Open Heaven 8 April 2023
MEMORISE: But ye Shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:18
BIBLE READING: MARK 16:15-18
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
In John 17:4, when Jesus was praying before His crucifixion, He said to His Father that He had finished His assignment. Later on in John 19:30, He said, “It is finished”; in other words, ‘Mission accomplished.’ After His ascension, He said to His disciples in Acts 1:8 that the Holy Ghost would come upon them and they would receive power.
What is power? Power in layman’s language is the ability to do work efficiently. The power you need to fulfil your destiny as ordained by God is in the Holy Ghost. In Luke 5:10, Jesus Christ informed Peter that he would begin to catch men and this came into full manifestation 3 years later when the Holy Spirit came on Him and he won 3,000 souls by preaching just one sermon.
Growing up, my goal was to be the youngest Vice Chancellor in Africa, but then I gave my life to Jesus Christ in 1973. I got baptised in the Holy Spirit that same year and then something kept moving me in the direction of God’s original plan for my life. I pray that the power of the Almighty God will begin to propel you in the direction of your destiny, in Jesus’ name.
Now, the greater the power, the easier it will be for you to reach your goal. For example, if you want to travel from Lagos, Nigeria to Britain, by road and sea, it could take several days, if not weeks, but if you get in an aircraft from Lagos to London, you would have arrived within 6 and a half hours.
In Acts 3:1-11, the power of God began to manifest itself in a great manner in the life of Apostle Peter when he made the lame man at the Beautiful Gate walk. The sermon he preached right after that led to the conversion of 5,000 souls (Acts 4:4). By Acts 5:12-16, his shadow had begun to heal the sick and multitudes began to come to Christ. His destiny was being fulfilled at an amazing pace.
How speedily do you want to fulfil your destiny? That will depend on how much of the Holy Ghost you carry in you.
KEY POINT: Pray in the spirit for at least one hour today and practice this regularly.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 SAMUEL 23-24
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – The Purpose of His Death II – written by Pastor Enoch Adeboye
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Open Heaven 8 April 2023
