WEBVTT 00:00:01.339 --> 00:00:14.859 Genesis chapter 7, verse 11. Genesis 7, 11. In 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:21.660 the 600th year of Noah's life, in the second 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:27.899 month, the 17th day of the month, on that day... 00:00:28.940 --> 00:00:32.619 All the fountains of the great deep were broken 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:46.340 up. And the windows of heaven were opened. Father, 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:48.939 I'm asking you, even as you have confirmed already 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:52.500 through several prayers during our prayer time 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:59.649 and through Pastor Blessin's prayer. You've confirmed 00:00:59.649 --> 00:01:04.989 the word of the Lord to me. And I ask God that 00:01:04.989 --> 00:01:09.689 in this place, that the windows of heaven would 00:01:09.689 --> 00:01:17.730 open. I ask God that you would speak to our hearts 00:01:17.730 --> 00:01:25.569 through your word. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:30.799 Hallelujah. I apologize this morning, you're 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:33.019 not getting me at my best. I've been in bed for 00:01:33.019 --> 00:01:35.859 three days, and this morning I woke up and I 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:39.579 said, oh, praise God, I can function. And so 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:44.219 I am the first day back functioning today, and 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:47.400 I'm still feeling a little bit weak. So thank 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:52.799 you for praying for me. But I wanted to start 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:57.760 with this passage because this is... the first 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:01.780 passage in the Scriptures where the windows of 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:08.120 heaven opened up. And here it was a physical 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:14.580 resource, the resource of rain. But heaven opened 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:19.159 up. Up until this point in time, it had not rained. 00:02:19.740 --> 00:02:23.599 The earth was watered by the dew of the earth. 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:30.000 And God had told Noah to build an ark. And so 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:34.139 Noah was building an ark for something that was 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:38.020 in the minds of everybody he was preaching to, 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:42.599 and perhaps even in his own mind, he was building 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:47.840 an ark for an impossible situation that was to 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:53.590 come. I'm going to flood the earth. Well, Noah 00:02:53.590 --> 00:02:56.710 had seen the dew on the ground and he had seen 00:02:56.710 --> 00:03:03.430 the waters of the land and he knew what water 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:09.030 was. But there was resource that was necessary 00:03:09.030 --> 00:03:16.250 that was not in the natural. And when earth's 00:03:16.250 --> 00:03:24.840 resources run out, God opens. The heavens. Amen? 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:31.860 And so here, we see that when heaven opened up, 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:37.199 the water was released. When there is an open 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:43.819 heaven, there is an abundance for whatever God 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:49.400 wants to accomplish. I want to read some other 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:56.889 scriptures here. Psalm 78 verse 23 says this, 00:03:57.090 --> 00:04:02.229 Yet he had commanded the clouds above and opened 00:04:02.229 --> 00:04:05.849 the doors of heaven. Now this is not referring 00:04:05.849 --> 00:04:09.069 to Noah. This is referring to the Israelites 00:04:09.069 --> 00:04:12.250 later on when they needed food in the wilderness. 00:04:13.229 --> 00:04:16.149 And what do you think came out of the open doors 00:04:16.149 --> 00:04:19.389 of heaven when they needed food in the wilderness? 00:04:19.529 --> 00:04:25.569 It was not water. It was manna. He rained down 00:04:25.569 --> 00:04:32.089 manna on them to eat and given them of the bread 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:38.329 of heaven. Men ate angels' foods. He sent them 00:04:38.329 --> 00:04:43.660 food to the full. Hallelujah. Because when there 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:48.480 is an open heaven, there is an abundance for 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:55.879 whatever God wants to accomplish. I'm believing 00:04:55.879 --> 00:05:01.699 God in 2026 for an open heaven in this place. 00:05:02.339 --> 00:05:06.120 I'm believing God in 2026 for an open heaven 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:10.779 over your life. I'm believing in 2026 for an 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:14.379 open heaven in Lincoln, Illinois, in central 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:17.519 Illinois. I'm believing for an open heaven in 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:20.899 the United States of America. Hallelujah. Because 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:24.360 we don't just need laws to change. We need hearts 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:28.139 to change. We don't just need what man can do. 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:33.060 We need what God can do. The provision on this 00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:36.819 earth, the provision of the good ideas of men 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:40.689 can carry Carry us to a certain place. But the 00:05:40.689 --> 00:05:44.670 resources for what God wants to do, we don't 00:05:44.670 --> 00:05:50.910 have. We need the heavens to open up. We need 00:05:50.910 --> 00:05:55.069 the heavens to open up. An open heaven is a place 00:05:55.069 --> 00:06:01.189 of incredible abundance. Some of you need heaven 00:06:01.189 --> 00:06:04.970 to open up over your homes. We're going to believe 00:06:04.970 --> 00:06:09.290 for that today. So, number one, an open heaven 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:12.610 is a place of abundance. Secondly, an open heaven 00:06:12.610 --> 00:06:17.269 is a place of incredible spiritual activity. 