Submitted by Pastor Mike Christian, Tarkio Assembly of God

Many years ago, during one of the most turbulent wars in the Middle East, a spy was captured. The general of the Persian army, a man of great intelligence and even compassion, had adopted an unusual custom for situations such as this. He permitted the prisoner to make the choice of either facing a firing squad or passing through the ‘black door.’

As the moment of the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a final interview.

The general asked the spy, “So, what shall it be? The firing squad or the black door?”

The prisoner hesitated for a few minutes and then made the choice of the firing squad. The spy was taken out into the courtyard and placed in front of the soldiers and their guns. Within a few seconds the guns sounded off, their shots announcing that the grim sentence had been fulfilled.

The general sadly stared down at his boots. After a minute or so, he looked up into the face of his young aide and said, “You see how it is with men? They will always prefer the known to the unknown, even if it means certain death. It is the characteristic of most people to be afraid of that which is undefined.”

The aide looked into the eyes of the general and asked, “What lies beyond the black door, my general?”

“Freedom!” the general replied. “Freedom! And in all my years, I’ve only known a few men who were truly brave enough to go through the black door.”

Friend, each and every day we face unknown things in this life. I understand that our choices may not always be a matter of life and death, but the fact remains, there’s not a day that goes by in which you and I don’t have to make choices of some kind. And some of the choices we make will sometimes have an effect on whether or not we live a life of success, a life in which we experience true freedom.

There is a door that stands before us, that if opened, will give us a wonderful opportunity to experience and live a life that is filled with success and true freedom. This door is the door to our heart and soul.

Listen to what it says in Revelation 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.”

My friend, this ‘door’ is one that only you and I can open. No one else can do it for us. It is we who must hear the voice of the Lord, and respond by opening the door to our hearts, our souls, our life. Jesus is standing right there in front of the door and He wants us to let Him come in!

Jesus wants to be that friend that sticks closer than a brother. He wants to become an intimate friend and a vital part of our lives on a daily basis. He wants to be more than a Christmas or Easter Lord. Jesus wants to be Lord of your and my life all the time!

He wants to become our friend, our Lord, our intercessor, and most of all – our Savior. But before this can take place, we must first open the door to our heart.

Once we open that door we will begin to experience the fullness of joy, the abundance of blessings, the presence of His Holy Spirit, the power and majesty, and the glory of our God.

There is nothing on the other side of the door to fear. So, instead of choosing the path that leads to certain eternal death, let us be brave enough, filled with enough faith, to open the door that will allow Jesus to come into our heart and soul. Then, we will know what it means to truly be set free!

Jesus is saying . . . “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” ~ Revelation 3:20

May the Lord bless and keep you in the palm of His almighty hand!