“Pray for Open Doors

2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

When I first awoke this morning the words “eyes wide open” came to me. I thought it was an inspiration so that I could show you that when your spiritual eyes are opened you begin to see things as they really are. Then when I began to do my bible study and prayer time this verse was the second to come up in the study. Just imagine my shock and awe at God’s all powerful action in my life. Then I realized that although the Word which is Christ in me the hope of glory is our goal there is a long journey that each of us must travel to get to the place where our spiritual eyes are wide open and we are grateful. A place where we don’t forget to pray.

How can we share Christ if we do not see him?

It is as if we are artists and the Word is our paint. Speaking is our brush. As we speak the portrait of Christ is revealed. You know how it has been said, a picture paints a thousand words. This is the mirror image of that; a thousand words paint a picture.

As new Christians, right away the devil comes in and tries to make us believe that we are not good enough to pray and make it happen. He tries to tell us that prayer doesn’t do anything. No change is wrought. This is a lie from the father of lies.

When we begin to read our bibles our spiritual eyes sting at first because we see things in the word that reveal our sinfulness. We see our need for the blood of Christ to cleanse us from all sin. Things happen that make us think that this Christian thing may not be all it is cracked up to be. Doubt becomes the drink we wash the Word down with as the devil says, “Did God really say…?” to us. Doubt is a poison the devil tries to kill us with.

We’ve got to “stay alert.” Do not believe the lies of the enemy. Do not drink the poison he offers.

Otherwise, we will be the blind leading the blind.

If you have doubts because it appears your prayers are not being answered, I urge you to pray with one or two other people. It is like when you attempt to break a pencil. Alone it breaks easily, but put two other pencils in your hand and it will not break. Christ says, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”

“Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.”  That means; go to church.

When you get to church, ask for prayer. When God answers that prayer, your faith and the faith of others grows. You begin to see with eyes wide open what God is doing in your life. You are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Your spiritual eyes are wide open and others begin to see the picture you are painting of Christ in you, the hope of glory.

God bless and keep you in your Way today.