00:06:19.230 --> 00:06:24.089 Genesis 28, verse 10. Now Jacob went out from 00:06:24.089 --> 00:06:29.149 Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to 00:06:29.149 --> 00:06:32.709 a certain place and stayed there all night because 00:06:32.709 --> 00:06:36.879 the sun had set. And he took one of the stones 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:41.800 of that place and put it at his head. And he 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:46.560 laid down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed. 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:51.579 And behold, a ladder was set up on the earth. 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:57.500 And its top reached to the heaven. And there 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:02.860 the angels of God were ascending and descending 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:07.519 on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:12.500 said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, your father, 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:16.779 and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie, 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:20.459 I will give to you and your descendants. Also 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:23.180 your descendants shall be as the dust of the 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:27.180 earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:29.680 and to the east, to the north and to the south. 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:33.160 And in you and in your seed all the families 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:36.800 of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.819 you and will keep you wherever you go and will 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:43.920 bring you back to this land for I will not leave 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:47.480 you until I have done what I have spoken to you. 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:52.000 And Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:55.240 the Lord is in this place and I did not know 00:07:55.240 --> 00:08:01.600 it. And he was afraid. and said, how awesome 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:07.300 is this place. This is none other than the house 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:12.740 of God, Bethel. And this is the gate of heaven. 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:17.240 And he arose early in the morning and took the 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:19.620 stone that he had put at his head, set it up 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:23.819 as a pillar and poured oil on top of it and called 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:29.800 the name of that place Bethel. The house of God. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:37.320 Spiritual activity is happening when the heavens 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:44.840 open up. And so he was sleeping, but it wasn't 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:48.980 just a dream. It wasn't just food that he ate 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:52.759 that night. He was experiencing the power of 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:56.639 God in that moment. He was experiencing God speaking 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:00.440 to him and encountering with him. And in fact, 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:04.419 when he awoke from his sleep, he was still fully 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:08.840 aware of the presence of God and trembling in 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:13.299 the fear of the Lord as Jacob met for himself. 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.179 The God of his father, Isaac, and the God of 00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:21.980 his grandfather, Abraham. It came to Jacob in 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:24.860 the place of an open heaven. I can think of a 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:27.019 few other people that have experienced an open 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:30.659 heaven like that. You think about Saul in Acts 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:34.740 chapter 9. He is just headed on the road to Damascus. 00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:39.730 And what happened? Heaven opened up. over Saul. 00:09:40.009 --> 00:09:45.490 And he came to this place where God struck him 00:09:45.490 --> 00:09:49.730 and began to speak to him and changed his life 00:09:49.730 --> 00:09:53.610 forever. Because the place of an open heaven 00:09:53.610 --> 00:09:57.490 is the place of spiritual activity. The place 00:09:57.490 --> 00:10:00.690 of an open heaven is the place of revelation. 00:10:01.889 --> 00:10:06.529 You, friend, are not going to go to heaven. Because 00:10:06.529 --> 00:10:11.730 your dad knows Jesus. You're not going to go 00:10:11.730 --> 00:10:16.450 to heaven because grandpa follows Jesus. You're 00:10:16.450 --> 00:10:19.470 going to go to heaven because you have an encounter 00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:23.970 with Jesus. You need heaven to open up over your 00:10:23.970 --> 00:10:27.690 life. You and I need heaven to open up over our 00:10:27.690 --> 00:10:34.200 lives. