Open Heaven 16 May 2023 TOPIC: Oppositions In Life
MEMORISE: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (KJV)
READ: Mark 10:46-52 (KJV)
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 32-34
MESSAGE:
In life there are oppositions everywhere. Once you try to do something good, there would be oppositions to stop you. If you think that you cannot have oppositions because you don’t have enemies, then you are being ignorant. Proverbs 14:20 says:
The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
No one would have thought that Bartimaeus would have so many enemies until he began to cry for light. Some people are just not comfortable when they see others succeeding, so they want to bring them down. Like Bartimaeus, you must never allow them to stop you from achieving your goal. It doesn’t matter what they say or do to keep you low, keep doing all you can to succeed. If you don’t let them keep you low, when you succeed, they will be the first to celebrate with you.
After you have overcome the oppositions that tried to keep you low, as you begin to succeed, your enemies would increase. This is only natural. Your enemies are few when you have nothing but when you live in a mansion and have more than one car in your house, you will need more protection.
Whether the devil likes it or not, you will prosper and increase. The plan of God for your life is for you to excel and that plan will be fulfilled, in Jesus’ name.
The oppositions I faced when I became a Pastor are different from the ones I faced when I became the General Overseer of the Church. The higher you go, the bigger the oppositions will be. This is not to frighten you, but to prepare you for reality. When you know that you will have many oppositions, you will be prepared to fight so the enemy cannot surprise you.
The higher a building is, the deeper the foundation that must be built to carry it. The time I spent in prayer when I was just a Pastor in the Church is little compared to how many hours I spend in prayer now as the General Overseer. If you want to get to the highest level in life then you must be willing to go to the deepest level in God.
KEY POINT:
The height you want to get to in life will determine the depth that you must reach in God.
HYMN 9: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
1 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
2 Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might!
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above,
Thy cloud which are fountains of goodness and love.
3 To all life thou givest to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish but nought changeth Thee.
4 Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render; O help us to see;
‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee.
