If You Open to Me, I Will Open to You

The Word of God contains many of God's promises. These can be divided into conditional and unconditional promises.

Unconditional promises will be fulfilled at the time established by God. They do not depend on my faith in them, my behavior, or my being born again. Their implementation depends only on the dates and terms set by God. Such promises include the beginning of the judgment time, Christ's Second Coming, the thousand-year kingdom, the pouring out of seven last plagues, judgment over the wicked, and the final destruction of sin.

Conditional promises of God are designed to accomplish something if I or we fulfill the conditions outlined in the promise itself. For example, we read in Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."

God's care for me is constant and unconditional. My heart beats independently of my behavior, and my body knows what to do without consulting me. The air on Earth continues to contain an even combination of gases necessary for my life.

But everything related to my salvation from the power of sin depends on my choice and the decision of my will. God does not distribute salvation blessings simply, but waits until I see them, understand them, and desire to accept them. Some gifts I must earnestly ask of Christ. And something I will never receive, even if I pray for it. This happens when God sees that such a gift would harm my soul.

In the message to Laodicea, the Lord promises the overcomers to give Him His throne. Previously, I thought this promise belonged to me by right simply because I was born again in the Laodicean period. I could not even imagine anything else.

Reading 1 John 5:4-5: "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?", I understood that I was a victor. But when I began to study the message to Laodicea more deeply, I realized that my faith was not enough to be an overcomer in the last time. I need to understand and fulfill the conditions described and proposed by Christ in this address. And I cannot bypass this and claim the title of an overcomer using old weapons. The Lord will not bless me with His gifts against my will or in response to my ignorance and unwillingness to spend time understanding this message. Either I study, accept, and fulfill everything He offers and become an overcomer, or I decide that I can overcome everything without His weapons and conditions, and as a result, lose the battle, losing all promised blessings.

What does "overcomer" mean?

This word must be correctly understood. If I am only on the defensive, successfully repelling enemy attacks, I will never become a victor; I will simply be a defender of my soul on my territory. But an overcomer is one who goes on the offensive, risks his life, captures the enemy and takes him captive, conquering new areas. And after victory continues to control the situation, establishing his power in the captured territories.

If I do not have the necessary weapons for victory, I may win a couple of battles but ultimately lose the war. For the enemy of the soul is a very skilled warrior, and his army has modern weaponry that surpasses my understanding.

The Lord knows whom we are fighting, and therefore has anticipated all the details of this great battle in advance. He guarantees victory to everyone who accepts His full armor offered to Laodicea.

Asking me to open the door, Jesus assures me that He will enter and dine with me, and I with Him.

An interesting strategy. We have dinner, having a friendly conversation, and during this time, great victories occur in my heart. My mind is cleansed, my heart is reforged, my spirit is resurrected, my house is cleaned, and my will clings to my dear Friend.

And our friendship does not end there. The more time we spend together, the more interesting our conversations become. And at some point, my Lord leads me to an open door, spreading it even wider for me, inviting me to enter. I look at His actions with surprise. Once Jesus opened the door for Philadelphia, but it was cluttered with the trash of vanity and indifference and was lost from view. But the Lord again assures me that He is the door for His sheep and invites me to enter.

Before me open amazing possibilities of infinite love. Boundless ocean, endless light, joy and peace. I ask: "Why such mercy to me, a sinner?" and see my door open to Jesus. And I begin to understand something. Our relationship has gone so far, and I have cleaved so closely to Jesus, that the Lord decided to initiate me into the depths of His love, revealing the beauty and power of His character. How interesting! I could not even imagine this. Christ Himself introduces me to the world of His soul, and I see such pure love that I am amazed at its perfection. Although this door was always open to everyone, only the chosen could enter it—those who opened their doors.

I look up and see the Heavenly windows, which are also open to pour out blessings on the obedient and faithful children of God.

And I understand that with such a Friend, it is impossible to lose. He is truly the Victor. I saw how many evil people tried to beat the ocean of love, and it sagged under their blows, subsequently crashing down on them from above, absorbing the victims of sin in its waters, offering them a chance to start a new, pure life. But many fled in fear, afraid of the crystal-clear expanses. I saw how streams of water poured through the heavenly windows, carrying away the wicked and filling the houses of the righteous with joy. How harmoniously everything was arranged. What great victories love achieves!

Why is this beauty of love hidden from our eyes, and only a few can see it? But this is the essence of the great battle—that a person must decide on whose side he will wage war. Love respects my freedom.

By buying from Christ what is offered to me, I acquire all of Heaven in this. By letting the Lord into my house and opening my doors to Him, I show the entire invisible world who is the Master of my life and to whom my soul belongs. We enter into a marriage relationship with Christ, and He has no secrets from me. He completely opens Himself to me. But poor me! How can I embrace and accept all this beauty and power with my limited mind? Only God can reveal and convey all this to me.

I enter the open door and want to stay there. But the Lord gently tells me that it is not yet time, not all souls have been taken from the enemy, and the banner of Love has not yet been established on all territories. There is still work to be done and a final victory to be won. I agree and clothe myself in love. My mind immerses itself in its life-giving waters and absorbs its power and authority.

I can do all things in the Lord who strengthens me!

I clothe myself in love. What an interesting weapon! I need to master its power and possibilities. This is an entire science that I still have to comprehend.

Reflection Questions for this Chapter

1. Did you hear something new for yourself in this chapter?

2. What does an "open door" mean in my house and in Jesus?

3. How can I become a victor?

4. Why only the victor receives the reward, not everyone who participated in the spiritual war?

5. What does spiritual war look like in real life?

6. Who is the loser or defeated in this war? Why is it better not to be one?

7. Please read Ephesians 6:10-13; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Revelation 3:7-8; 21:7; John 10:7-10 in light of this chapter.