How to Live Every Day with Open Door Surrender
I’ve been thinking about “open door surrender.”
It all began with a dream. You see, I don’t typically remember my dreams.
Occasionally, I can recall bits and pieces, but most of the time I can’t put enough of those glimpses together to learn from them.
It’s one reason why I’ve been surprised whenever the Lord has chosen to speak His truth to my resting heart and mind through a dream. (Maybe it’s because it’s the only time He doesn’t have to compete for my attention.)
I have had a couple of wow, head-smack, attention-getting dreams. I’ve also had a few repetitive dreams that finally make me stop and ask, “Okay Lord, what do you want me to learn from this?”
Today, I’d like to tell you about one of those…
The Dream of Locked Doors
I can’t remember exactly when they began, but I know they went on for years.
The setting was always a huge house, with long halls and lots of rooms. I knew I lived there, but it never really felt like home.
Occasionally, friends or family were with me, but most of the time I explored the hallways alone.
The dream’s main theme, which always frustrated and confused me, was the number of rooms that were behind locked doors. It was my house! Who locks themselves out of rooms in their own house?!
As years passed, the house’s appearance changed occasionally, but the empty hallways and locked doors were always the focus.
Slowly, I began to wonder if the Lord wanted me to take something away from these repeated visions. So, I prayed and asked God if He wanted me to learn from this.
I can still remember the morning I woke up from another hallway visit and clearly felt the Lord whisper, “That’s what your heart looks like to me.”
What?
At first, I didn’t understand. But as I thought about it more, I started having moments of recognition and understanding…
I realized I had hurts behind one door and regrets behind another. A little anger hidden in one room, with worry and fear locked in another. I was holding on to things the Lord wanted me to surrender to Him, and He was telling me that I needed to trust Him with everything!!
My pastor gave me Revelation 3:20 as my life verse as a teenager, the year I made my public profession of faith…
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Jesus was knocking on the doors of my heart, wanting me to unlock and open them to Him. He wanted me to surrender every burden I had locked away by inviting Him in to replace them with His forgiveness, peace, and joy.
But once I knew what God wanted, I wondered how to accomplish it…
What is open door surrender?
♥ Trusting God’s love so much that I want nothing more than to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
♥ Wanting to obey Him by loving others in ways that glorify Him.
♥ Living with the confidence that God’s way is best, and that if He allows it, He will use it for His glory and my good.
♥ Humbly repenting and asking God to forgive every flaw and failure.
♥ Knowing the Spirit will help me live with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control each day. He will give me everything I need to live surrendered to God.
That is open door surrender.
It is completely trusting God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with every bit of our messes and brokenness, allowing the Lord to use it for His plans and purposes.
Let’s pray…
A Prayer to Live Each Day
with Open Door Surrender
Father God, thank you for loving us enough to get our attention in unexpected ways. You use Your Word, the wisdom of discerning friends, quiet whispers to our hearts and minds, and even dreams to guide us and teach us Your TRUTH.
Some learn quickly, and others take longer, but the absolute truth above all is that Your way is best. Only through open-door surrender can we experience all You want for us.
It is hearing Jesus’ knock and trusting Him with all our lives. It is believing God’s promises and responding to His love with complete love. It is the confidence that He will give us everything we need to live surrendered.
You are so very gracious and good, Father. I can’t do this on my own. I don’t. But through the gift of faith, Jesus is my strength.
The enemy wants me to focus on past pain and problems to keep me from fully trusting You. Thank you for using whatever it takes to help me KNOW You. I give myself to You. Please continue to work in and around me until I LOVE, TRUST, and OBEY as You desire.
I pray this in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.
I admit that open door surrender is not easy. It’s hard to be completely vulnerable.
But Jesus promised His followers true peace, not some pseudo peace that looks good on the outside but churns with regret and anxiety on the inside. He promised real supernatural, indescribable peace that can only be found in Him.
He said…
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” J
John 14:27
And the Spirit inspired Paul to write…
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
I pray that we all hear Jesus knocking, that every door of our hearts will be unlocked and thrown open!
I pray we will know the blessings found in completely trusting Him… not only for eternity but for every moment, every day. I pray that we all pause today to open door surrender for our hopes, fears, frustrations, and dreams—everything and anything our hearts have locked away.
May the Lord bless you and give you peace in and through Jesus.
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Deb, this is a very powerful visual. It makes me reflect on my closed “doors”. Thank you for sharing. I will be taking this to the Lord to ask Him to show me where I’ve locked away things from Him. He truly gives us peace when we surrender, doesn’t He?
Blessings, Cecilia
What a life-changing, powerful dream you had, Deb! Thank you for sharing with us what God was telling you and how we can all live completely surrendered to Him. May He open the doors to my heart every day. Blessings!
I too have some very unusual dreams. I have two that are very regular. I know that one is associated with abandonment. I am pretty sure about that one. I will have to try to figure out how it fits in with anything God is trying to tell me. The other one is strange too, but I won’t even begin to try to figure it out. It involves lots of messes and disorder that cause frustration and fatigue. I will pray as you did and ask God to help me with it. You always come up with the best subjects, and it amazes me at how they seem to hit home with me. You know that I pray that God will bless you with a safe and wonderful weekend and always. You are the best!!!