Ministering Under an Open Heaven - Part I
by Todd Bentley : Jan 22, 2003 : http://www.freshfire.ca
**Holy Visitations**
Isa 64:1-3 “Oh that you would rend the heavens! That you would come down! That the mountains may shake at your Presence.”
When heaven tears open then God comes down in holy visitation that not only affects you but also the nation.
“As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.”
God is about to rend the heavens and make His self known to whole cities and also nations. My prayer is that God will open the heavens and come down in an extended visitation of presence in your life.
I want to start this teaching with my testimony of a holy visitation and how an open heaven was the beginning of our ministry. Everything that we have need of in our families, ministries, life, new levels of power and provision comes out of the presence of God. I have been traveling now for several years and everything that has been done in this ministry, all the favor, souls, miracles and healing was birthed out of His presence. Several years ago, many of you already have heard my testimony as shared in our 3 tape series “The Secret Place” a must for those who you hungering for what I am about to share in these first two paragraphs of how I had a holy visitation from the Holy Spirit. As a result, at different times during the span of about three months. I would be laid out (slain in the spirit) or as I would rather put it, soaking. I was so overwhelmed with God’s manifest presence like a thick honey cloud. I could do nothing most days but “Be Still” or “Wait on the Lord.” I was blessed from heaven with such an awareness of His divine presence I was forced to the floor and would simply lie in His glory. I call it forced by the weight of His glory into a place of contemplation, times of solitude or just sitting at His feet like Mary. For four to twelve hours a day, I would simply gaze at the Lord’s beauty or as Paul describes in Heb 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,” the word “looking” is translated to gaze or stargazer.
Gaze: to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something; properly, to stare at,
1) to see with the eyes
2) to see with the mind, to perceive to know
3) to see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to experience
4) to see, to look to or study intently
During these extended times of soaking I would receive at times, numerous kinds of visions, dreams, prophetic experiences and visitations of angels sometimes. I often refer to that time in my life as my “soaking season.” God taught me how to dwell and abide in the secret place of His presence (Ps 91:1) I came to understand the power of stillness, quietness, basking, bathing and drinking in His love. I was in a place of surrender and meditation in His presence. I understood here some of the secrets of Brother Lawrence’s life and practicing the presence of God. This is better known today as the silent prayer of the heart or meditation and contemplation.
It was after that soaking season that God called me out into full-time ministry. I received a divine visitation of the Lord. It was as if a person walked in to the room and stood behind me. I could feel His presence over me and heard distinctly, the audible voice of the Lord. I was told exactly how I would be called out and prophesied over in a meeting that evening, deeming that time as my commissioning for ministry and shown in open vision numerous events in the meeting that night as a sign. You could say it happened overnight. In fact that night, that the intensity of the soaking season and times of almost daily revelation ended, though I still continue to live a lifestyle of soaking. This was when God spoke to me. This same evening it happened just like God said that it would. In a public meeting over four years ago a dear woman I had almost no relationship with at that time, and now friend and one of many prophetic voices to our ministry. She received publicly a word from the Lord as I already saw and heard in the morning visitation of the Lord. I was to quit my job and immediately go into the ministry. Here we are some years later, over 20 nations, numerous staff, offices in the USA and Canada and even our missions base for all Africa in Uganda, a multi-million dollar mandate, ministry and vision, crusades of hundreds to hundreds of thousands and numerous blessings and favor of the Lord. I believe we can all experience in diverse ways of course more of God’s blessing, presence and favor. What is the secret to all of us living a prosperous, abundant life, ministry and business? The answer is “The Open heavens” living and ministering under a heaven that’s open above and beneath our feet and lives.
What Is the Open Heaven?
Definition: When the heavens are open we have free access to everything in heavenly realms, a free flowing of Gods abundant graces and ministry power. Ministering under an open heaven is like toiling the soil without labor or sweat on the brow. When heaven is open for you God will be near and heaven will be manifest in the natural “as it is in heaven.”
**Open Heavens & Financial Blessing**
Deuteronomy 28:12 “The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”
What are some of the blessings on a life when the heavens open? Look at the first eleven verses of Deut 28:1-11:
**The Blessings**
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: “And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. “Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. “Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. “Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. “The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land, which the LORD swore unto thy fathers to give thee.”
When we have heaven open above, we prosper in the earth beneath and receive abundance for others and ourselves. An open heaven is the Lord’s good treasure open to us in everything we do with our hands and property in material things.
Malachi 3:8-11
8) “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, ’In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9) You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. 10) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. 11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.”
These scriptures are not just speaking of financial prosperity but as the heavens are opened, we also receive favor and protection for all our goods and storehouses in the natural and spiritual. “I will rebuke the devour for your sakes.”
God’s rain is more than just stuff but also revival and the bread of His presence. He is the true hidden manna of heaven.
**Revival and Hidden Manna**
Genesis 7:11-12
11) In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12) And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
When the heavens above are open to us, simultaneously the fountains of the deep are open. God will release the rivers and floods of revival and His presence.
