Try The Door

Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist, use to issue a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free in short order. He had always kept his promise, that is until one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy metal doors clanged shut behind him. He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For thirty minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after laboring for two hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! You see, IT HAD NEVER BEEN LOCKED AT ALL!  But in his mind, it was locked, and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell.
 
Some of you may be shut tight in a cell of your own making. The prison is a blockhouse of “I can’t”, “I am too fat”, “too old”, “too ugly”, ‘too poor”, “dumb”, or simply to0 this or to that.” I pray that today you will challenge the door that holds you fast. With God’s help, you can be set free!
 
One of my favorite verses of Scripture is Philippians 4:13. It says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Think with me. “I can...through Christ.” “I can through Christ who gives me strength.”
 
Someone once noted, “Christ does not do everything for the believer; neither does the believer do everything for himself. Both Christ and the believer have a part in conquering circumstances. The believer declares, ‘I can,’ and he gets up and faces the circumstances head on. It is then that Christ steps in and strengthens the believer. Christ infuses strength into the believer while the believer is tackling the problem.”
 
2 Corinthians 12:9 confirms, “… for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
 
Psalm 40:17 adds in The Living Bible, “I am poor and weak, yet the Lord is thinking about me right now! O my God, you are my helper. You are my Savior; come quickly and save me. Please don’t delay!”

Hear me, please. With Jesus, you can. Now go try to door.

The Redeemed Team