Opportunities

I read a little devotional about opportunities today. The world is full of them, some of God, some of the world, some of yourself. The trick is acting on the right one.
In my life I have walked through many doors of opportunity only to find out that maybe I wasn't supposed to walk through that door. It felt like God and the door opened, so it had to be, right? The Lord provides so if the door is open, obviously I need to walk through it! Now, I don't think God is out to trick us, but I've realized that it is the free will that God gave man that makes us think an open door is quite obviously a God opportunity. We have free will, and He wants us to know how to use it wisely.
I read about a woman who had all the doors of opportunity opening for her in her job as an author. She was quite successful, and was always being offered better jobs, trips, stories. She was writing erotic romance novels and enjoyed the life the success brought her. At the height of her career she felt God tugging her, convicting her. Although each door had opened easily, she knew it wasn't right. She had been a Christian most of her life, and suddenly became embarrassed that her name was all over all these filthy novels. She turned her life around and is now enjoying life as a Christian fiction author. The money is not the same, but she is happier.
That is how bad Satan wants to trick us. Although Satan has no authority over us as Christians, he can use situations and people to make us think an open door is a good opportunity, knowing that when we walk through that door we will fail. We may enjoy a successful career, but as a Christian we may miss out on ministry opportunities because we are so busy in our career. Or, what seems like a good idea financially-advancement in the workplace, a new investment, etc- could be something that causes unecessary stress or hardship on our marriages.
The devotional closed with one of those typical cheesy but true quotes : The best way to know God's will is to say "I will" to God. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you won't fail with that one.