Open & Shut Doors

I guess if you have paid attention, I have wrote 3 or 4 blogs within a couple of days. I have nothing better to do. I am wanting to get out of this house so bad I can't stand it. Anyways, here is another post for you to read. I received this in the mail today from Joel Osteen. Enjoy!
There is a God-given destiny inside of you that is waiting to be unleashed and revealed. No matter where you find yourself in life today, Victoria and I believe that this year will be one of the greatest years of your life!
You are an amazing and unique creation of God, and you have seeds of greatness planted on the inside of you. You have something to offer this world that no one else can. No matter what is happening in your life - whether you are going through good times or times of difficulty - you can fulfill your God-given desires. You can accomplish the dreams God placed in your heart.
But in order to do this, you must keep moving forward. You cannot be bound by your past. The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you.
Let me share a principle with you that can help illustrate this and take you to a new, higher level in your pursuit of God's best.
THERE ARE DOORS TO OPEN AND OTHERS TO CLOSE.
I remember a time I had to go into a government building that had two sets of double doors that were several feet apart. The first doors opened automatically as I approached, but for security reasons, those doors had to close completely before the next set of doors would open for me to pass through. I had to take a step forward to allow the first set to close. As long as I stayed in the first doorway, the second doors would not open.
So much of life operates like those automatic doors. For our own benefit, God will not allow the next door of your life to open when you are still standing in the doorway of the first one. He doesn't want you to drag your past into your future. He wants to give you a fresh start. He wants to give you a new beginning.
As believers, we've got to move forward and let the past go by choosing to forgive others and allowing God to heal our hearts. Look at it this way: you can learn from the mistakes and disappointments of your past, but you cannot move forward with them.
Are you standing in the doorway of the disappointments and failures of your life? For whatever reason, are you choosing to hang on to the past? Maybe you are scared to move forward because you don't know what lies beyond those new doors.
There is nothing you can do about the disappointments of your past, but there is something you can do about your future. With the right attitude, you can experience more of God's blessing in your future than what the enemy has stolen in your past. We serve a mighty God who can supernaturally resurrect and restore broken dreams, and He'll even give you brand-new ones!
In order to keep adversities, unfortunate experiences and tragedies from holding you back, choose to "stir up" what God placed on the inside of you. Meditate on the fact that:
You are a child of God
You've come too far to stop now
You will not allow your past to dictate your future
When God is on your side, anything is possible
Don't settle for "good enough" or get stuck in thinking about "what might have been." Your thoughts determine the direction of your life, so choose to think God's thoughts.
My own father experienced the pain and disappointment of a failed relationship. He felt that his future had been destroyed. He went through times of great depression and rejection.
But one day, he did what I'm asking you to do today. He didn't settle for "good enough." He refused to sit back and think about "what might have been." He learned from his past, and he chose not to live in it. He let it go by choosing to move forward with a heart open to forgiveness and healing!
You need to close the doors to your past.....so the doors to your future can be opened!
My dad acknowledged his mistakes and received God's mercy. He didn't know what his future held, but he held on to the fact that God had another seed and plan for his life. A little while later he met my mother, and the rest, you might say, is "supernatural" history.
Just as Joshua declared to Israel, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15), you too have a choice about whom you will serve each day. Will you honor the enemy with a defeated attitude or bring glory to God by getting up, dusting yourself off and pressing on? I know you can think of at least one area in your life that you need to leave in the past.
You may have had tough, unfair, negative experiences. But know this: God wants to do a new thing. No matter where you are in your journey, your life can be better! And I believe it's God's Word that makes us better.