Open Heaven 3 May 2023

Open Heaven Topic:

CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION II

Memory Verse:

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. – 1 Peter 5:6 (KJV)

Bible Reading: 

1 Kings 19:19-21 (NIV)

¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

²¹ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

2 Kings 2:15 (NIV)

¹⁵ The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

Open Heaven 3 May 2023 Message

God usually promotes the most unlikely persons (1 Corinthians 1:26-29), however, once in a while, He also decides to promote someone who has already had some achievements.

Before promoting such people though, He would usually first grip them of everything they have achieved then He’ll begin to promote them to a level that is far higher than where they were before.

Sadly, those who are not ready to go through this process will miss out on the great promotion God has prepared for them. When God chose Elisha to be the greatest prophet of his time, he was already a successful farmer from a well-to-do family and all of a sudden, he became homeless – an errand boy to a prophet who was in trouble with the king.

God took him from his high state to a very low one and he submitted to the process. When the Lord chose me, I was the acting Head of the Mathematics Department in University of Ilorin.

I had already achieved a lot, considering my poor background and now God was saying, “Leave all that” to become the General Overseer of a Church whose total monthly income at that time was less than my salary.

It was a hard decision, especially since I had just broken my family out of poverty, but thank God that I answered the call and submitted to the process. Today, God has graciously lifted me far higher than I could ever have gotten if I had held on to my academic career.

Once God sees that you prefer His will to your achievements and your ambition, He will promote you. The person who has enjoyed the highest promotion from God is Jesus Christ.

He was already the Son of God before His earthly ministry. He is the Word and the Bible says that the whole earth was made by Him (John 1:3).

He was already big, but when He humbled Himself not only to come to earth in human form, but even to the point of death on the cross, God promoted Him so much that, at the mention of His name, all knees in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth should bow and all tongues confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-10).

My advice to you today is: humble yourself before God and He will promote you in due time.

Open Heaven Hymn: 

I Am Thine O Lord

Open Heaven Point:

If God asks you like the rich man in Luke 18:22 to sell all that you have and follow Him, what will be your response?

Bible in One Year:

1 Chronicles 13, 1 Chronicles 14, 1 Chronicles 15, 1 Chronicles 16