We must be careful not to just jump in when we see an open door because we don’t know what is behind the door, and who is enthroned as lord therein.

Revelation 4:1-2 tells us of a door opened by God into His presence – After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

As the devil and his camp sometimes open counterfeit doors, we must wake up spiritually. We can’t keep treating everything through our natural, fleshly nature because the flesh does not bring us worthwhile rewards (see John 6:63). We must seek (the intention of and benefit to) God’s Kingdom first as we go through doors of advancement.

We are not liked by the devil who is our enemy, and he doesn’t want us to finish well. It is therefore better that when we are going through tough times, we do not stay away from the presence of God. The Lord never leaves us; we are the ones who keep moving away as we have the tendency to put career and other things first.

As seen in 1 Kings 3, King Solomon realised that he was a man of little or no power and wisdom without God. By not putting his hope in his status as a ‘great’ earthly king, he displayed humility and love for the Lord. Solomon also walked in the legacy of his father David in that he obeyed the Word of God. For us to advance, we must love the Lord like Solomon did.

King David left a legacy for Solomon to build the temple of the Lord, and he provided the materials. Parents, what are we telling our children to do for the Lord?

Job fasted for his children but when disaster struck they were the first to be harmed. Children, it is important to walk in the instructions of the Lord laid out by your parents. Solomon walked with the Lord but when he started to depart from the Lord he finally ended up depressed. This same king once offered acceptable sacrifices to the Lord, according to his ability; and slept in the temple of the Lord because he kept serving the Lord throughout the night.

Where are you today? Are you in a hurry to leave the presence of the Lord?

After you serve God, mind where you go afterwards. We must dwell in the house of the Lord. We must rest in there. When we stay there, we must also discover our relevance through maturity. To mature and eat ‘tough meat’, we must get our ‘wisdom tooth’ and stop drinking ‘milk’ (see 1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12).

We can learn from three things King David did that enabled him to advance:

1. He walked in truth – no lies, no deception
2. He walked in righteousness
3. He walked in uprightness of heart

When a door opens before you, you need to go back to the Lord and ask Him for the next step. Sit down and wait upon Him. Find out if the decision you are about to take is going to bring God glory or shame. That way you won’t suffer loss or disgrace. When you don’t know what to do next, you must tell the Lord “I don’t know what to do from this point onward”. The motive behind your asking the Lord is very important. If you tell him that it’s for His Kingdom’s sake and you begin to do it for another reason, He will pull the rug from underneath your feet.

The Lord is saying come up here. In this Month of Advancement, we can only go upward, sideways – (left or right) and forward but never backward or downwards.

This is one month that our words must be backed up by our actions. It’s a Month of Resurrection. The doors that the Lord opened unto us will never be shut again. (See Revelation 3:8)

Adapted from a sermon preached on 2 April 2017 at De-Vine Sanctuary