FROM DRYNESS TO OPEN HEAVENS: PASTOR J.F ODESOLA, DIGGING DEEP 11TH AUGUST, 2020
RCCG ONLINE CENTRAL DIGGING DEEP SERVICE TEACHING
MINISTERING: PASTOR JOHNSON FOLORUNSHO ODESOLA (ASSISTANT GENERAL OVERSEER (AGO) ADMIN. AND PERSONNEL, RCCG)
TOPIC: FROM DRYNESS TO OPEN HEAVENS.
DATE: 11TH AUGUST, 2020
TEXT: 1 KINGS 18:41-46
We Bless the Name of the Lord; that was wonderful – The Rendition of the Choir is Wonderful. May the Lord continue to Anoint you, in the Name of Jesus – Amen.
Shall we just Pray further!
SONG
Jesus Christ is Lord
Jesus Christ is Lord
Jesus Christ is Lord
Amen! (Hallelujah)
Every knee shall bow, And every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord Amen! (Hallelujah)
Repeated!
OPENING PRAYER
The God whose Name is Wonderful, we appreciate You for what You have done in this Particular Past one (1) week. You have done it last week from Monday to Sunday, Lord we Thank You.
We are still in the euphoria of that WONDERFUL.
In the New week that we are in especially today -Tuesday, the day of the Digging Deep, we say Thank You!
God Whose Name is called WONDERFUL; we bow our hearts and our heads before our Maker, and we say THANK YOU to You!
The One who can do the impossibility, Thank You!
We want to Pray Lord to You today as we Thank You again; because You are never tired of blessing us.
We are here Oh God together with You in this Digging Deep, we Pray that You who is called Wonderful, deliver Wonderful Things into our lives, in the Name of Jesus!
Turn our DRYNESS TO OPEN HEAVENS and let the Name of the Lord be Mightily Glorified.
Those who are rejoicing for their Healings, rejoicing for Breakthroughs; the enemy will not bastardise it.
And those who are expectant of their own, in this New Week, especially Today – The Digging Deep day: deliver it to them.
I surrender my head, my mouth and my heart to You that I will disappear and You will appear. And Lord, I will not do violent to Your word.
That within the time I have, You will bring Your Word Powerfully and everyone will count it a Privilege to sit at Your Table to Dine and Wine in the Word of God.
Thank You Eternal Father! Holy Spirit, just take over and let Your Counsel and Your Will be fulfilled.
When all these is said and done, let us make it to the Kingdom of Glory.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name we Pray – AMEN!
Let somebody again shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
We Praise the Name of the Lord today again.
And we appreciate our father in the Lord; my own father in the Lord for another great Privilege given to this Young Boy to just stand in the gap and to just take from the few things he has taught us, to be able to teach other People.
Today, we We will be looking at the Book of: 1 KINGS 18:4-46
And we will be talking on: FROM DRYNESS TO OPEN HEAVENS.
1 KINGS 18:41-46;
41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
… The Lord Bless the Reading and Hearing of His Words, in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
FROM DRYNESS TO OPEN HEAVENS.
There are certain things that happens before moving from Dryness to Open Heavens.
From the story we read here, the foundation of the Problem of famine started when Elijah said in 1 Kings 17:1, when he said: There will not be any dew, there will not be rain – until I bring word back gain.
… That’s what he said.
1 Kings 17:1 says: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
And that was what happened: for a Period of three and half (3½) years – There was TOTAL DRYNESS in the land!
Let me say this, before I go into what we have for today:
Sometimes in our journeys of life, our Prayers appear to be hitting the rock like BRASS as the Heaven seems to be closed against us.
And that is why we come to Church, that is why study the Bible. That is why from time to time we appear in various Programmes, so that Heaven can bring rain.
After Elijah’s declaration, the whole land became DRY and famine was the order of the day!
In 2 Kings Chapter 18, we see how the Word of the Lord came unto him again to declare back.
God is not a man that He should lie – God is so compassionate.
God had to compel Elijah; because as soon as Elijah made the declaration, God took him to where he will be getting his food and water while the whole country was thrown into DRYNESS.
And so God told him: ‘Go back!’
