Open Heaven 1 June 2025: A New Name
MEMORISE: Isaiah 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
READ: Genesis 17:1-15
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional Here
Many people are called by names they were not given at birth. They may not be called these names to their faces, but in their absence, people refer to them with those names. Sometimes, these names are not based on their good qualities but on qualities they are not proud of.
For example, in Mark 10:46-52, the Bible tells us about a blind man called Bartimaeus whom Jesus restored his sight. To date, however, people still refer to him as ‘Blind Bartimaeus’. I don’t know if people are currently calling you negative names, but I know that my God can change your story for good such that you won’t have those negative qualities the world describes you by anymore, and they will have no other choice than to call you a new name.
Whenever God sees that a name is hindering His work in a fellow’s life, He can change the name as He did with Abraham. Abraham was first called Abram, and although this name had a good meaning – exalted father – it didn’t fully capture what God had in store for him.
Therefore, God had a conversation with him one day and said, “I want to make you a father of many nations, but your name is hindering Me from doing so. Henceforth, you will no longer be called Abram but Abraham because I have made you a father of many nations.” God also changed the name of his wife from Sarai to Sarah, which was more suitable for the matriarch she was to become (Genesis 17:3-16).
When I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos, a typist, whom everyone jokingly called ‘Prof’, made a life changing decision. He said to himself, “I am a typist, but everyone calls me ‘prof’. I will indeed become a professor.” He started taking evening classes, and after a while, he wrote his exams and gained admission into the University of Lagos. Before I left the University of Lagos, the typist was already studying for his Ph.D. He made up his mind to truly change his name and not to remain a joke.
Beloved, you can also make up your mind to have a brand new beginning by surrendering all to God and asking Him to change any negative name that is hindering His glory from being manifested in your life. I pray that God will turn around any negative situation that men define you by and fill your life with joy and laughter, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please change every name that might be hindering Your glory from manifesting in my life, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 21-24
Open Heaven 1 June 2025
