Revelation 3:7 says “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open”.
You and I walk through doors every day; our bedroom door, the bathroom door, our front door. Some doors are even bigger, such as a new career, starting a family, or re-establishing yourself in a new town, perhaps just in a new church. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself what demeanor, what spirit, are you bringing through that open door? Do people see courage? Do they see fear? Do they see your confidence or your frustration? Inevitably and most importantly, do they see the Holy Spirit coming through the door with you, in you?
This race, my journey to share the gospel through Latin America, is one of the biggest doors God opened for me. However, it wasn’t until this month in Bolivia that I actually walked through it, literally, with the Holy Spirit.
One of my fellow squad mates, Schuylar, who I have had the pleasure of serving alongside this month at a house for couples recovering from substance abuse, asked me “Isa, do you realize your attitude is contagious? I don’t want to put pressure on you, but God’s given you the gift of influencing others just by your presence. When you walk into the room burdened, the whole room becomes heavy. And when you walk into the room cheerful, I can’t help but smile because of you. That’s a pretty special gift, but it comes with a lot of responsibility too. Please know that I don’t expect you to be joyful 100 percent of the time, but your joy goes a long way and it changes the atmosphere around you. I challenge you to think about the impact God can make on others with this powerful of a gift.”
I haven’t just thought about it, I’ve prayed about it, I’ve fasted, I’ve even cried because I knew I wasn’t walking through each and every door God’s opened for me with a spirit of joy, confidence and sincere love. And I cry still because I want you to see the Holy Spirit in me so badly. Not because I want you to like me but because I want you to fall in love with God. That is my deepest prayer and only desire. I want to shine so brightly for the Lord that there is no room for darkness around me, I want the joy I have in the Holy Spirit to overflow so abundantly that you are guaranteed to experience it, and I want you to know that no one loves you more than our Heavenly Father.
It breaks my heart that I haven’t brought the spirit of joy, confidence and sincere love into your life every time I walk into a room. That includes when I walk through my parent’s front door, when I call my sister in Queens, when I step onto the softball field, when I sit down in a pew or participate in life groups, and when I serve alongside my squad mates, especially my team, Alegria. I’ve let frustration, fear, doubt, anger and insecurity trump positivity, confidence, joy, trust and faith too many times.
Thankfully, God gives grace. He has given me so much grace, lifted me up and brushed off the dirt on my spirit and asked me to try again. He offers the same grace to you. Revelation 3:8 continues, “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
Let me repeat: “See, I have placed before you an open door that NO ONE can shut”. The door is still open. God wants us to live in positivity, confidence, joy, trust and faith. Moreover, he wants us to share it with each other and with everyone in the room.
Are you ready to walk into the room with courage, with bold faith, with the Holy Spirit? I am. I hope you will join me.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7
