Knocking on Heaven’s Door

How many doors have you opened today?

For the past week or so I’ve been giving a lot of thought about doors, all sorts of doors and how much they are a part of our lives. 

On a “normal” day, did you realize that the average person opens and closes a door at least ten times (even more depending on the event). 

For example, in many parts of the world, this is a busy day with neighborhood kids knocking on doors for a special treat. All that knocking can add up to a pretty good amount of door functioning. 

If we were to total our low average door activity for one year, it would be 3,650 times we placed our hand on a doorknob.  Think about the amount of doors you use each day.  There are entrance doors to the home, bedrooms, bathrooms, garages, closets, pantries, basements, etc.  You get the point.

Over the course of a lifetime of approximately 70 years our door visits add up to 255,500. Let’s not forget that this total doesn’t include out of the home door visits as in shopping, doctor appointments or any other place we may go that includes opening a door.  Figuring in those totals we could see upward of one million doors we face in our lifetime.  In the words of Mayberry's Gomer Pyle, "Makes ya think."

You would assume that being familiar with a simple thing as a door, we wouldn’t have a problem approaching them would you?  Awe, but there is one door that many have never faced. 

Welcome new friends this week from:

See if your city/state/country made the list. 

New on DFB – Bangladesh; Netherland Antilles; Tel Aviv, Israel;  Swan View, WA, Australia; Bridgewater, NS, Canada; Burgess Hill, England, UK;  Kranj, Bohinj, Slovenia; Orillia, ON, Canada; Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand; Davao City, Philippines; Larnaca, Cyprus; Comayagua, Honduras; Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan; Cannock, England, UK; Kaiserslautern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; Sarcelles, Ile-de; France, France; Surat, Gujarat, India; Kuwait; Malaysia.

USA – Madisonville, TN; Dahlgren & Broadway, VA; Margate City & Glassboro NJ; East Berlin& Sharpsville, PA; Fairmont, WV; Lubbock & Weslaco, Texas; Raleigh, NC; Saint Paul, MN; Security, CO; Youngstown, OH; Mitchell, SD, Bell Gardens, CA, Smyrna, DE; Portage, MI; Clovis, CA; Ballston Spa, NY; Zebulon, NC; Hialeah, FL;  Chester, MD; Grove City, PA.

New Jersey – Margate City, Glassboro, Woodbury, Sewell, Franklinville, Vineland, Millville, Mullica Hill, Williamstown, Swedesboro, Elmer, Newfield, Turnersville, Bridgeton, Pittsgrove Twsp., Deptford, Mantua, Cherry Hill, Dumont, Tuckerton, East Orange, Alloway, Sicklerville, Monroeville, Marlton, Gibbstown.

If I left anyone out please let me know.  Thank you for your continued support and sharing this Outer Journey on Daily Favor.  (DFB - Daily Favor Blog) 

You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.  All are private. I would love to hear from you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.  Contact me by leaving a message in the box at the bottom of this week’s post. 

Don't miss out on this week's challenge (below).

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Doors Are Passages

While my husband was in physical rehab this week I took advantage of a conference room that was adjacent to the facility.  It’s a quiet place that has a large table for me to do research. I like to use that room whenever it is available.

Spreading out all my materials I settled in for some serious writing.  It didn’t take but a minute, literally for me to stop what I was doing after noticing the word “knock.”  I don’t know why that word put a halt to my research, but it did. 

Out of curiosity I looked up a few passages in the Bible regarding that word and got some insight to what the Lord was revealing to me. 

Glancing around that small area (maybe 30’ x 40’) there are eight doors.  In one hour about twenty people entered or left the room through one of those doors.  No one looked frightened or apprehensive about using them either.  They are simply a passageway to another place.

Another Kind of Knocking

Traveling around town I have seen some very strange and bizarre things that people chose to display for the first big fall holiday. Some I can’t even look at they are so scary.

King Belshazzar: Rembrandt-Feast-of-Balthazar

Have you ever been so frightened that your knees knocked?  More than likely even if it didn’t happen to you, that phrase is familiar.

I remember a passage in the Bible when King Belshazzar was so freaked out by a strange sight that his face changed colors, his hip joints shook out of their sockets and his knees knocked against each other.  Talk about rattling bones!

When the King saw fingers writing on the wall (another catchy phrase … “the handwriting on the wall”) you can be sure he wished there was a body attached to that hand. (Daniel 5:6)

Anyone there? Will you answer My knock?

God was giving Belshazzar a message in an unconventional way, but all the same, He was knocking on the heart of a king to take notice of what was about to happen. 

When the Lord wants to reveal something to us, He “knocks” on our heart door in hope that we will open it and let Him inside us.

“Behold, I Jesus stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

There are times when the Lord uses other methods to get someone’s attention like in Belshazzar’s case, but now we have His Word.  I believe that this has been a time when God has tried to get you to open the door of your heart to Him.  He has been placing people and things in your path but you haven’t gotten the message.

Maybe you’re knees have been knocking because you are afraid to approach the throne of Grace, but God wants you to know that He is waiting at the door for you.  All you have to do is open it like you have to so many other things in your life.

Keep at it …

Ask, Seek, Knock

We are at the point of our outward journey where we should be continually at Heaven’s door asking, seeking and knocking for God to reveal our next steps. 

Jesus has given us permission to approach His Kingdom door.  In the Bible He spoke these very words:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 & Luke 11:9-10 NKJV) 

In other words, God wants us to stay at the gate and keep asking, seeking and knocking until we know His will for our journey. There’s nothing spooky or scary about the Lord wanting to get a message to you.  He’ll use whatever method it takes to get us to listen, so why not open the door to the prompting of the Holy Spirit?

