Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

the praise of men and think our personal gifts obtained the favor. A young woman in Maryland is in real estate. She sells more homes and apartments than anyone in the area. In fact, coworkers ask her to train them in the art of sales . When she tells them her secret is tithing and giving and the favor of God, they look at her strangely! Favor is not knowing the right person to open the doors . While God uses people to open doors of opportunity for you and uses men to “give into your bosom” (Luke 6:38, KJV ), favor does not involve knowing the right connections . If all our connections opened the doors for us, then how could God receive the glory for His blessing toward us? I am reminded of John’s words about Christ in Revelation 3:7: “He … opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” In more than thirty-five years of ministry I have never attempted to open doors for speaking engagements or revivals. We do not send out information packets attempting to get a church to book us for a crusade. I have always asked God to give us favor with pastors. This way we minister in churches where the pastor has a leading of the Lord to have us come. When Peter was locked in the inner ward as a prisoner for the gospel, three iron gates blocked his freedom to the outside world. The jailer had the key, the governor had the authority, and the iron gates were impossible to penetrate.