That is to show that God is a compassionate God.
In Joel 2:25, it says: God will bring RESTORATION.
Look at what He says in that Joel 2:25 (NKJV);
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”
God is saying to someone: You are about to experience a New Dimension of a New Glory – Amen.
And I Pray, that from this day onwards, that will be your Portion, in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
Let me say this, before I say few other things:
It is disastrous, dangerous (I mean) for someone to live under a CLOSED HEAVEN
And it is a very difficult situation, frustration to live under Closed Heavens.
And that was the situation of the People of Israel.
Maybe your situation is like that;
I Pray for you today (if your Amen will be loud enough): God will turn your DRYNESS to OPEN HEAVEN, in the Name of Jesus – AMEN!
… I repeat it again:
God will turn your DRYNESS to OPEN HEAVEN, in the Name of Jesus – AMEN!
WHAT IS THE DANGER OF LIVING UNDER A CLOSED HEAVEN?
- The land will be PARCH and DRY and there will not be any Harvest – Jeremiah 51:36.
… What is the DANGER of living under a Closed Heaven?
- Every Seed will be BURNED for lack of rain.
Put the seed in the ground – burned!
Psalms 105:32 tells us that: When the land is DRY, nothing can Germinate.
… What is the DANGER?
- Efforts and Time spent will become Nothing.
You can listen to the audio here: From Dryness To Open Heaven – Pastor J.F Odesola
The farmer will look like a lazy fellow. The worker will look like somebody who doesn’t have Strength.
Now, in the Book of Luke 5:1-7; the man called Peter – a Professional Fisherman. He looked like a lazy fellow because he had nothing to show forth.
That is because he was operating under a Closed Heaven!
… What happens when your Heaven is closed?
- It means the Earth is SHUT against that fellow – Isaiah 22:22.
… What is the DANGER?
- ALL forms of Help are suspended from every sides.
2 Kings 6:27 – From left, no help. From right, no help. That is a sign!
Have you noticed while others are Prospering (in the land of the living) some are Struggling?
… It is as a result of Closed Heaven.
I Pray for someone today (if you care to say Amen): Every Closed Heaven over your life, the Lord will open it, in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
Let me repeat that Prayer: God will open your Closed Heaven, in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
- A Person’s Prayer will not be Answered.
When someone’s Heaven is Closed; he will Pray and Fast – but nothing to show for it. Nothing!
So they will ask him: But you go to Church? That is where so and so is going – and they Prosper. Look at you!
And that Person finds you in Church: it is because of Closed Heaven.
In Psalms 61:1, David was actually Praying to God: “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my Prayer.”
And I Pray: that the ears of God will not be shut against your Prayers in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
… When someone’s Heaven is CLOSED;”
- The Book of Remembrance will be CLOSED against the Person.
They will not remember him! They remember everyone, but this fellow – they will not remembered him or her.
That was the situation that happened to Joseph – Joseph interpreted a dream, and he told the man; you know I came into this Prison without committing any evil.
The man said: as soon as I’m released, I will mention the Matter before the King. But he forgot for two (2) years!
Do you know that it was by Divine Intervention that David – in 1 Samuel 16:11-14, only by the Grace of God was he remembered.
Forgotten in the wilderness – take care! If you can die there, Die! If you can Perish there, Perish!
But do you know that God remembered him?
I Pray: that this Particular day – Because the Word of God has Promised that He will do a New and a Greater things in your life: You shall be remembered in the Name of Jesus – Amen!
In Zephaniah 3:20, look at what God is set to do, after that Great Convention of last week – Look at it:
“At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all People of the Earth, when I turn back your Captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.”
God is saying to you; He will UNDO the work of AFFLICTION (He will UNDO it) and make your name a REFERENCE POINT of His Glory.
… I receive it to myself in Jesus’ Name – Amen!
God has done it before; He rescued His own People in the land of Captivity.
Read Genesis 28:12-15; you will see God appearing to Jacob through the Open Heavens experience – Now, he experienced Open Heavens – Angels are Ascending and Descending to him at Bethel.
But let me say this: You must STOP Playing Games with God. Settle with Him!
