AN OPEN DOOR FOR THE OVERCOMERS
By Pastor James Finn
“FOR A GREAT DOOR AND EFFECTUAL IS OPENED UNTO ME, AND
THERE ARE MANY ADVERSARIES.” 1 Corinthians 16:9.
[This is the hour of “Divine Intervention” in the Body of Christ. This is a time of great change and foment. The world situation
teeters upon the brink of upheaval and disaster. Surely, every true believer
in Jesus Christ needs to be “standing at attention,” and ready for command by the great Captain of our Salvation. There is a door open in this hour for the Overcomers, but we must be poised and ready
to quickly run through that door.]
The Apostle Paul lived, worked,
and ministered in the city of Ephesus for three years, during which time he raised up and established one of the greatest
churches in world history.
The heaven-sent revival which
swept through that City was so massive in its magnitude and effect; that it contributed largely to Ephesus becoming one of
the largest and most influential cities during that period, in all-the-world.
Paul was keenly aware that
a door had been opened unto him (an awesome door of gigantic proportions). In
his Scriptural narrative, he spoke of a door being “opened” unto him. The
Greek bears this out to mean: “A door has been specifically and uniquely opened unto me.” He continues to speak of this unique and unprecedented door as an “effectual door,” which in
the Greek, means: “a huge, massive, or imposing door.” The “kids”
of today, speak of things being “mega,” and this is precisely the word used here.
Paul portrayed this great door, not only as uniquely and specifically opened unto himself, but also in a large and
mighty manifestation; virtually unlimited in its capacity to afford entrance into a greater realm. In his description of this door, Paul uses the Greek word which means: “a door that is not just starting
to open or partially open, but rather, a door that has already been opened, and stands invitingly, wide-open. When Paul speaks of the “effectual door,” he employs the Greek word from which we derive the
word “energy.” Its use in this Scriptural narrative is to establish
that the door is forceful, effective, active, and powerful (there is nothing feeble, inept, or limited concerning this door).
In summary, this door was
significant and unique unto Paul; it was a great door; a door standing wide-open; and a door leading to vital, forceful, powerful
activity.
In the midst of vivid descriptors,
and weighty platitudes, coupled with a sincere thanks of gratitude for this door, Paul seems to be made suddenly aware that
as great as was this door, there was a dark cloud looming upon the horizon of his euphoria; as he realized that with this
door, came the unwelcome presence of adversaries. The Greek word used here is
a compound word, meaning: “to be against, with a vicious hatred and revenge, and also, the manner in which such hostility
was to be employed:” The second half of the word means: “to lurk stealthily, crouch in the shadows, and to lie
in wait.” A co-joining of these two words expresses (in the vernacular):
“There are negative forces lurking and sneaking around; lying in wait, just waiting for their opportunity to strike.” These are sneaky, sinister powers which lie in wait to deceive, pry, or steal away
the opportunities of others, in order to grab for themselves those things, for which others have so faithfully and patiently
toiled, and labored to achieve.
At any juncture in which we
may find ourselves standing before a rare and unprecedented door of opportunity; mark it and mark it well: There will be concurrently;
and often standing very near that same door, individuals with impure motives, jealousy, and unjustifiable animosity. Such persons will quickly appear on the scene to ascertain by what means they may
rob and steal the victory which rightfully belongs to others! Jealousy, greed,
and covetousness are unfortunate realities, which very often manifest in strange and surprising ways, in such circumstances.
In the event of a divinely
opened door of opportunity, in the life of Believers; and especially in the lives of sincere and determined Overcomers, such
dark and foreboding spectres, will at times encroach. Most appalling is the fact
that more often than not, the persons exhibiting such un-Christlike attitudes and behaviors, are indeed those who profess
to be Christian brothers and sisters; often parading themselves as “great ones,” or some sort of “elite,
select group of privileged and ascendant ones.” The previous sentence alone,
should serve as a clear indicator that those so described are anything but Christlike, and must be given at all times, a wide
berth! Paul warns of “false apostles” and “false brethren”
(2 Corinthians 11:13,26, Galatians 2:4). Our Lord Jesus warned most sternly of
“false prophets” lurking about “in sheep’s clothing...” (Matthew 7:15)
PLEASE LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION
TO THIS URGENT WARNING!
“BUT CALL TO REMEMBRANCE
THE FORMER DAYS, IN WHICH, AFTER YE WERE ILLUMINATED, YE ENDURED A GREAT FIGHT OF AFFLICTIONS.” (Hebrews 10:32).
The above is a companion Scripture
to the narrative concerning the “OPEN DOOR.”
