AN OPEN HEAVEN 2

16 WHEN He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; AND BEHOLD, THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED TO HIM, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.”
Matthew 3:16,17 (NKJV)

"WHILE he was still speaking, BEHOLD, A BRIGHT CLOUD OVERSHADOWED THEM; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. HEAR HIM!”
Matthew 17:5 (NKJV)

• Another Important thing to consider that would cause your heaven to open is:
II. Sacrifice.

• Remember, an open heaven symbolizes God's approval, favour, and God's willingness to bless you and whatever you do—the work of your hand.
• Sacrifice is one of the things or keys or principles that would cause you to experience an open heaven.
• Sacrifice is about the Giving of what you have; to honour God, or the obedience to whatever He instructed you to do or give.
• The Sacrifice or Giving of a particular thing, or the submissiveness to embrace His Will, provokes God to release blessings, favour or give His backings and approvals.
• Heaven is moved or shaking or provoked to bless; lift and favour, through Sacrifices. The Giving of your time, money, material things or possessions, and the yielding of the self to do His Will, cause God to move or respond to your case or matter.

• Jesus chose to sacrifice His life, He did it willingly without being forced:
17 “THE FATHER LOVES ME [Jesus] BECAUSE I SACRIFICE MY LIFE SO I MAY TAKE IT BACK AGAIN. 18 No one can take my life from me. I SACRIFICE IT VOLUNTARILY. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. FOR THIS IS WHAT MY FATHER HAS COMMANDED" (John 10:17,18 NLT).

• What gave Jesus Christ the throne He occupies today in heaven is the sacrifice He made with His life:
  7 INSTEAD, HE GAVE UP HIS DIVINE PRIVILEGES; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 HE HUMBLED HIMSELF IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND DIED A CRIMINAL'S DEATH ON A CROSS. 9 THEREFORE, GOD ELEVATED HIM TO THE PLACE OF HIGHEST HONOUR AND GAVE HIM THE NAME ABOVE ALL OTHER NAMES, 10 THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH AND UNDER THE EARTH, 11 AND EVERY TONGUE DECLARE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER" (Philippians 2:7-11 (NLT).
• The kind of sacrifice Jesus made He demands from whoever would follow Him or be His disciple: "SO THEN, ANY OF YOU WHO DOES NOT FORSAKE (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) ALL THAT HE HAS CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE" (Luke 14:33 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).

“SIMPLY PUT, IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO TAKE WHAT IS DEAREST TO YOU, WHETHER PLANS or PEOPLE, AND KISS IT GOOD-BYE, YOU CAN'T BE MY DISCIPLE."
Luke 14:33 (The Message)
READ : Luke 14:26,27; Philippians 2:5-7

• Sacrificial Giving is the Giving of what touches you when you lay it down. You felt it, when you did the sacrifice. What you gave, the offering you gave, In which you know something left you.

• Solomon gave one thousand burnt offerings. That provoked God's visitation, and He asked Solomon to ask whatever he wants:
  4 NOW THE KING [Solomon] WENT TO GIBEON TO SACRIFICE THERE, FOR that was the great high place: SOLOMON OFFERED A THOUSAND BURNT OFFERINGS ON THAT ALTAR. 5 AT GIBEON THE LORD APPEARED TO SOLOMON IN A DREAM BY NIGHT; AND GOD SAID, “ASK! WHAT SHALL I GIVE YOU?” (1 Kings 3:4,5 NKJV).
• Solomon's heaven was made open through the sacrificial Giving. God could not but visit him because of what he did.
  It takes a person who loves God with all his or her heart to do what he did.
• God was touched or moved by Solomon's sacrifice. He was also moved because of the heart with which he gave the offerings—he gave because he loves the LORD: "AND SOLOMON LOVED THE LORD, WALKING IN THE STATUTES OF HIS FATHER DAVID..." (1 Kings 3:3 NKJV).
• If you failed to risk what you have, you might not receive anything in return.
  a. What do you want to offer to God?
  b. What is that precious thing which you are having a witness in your heart that you should offer to God?
• Heaven is caused or provoked to open, through your Sacrifices. It is not the quantity of what you give, but the quality, the heart with which you give it, that is, your love for God that makes you do it.
• And also the spontaneity or the promptness of the Giving—how you responded to it, when you were urged or stirred by God.
• This same response was seen in Abraham when he was called by God to Sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-3).
• Sacrificial Giving; either of money, material things, or possessions, or whatever is required by God, causes the heaven of whoever professed to be of God, open.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• If you are not having any ailment in your body, receive your healing now in the name of Jesus Christ.
• The Affliction of sickness comes to an end and It will not come or rise again in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!