Several times I have turned down a street or an alley, thinking I had found a shortcut, only to realize I had turned onto a dead end street. When I am in a hurry I tend to get mad at the building blocking my shortcut, spinning my emotional wheels, rather than turning around and seeking another solution.

   Some people treat God this way when He attempts to redirect their lives. Before Paul answered the Macedonian call he tried to enter Bithynia but was blocked by the Spirit. Foolishly, he could have claimed more wisdom than God and continued into Bithynia with a "I know what is best for me" attitude. I doubt that he would have heard the plea of the Macedonians.

   Paul was mature enough to accept the "no" God had given him and thereby a whole new area of the world was opened to him. The key is to learn to be like Paul, accepting a "no," recognizing that the door God will open is far more important than any we can open on our own.

God not only orders our steps. He orders our stops.
- George Muller