Action Steps to Open Doors

March 23, 2018

But I [Paul] will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:8-9, 13-14

1. TO GET STRONG SEEK GOD. “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1b NKJV). Life is at its best when we walk with the Lord. In King David’s moments of challenge, he did not disengage or go on autopilot. Instead He “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). That God is our God and He is the same faithful, strengthening God for us today as he was for David.

2. TO INCREASE FAITH WALK IN LOVE. “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love” (Galatians 5:6 AMP). Faith works through love! That’s how people will know we are Christians – by our love for each other (John 13:35). Disagreements and arguments come, but we can’t go wrong if we lift up Jesus and cover one another in love.

3. TO BE READY RENEW YOUR HEART. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9). Lethargy and numbness can creep up and make us not ready for the doors God opens. That’s why we must continually renew our hearts through prayer, by getting in the Word, by taking time to encourage someone else, and by praising God.

Press on,
Pastor Jeff

DAILY CONFESSION: THE ARMOR OF GOD
I am strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. I put on the full armor of God, so that I will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. I stand my ground and put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the peace that comes from the Gospel. I take up the shield of faith with which I will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And I put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which is God’s Word. And I stay alert and persistent in my prayers for all believers everywhere and pray at all times in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-18).

ac·tion, noun
Organized activity to accomplish an objective. Habitual or vigorous activity; energy.

Copyright © 2018 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Web. 20 March. 2018. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.