Open Heaven 30 August 2023
Open Heaven 30 August 2023 Topic: Becoming A Spiritual Giant
Memory Verse: But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:31)
Bible Reading: Acts 19:11-16 (NIV)
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”
14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”
16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
Open Heaven 30 August 2023 Message:
God wants you to grow spiritually so that you would eventually become a giant in the spirit realm.
In 1 Corinthians 12:31, God says you are allowed to covet earnestly the best gifts.
When I read that passage, I told God, “Lord, give me a double portion of the Spirit of Elisha, double the spirit of Peter, double the spirit of paul double the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ during His earth!), ministry, add everything together and double it again”.
He responded that I was asking for trouble because people would not let me rest. I said I wanted it still because I could not afford to be anything else but a spiritual giant.
You must make up your mind not to be an ordinary Christian from today. If you want to become a spiritual giant, 2 Kings 2:1-8 teaches that you must be loyal to your own Elijah.
When Elijah wanted to leave this world, Elisha followed him three times; each time, Elijah told him to go back, but he refused. Your Elijah is your father-in-the-Lord.
In 2 Kings 2:9-15, when Elijah was departing, Elisha got a double portion of his spirit.
One day, I was praying that my children would be greater than I, and one of them said, “Anyone who will be greater than you probably will never eat again”.
He said that because of how often I fast, but then I told him not to leave God out of the equation. It doesn’t matter how great God made your father-in-the-Lord, you can become greater just by honoring and being loyal to him.
Elisha got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah because he pursued the same vision as he. Learn to minister to the one whom God has placed over you spiritually.
In 2 Kings 3:11-12, the Bible tells us that Elisha ministered constantly to his spiritual father. It wasn t long after that in 2 Kings 13:14 that we read that a king called him ‘Father’.
If you are committed to honoring your father-in-the-Lord by serving him, you would receive something that you could otherwise have laboured greatly in the spirit to get.
Somebody once said that the tail of a lion is more powerful than the head of a dog.
Your father-in-the-Lord is already a lion; if you are committed to following Him as he follows Jesus, you can do greater things than when you are on your own.
Open Heaven 30 August 2023
Points: You can become a spiritual giant by honouring and being loyal to your spiritual leader.
Hymn: Praise To The Lord The Almighty
Bible in one year: Ezekiel 21, Ezekiel 22