Have you ever walked into a closed door? It’s painful!
I think we can all agree — it’s much easier to walk through an open door than a closed one. But maybe you feel like closed doors have been the story of your life:
- That relationship didn’t work out.
- You didn’t get the promotion you wanted.
- Your business idea fell flat.
- Another financial setback hit you out of nowhere.
- You’re still not sure which direction to take.
If that’s you, you’re not alone. Even the Apostle Paul faced closed doors in life — and he was one of the most influential missionaries in history!
In the book of Acts, Paul goes from trying to destroy the church to building it with everything he has. But in Acts 16:6-10, we see something surprising: the Holy Spirit actually stopped Paul and his team from preaching in certain places. They tried to go into Bithynia, but “the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”
Eventually, Paul received a vision calling him to Macedonia — and that’s where the gospel spread into Europe. The point? Paul didn’t stop moving, but he didn’t force the doors open either. He trusted that God would reveal the right path at the right time.
God’s will always answer you with a yes, no, or not right now.
The hardest part is the waiting—those silent seasons when you’re not sure what to do next. The question is, how can we make the will of God a way of life even in those times?
Here are five ways you can make the will of God a way of life:
1. Ask God for His Will for Your Whole Life
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). How much of God’s will is done in heaven? 100%. That’s how much we should want in our lives.
Too often, we make our own plans first and then ask God to bless them — like praying to win the $1.8 billion lottery, dreaming about how you’ll spend the money, and adding God at the end like an addendum to the clause. What God wants even more than our plans is for us to walk in his will.
2. Ask God to Open and Close Doors
Sometimes we try to beat down the doors God has closed. Instead, pray, “Lord, close every door I’m not supposed to walk through and open every door You want me to step into.”
Revelation 3:7 reminds us that Jesus does just that: “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” If you’ve been facing closed doors, take heart — God is not ignoring you. He is guiding you.
3. Align Your Life with God’s Word
Have you ever driven a car that’s out of alignment? It shakes and pulls, and you end up off course. Life is the same way. Nothing works properly when you’re out of alignment.
God’s will always lines up with God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If you’re not in the word of God, you will never truly live in the will of God. Which means you’re out of alignment.
4. Trust that God’s Plan is Better
God’s will isn’t meant to derail your life — it’s meant to transform it. Romans 12:2 says His will is “good, pleasing, and perfect.” Even painful seasons can lead to blessings you could never have imagined.
Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” He has a good, pleasing, and perfect will for your life. Trust in that.
5. Surround Yourself with People Who Want God’s Will
Paul didn’t travel alone. He surrounded himself with people seeking God’s direction. We need those kinds of voices in our lives too — friends who will point us toward God’s plan instead of pulling us away from it (Proverbs 19:20-21).
Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Let’s live like that — not chasing our own agenda but walking in His will every day.
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