You have tried to fix that situation; you can’t fix it, because you didn’t create it yourself:
He determines the date of your birth, the date of your death is in His Palm – Whenever He wants you to finish your assignments here on Earth, that is when you will finish.
So, don’t fix it by your knowledge, you can’t do it because each time you fix it by your knowledge, you hit the rock.
Why don’t you allow God to handle it?
How did Elijah handle his Closed Heaven?
HOW DID HE SECURE AN OPEN HEAVEN?
I will mention Three (3) Things, and I will mention few things to us:
What he did in his time, and what we need to do in our own time!
HOW DID HE SECURE AN OPEN HEAVEN – IN HIS DAYS?
- He arranged things and put the Altar in order – I Kings 18:30. … He arranged things and put the Altar in Order.
You need to rearrange things yourself.
Blessing does not drop on a Broken or a Scattered ALTAR.
Your life is an ALTAR, GOD is a God of ORDER: Details and Principles mattered to Him.
And until your Altar is Repaired, Heaven may not be Open.
Your Altar of INTIMACY with God must be REPAIRED – Because the Bible says: “Whosoever BREAKS the edge, serpent will BITE.
It is because your Altar is damaged, that is why all kinds of Affliction and Rottenness came in.
… What did he do (this Great Prophet of God)?
- He CALLED on God of Heaven.
After he had REPAIRED the Altar, he CALLED on God of Heaven, and the FIRE fell.
In Psalms 55:16, the Bible talks about Getting the Altar REPAIRED, before you Call on God.
… What did he do (I am talking about Elijah)?
- After the Altar was repaired, He LAID all the meat on the Altar, and he PERSISTED in PRAYER until the rain Poured down from Heaven.
It is not just Preparing the Altar, it is not just laying the Bullock; you also need to PERSIST in PRAYER.
What I do (in my own Time) to secure an Open Heaven?
Altars must be REPAIRED in your life and there are various Altars you need to REPAIR:
- You need to Repair the Altar of SACRIFICIAL GIVING.
In Malachi 3:10, He says: Bring all the Tithes to My House.
When you want a Breakthrough in the area of Money, you need to repair the Altar of Sacrificial Giving.
It is not something we talk about in our days; we only talk about our Needs.
In fact, some People have the Ministry of attacking ‘Giving in Church’ and they are Poor – Soliciting on the Internet, Computer and Telephone.
No wonder they are Poor – Baggers on the Internet.
… What did you need to do (in your own time) to Secure Open Heaven?
- You need to Repair the Altar of your PRIORITIES.
The Bible says in Matthew 6:24: “No man can serve two Masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
You cannot serve God and Mammon.
Money has tendency to be worshipped; but God says you can’t serve God and Mammon.
- You need to Repair the Altar of DOUBLE MINDEDNESS.
God can do anything!
James 1:6-8 says: “A double minded man can’t receive anything from God.”
- You need to Repair the Altar of your FAITH.
A strong Faith is a necessity for Increase.
Because Hebrews 11:6 says that’ “Without Faith it is impossible to Please Him.”
“Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” – Hebrews 11:1
… You need to repair the Altar!
- You need to Repair the Altar of your RELATIONSHIP with God.
Walk Right with God!
You need to walk in the steps that God has mapped our for you.
2 Chronicles 7:17-18, God of Heaven told a King: If you walk in the steps of your father, David, then you will not lack People on the Throne that I have ordained for your father.
- You need to Repair the Altar of PURITY.
1 Peter 1:16 says: “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
That is a Message we don’t hear too often among Preachers today: Be ye Holy; for I am Holy.
And I Thank God for my father in the Lord – The Apostle of Holiness; give him any Topic to Preach on, he will end up in Holiness.
Tell him to Preach on Deliverance – Holiness; Security – Holiness!
And that is it because God is Holy and you need to repair the Altar.
… Like Father, like son!
Everyone that has given his or life to Jesus, the Bible says: He gives Power to become sons and daughters of God.”
That is on the Book of John 1:12.
And if God is our Father, and God is Holy; why not you? Why not me?
- You need to Repair the Altar of CONFESSION. Altar of PROFESSION, Holding Fast POSITIVELY.
