1 Corinthians 16:8-9 - Walking Through Doors

The apostle Paul had definite plans of how to carry out God's will for his life, but sometimes the Holy Spirt redirected Paul with, "No, you're not going there." (Acts 16:6-7)

Then there were unplanned opportunities that came along. He once wrote,

"I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; 9 for a wide door for effective service {"work" in NIV} has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." 1 Corinthians 16:8–9 (NASB95) 

We all want meaningful opportunities that stand a good chance of success. Paul didn't manufacture this opportunity, it was a door that had opened up. And just as he saw opportunities, he found there were people to thwart his work.

His work in Ephesus saw people being exorcised of demons, others being healed, and many others responding to basic truths about Jesus. But as people began believing in Jesus, they gave up worshipping idols. This cut into the profits being made by the local idol industry. Consequently, the local Idol-Makers Guild protested with a riot and were ready to do serious damage to Paul's friends, if not Paul himself  (Acts 19-20)

Even though Paul anticipated this kind of opposition, it didn't stop him from walking through the door that opened up in front of him. He ended up staying in Ephesus for three years (Ac 30:31), the longest time he ever stayed in one location

Father in heaven, We need discernment to see when You are opening a door for us. Calm our fears about what is on the other side of the door. Give us courage--not merely to face down our fears, but courage to trust You to walk through the door with us.
In Jesus' name, Amen.