You may not see it as I see it, but I am finding, as a I preach and teach from pillar to post, that many believers proclaim a certain knowledge of God; however, when put to the test they are handicapped in their movement from good to great, from hell to heaven, or even from better to best because they are unable to walk out of their room into their blessing.

There are so many scriptures that speak to the reality of being locked in a room with the doors wide open; however, what persuades me even-the-more today is the Matthew 7:7 text where Jesus says, “Ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Simply put, we as believers have got to embrace the knowledge that we have a certain kind access to a certain life(style) if we believe through prayer, that it shall be mine! At this juncture in my life the most troubling aspect of being locked in a room with the doors wide open becomes why are so many believers, those professing the Lord as their personal Savior, so afraid to just get up and walk through the door? Why is it that we allow ourselves to be trapped by the circumstances of this life? Why are we more reactive than proactive when it comes to the cards that life has dealt us?

When we are locked in a room with the doors wide open, we are in a position where we can see where we want God to take us, but we don’t ever just get up and walk! I believe that so many people in and out of the body of Christ are suffering today because they know what has to change in their life; many know where they want to go, yet and still, they suffer day after day because they just refuse to do better. Well today is your day to break free of that which hindering your walk. Walk on my brother! Walk on my sister! I double dare you to sincerely ask, seek, and knock down heaven’s door with your request. Make your request known and the God that sees in secret shall reward you openly! What is it that you really need to take that next step in your life? What is it that has to happen in order for you to secure your rightful place in the kingdom?

The author of the Matthew text utilizes the Greek word “aiteo” to describe the kind of asking that the believer must do if they are ever to walk through the unlocked doors of their room. “Aiteo” is literally translated as a craving or desire. I believe there is no secret to what God can do for you today! I believe that if you can crave and desire, I mean really dig deep in yourself to make your request known to God…if you can really seek God in and out of a terrible, no good, very bad situation, then God can do nothing but bless you beyond your wildest dreams and desires. No matter what you face in your life today, God is able to do more than just help you, God will deliver you from the hand your enemy. I believe you ought to be able to testify that God will open up windows (and doors) of blessings in your life. More than ever, I believe God will take care of you because you decided that God is a prayer answering God.

Today is your day to open your door to your future!
Open your door to your new position!
Open your door to your promotion!
Open your door to your graduation!
Open your door to your healing!
Whatever, you do today proclaim that you will never again be locked in a room with the door wide open!
Respond to this post and let me know if this week’s message was helpful to your current situation? Do you have a special prayer request? I’d love to see your face in the place as I am called to minister at one of the following:


Bible Study, “Attitude Adjustments” @ Bethel AME Church
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 6:30 PM
The Reverend Toney J. Slater, Jr., Senior Pastor
4595 Savannah Highway
Ravenel, SC 29470
843.571.3301


Blessings,


Rev. BigBoy

PS: Always feel free to forward, because I am blessed to know that you can be a blessing!