Topic: SUBMISSION WILL OPEN YOUR HEAVENS – Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional August 21 2019 [The Redeemed Evangelical Mission]
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“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:”
Matthew 3:16 KJV
Beloved, you can’t walk in dominion under a closed heaven. Many Christians are living under a closed heaven and want to walk in dominion, how can? In Matthew 3:16, when Jesus entered into the water, He entered into God. An intercourse and a spiritual union took place and everything about Jesus became like God.
Baptism is symbolic of death. That’s why we say one must be totally submerged inside water, complete immersion. When somebody is submerged inside water, for that one brief second, he’s not breathing. That means he is dead. He ceases to breathe and is entered into God. By the time he is coming out, he appears in God. As soon as this happened to Jesus, the Bible declares that the heavens opened, and the Holy Ghost came upon him like a dove and God spoke. All through those years God had not spoken. Since Genesis and the days of Moses, He had only been speaking through prophets, but He had never spoken directly concerning Jesus. Prophets were speaking; He said I won’t talk until I know whether He has entered into me. And God was watching, hell was watching and everyone around was watching. What would become of this seed!
When Jesus went to be baptized and came out, the Bible says that God announced to hell, earth and heaven: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him. God was saying, ‘this is my authorized agent. He is the One with my divine credentials.’ God was saying: I have sent Him, and His ministry was validated. Jesus was authenticated and approved by God when He submitted to John for baptism. Submission to God’s ordained structure will open your heaven. The opening of your heaven is an indication that God has validated and approved you, and things will begin to happen in your life. Beloved, this badge wouldn’t come just like that. There must be ‘death’ before His badge comes.
Further reading: Luke 3:1-2, Matthew 17:1-8.
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 107-109; Evening- 1 Corinthians 4
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