Job 22:28 says that: You will Declare a thing, and it shall be established unto you.
THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU WHEN DRYNESS TURNS TO OPEN HEAVEN.
*Just as it was for the man called Mordecai (in Esther Chapter 6) and many other People who for experienced that in the Bible
Now, when the Heaven is OPEN over your life:
- Helpers of Destiny will be looking for you with a “SENSE of URGENCY”.
Because the King said in Esther 6:4-6: Is anybody there? They said Haman. What shall be done to the man I want to honour? Haman suggested it.
Another Prayer that I need to Pray is that: God will use your enemies to suggest your Blessings – Amen.
… And the King said: Everything you have suggested, go and do unto Mordecai (the Gatekeeper) URGENTLY!
The same thing happened to David in 1 Samuel 16:11.
Samuel said: We are not going to sit down until that Boy comes!
So, when your Heaven is Opened, Helpers of Destiny will be looking for you, and with a Sense of Urgency.
… When your Heaven is OPEN:
- Honour and Dignity will be given to a Nameless Person like your, like myself.
Psalms 21:5 says: “His Glory is great in thy Salvation: Honour and Majesty hast thou laid upon him.”
Although nobody recognized you, nobody knows you. Although nobody cherish the way God is doing things in your life but when your Heaven is Opened, they cannot but Perform!
And I am Praying that this Season (a New week after the Convention): Your Book of Remembrance will be Opened in the Name of Jesus – Amen.
- Unprecedented PROMOTION.
… From Gate Keeper to a Chief of Staff.
You know why?
According to Psalms 75:5-6; the Bible says: “For Promotion cometh neither from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South.”
… From Heaven! – And that is the Throne of God!
So, Mordecai from being a Gatekeeper to an official Chief of Staff of the Palace.
- TOTAL RESTORATION
According to Joel 2:25-28, God says: He will restore you ALL THE WASTED YEARS.
All, not just a few, but All.
That was what God did for the man called Jacob.
In Genesis 28:10-19, he called the name of the Place where God revealed Himself to him, Bethel – The Place where he had a Memorable Encounter.
And I Pray for you, this Particular week (not another week); this Particular night (not another night): You will have an Encounter of RESTORATION, in the a Name of Jesus – Amen.
- MEMORABLE ENCOUNTER
Jacob had an “Unusual Encounter”.
Memorable Encounter where you do a little thing, and have massive DIVIDENDS.
When you do so, People will just look at you, as they looked at Joseph and say: I don’t know what to do with you; but take my Authority and just Rule the Land.
That is why your Heaven must be OPEN.
Just as He Promised Jacob, God has Promised you likewise.
WHAT DID GOD PROMISE YOU?
Look at what He Promised you in Genesis 28:12-14:
- That He will give you your ALLOTTED PORTION in this Land.
You didn’t beg God to create you; why should you suffer all your life, barely making it – Why?
… What did He Promise you – Genesis 28:14?
It says: “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the Earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the East, and to the North, and to the South: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
- That means He will cause you to experience MULTIPLICATION.
That is what Open Heaven can do!
… What did He Promise you?
“You seed will SPREAD Abroad to the East, to the West, to the North, to the South.”
- That means He will cause you to experience EXPANSION and become a BLESSING.
… What did He Promise to do?
Look at what He said: “Through your seed, all the families of the Earth be Blessed.”
- He Promised He will be with you; He will never forsake you.
But there is the need for you to respond.
Because whether your Heaven will be Opened or not, is likely dependent on you – not upon God.
… You need to Respond.
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THESE?
*Now, there are few things you need to do. I will not discuss them. I will just mention them.
- You need to make a QUALITY DECISION.
Make a Quality Decision – Enough is Enough of operating under Closed Heaven.
Yes, I know God dwells in you, but I want to say and submit to you with (with all humility):
Your life is not the life of God, it is your own life – So, whether you suffer Affliction, Oppression, Depression, Obsession: it is not God.
There must be a “Quality Decision”.
In Daniel 1:8, Daniel Purpose in his heart.
Look at Jabez said to himself: No, I can’t go on like this anymore. Enough is enough! – 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
… You have to make up your mind!
