It is always exciting when God opens a door for us, as He did for Paul in Ephesus: “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me …” (1 Cor. 16:8-9). Paul clearly discerns that the open door is from God, and that God is expecting him to walk through it.

In this case Paul walks through the door (in spite of opposition that God warns him about). Yet when he was in Troas and God opened a door (2 Cor. 2:12-13), Paul chose not to go through it because he had no peace in his spirit about it, and instead went on to Macedonia.

Obviously, based on Paul’s reactions to these two seemingly similar circumstances, when God presents opportunities as “open doors,” we are not necessarily expected to automatically walk through them, but to pray and use our God-given discernment.

Many times in my Christian walk, I have been faced with circumstances that seem to be “open doors,” but I have walked through them to my own hurt and cost. What I have learned is that just because a circumstance pops up, and looks enticing, it is not necessarily God’s perfect will.

Sometimes it may be the right thing, but at the wrong time—timing is crucial! Other times we think we see an open door, but it can be an alluring “red herring” taking us off our straight path.

God Uses Our Circumstances

I have learned to see circumstances—“open doors”—as just one of the many ways God may be leading us. If I think God is opening a door, I first pray about it and seek a sense of peace in my spirit. If a course of action is from God, there will be a profound sense of peace and joy in the spirit even if it makes no sense to the natural mind. On the other hand, if I pray and feel a tightness or unease, I back off and wait. It may be the wrong door or it may be the right door but for a later time.

This is exactly the difference in the two doors Paul faced in the scriptures quoted above—in the Ephesus example, even though God warned him that there would be opposition, he didn’t hesitate to stay in the city for whatever God was putting before him. But in the case of Troas, even when a door was opened, he had no peace in his spirit and left for Macedonia.

My personal way of making a decision if I think I perceive an “open door” is first to get quiet and pray. God can and will speak to us if we get quiet before him and listen for the “still, small voice” of the Holy Spirit. As I open my spirit to the Holy Spirit, I start to sense a peace, or I sense unease. I will then get into the Word and see if there is a confirmation in Scripture—and I have had some amazing examples of clear direction from the Word.

Finally, I wait. I have learned (in spite of my naturally impatient personality) to wait and let God build a structure around me that gives me clear leading and guiding. It is not easy, especially if you feel strongly that God is leading you—but a wise person once said to me that in God it is better to be “over-ripe” than “green.”

I wait for circumstances—open doors—which will always come if it is really God. God does not bring confusion and disorder; He is a God of order and harmony. The Holy Spirit is always there waiting to lead and guide us, to be the Word behind us saying, “This is the way—walk ye in it” (Is. 30:21).

God Brought Me Out

Perhaps I can share a personal example to illustrate what I am trying to say (this was a personal experience for me—I am not in any way implying that this is how God does it for other people!).

Many years ago I was in Townsville, Australia, where I felt I was having an impact on the community for God. I was the editor of the local newspaper, and as such, could bring a Godly influence in many ways to my local community. I was well-paid, enjoyed the work, and in a word, I was “comfortable” (whoops—some of you already know what is coming—comfort for a Christian can be a dangerous place!).

As I was having my daily quiet time with God early one morning, I sensed—heard in my spirit—a voice telling me to leave that city and job, and move to Brisbane in the southern part of the state, and go to work for a large Christian organization there.

Even as I “heard”—sensed—that quiet whisper in my spirit, my mind rebelled totally! This can’t be God! Look at what I am doing in Townsville—the city’s first-ever born-again Christian newspaper editor, having an impact for God on the community, the local government, my staff, and so on. Plus, I was very well paid—and to move to Brisbane to work for a church, would hit me where it hurts - in the “hip pocket nerve.” I thought to myself, “Nah, it can’t be God. It must be indigestion or something I ate.”

But when I opened my Bible at my daily reading, I had goose bumps rose on my goose bumps as I read this: “You’ve stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance … see, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land …” (Deut. 1:6-8). Wow! Could God be actually speaking to me through His Word, confirming what the Holy Spirit has already “whispered” to me?

The next thing that happened was that the pastor of the church in Brisbane rang me—“out of the blue” if you like—and offered me a job on his staff in Brisbane. Later he told me that God had spoken to him in his personal prayer time, and had told him to call “that Christian newspaper editor in Townsville” and offer him a job.

This is what I mean when I say circumstances can be a strong confirmation. And underlying everything, even though it made no logical sense in the natural, I had a deep and profound sense of peace that it was God’s will for me to move to Brisbane.

This is an intensely personal little anecdote, but a good example of how God can lead us—my human mind said: Stay in Townsville and be the newspaper editor. It made no sense to move to a new city where I had no influence or connections.

Yet within an amazingly short time, I was appointed to the governing body of that church; I spearheaded a major outreach into the former Soviet Union (and was invited to speak to the Russian Parliament), became a keynote speaker at the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship in the Australian Parliament, founding chairman of Australia’s largest Christian university; and founded the very influential Australian Christian Lobby. Not to mention, I also became part-owner of what became a multimillion-dollar international business.