1. We shouldn’t always wait for God to open doors because many opportunities are within the walls; they require “genuine effort”. Christianity often suggests that “if God is in it, it comes easily” (pg 183). Therefore, when we struggle with something, we assume that God isn’t in it or we are pursuing the wrong thing. Have you ever struggled through a situation wondering if God was in it? Have you ever given up because the way was too tough? If God speaks through open doors and sometimes through walls, how do we know it’s Him?
2. Has God ever asked you “what are you doing here”? Many of us settle for mediocre, average lives, but God has called us to so much more. “The solution is to stop running and hiding from God and to listen once again to His voice. Wherever you are, God will find you. This is not a threat: this is a promise”. “When we run from His purpose, we run from His presence” (pg 189). Could this be why He feels so distant at times and we aren’t hearing His voice clearly? Do you often feel like God isn’t there?
3. McManus discusses the story of Elijah (1 Kings 19). Sometimes we must take a few steps back before we can see the light. Describe a time in your life when God had you go back before moving forward. Sometimes our efforts cause backward movement even when we feel we are moving in the right direction. “Are you willing to do the right things even if the result is decline?” (pg 192)
Challenge: Are you willing to bear the initial impact of following Christ alone? What are you running from because you are afraid that God will not come through or you will be alone in the journey? Pray that God will give you the courage to step out and take a leap of faith. “Whenever we are willing to bear the initial impact, whenever we choose to seize those divine moments whatever the cost, we create the opportunity for God to make visible the invisible, for God to shake things up, for God to make Himself known” (pg 202).
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