Closing doors and opening windows.

[B-A-C]

There is a verse in the Bible that says it is sharper than a double edged sword, and so it is. ( Heb 4:12; )

1Cor 10:13; No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

This is one of my favorite verses. It says we never have to sin. God always makes sure we have a way out. On the other hand... we never have to sin, God always gives us a way out, so we have no excuse. We can never say to God...
"But I had to". No, you didn't "have to".
I used to see, Facebook Memes, T-shirts and bumper stickers, something to the effect of .. "When God closes a door He opens a window." Well, that may be true when it comes to sin, but it's not always true when it comes to salvation.
This is ( one of many ) verses in the Bible that is quoted out of context. It says we are never tempted past what we are able to bear. It says there is always a way of escape from the temptation. It doesn't say anything about salvation.

But this isn't always true when it comes to Salvation. In Matt 20:1-16; there is a parable about some workers in a vineyard, this is about salvation.
Some people get saved early in life at a young age, some people get saved later in life at an old age. But they are all equally saved. Some aren't "more saved" than the others. They all get paid the same.

However the Bible makes it clear, you can keep rejecting God over and over again to the point where He just closes the door and the window.

Rom 1:21; For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22; Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23; and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Rom 1:24; Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

Rom 1:25; For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 1:26; For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

Rom 1:27; and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Rom 1:28; And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

It says three times here in Romans 1 that "God gave them over to" whatever they wanted to do. If you keep rejecting God and disobeying Him over and over again, He will eventually say... "fine".. That's what you want, here you go.

A number of times in Exodus, it says Pharaoh hardened his heart toward God.

Exod 7:13; Yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Exod 7:22; But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Exod 8:15; But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Exod 8:19; Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Exod 8:32; But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.
Exod 9:7; Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Exod 9:34; But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
Exod 9:35; Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

after enough chances, God said enough is enough. ... and God Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart to the point of no return.

Exod 10:1; Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them,
Exod 10:20; But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.
Exod 10:27; But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go.
Exod 11:10; Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Exod 14:8; The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.

If you reject God enough times, the day may come when He says fine...

Prov 29:1; A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

 

[Brad Huber]

In my mind, one may sin, but despises that he/she has done so, and hates the sin that they are sometimes doing, but that God forgives them. Then there are those who sin and "dont" hate the sin, and just ask God for forgiveness when they do it, because they fear God, but still love the sin, and see the forgiveness through Jesus as an easy out. I personally believe that God who is omniscient knows their heart and gives them "some" time to be changed by the Holy Spirit, and if they refuse to be changed by the Holy Spirit, they fall from grace.

 

[Dave M]

Speaking of open doors, my personal belief after much experience is when we do a sin, we open doors for unclean spirits to have some sort of influence on us. we take that first hit of some kind of Drug there is now permission for a demon to influence us, and we give up are rights we are no longer in control, we are slaves. Sometimes it happens immediately and sometimes it takes a while, but sooner or later your going to be a slave to sin, doing things you do not even want to do. A yoke around your neck. Jesus is the only one that brake that chains of addiction or the yoke of sin.

So let so suppose you mustard up enough self control and stop spinning, does not matter unless you are born again, sooner or later that spirit is coming back, and not only but with others and now your condition is going to be worst then it was before.

Matthew 12:43-45​

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

John 5:14​

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”


Those 2 versus scare me to death !! because I know from first hand experience what it is to be controlled by addiction, you loose all sense of reason.