There are three key words
contained in the above Scripture:
1. “Great:” In the Greek, this refers to something of gigantic
proportions, something super-mega, extremely formidable, and intimidating in its presence.
2. “Fight:” In the Greek, this word is the one from which
we derive “athlete.” It speaks of more than merely an erstwhile enthusiast
in physical culture, etc. This word speaks of one who is totally committed unto,
sold-out unto, and determined to excel at, a particular athletic activity or pursuit.
3. “Afflictions:” In the Greek, this word speaks of a particular
kind of suffering, which bears down heavily upon the emotions and the psyche of an individual in an attempt to rob him of
joy and expectation; bringing to bear depression, despair, and hopelessness! It
is a type of affliction which specifically attacks the mind and the emotions.
A vernacular paraphrase of
this verse would be: “After you have been illuminated and enlightened to see clearly, you began to encounter a colossal,
mega-sized series of events, which hurled into your pathway ordeals, which served to throw you into the fiercest battles and
conflicts ever to be faced in your life; the most critical and dangerous elements of which resulted from the unrelenting assaults,
which upon a daily basis, continued to buffet and torment your mind.”
So, my dearly beloved friends
and brothers in Christ, I speak to you as a father in the Faith, and leave with you this urgent treatise in a summarized form:
“After you received
clear vision and understanding concerning the open door, which our Lord has opened before you, you set yourselves to go through
that door, into the divinely ordained will and purpose of God, but you met with unexpected adversaries, who were very often
so deceptive and cunning, as to be little more than “wolves in sheep’s clothing;” (even though they professed
to be servants of the Lord Jesus). Severe battles ensued, such as you could hardly
think possible...etc...”
My prayers and encouraging
words to each of you are: As in the life of Paul, the vision will come; the will of the Father shall be known;
an open door shall be provided! The afflictions shall come in rapid succession,
and be potentially lethal in their severity, “...But the Lord delivereth him [and shall also deliver every one of you
who trust His grace] out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). “But the more
they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.” (Exodus 1:12).
SOME DIVINE PRINCIPLES
TO ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU, IN THE DAYS AHEAD:
1. How to master your present
is to enter your future.
2. Transition does not occur
when you decide to leave a season, but rather, when God decides that season to be over.
3. Transition is what God
uses to disconnect you from anything and anyone not assigned unto your future [according to and in alignment with the Scriptures
and our Lord’s perfect will].
4. Transition is the process
God uses to enlarge your capacity for increase; simply because your future will demand more of you than does your present.
5. The need for transition
is what you sometimes interpreted as failure, but which God foresaw as your opportunity.
6. The moment you cannot perceive
your future as being greater than anything the present affords, you will cling to the present, and keep those things which
you have; thereby aborting your future.
7. Your past does not owe
you an apology, so much as you owe your future an opportunity.
8. Stagnation is not the result
of where you now are, it is the result of that which you refused to leave.
9. Never fear the storm more
than you fear the absence of information.
10. Never fear the right people
leaving you, so much as you fear the wrong people staying with you.
11. In transition, you will
delay the entrance into a new season if you pause to wait and see who or what shall enter with you.
12. You must prune-back anything
that stagnates your movement, progress, and development.
13. There can not be growth without occasional pruning.
14. You will never have enough
right people around you to cover-up the mediocrity in your life.
15. In transition, you may
find yourself attempting to use your “faith” to obtain what you need, but God will be attempting to use your obedience
in order to give those things unto you.
16. The very moment you stay
somewhere past the expiration date, you will, by necessity, have to stay there alone.
17. God will sometimes allow you to be “burned,” so that you will quickly and willingly let go
of “the fire.”
18. It will take far less
energy to move to a new location, than it will, to adapt to a place; the time of which has expired.
19. If you do not discern
when a “brook” is drying-up, you will blame the dried-up brook on the enemy: (“He’s stealing my water,”
etc.). Or you will perceive it to be a time for fasting and praying, until God
puts water again into the brook: Both approaches are wrong!
20. Dried-up brooks are indicators
that a person needs movement and advancement, more than he needs warfare and contest.
21. If you have suffered failure
and/or betrayal, it is absolutely imperative to “bounce-back” quickly! If
you do not, your pain and heartache will shut the windows of opportunity, which God has opened for you, to lead you
forward, into a new day.
22. Never misinterpret the
place of “Becoming,” [Beginnings], as the place of “Conclusion.”
23. Some of the greatest revelations
you may receive, will not come from what has succeeded, but from what has failed.
My dear children, I leave
you with these words from the heart of a loving and concerned friend and brother in Christ.
In His glad service,
Pastor James Finn.
