Open Sesame

Open Sesame dan skognes motivation blogger speaker trainer coach teacher educatorThose were the famous words used in the movie Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. When the magic words were uttered, the mouth of the cave opened and a vast treasure was revealed.

It is a bit of a play on words that is fairly obvious. People have been saying “Open Says Me” since time began.  It started with Adam and Eve when they decided to circumvent God’s will for their own will. When Satan tempted them to eat of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they invoked Open Says Me. What a price mankind has paid for THAT decision!

People employ this self-will on relationships and jobs alike. If we are honest with ourselves, we have opened a few doors that we wish we had never opened. It became more of a Pandora’s Box than a hidden treasure when we got our way, and once it was opened we were desperately trying to close it! Unfortunately, it was too late and we ended up going into the damage control mode.

The frustration usually comes from the flawed thinking that if we don’t do something ourselves and do it now, it will never happen. Think back on the times you employed the “Open Says Me” to a job or relationship you should never have been in. Afterwards, you usually wind up asking that rhetorical question, “What was I thinking?” Well, the real answer to that is that you were NOT thinking or you would not have imposed your self-will.

Here are a few things I learned about invoking Open Says Me:

  • If you are forcing the door open in a relationship or a job, it probably is not a good thing and the consequences can be disastrous. Wait for the relationships and jobs that open supernaturally. God will open doors that no man can open and close doors that no man can close. Seek His will and wait for Him.
  • Instead of invoking Open Says Me, we should be asking God if the door ahead is of Him. If it is not, why would you want to open it? You will never experience peace or satisfaction that lasts, plus you may very well miss the ideal relationship or job that God has prepared for you.
  • Open Says Me will not just sidetrack you, it will derail you and affect all those around you. It only works in the movies and if your name is Ali Baba. It does not work in the real world.
  • Be careful what you wish for. You will not be getting the treasure you seek if you are self-seeking.

Waiting on God is not an easy thing to do if your biological clock is so loud that you can’t think, or if your need for a job is so great that you will sacrifice your common sense to get a pay check. Having relationships and a good job are needs most of us can identify with, but we have to put them in alignment with God’s will or they will be like the car that you can’t keep on the road because every time you take your hands off the wheel it will veer to the right or to the left and crash. Eventually you have to let go. Like the song says, “Jesus take the wheel!”

How do you balance your will with God’s will? Very simply, you align them. You seek His will first and foremost.  His will becomes YOUR will. My dad used to say, “We will do it this weekend, Lord willing.” He understood and was teaching me how to align my will to God’s will.  I thought he just said that because he was a preacher.  He was teaching me to humble myself and my needs and bring them into perfect alignment to God’s will.

Next time you are tempted to invoke Open Says Me on a relationship or a job, think twice and see if it truly aligns with God’s perfect will for you. His timing is perfect. Don’t second guess Him. Listen to Him, trust Him, and follow Him. If you want to know His will, just ask Him. His is there for you 24/7. My favorite verses in the Bible are Proverbs 3: 5-6 which says, “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. Lean NOT to your own understanding.  In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He WILL direct your paths.” Lord, let my will be yours.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

2 Responses to “Open Sesame”

  1. jack Sherry says:

    Amen

  2. Derek says:

    That is a daily struggle. When the world demands speed, to slow down, listen, and think can be an incredible challenge.