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Here, Jacob heard 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:39.519 God's calling for himself. And he realized, I 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:42.740 can't skirt along any longer just based upon 00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:50.159 daddy's faith. I need my own. It's the place 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:54.940 of revelation. Do you know that we're supposed 00:10:54.940 --> 00:11:01.529 to pray for the heavens to open? Isaiah chapter 00:11:01.529 --> 00:11:07.049 64, he's praying. Oh, that you would rend the 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:13.330 heavens and come down. What does that word rend 00:11:13.330 --> 00:11:19.629 mean? It means to tear open. Oh, that you would 00:11:19.629 --> 00:11:26.870 tear open the heavens and come down. And come 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:30.750 down. That you would what? that the mountains 00:11:30.750 --> 00:11:34.750 might shake at your presence. What's he saying? 00:11:34.889 --> 00:11:40.409 That your presence might manifest here on the 00:11:40.409 --> 00:11:46.990 earth. That your presence might manifest here 00:11:46.990 --> 00:11:51.669 on the earth, even as it is in heaven. Rip open 00:11:51.669 --> 00:11:55.629 the heavens so that the earth will start to look 00:11:55.629 --> 00:12:00.179 like it is up there. Rend the heavens and come 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:05.299 down as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:09.039 water to boil, to make your name known to your 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:14.120 adversaries that the nations may tremble at your 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:19.659 presence. Hallelujah. That reminds me of a New 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:25.159 Testament moment in Acts chapter 2 when the heavens 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:32.320 opened up. And fire came, just like Isaiah prayed, 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:38.379 and separated, and a tongue of fire came on each 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:42.679 of them. And as they prayed in the Spirit, as 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:46.600 they prayed in tongues, the nations around them 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.840 that had assembled heard their own languages, 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:55.629 and they said, oh God, what must this be? And 00:12:55.629 --> 00:12:58.289 many of them trembled in the presence of God. 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:04.169 Lord, we need the heavens to open up. We need 00:13:04.169 --> 00:13:06.850 the heavens to open up in Matthew chapter 6. 00:13:08.009 --> 00:13:14.129 When Jesus taught us how to pray. In verse 10, 00:13:14.389 --> 00:13:20.409 what did he say? Your kingdom come. Your will 00:13:20.409 --> 00:13:27.730 be done on earth. As it is in heaven. We need 00:13:27.730 --> 00:13:33.149 the heavens to open up so that the activity that 00:13:33.149 --> 00:13:37.009 happens here on the earth will reflect heaven. 00:13:37.309 --> 00:13:42.830 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, I feel the presence 00:13:42.830 --> 00:13:46.450 of the Lord in this house. Right now. I want 00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:49.509 you to hear what happened. When Jesus prayed 00:13:49.509 --> 00:13:54.870 in Luke chapter 3. After he was baptized. In 00:13:54.870 --> 00:13:58.389 verse 21. It says this. When all the people were 00:13:58.389 --> 00:14:02.649 baptized. It came to pass that Jesus also was 00:14:02.649 --> 00:14:07.110 baptized. Now listen to this phrase. And while 00:14:07.110 --> 00:14:17.259 Jesus prayed. The heaven was opened. Do you think 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:22.320 that that's a coincidence? I believe that not 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.759 only while Jesus prayed the heavens was opened, 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:31.799 but because Jesus prayed the heavens were opened. 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:35.700 Hallelujah. And what happened when the heaven 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:39.740 was opened? Spiritual activity began to happen. 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:43.779 The Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove and 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:47.320 descended and came to rest on each of them. And 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:52.399 the Father spoke, this is my son. With him, I 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:57.620 am well pleased. The heavens opened up. Why do 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:01.779 we... often open the altars for people to receive 00:15:01.779 --> 00:15:06.940 prayer during worship because the heavens are 00:15:06.940 --> 00:15:12.899 open. And when the heavens are open, spiritual 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:18.320 activity is released. Do I understand that all 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.700 the time? I don't always understand it, but I 00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:27.320 know that this is not just an Old Testament thing. 00:15:27.929 --> 00:15:31.610 It is Old Testament, New Testament. God wants 00:15:31.610 --> 00:15:37.309 to interact with people. Hallelujah. When Stephen 00:15:37.309 --> 00:15:41.809 was being stoned, and the Bible says he stood 00:15:41.809 --> 00:15:46.009 up and looked, and what happened? He said, behold, 00:15:46.490 --> 00:15:51.250 I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing 00:15:51.250 --> 00:15:55.120 at the right hand of God. And then he prayed, 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:59.019 God receive my spirit. Don't count this sin against 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:04.700 them. And Jesus standing in the heavens received 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:11.100 Stephen. The heavens were opened up. Hallelujah. 