How do you tell the difference between God shutting a door and the Enemy trying to derail your efforts? This spiritual conundrum strikes all believers from time to time. You ask the Lord to lead you in a new venture, and then the doors open, which leads you to believe He has blessed it. But as you move forward, the circumstances begin to unravel. You question who is causing the circumstances to deteriorate? Is God pulling the reins, or is Satan creating stumbling blocks? We’ve all been there.

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Some of you know I have started a book project on Living Giving titled, Only One Life to Give. A couple of months ago, my writing coach suggested I start a pilot group to test some of my ideas. She recommended no more than three to five people meet with me once a month, which sounded reasonable. She also suggested I invite the right people, i.e. committed Christians, who had a written budget, were willing to meet once a month, and were willing to give me feedback.

I jumped on the idea, assuming God was in this because I pray over my writing ministry and book project daily. I stepped out in faith, extending an invitation to potential pilot group members through my blog. Within days of publishing, I heard from five people. Two of them bemoaned the fact that they weren’t eligible because they didn’t have a written budget. The other three were anxious to start and wanted to go on the Living Giving journey with me.

The four of us decided that Monday evenings worked best and set our launch date for January 26^th. On the morning of our scheduled meeting, “Sue” emailed me wondering if she missed my web link and call in number. I informed her that the group email would go out shortly and that she had not missed anything. But when evening came, I was the only person on the line at the appointed time! I waited on the phone for twenty minutes, wondering if my email had malfunctioned, before finally hanging up. I felt certain I would have heard from “Sue” if she had not yet received the contact information. But I didn’t hear from her.

I stepped back and asked myself, “Is God leading this endeavor, or is Satan creating roadblocks?” I wanted to believe God was guiding me because of the enthusiastic responses I received. But it was difficult to discern.

I felt discouraged and confused. I wrote an email that evening to our group asking them for an explanation of what happened. Did they not get my email with the contact data? Did other circumstances come up that prevented them from meeting with me?

Each group member responded early the next morning. “Sue” explained that she got home Monday evening and sensed that she was forgetting something, but she couldn’t tag it. So she just went into her normal routine for a Monday night. When she got my email the next morning, she realized instantly what she had forgotten. She wrote a heartfelt apology and assured me that whatever rescheduled time was set, she would be there without fail. The other couple also responded. They were ready for our call forty five minutes in advance. But then their son, who has a history of seizures, had an episode before the call, and they spent the rest of the evening taking care of him. They attempted to contact me that evening by asking their other son to call me to let me know what was going on, but he didn’t know my number.

I decided that God was still in this pilot group venture. Life happens, everyone spaces out on occasion, and urgent matters arise that take priority. No harm, no foul. Let’s just start over. Since “Sue” was flexible, I emailed my other couple the morning of the 27^th and asked if we could reschedule for February 2^nd. I waited for a reply for over a week and never heard from them! I told my writing coach that starting this pilot group may not happen. It shouldn’t be this hard to launch a meeting once a month. More importantly, I wasn’t confident that God was in this effort.

In the meantime, I felt led to email my pilot group. I shared my decision to postpone this venture until we could discern God’s leadership in this endeavor. Within ten minutes of my email, I got a phone call from this dear couple, who figured out why they never got my email for the reschedule. They had assigned my email to a “missionaries” folder, so they reassigned my email address back to their “inbox.” Moreover, they said, “Please don’t give up.” I heard in their voice a strong desire to move forward with this, which encouraged me. However, “Sue” needed an opportunity to pray about whether God was really calling her to participate in this group. So I informed them that we’re on hold for now.

I know I can’t thwart God’s purposes. I also know that spiritual warfare is alive and well. I wish there was a spiritual microscope to help me know who is behind my circumstances! I am trying to discern God’s will in this adventure by looking at the big picture. I can say with integrity that I ask for God’s leadership and guidance daily in this writing ministry and book project. “Sue” had been praying for spiritual growth in the area of giving. When she read my blog and fit the criteria, she heard it as God’s answer to her prayer. I know the other couple have already started their Living Giving, and they desire to honor God with His resources and want to do more. We all desire to move forward with God’s blessing. As of this writing, I sense God is still in this, but He may have shut the door because now is not the right time.

Photo Courtesy @ Shutterstock.com/cristovao

We are going to start over, but this time in our prayer closet! I don’t want to presume upon His will. I still don’t know who was behind the interference to launch this group, but I am comforted by Proverbs 16:1 – “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.” We look forward to hearing His response.

How do you discern whether God is closing a door for you or whether it is the Enemy who is undermining your work for the Lord? We could use your wisdom. Please share your insights by clicking the link below. 

Blessings,

Lee Ann