Jacob – just like somebody said: “Jacob is a Name, but Israel is a Nation.
And when you read that Particular Story in Genesis 32:24-28; the man called Jacob said: ENOUGH!
So there must be a QUALITY DECISION. That is Number 1.
- You need to get connected Properly to God.
Just as Elijah Prepared the Altar – Just don’t get involved in the Church for the sake of getting involved.
No! You must be totally involved – Everything in you must be involved.
If God is God, serve Him: With all your heart, with all your soul, everything!
No wonder Paul admonished us in Romans 12:1-3. He said:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the Mercies of God, that ye Present your bodies a Living Sacrifice, Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may Prove what is that Good, and acceptable, and Perfect, Will of God. For I say, through the Grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of Faith.”
Make sure that your life is offered unto Him as a Living Sacrifice – Get connected to Him!
And if you are hearing me, you are not yet Born Again. It is time for you to return to Him and stop hypocritical attitudes.
You go to Church almost all the time, you Pretend you are a Christian, but you are not!
You need to just get yourself hooked to Him. Connect yourself to Him.
- To secure your Heaven OPEN, there must be PRAYER. Luke 18;1; John 16:24; John 14:13-14.
Quality Decision, Repair your Altar; and Part of repairing your Altar is to give your life to Him.
And if you have been Born Again, but nothing seams to be happening; it is to rededicate yourself to Him.
… And the third (3rd) thing is to Pray.
Nothing moves in life except somebody moves it; and everything answer to the Power of Prayer.
Elijah, after repairing the Altar, he had to Pray.
And the Bible says to us in Luke 18:1:
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to Pray, and not to Faint;”
When Jesus was talking in John 16:24, He said: “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
And you know in John 14:13-14, He said: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father may be Glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
You might be experiencing DRYNESS, PARCHMENT; God is calling you today: Repair your Altar by stepping up your Service to Him.
Are you Fellowshipping with the Baal of this world?
I mean, if God is God, serve Him; if Baal is god, serve him.
But God is the God of Heaven and Earth.
In Isaiah 51:11, the Bible says:
“Therefore the Redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting Joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain Gladness and Joy; and Sorrow and Mourning shall flee away.”
And in Psalms 5:12; He says: “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”
It is time for you to Secure OPEN HEAVEN.
This Season that we just closed our Annual Convention and a New Week: Your Heaven must be OPENED – Amen.
*And it is time for you to say okay, God I didn’t have Testimony during Convention, give me my own now – Amen.
Or I have a Testimony, Lord Protect my Testimony – Amen.
Lord, I want to experience something New; something great must happen in my life – Amen.
It is your turn to move from DRYNESS to OPEN HEAVEN. And God is still in the Business of opening Heavens; He can open yours too – Amen!
Shall be bow our head as we Pray!
ALTAR CALL
If you are there, and you have not given your life to Christ, I want you to talk to Him:
Lord save me, I am Yours. I surrender my life to you, forgive my sins.
Lord take me as your son and daughter. Give me the Power to serve you.
And if you have been Bord Again, you are going through DRYNESS. Tell the Lord: it is my turn to experience OPEN HEAVEN.
And I can guarantee you, God will do it for you – Amen.
I will Pray now!
PRAYER FOR SALVATION AND CLOSING PRAYER.
External Father, I asked You before I came in today into this particular Altar: “What will I say?”
… And You have given the Word.
I am not just speaking to the People, I am speaking to myself;
I Pray that all of us who are here (and all those reading now on the Label of DMC); all those who have confessed their sins; Please Forgive them, wash them clean with Your Blood and write their names in the “Book of Life.” Give them the Power to serve You to the end.
And Lord Almighty, all those who are already Believers, but their Heaven is Closed; I Pray today, as they Repair their Altar and make Quality Decision for you; Please answer their Prayers and Open their Heaven. And let them enjoy the Benefits of Serving God.
And we Pray Lord, the rest of our lives shall be under OPEN HEAVENS: with Joy and Healing and Blessings to the Glory of the Holy Name of the Lord.
Thank You Eternal Father!
And when the Roll is Call up Yonder in Heaven, help us to make it there.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
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