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:19.879 We should pray for the heavens to open up. There's 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:28.240 three things. that the Scriptures attach to an 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:30.080 open heaven. And the first one we've already 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:35.000 talked about, prayer. And I'm kind of setting 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:38.740 this up because we're starting our week of fasting 00:16:38.740 --> 00:16:44.559 and prayer on the 7th of January. And we are 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:47.679 going to pray every gathering. We're going to 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:52.399 be praying, God, open up the heavens. Amen? We 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:56.279 are believing for Him to establish an open heaven 00:16:56.279 --> 00:17:01.740 in this place. Now, the church is not the building. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:08.839 We understand that. But there are locations in 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:14.339 the earth where God's... where the heavens open 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:18.980 up. There are locations usually where people 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:23.119 have been fasting and praying and seeking God's 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:27.079 face. In those locations, there is oftentimes 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:32.400 an open atmosphere that is very easy to enter 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:36.880 into an open heaven. When God begins to pour 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:40.700 revival out in a location, why do you think the 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:45.039 people flood to that place? It is hopefully not 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:49.700 because of a man. It's hopefully because the 00:17:49.700 --> 00:17:53.339 heavens are open in that place. The heavens are 00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:56.680 opened up. Why did people flood to Brownsville 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:02.329 in the 90s? It was because... People had spent 00:18:02.329 --> 00:18:06.730 seven years seeking God for an open heaven and 00:18:06.730 --> 00:18:11.529 God heard their prayer. And for the next seven 00:18:11.529 --> 00:18:14.910 years, the heavens were opened in that place. 00:18:16.309 --> 00:18:22.750 Five million people came to that church because 00:18:22.750 --> 00:18:27.829 the heavens were opened. I've experienced... 00:18:28.190 --> 00:18:35.269 and open heaven in a church for six months. Everything 00:18:35.269 --> 00:18:38.170 that God did, we could not even recount to you. 00:18:39.289 --> 00:18:45.089 It was so outstanding. So many lives changed 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:55.109 and healed. God, open up the heavens. Open up 00:18:55.109 --> 00:18:58.380 the heavens. The second thing that is attached 00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:06.539 to an open heaven is obedience. Obedience. You 00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:09.720 want God to open heaven over your finances, over 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:14.299 your life? You have got to walk in obedience. 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:21.279 Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 28. These are the 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:27.579 blessings for obedience. It says this in verse 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:33.720 12. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:46.900 the heavens. Because you're obedient. When we're 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:55.220 obedient to God, we can expect the heavens. To 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:59.720 open up on us. And again here, like Noah's day, 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:03.579 it was attached to something physical. Rain in 00:20:03.579 --> 00:20:12.880 due season. The things that we need. In James 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:17.700 chapter 1, it says that God is the giver of every 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:23.440 perfect gift. It comes from the Father of heavenly 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:29.859 lights who does not change. In 2026, I believe 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:32.759 that the heavens are going to open up over America. 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:36.200 The heavens are going to open up over Illinois 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:39.740 even. I believe that with my whole heart. The 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:42.059 heavens are going to open up over Faith Church 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:45.359 because he's called us to more, friends. He's 00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:48.180 called us to reach more for his kingdom. He's 00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:51.240 called us to do more for his kingdom. He's called 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:56.180 us to do that which we cannot provide. We don't 00:20:56.180 --> 00:21:00.859 have the resources to do it. But God does. And 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:02.940 they're going to be released over us. Hallelujah. 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:08.180 Why? Because of obedience. We see this again 00:21:08.180 --> 00:21:15.380 in Malachi chapter 3. That the heavens open up 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:18.400 not just for obedience, but a very specific kind 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:24.839 of obedience. Obedience in giving. Bring the 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:28.460 tithes into the storehouse. that there might 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:32.680 be food in my house. And test me now in this, 00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:37.819 says the Lord, if I will not open up for you 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:48.700 the windows of heaven. When you bring your tithe 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:53.619 to the storehouse here, that act of obedience. 00:21:55.019 --> 00:22:00.140 is sowing into a mighty, mighty move of God. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.880 It is not just about making sure you get enough 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:10.539 to get by. It is not merely about obedience. 