Learn to thank God for closed doors as much as you thank Him for open doors, because there is no disadvantage for the child of God. The Bible says, "...all things work together for good to them that love God..." (Romans 8:28). If God is directing your life, there are no mistakes—even in the bad things that happen—unless you don't believe that He is directing your life. He said all things work together for your good. That is not the same as saying all good things will happen to you. He said all things will work together to produce good for you. Joseph had a dream. The moment he announced it, his brothers hated him. From then on, everything worked together to move him toward that dream. They cast him into a pit, and later sold him. He was taken to Egypt. In Egypt, more trouble came—Potiphar's wife lied against him, and he was sent to prison. It was an unreasonable route to his destiny. It did not make sense. God did not promise good circumstances; He promised that all things would work together for your good. Learn to thank God always.
Your progress in life will be faster if you learn to thank God. There are things you complained about when you should have thanked Him. That bad thing could have led to a breakthrough, but instead you said, "I don't understand". You don't need to understand before you thank God. This is the Christian life—a life of thanksgiving. The Word commands us to be "giving thanks always for all things..." (Ephesians 5:20). Did you see "all things"?
You lose your job—thank God for it. It is painful, but thank Him. Many have died on their way to that same job. Maybe God saw what you could not see. Know God beyond good things. Some people believe if it is good, God is in it; if it is bad, it is Satan. No. God is a specialist in using bad things to bring His purpose to pass. There is nothing God tells you to do that is not for your advantage. If He told you to give thanks always, then there is something He does with your thanksgiving. When you thank God in every situation, things begin happening for you in places you cannot see. People who should not ordinarily remember you begin to remember you.
Think about Paul and Silas in prison. They prayed and sang praises, and suddenly there was an earthquake. The doors opened. They were in chains, yet they were praising God. Will you thank God in that kind of condition? We do not praise God only for what He has done; we praise Him for who He is. He is a good God, whether circumstances feel good or not. If He allows something difficult, it can be the way to your next level. It is a setup. There is nothing wrong with your life—just have the right attitude. Learn to thank God at all times.