Psalm 78:23-25
23) Yet He had commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24) Had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven.
25) Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.
When the heavens above are open to us, God will rain down the hot fresh bread of manna, His presence, revelation, secrets of the Lord and wisdom above. Yum yum to the bread of life! In the same way that heaven can be open to us it can be closed and when it is the earth will be like iron and heaven above like bronze. Not only will this effect prosperity in the work of or hands, effect success and the abundant blessing but prayer, revelation, revival, God’s power and more.
**Brass Heaven**
Have you ever prayed and it was like God was a million miles away and your prayers bounced of the ceiling and everything was dead and lifeless. Have you ever found yourself like the psalmist David? “Where are you God, Be not far from me nor turn a deaf ear to my cry.” This is a bronze heaven and when the earth beneath fails to yield increase and fruitfulness and everything seems to dry up financially, you can’t find a job. What about when the ground is hard in ministry and you’re plowing to get a breakthrough, it can be as if the earth beneath is iron. This happens at times when the heavens are closed. I also want to be clear that I also believe that at times for testing and character God will allow us to walk in the wilderness or maybe even hide his presence and revelation from us. God wants to see how hungry we are for him and if we can walk by faith and not just feelings and all the other good stuff.
Deuteronomy 28:15, 23
15) But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
23) And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron.
Another example as in the English translation. The Lord will make the sky overhead seem like a bronze roof that keeps out the rain, and the ground under your feet will become as hard as iron.
**The Power of God**
I remember one of the first times I saw in the spirit an open heaven. I was ministering in a Vineyard church in Albany Oregon. We were experiencing a tremendous outpouring open heaven of healings and miracles for several weeks already. People were traveling from all over the USA and coming from different countries. Hundreds were healed and there were numerous salvations, re-dedications to Christ and water baptisms. We would on some nights baptize 40-50 new souls in an old horse watering trough. It was a tremendous open heaven of God’s power, healing and deliverance that continues to be an oasis today. In one service I saw heaven open, it was like a hole tore open in the air and I saw a glory light like a pillar come out of this portal. Then I saw a 14-20 foot angel in the pulpit by the name of healing revival. At that time God spoke to me that this Angel was like the Angel (John 5: 1-4) that came down at a certain season to stir the waters of the pool of Bethesda. It was in this healing pool in Israel over 2,000 years ago that great multitudes of lame, blind, sick and paralyzed came to be healed. Whoever stepped into the waters first was healed of whatever sickness he had. Bethesda in Israel, Albany was a open heaven as Toronto, Pensacola, and many other places have been today and throughout history we can see open heavens of Gods power affecting geographical regions and even whole nations. The welsh revival, Azusa street, Jesus movement and the healing outpouring called the Voice of healing of the 1940’s-60’s.
Do you want lay hands on the sick and they are healed, cast out demons, preach under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, see transformation of whole cities, revival and produce, be successful and increase in the things of ministry. I want fruitful ground in ministry. Jesus ministered in some of the hardest soil any ministry has labored in. Think about the spiritual climate and receptivity in Israel and the constant battle with the religious spirit, mindsets, unbelief and skepticism. What was the secret to His ministry? It was an open heaven that He carried everywhere He went. There can be an open heaven over a nation, city, geographical location, church, and over your individual life. If one heaven is closed and the heaven over your life is open, then you will have a breaker anointing that you need for any ground and will carry an open heaven with you everywhere you go.
The power of God begun to function in the ministry of Jesus after heaven opened in (Matt 3:16-17) “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
(Acts 10:38) “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
It continued throughout his whole ministry. One key to an open heaven in your life is in the ministry of Jesus. The heavens opened for Jesus through repentance and stayed open through perfect obedience.
**Open Heavens and Revelation**
I have been in several different areas of ministry over these last few years and I have been able to discern an open heaven or a difficult spiritual climate. I was in one place in North Carolina like no other where the heavens were so open for receiving revelation that for three days and even as I slept by night constant dreams and visions. There was much angelic activity and I remember visitations by 4 different angels. Some of my prophetic friend’s won’t even sleep there because they receive so much revelation they can’t get their proper rest.
One of the most common manifestations of living under an open heaven is constant revelation. We will see here in several verses that when heaven opened, then revelation was released in the earth like in the case of Ezekiel the prophet when the heavens were opened he saw visions of God.
Rev 4:1-2
1) After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2) And immediately I was in the spirit: This is the beginning of revelations for John after heaven opened.
Rev 19:11
11) And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Eze 1:1
1) Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Gen 28:12
12) And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Acts 10:9-11
9) Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10) And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11) And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners.
We see that Peter had a trance when heaven opened, Jacob received angelic visitation and John received the revelation of the book of Revelation when heaven was opened, immediately I was in the spirit. If we want more of the word of the Lord and revelation we need to learn how to live in an open heaven.
I know that many of you are ready to learn how can I open heaven in my life more? And walk in greater power and revelation. We will continue this teaching in the second part. ***
MORE INFO
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