How Do You Know If GOD Closed the Door? John Giftah | Biblical Teaching

0:01 Speaker 1: Do you ever look around and think, Wow, the world is a crazy place and it just seems to get crazier and crazier. Ease your mind and take a break. This is Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. We're a hub for inspirational Christian sermons, practical keys for Christian living, in Christian discussions and interviews. You'll be inspired to live the life that you were created for. Your host is a top ranking podcaster, best selling author, world record holder, aerospace engineer, life coach, evangelist, and founder of John Gifta International.

0:41 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fuel for the Soul with John.

0:44 Speaker 2: Gifta, helloveryone. Welcome to this edition of the Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta Podcast. It's such a joy for me to join you guys today as you were to have checked out that this week, we're doing a series where we're looking at various lessons that we can take away from the incident recorded in Acts chapter twelve. Okay, we're just looking at the first five verses and there's so much to unpack and so much to learn. Yes, the thing I want you to understand, to give you context of what the situation is about, is that King Herod has just arrested Peter, all right, he has just arrested Apostle Peter, and he wants to kill the Apostle Peter, just like he just killed Apostle James.

1:20 Speaker 2: And he's the thing I wanted to understand. The verse five says that church prayed very earnestly for Peter. The church prayed very earnestly for Peter. Now here's the thing I wanted to understand. Right, the Church did not pray for James's resurrection, but they prayed for Peter's release. Have you ever thought about this? Because the resurrection was still part of the Acts, because it still happens even today, guys, in case you're not aware, in not just in the charismatic circles, but resurrection of the death happens even today.

1:53 Speaker 2: But here's the thing. Resurrection was still part of the Book of Acts, right, even the Apostle Paul was able to resurrect a dead boy. So resurrection is still part of this. And here's the thing I wanted to understand. The Church do not pray for James's resurrection, but they prayed for Peter's release. Have you ever thought about why? Here's the thing This is a very important lesson for us to learn right. The lesson is how to differentiate between a contented door and a closed door, because if you do not know this, you will always struggle.

2:27 Speaker 2: You will not know which one to fight for, which one to move on knowing it's a closed door. Because if you do not know that, you will always struggle. And that is what you need to understand. How did the church know that the apostle James was a closed door? How did the church know that the apostle Peter was a contented door that they need to pray for earnestly and not think that it's also a closed door. Very simple when you look at the gospel, according to John chapter twenty one, when you look at verses eighteen to nineteen, that's a moment when Jesus is talking to the apostle Peter, and this is what Jesus is telling him, all right, He says, truly, I tell you, when you are younger, you dress yourself and when where you want it.

3:10 Speaker 2: But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you to where you do not want to go. And verse nineteen says this, okay, power for Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Now listen to it. Scafley, I want you to highlight the word where Jesus spoke to Peter and said, when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone will else will dress you and lead you to places you don't want to go. So Jesus was saying to Peter, you will be dying as an old man.

3:42 Speaker 2: So there was a divine word, a word of promise, a word from the Lord saying that Peter would not die now, but he would die as an old man. See. I want you to understand. The key to differentiate between a closed door and a contented door is to get to the place where you're so intimate in your walk with the Lord, when you are so close to the Lord, when you can hear the voice of God, when you are able to discern the wine counsel, then you will know that this was a closed door. James is a close door.

4:15 Speaker 2: I don't know who needs to hear that. Some of you are still trying to fight for those which God has closed. Stop expecting your James to raise back to life. Change is a closed door. At the same time, some of you, I've given up on doors that God wants you to fight for. Oh Peter, he's also gone in the same direction as James. No, God is asking you today to understand that this is not a close door. This is a contented door that you need to fight for, but prayer by taking authority. So today my challenge is the same way the Church operated from a place where they knew the difference between a closed door and a contented door because they were in sync with what the Lord was doing, what the Lord has, and what the Lord was showing.

5:02 Speaker 2: Today, I pray in every area of your life, the Lord will show you you know what this relationship is a closed door, move on from it. This particular opportunity is a contented door. Fight for it. The Lord is reminding you. So when you operate in sync with that, that's when you will see the hand of God leading you through the best part for your life. I really challenge you to leave a comment if you're checking this out on YouTube, and I want you to share this with someone so that you will be able to encourage them and bless them their walk as well.

5:32 Speaker 2: Ahmed, see you next time. God bless you.

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