by Ray Warfel, Jr.<\/p>\n
“Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned<\/em>” (Colossians 4:3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I wonder if there is a play on the language here. Paul is in “chains” (CSB, NIV), prison but sees or at least is seeking an open door. Restricted as he was, Paul could still teach considerable numbers of people. This was certainly true in Philippi.<\/p>\n
Meditating on this, I again wonder if we sometimes sabotage our effectiveness before we even begin to try. Do you focus on the obstacles stacked against you and your evangelist efforts? I remember sitting with a counselor several years ago when he made an observation that was so accurate and obvious, but I could not see it until he pointed it out. I had talked about my work as a small-town minister. I had shared some aspirations as a single man and soon-to-be empty nester. At some point, he stopped me and said, “Ray, you have a lot of great ideas, but as soon as you express one, you immediately begin listing all the reasons it won’t work.”<\/p>\n
In the years since, I have tried, reached out, and explored opportunities. Some have not worked out as I had wished, but a lot have – more than I ever would have if I had refused to try because of the perceived obstacles. I truly mean this. My ministry is far more encouraging and energizing. My personal life is far more enjoyable. My outlook is so much more hopeful, positive, and rich than it was.<\/p>\n
Does this resonate with you? What if you tried, regardless of the obstacles? What if you succeed?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Ray Warfel, Jr. “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned” (Colossians 4:3). I wonder if there is a play on the language here.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[608],"class_list":["post-67367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-excuses"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64264,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/obstacles\/","url_meta":{"origin":67367,"position":0},"title":"Obstacles","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by PJ Anderson","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60588,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-value-of-hope\/","url_meta":{"origin":67367,"position":1},"title":"The Value of Hope","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 30, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dee Bowman via Plain Talk, November 1977 The Scriptures have considerable to say on the subject of hope. And yet I am convinced that many of us are not enjoying and appreciating our hope as we should, simply out of a failure to really understand what it is and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94207,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bound-and-determined\/","url_meta":{"origin":67367,"position":2},"title":"Bound and Determined","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gary Henry via WordPoints.com \"When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord\" (Acts 11:23). Barnabas knew it was not enough for the new Christians in Antioch to have obeyed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/determined-300x300.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56527,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-secret-of-learning-to-be-content\/","url_meta":{"origin":67367,"position":3},"title":"The Secret of Learning to Be Content","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 4:10-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul faced many adversities during his life \u2013 more than most of us will see - II Corinthians 11:24-27 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What sort of person would you be with this sort of life? What attitudes would people notice first? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Bitter? Hardened? Depressed? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36263,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/suppose-i-was-born-a-muslim\/","url_meta":{"origin":67367,"position":4},"title":"Suppose I Was Born a Muslim","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba Unmasking Sophistry, vol. 1, no. 2, July-September 2021 Introduction Several times during our evangelistic trips as gospel preachers, while moving from house to house in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission - a method known by some as \"door-knocking\" or \"door-to-door,\" we have approached people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94336,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/running-the-race\/","url_meta":{"origin":67367,"position":5},"title":"Running the Race","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Hugh DeLong Text: Hebrews 12 Paul uses a lot of 'life illustrations' - body, temple, army, and sports. The writer of Hebrews now engages one of the sports illustrations - running. Personally, I dislike running (I prefer biking or other sports instead). 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