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:16.960 It is. But it is about positioning you, positioning 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:21.859 the church to be in the place where God opens 00:22:21.859 --> 00:22:26.079 up the heavens. Hallelujah. And that is about 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:29.240 provision for your life, but it is about, oh, 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:31.900 so much more than that. It is about spiritual 00:22:31.900 --> 00:22:36.339 activity happening. It is about God moving in 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:40.720 your home, in your situation. Hallelujah. You 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:44.039 are positioning yourself by obedience. You are 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:47.259 positioning yourself by prayer. You are positioning 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:52.460 yourself by generosity. And those three things 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:59.000 together. Position yourself to be where the heavens 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:06.799 are opened. You say, well, pastor, who am I? 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:18.440 I'm not a prophet that you know of. I'm nobody 00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:42.529 special. I love Ezekiel chapter 1 verse 1. And 00:23:42.529 --> 00:23:45.529 this was before Ezekiel ever wrote down any prophecy. 00:23:47.869 --> 00:24:02.750 He wasn't known yet. He was in exile. A nobody. 00:24:06.430 --> 00:24:09.470 It came to pass in the 30th year, in the fourth 00:24:09.470 --> 00:24:15.529 month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was 00:24:15.529 --> 00:24:26.849 among the captives by the river Shabar. Shabar 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:37.349 means far off place. I'm in a far off place with 00:24:37.349 --> 00:24:47.509 prisoners. I'm not in my home country. I'm not 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:50.849 living in the place of blessing. As far as I 00:24:50.849 --> 00:24:57.930 can see, nothing is going right. Separated from 00:24:57.930 --> 00:25:07.730 my family, most likely. And in that far off place, 00:25:07.990 --> 00:25:16.069 the next sentence says, the heavens were opened 00:25:16.069 --> 00:25:28.730 and I saw visions of God. Nobody else would choose 00:25:28.730 --> 00:25:38.589 the river Shabar. Nobody else perhaps would choose 00:25:38.589 --> 00:25:44.109 to be in the position you're in. Maybe you would 00:25:44.109 --> 00:25:47.849 say, I don't even choose the position I'm in. 00:25:57.289 --> 00:26:04.130 But God sees right where you are. He sees your 00:26:04.130 --> 00:26:08.630 faithfulness when nobody else does. He sees your 00:26:08.630 --> 00:26:10.950 prayer in the secret place that nobody else sees. 00:26:13.490 --> 00:26:23.630 And he will reward you openly. In the place of 00:26:23.630 --> 00:26:30.450 Shabar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions 00:26:30.450 --> 00:26:39.980 of God. God's chosen you. That's been the theme 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:45.500 of several of my messages lately. God has chosen 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:57.640 you. God has chosen you. When Jesus got done 00:26:57.640 --> 00:27:08.519 in Revelation 3 with the final church, had rebuked 00:27:08.809 --> 00:27:12.529 Five of those churches had John write down all 00:27:12.529 --> 00:27:18.190 the words to seven of them. And then he turns 00:27:18.190 --> 00:27:22.930 to John in chapter 4. And he says, hey, John. 00:27:23.210 --> 00:27:28.049 Because the Bible says John saw an open door 00:27:28.049 --> 00:27:37.109 in heaven. Revelation 4 .1. He saw an open door. 00:27:38.190 --> 00:27:43.549 And John heard a voice that said, come up here 00:27:43.549 --> 00:27:52.289 and I will show you things to come. A place of 00:27:52.289 --> 00:27:58.769 revelation. John, I don't know how he did it 00:27:58.769 --> 00:28:01.609 in his dream, if he just floated up or if he 00:28:01.609 --> 00:28:04.559 had to climb up. to get there. I don't understand 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:08.200 it, but he got himself to the place of the open 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:13.539 heaven. And it was there that God began to reveal 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:20.039 to him the rest of the revelation. We need God 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:24.160 to open up the heavens. You might feel stuck. 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:27.319 Do you know what you need? You need God to open 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:34.299 up the heavens. You might feel like Isaiah did. 00:28:35.299 --> 00:28:39.039 There's so much more. I don't want to just hear 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:42.839 about what you used to do. I want to see it in 00:28:42.839 --> 00:28:48.299 my time and in my day. How many of you have heard 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:52.880 of the revivals of the past? How many of you 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:55.259 are content just to hear about the revivals of 00:28:55.259 --> 00:29:00.740 the past? I hear about what God, in fact, even 00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:03.059 the present, what God does around the world. 00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:07.000 And I get jealous because I don't want it to 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:10.119 just happen in the far off corners of the world. 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:13.660 I do want it to happen there, but I want it to 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:17.099 happen here too. I want God to move in power 00:29:17.099 --> 00:29:22.319 here. Hallelujah. I want him to move. I want 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:26.680 him to move. An open heaven can be over one life. 00:29:27.529 --> 00:29:32.549 It can be over a people. And I believe that God 00:29:32.549 --> 00:29:36.869 wants this to be a place of an open heaven.