5 Keys to Maintaining Open Heavens 預覽

KEY #2: You Must Give Your Heart to Prayer in the Secret Place

But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6)

Prayer is another key the Spirit has given us for maintaining open heavens. Luke 3:21 says that when Jesus prayed after His baptism, the heavens opened. And Jesus clearly taught us to pray that the heavens would continue to be opened to earth: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This simple prayer asks heaven to infuse our earthly life with its presence. It is so simple that we often overcomplicate it. We have tried to organize and schedule prayer, but the Spirit wants to bring us into His flow. Just invite Him to come. 

A House of Prayer

Speaking about His people, His church, God said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:7). He didn’t say that His people would occasionally gather once in a while to have a great revival, or that there might be an outpouring of His Spirit every few years. No, we are to be a house in which Spirit-directed prayer is always taking place and where we are constantly listening for God’s voice. In other words, we are to be a residence dedicated to 24/7 communication from heaven to earth. God is looking for people who desire to be continually connected with Him. In this way, we can “become” prayer. This is one of the keys of the kingdom that will help you establish places of power everywhere you go.

Many people have tried to work for God in their own strength, but that only leads to spiritual frustration and dismal results. When we give ourselves to the purposes of God completely by yielding to His Spirit, and when we choose to remain open to the inflow of the heavenly downloads He brings, we become the house of prayer manifested in the earth. 

This open earth attracts an open heaven. We become the portal through which God not only blesses us and those who are within our reach, but He also makes us a blessing “for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7 NIV).

Divine Leading

There have been times when God has spoken to me very specifically about a nation I had not paid much attention to before. For instance, several years ago, the Lord dropped the word Madagascar into my spirit. I had to go to the world map to see where Madagascar was even located. I had not been familiar with that country, but when God placed its name into my spirit, I knew He wanted to do something wonderful there. I laid my hands on the map and blessed that nation. Then, I felt led to take another step forward: I went to the travel section of a local bookstore and picked up every book I could find about Madagascar. 

As I read those books, the Lord began directing my prayers toward specific cities and locations in Madagascar. I quickly discovered that the capital city was called Antananarivo, and I began declaring open heavens over the people of God there. Just days later, I received an email from a minister friend telling me that he had been invited to minister in Madagascar and was wondering if he should go. I asked where the invitation came from, and he told me it was from a rather traditional church located in Antananarivo.

In that moment, I knew that God was working to pull all the pieces of the puzzle together. He had given me a part in this work, and now He was giving my friend another part to play in the larger picture. My part was holding the heavens open through intercession; his was to go and reap the harvest. I told him what God had spoken to me, and through this confirmation, he knew that he should go and minister in that region. He returned from his trip there with a glorious report of seeing transformation in the hearts of the people. What you receive in prayer can change a nation.

In God’s Presence

Truly, what God can accomplish through our prayers is absolutely miraculous. When Peter was imprisoned, the early church prayed, and an angel was released to open the prison doors. (See Acts 12:1–17.) When Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they prayed, and they, too, were freed in a supernatural way. (See Acts 16:22–34.) We must recognize that the release comes as we learn how to pray in the flow of the Spirit. This is what brings heaven to earth in our lives. If I don’t know how to express to God what I need, I begin to pray in the Spirit because the Spirit always knows what to say. If I don’t have the answer about any given situation, and I pray in the Spirit, God suddenly begins to drop the solution into my heart. When we pray in the Spirit, we can never be wrong because it is God praying through us.

I want you to realize that the glory of God comes to bring you into the ease of His presence. We do not push in the glory; we flow in the glory. We allow the Spirit of God to carry us in His grace. I don’t want you to ever fall into a “works” mentality where you strive to serve God. Anything done out of religious works or dead tradition only results in disappointment and discouragement. 

There is a grace to live in the open heavens. There is a grace to be open to hear God’s voice 24/7. God is teaching us an easier way in His glory. He has given us the power to live a life that’s desirable and overflowing with goodness. If you are not content with where you presently are or where you’ve been, you must first recognize that you’ve been given both the power and the authority in Christ to change all of that. 

But change begins with you. You are the doorkeeper who can release open heavens over your life, utilizing the keys of the kingdom such as prayer in the secret place.