Dear Lyfteenites,
Let me say it plainly: not every open door is meant to be entered. It is with a burden in my spirit that I write you this letter.
Some doors swing wide with bright lights and loud applause, but behind them is a room full of shadows. Others look small and quiet, almost embarrassing to choose, yet that’s where peace, growth, and purpose are waiting.
I know how it feels when life throws open doors at you: a friendship that finally accepts you (but normalises what keeps your heart restless), a relationship that makes your phone buzz all night (but drains your joy during the day), a “quick money” gig online (but asks you to post what you don’t believe in either on TikTok or Snapchat, etc.), or a scholarship that sounds prestigious (but quietly nudges you away from the thing God wired you to love).
Real Talk
Clara got invited to an “after-party” with some classmates. The door was open; no one even checked IDs. She walked in, felt important… and walked out with a secret she now had to carry and a kind of silence that made her prayers feel heavy.
Tobi landed a brand deal to promote a product he didn’t use and didn’t know the aftereffect of. The money was real. The contract was real. But so was the knot in his stomach. He said yes because it felt like a breakthrough. Months later, he wished the door had never opened and that he’d had the courage to decline such an offer.
Amara won a scholarship to study something that “looked good,” but every day in class felt like sand in her mouth. She finally paused, prayed, spoke to mentors, and turned it down. Painful? Yes. Pointless? Not at all; another door opened later that matched her calling, and this time she walked into the open door with peace instead of panic.
"The Israelites experienced these when, in Joshua 9 from verse 3, the Israelites were misled by the Gibeonites into making a covenant with them. Even though the Gibeonites' offer seemed like an "open door," the Israelites were bound by a covenant that was not in their best interests since they did not seek God's wisdom."
Open doors can also be a distraction from other people. It could seem like a nice door, but it prevents you from seizing the chances that God has assigned you. Open doors can also serve as Satan's traps. A trapdoor is opened whenever we view our future from our angle, instead of God's. Considering our destiny from God's perspective requires caution.
How then do you know which door is yours? Try these simple checks:
Peace test: Does this door bring a deep, steady peace, or only adrenaline and anxiety? (Philippians 4:6–7)
Value test: Do I have to dim my convictions to stay inside this room? (Proverbs 4:23)
Purpose test: Does this align with who God is shaping me to become, or does it distract me from it? (Proverbs 3:5–6)
Community test: What do wise, spiritually grounded people in my life think about this door? (Proverbs 11:14)
Fruit test: If I keep walking down this corridor, what kind of fruit will it bear in 6 months or even a year? (Matthew 7:16)
Sometimes the scariest obedience is saying “no” to what everyone else is saying “yes” to. Lot chose the greener land because it looked like the best door (Genesis 13), but it came with a cost. The narrow gate rarely has a line in front of it (Matthew 7:13–14).
If you’re standing in front of an open door right now, and you feel torn, here’s a prayer you can whisper:
“Lord, I don’t want every door, just Yours alone. Give me clarity where I’m confused, courage where I’m pressured, and peace where I’m afraid. Close what needs closing. Highlight what is mine. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
I’m rooting for your courage, not your comfort. For your calling, not your clout.
With love and truth,
Lyfteen Hub
Talk to me:
What “open door” are you standing in front of right now, and what do you honestly feel in your gut about it? Drop a comment. Let’s discern it together.
P.S. If you need help praying through a decision, tell me. I’ll stand at the doorway with you until you know which way to walk.
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