“How do you start living and experiencing the truth of the open heavens reality?” a friend asked after reading What is ‘Open Heavens’?
“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him” (Matthew 3:16).
What caused the heavens to open? The Holy Spirit descending! The heavens were opened upon the life of Jesus because of His baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Son of God became the Son of Man to demonstrate how we can live supernatural lifestyles. How? By the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised this same baptism to us.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses…” (Acts 1:8).
A few days later, the disciples experienced open heavens for themselves.
“Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4).
This was the beginning of the open heavens lifestyle for God’s people. To them, normal Christianity was encountering the glory of God, healing the sick and raising the dead, performing signs and wonders, and saving multitudes.
My friend, the entry point for experiencing open heaven realities is the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
There are many people who have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit at some point in life. Praise God for this! But yesterday’s encounter doesn’t fill today’s need. If it doesn’t remain our current reality, then that experience was simply a wonderful memory.
God intends for us to enjoy a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit continually!
It was around 1998 when a revival broke out in the church where I was raised. The Holy Spirit was showing up mightily, filling us with His electrifying, life-inducing, power. It was incredible!
Unfortunately, I eventually burned out with it. I loved the Holy Spirit, but I grew tired of the seemingly pointless physical manifestations people experienced. I told God, “I want everything You have for me, but I don’t need all of those manifestations. I just need fruit.”
The Holy Spirit honored my prayer. For the next 9 years of fruit-bearing, I could count on one hand how many times I encountered the manifestation of His glory.
In 2008, I was sick and tired of feeling dry and empty inside. I had a good relationship with God, but I was homesick for the saturation of the Holy Spirit.
One night, I wept to Him. “I need you so badly to overwhelm me again! I don’t care what you do to me or what it looks like. I just need You however You come!”
He reminded me of my prayer in 1998. I had no idea that I subconsciously shut off a valve to the Spirit. I did gut-wrenching repentance.
Two weeks later, Heidi Baker was preaching in a nearby church. She called Jessica, me, and a few others to the stage so she could lay hands on us. When she touched me, the Holy Spirit instantly overwhelmed me and I collapsed. I was lying there in fetal position shaking violently under His power for 10 minutes in front of probably 500 people.
I didn’t care. I was basking in the wonderful presence that I desperately missed for a decade. I received a fresh baptism in the Spirit!
The valve opened back up, and I have been able to draw on His presence any time I desire ever since. My connection was restored. I began experiencing open heavens upon my life again. My prayer life became rich, the word resurrected, angels began to manifest around me. It has been a beautiful time ever since.
The heavens were opened upon Jesus, and He was baptized in the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, the heavens opened upon the disciples in the upper room, and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
It is impossible to have the Holy Spirit and not open heavens, or to have open heavens and not the Holy Spirit.
Do you long to experience the open heavens reality in your life? I urge you to pray, believing for a fresh baptism in the Holy Spirit. It may happen in your prayer closet, in your sleep, through someone else praying for you, or when you least expect it. But know this, God wants this for you more than you do. If you pray and believe, it will happen! Let God know how much you want it.
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