{"id":5669,"date":"2018-01-06T17:21:53","date_gmt":"2018-01-06T23:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=5669"},"modified":"2018-01-06T17:21:53","modified_gmt":"2018-01-06T23:21:53","slug":"open-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/01\/06\/open-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Doors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lori Boyd<\/strong>
\nI love Paul\u2019s letters.\u00a0I learn something new every time I read one.\u00a0I find it amazing that words written by a man hundreds of years ago to struggling churches can still teach and encourage a thirty-eight-year-old mother of three sitting at\u00a0a kitchen table in Murfreesboro,\u00a0Tennessee. I am so thankful God gave us the Bible.\u00a0<\/span>
\nBefore you delve into Colossians, keep in mind that Paul is in prison at the time he wrote this letter.\u00a0That way\u2013\u2013as he speaks about prayer, rejoicing in suffering, setting your mind on things above, forgiveness\u2014-you may gain greater appreciation for his perspective.\u00a0It carries more power when a man in chains calls on you to let the peace of God rule in your heart and to be thankful.\u00a0What an incredible example!\u00a0<\/span>
\nOn this occasion of study, God, through Paul, taught me something about opportunity.\u00a0I read Colossians 4:2-4, which says, \u201cContinue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving, meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the\u00a0Word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.\u201d\u00a0I find that I pray frequently that God will help me to be a better Christian, wife, and mother; that He will help me to be a good example to people around me; and that He will help me to make good choices.\u00a0I recognize the importance of asking for His help in all that I do, but I discovered something else important in Paul\u2019s statement to his brothers and sisters in\u00a0Colosse.\u00a0He asked them to pray that God \u201cwould open a door.\u201d\u00a0He prayed for opportunity! His request was that God provide them with a situation where they might be able to speak to others about Christ.\u00a0I can\u2019t remember ever specifically asking God to present me with an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus\u2026but I will now, thanks to Paul\u2019s nearly 2000-year-old letter!\u00a0<\/span>
\nI believe asking for \u201copen doors\u201d in our personal prayers could be life\u00a0changing.\u00a0My only caution is, with the knowledge that \u201cwhatsoever you ask for in prayer, believing you might receive,\u201d\u00a0I need to\u00a0be ready to enter those doors when they begin to open!\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lori Boyd I love Paul\u2019s letters.\u00a0I learn something new every time I read one.\u00a0I find it amazing that words written by a man hundreds of years ago to struggling churches can still teach and encourage a thirty-eight-year-old mother of three sitting at\u00a0a kitchen table in Murfreesboro,\u00a0Tennessee. I am so thankful God gave us the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1206,1289,1226,171,1290],"class_list":["post-5669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-think-excerpts","tag-colossians","tag-february-2013","tag-lori-boyd","tag-paul","tag-solid-ground","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nOpen Doors - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/01\/06\/open-doors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Open Doors - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lori Boyd I love Paul\u2019s letters.\u00a0I learn something new every time I read one.\u00a0I find it amazing that words written by a man hundreds of years ago to struggling churches can still teach and encourage a thirty-eight-year-old mother of three sitting at\u00a0a kitchen table in Murfreesboro,\u00a0Tennessee. 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