The Other Side of the Door

When we were children our parents taught us to be careful not to open the door of our homes to strangers, no matter how convincing they sounded.  If someone we didn’t recognize knocked on our door a flag would go up alerting us to danger.

Who are you? What do you want?

As we have grown that practice has not been kept, and many times as adults we have opened doors that we wished remained closed.

Unfortunately, there is another one who has been knocking on our heart’s door and many have given him easy access by their “ghoulish” activities. 

Of course, I’m referring to letting satan have entrance to our heart through the gateways of our ears, eyes and actions.

If we allow satan to come in through the gates in our life, he will undoubtedly be seeking and knocking on our heart door until he wears us down emotionally.  When that door is opened, it’s hard to close without a struggle.  That’s why it’s vital we know who is on the other side of the door.

Door #?

Pick a door any door ... but be careful.

There have been occasions when I have spent more time knocking on the door to Heaven in seeking God for His grace, mercy and favor regarding a situation in my life.  Recently it seems to be non-stop as I seek direction for my own journey.  

I feel as if I’m on a game show having to pick what’s behind a door and selecting the wrong one each time.  Conversations tend to be three fold … God, myself and the devil saying pick a door! 

On one side of a door I’m writing and teaching about the favor of God.  The reverse side pleas are going toward Heaven’s door while trying to avoid opening door number three – satan’s.

The Door All Face

Wait, I believe, let me in,
please God!

There will come a time in our life that this journey will end and there will be one more door.  Some call it death’s door, but for believer’s it will be the door to eternal life.  This time it will be us standing outside Heaven’s door and asking God for entrance into His home. 

For those who have already trusted Him as their Lord and Savior here on earth, the door will never be closed, because the gates have already been opened to us.

Those who refused to open their heart door to Christ here on earth will have His Heaven door shut to them forever.

There are no second chances once your journey here on earth is completed.

Look at what Jesus Himself said to those who think differently,

“When once the Master of the house (Jesus) has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,” and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you…” (Luke 13:25 NKJV)

On October 31^st, this day of celebration, many fail to realize how dark the world really is.  They don’t see things as they really are because satan has convinced them that his door leads to happiness, when in fact it leads to death. The deceiver has believers so smoked that they revel in festivities and decorating for satan more than they do the birth of Christ or His resurrection.  It is the number one celebrated holiday for American’s.

Hanging skeletons from a tree, ghosts, RIP signs scattered throughout a yard is a door that Christian’s have opened to the devil, and he has them trapped in thinking these things are OK and glorify the Lord.  If the devil can keep people on death’s side, they will never see God's door or experience eternal life. 

When did these things become true, noble, just, good, lovely, praiseworthy, virtuous or pure?  Aren’t we supposed to think on these things instead, as Christ said? (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

“Every choice we make is a door.”

God has given fall as the season of harvest, blessing and favor, but we cannot expect Him to open those doors of Heaven to us if we insist on hiding behind satan’s door thinking it’s OK for believers.  It’s time to close that door beloved and never open it again.

Are you ready to hear Jesus say, “I don’t know you” because you disregarded His door and walked through another based on society or worldly traditions?

What’s Behind Heaven’s Door?

My mother used to tell us kids that we couldn’t visit a place too often or we would wear out our welcome. Have you found this to be true?

It's me. I'm here again Lord ..

The great thing about making a connection to God’s place is that you can never wear out your welcome.  You can keep talking and He will continue to listen, answer prayers and ask you to stay in fellowship with Him no matter how many times you need to knock on His door.

When I first became a worship leader I spent many more hours than usual in my prayer closet; sometimes it was on my knees, others walking around my property.  What I found was that when I knocked on Heaven’s door, even if I didn’t get quick answers to my questions, there was always a peace that fell on me once inside.

No matter what I bring before the Lord, my concerns never fall on deaf ears. I can expect His mercy and blessings on those I’ve brought before Him, then thank Him for His unlimited favor that surrounds me. 

So I’m going to keep knockin’...

This Week’s Challenge:

Knock on Heaven’s Door

It would be easy for me to say that this week we’re all going to knock on the door to Heaven and ask God for whatever …, but that’s not our assignment.

Many of you will have lots of visitors this weekend or perhaps you are planning on attending an event.  That’s where our challenge lies; bring someone to Heaven’s door.  It’s a door they may have never faced.

One time I had the opportunity to bring someone to the threshold of Christ’s door at a Christmas party.  I had people tell me it wasn’t the time, but it was for that young lady. Her life changed that day because the Holy Spirit used me to show her the door to Heaven. It’s a day I’ll never forget.

With a soul in mind, ask God for guidance in directing you to the person He wants to bring to His door this week.  I know He will, because I have already prayed for you in this matter.  Thank and praise Him for His favor in selecting you to be the Light for this person and allowing you to take part in their journey to Him.

Hear me Lord I’m knockin’ on Heaven’s door!
I keep talking ‘cause You answer, Lord
So be listenin’ for me …

Click on the word link for just the feature song.

Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Avalon (with lyrics)

 This is part of the Album.  Feature song is at 4:30 seconds.

Until next time, you’ll find favor at Heaven’s door.

“Welcome to my house, Come on in.”

– Jesus Christ

What's New this Week: Knocking on Heaven’s Door    

Music Download from Avalon

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Scripture reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by Bible Gateway
Image credit: Google Images Creative Common License if not specified.
Image: Doors  Rembrandt-Balthazar  Jesus   Ask  Stranger  3 Doors  Pulling Door  Heaven's Door  Knock  Teens
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Revised: 3/30/17; 6/10/17; 3/2019