I was in Detroit, Michigan, several weeks ago as an invited guest on the Word Network for the Greg Davis Show Live. The host had given each guest speaker a key that represented something specific. While I was waiting to mount the platform to speak to 90 million homes in 200 countries, the Lord shifted my message and suddenly a vision of a “big door” stood before me. On the other side of the door, I saw enemies using the force of their bodies to keep the door shut and locked. He said we are coming into a season of great opportunities that will trigger demonic opposition. He said the greater the opposition against my people, the greater the opportunity I will give unto them as a sign.
Instantly, the Lord took me to the Scripture that says “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9). I was reminded of the apostle Paul, who stood before a great and effectual door. At that moment, I was standing before a great door of opportunity that God was entrusting me with on a global television platform. The keys that were given to the guests started to make sense to me, that with every door of opportunity, God has to give us the keys of authority, access and influence.
God said we are coming into a season when “access has been granted,” because He has given us the keys to the kingdom (Matt. 16:16-20). I love this passage of Scripture that declares in Isaiah 22:22, “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder. Then he shall open, and no one shall shut. And he shall shut, and no one shall open.” God said He is going to give His people keys that will unlock unusual, unexpected, unprecedented and unhinged opportunities.
God will open doors that no man will be able to stop and shut doors that no man will be able to open and get the glory for. Paul had waited by praying for many years for that pagan- influenced city of Ephesus to open up wide for the gospel to be preached. He finally started to get some breakthroughs, and the spiritual climate of Ephesus was starting to change. God said many of you have been praying, fasting and waiting on Him to fulfill your prophetic promise and destiny but have been met with great resistance and warfare.
Paul counteracted demonic resistance with divine persistence in prayer. He started to see his prayers beginning to be answered as the gospel message began to conquer the city of Ephesus. First Corinthians 16:8 declares to us that Paul was in Ephesus at the time he wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church. He wrote, “But I will remain at Ephesus until Pentecost.” Paul discerned the prophetic forecast of what God was doing and knew the timing of a “rare” door had been opened to him that had never been opened before to anyone else in human history. Notice that Paul wrote, “For a great and effective door has opened to me” (1 Cor. 16:9a). The words “to me” come from the Greek word moi, which means “uniquely to me.” This was now a time that what Paul was witnessing his dream coming true. God said that 2019 will be the year of personal and prophetic dreams becoming a reality.
During the three years he resided and worked in Ephesus, Paul established one of the greatest churches in world history. The city started to see an awakening and revival sweeping through the city in unusual ways that the church of Ephesus soon became the fastest, largest growing, influential church in the first century era.
Paul referred to this unique, but rare opportunity as “a great and effectual door.” The word “great” is the Greek word mega, which always speaks of something enormous or massive. The Greek word for door is the word thura, but interestingly, Paul speaks in a metaphoric way to describe the door as a “unique opportunity.” God is about to open rare, unique and unusual opportunities (doors) to those who have been found faithful over little.
I love what Paul said that this mega and unique door of opportunity “opened” to unto him. The Greek word anoigo is the word “open.” However, we understand that Paul doesn’t describe a door that was beginning to open, but rather a door that God had already opened wide. God said what you are waiting on to open has been open, but He said get ready to walk through. He said 2019 will be the year of the “opportunity of a lifetime.” In addition, the apostle Paul had total access to the city of Ephesus. That tells me that God gave him a spiritual key of authority and influence. Paul had divine access to the gateway of the city of Ephesus.
Moreover, Paul called this unique opportunity not only a “great” door, but also an “effective” door. The word “effectual” is the Greek word energes, from which we get the English word energy. However, in the New Testament Greek, the word energes describes something that is active, powerful, effective and forceful. Paul declared when this door opened to him and to the Gospel, it created a divine release of God’s power that immediately began to invade the city of Ephesus with God’s glory.
Often, when there is a great opportunity that God supernaturally opens, great opposition lies on the other side. Paul went on to say, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9). The word “adversaries” comes from the word antikeimai, a compound of two words, anti and keimai. The word anti means “against,” and the word keimai means “to lie,” as, for example, someone’s keys are lying around.
When these two words are compounded, they paint a picture of hostile forces that are standing in opposition to an individual. These sniper-type forces are literally lying all around, plotting against a common enemy, waiting for the opportunity to strike! These lurking, sinister powers lie in wait to kill, steal and destroy like the enemy, to attack or pry away another’s opportunity in order to steal it for themselves.
I come to encourage you that the greater the warfare, the greater the opportunity. This new year will be a record-breaking season to seize the opportunity of Christ to change the world.
Dr. Hakeem Collins is an empowerment specialist, respected emerging prophetic voice, apostolic leader, governmental minister, life coach and sought-after conference speaker. He is known for his keen accurate prophetic gifting and supernatural ministry. Follow him on: facebook.com/drhakeemcollins and hakeemcollinsministries.com.
Stephen Strang 
Charisma Media Staff 
Charisma Staff 
