6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
This is one of those curious verses for me. We see that Paul and his companions are kept from preaching in a particular province. They obviously wanted to go there and share the Gospel. Their desire was a good one. They wanted those people to hear the Good News. But somehow the Holy Spirit said, “No.” We don’t know the reason for this direction from God. We know that later Paul went there and preached. Perhaps, the timing was the issue. Paul did not take the closed door as something to be prayed against as many in the American church are inclined to do. They knew it was a closed door directed by the Holy Spirit. Closed doors can be God’s direction for us as well. And open doors don’t have to be walked through. Paul was in touch with the Holy Spirit and obeyed His direction. There are no rules about doors of this kind. Only connection with the Holy Spirit can determine if the door is to be walked through. He will let you know, just as He let Paul and his companions know. We must be listening! We must be in relationship with the Lord. Our ears and hearts must be open to know what direction He wants us to move. In a few years I will retire from my current ministry position. At the present point I see so many doors that could be open for further ministry. I will need to be listening to know which doors to walk through. So I am practicing listening right now, so that I learn to know His voice and can discern His will. You too can practice listening today. Maybe the decisions are not big decisions, but practice listening. Some of the small decisions can be used by the Lord to do great things in other’s lives, and your life as well.
The Arnold Journey 