How to Know if the Door is Open or Closed

It is easy to tell if a door is open or closed, but there are other doors in life that are not easy to know if they are open or closed; doors of opportunity, doors of ministry, doors of relationships and other doors. There have been doors in my life that have opened or closed and I have wondered if the door that I expected to open up was closed by God or has the enemy, the devil closed the door. Inversely, a door could be opened by God or it could be a door of temptation or wrong direction that the devil has opened.

A door could be closed by the devil that he does not want us to go through and we need to push open through perseverance. But, it would be frustrating and even disobedient to try and push open a door that God has closed.

The Bible records a time that God closes a door of ministry to the apostle Paul.
Acts 16:7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
Paul also wrote of a time he knew that God opened a door.
1 Corinthians 16:8-9 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

I have shared in a previous blog  the  five ways that God guides us taken from the ALPHA course.
The same five can help us answer the following question:
How can a person know if it is God that has opened or closed a door?
1.       Scripture – it agrees with the Bible
2.       Spirit – The Holy Spirit speaks to you in prayer and through your thoughts
3.       Sense – It does not conflict with common sense
4.       Saints – other Christians confirm
5.       Signs – there are circumstantial signs that indicate the door is closed or open

What have you found helpful determining if a door is open or closed by God?
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