The other day when thinking and listening to, and for the voice of the Lord, I heard in my spirit the word “ two doors”. During the next few days meditating on what these “doors” meant I remembered two scriptures about a door. One door – or opportunity – will bring negativity (sin) into your life, while the other will bring positive (faith) into your life. I really believe that God was impressing upon me the importance of how we are to respond to opportunities that are before us each day.

The negative opportunity will result in sin, sickness, disease, and poverty, and poor relationships, while the positive opportunity has its results in faith, healing, health prosperity, and wholeness in our lives. We must understand that the outcome isn’t dependent upon which opportunity is before – the outcome depends on our response to that specific opportunity!

How we answer those doors of opportunity will either cause us to doubt God’s Word and result in fear and loss of promised benefits of the Word, or cause us to believe God’s Word and result in strong faith to receive the promised benefits of His Word. One door is set to draw you away from God, while the other door is set to draw you toward God and His blessings.

It is interesting to note that how we answer each door determines the kind of result or fruit we will receive. In other words, it is possible to answer each door wrongly or correctly. How we answer determine the kind fruit we set in motion for our lives.

The first door that came to mind is found in chapter four of Genesis. Here, we read where Eve gave birth to her first son, Cain, and then a second son, Abel. This chapter reveals that in the process of time both came to give offerings to the Lord.  Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit from ground; and Abel brought an offering from the firstborn of his flock. Verse four tells us that the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but not Cain and his offering which resulted in Cain becoming angry.

God responded to Cain in verse seven, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Maybe Cain was jealous of Abel. Maybe Cain didn’t bring the best of the fruit of the ground to offer to God. In either case, or if for a different reason, Cain had allowed himself to become angry.

We learn from Proverbs 14:17 that a quick-tempered person acts foolishly. Proverb 14:29 agrees with this truth in teaching that a person who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly. For a third scripture, we are warned in Ecclesiastes 7:9  to not be hasty in our spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

As we continue to read in chapter four of Genesis, we see where Cain rose up again Abel and killed him. Cain had allowed his anger – regardless the reason – to rule his emotions and caused him to sin. This negative knocking of the door/opportunity is from the devil and sent to ensnare and trap us in disbelief and disobedience.

If we answer this first door wrongly, then the devil is given more opportunity to dominate us with his influence of fear, doubt, anger, jealously etc. BUT if we answer his knock to sin with the Word of God, then we overcome the temptations and walk in victory.

Now, for the second door. We find this door in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 3:14-20. God is talking to the church of the Laodiceans warning them that they are lukewarm; that they are to be zealous to repent. He tells them that He stands at the door and knocks. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him. And he with Me.

What I see in this verse is the truth that we need to heed how we are walking out our faith life. When we hear the Lord’s voice/knock, we are to answer with an invitation for Him to come into our everyday lives. This positive door/opportunity is from Jesus to set us free from the temptation to enter into sin.

If we answer this second door wrongly, then we are denying Christ the opportunity to bring us out in victory. BUT if we answer HIS knock correctly with faith in His Word, then we walk in victory over temptations and situations in our lives.

James 4:7 instructs us to submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from us. Learn to discern who is knocking at the door so you can respond correctly and live in victory.