How to Secure and Maintain Open Heaven

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Telephone numbers 0703 03636 59 0703 76811 98 Email address lsmedia at livingseed.org Or visit our website at www.livingseed.org Let us sit back and listen as the servant of God brings forth the Word of Life. Shall we pray together? Dear Father, we thank you for gradually bringing us to the very last day of this meeting of several days. We are grateful that you started with us, and every day has been an increase to the former.

Today again, O God, as helpless servants look upon their mistress, we look upon you. Yes, you have helped us yesterday, but we need another fresh help today. Yes, we enjoyed open heaven yesterday, but we need an open heaven today.

We are asking that today we will know you in a new way. Just come to us graciously. Help every heart.

Grant the heart desire of as many thousands as are listening to you. We are all eagerly expecting that something will happen to us, and we will have a takeaway. We just pray that our hopes will not be dashed.

Therefore, we ask even for the internet that will cause it to work well for us in the name of Jesus Christ. We are praying that every distraction that seeks to rob us of our personal and community open heavens, you will not allow it. Fight every battle for us and give us victory.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now if you ask me what is open heaven, my personal definition is the presence of God with a man.

And I know that securing the presence of God is not an easy thing. It is easier for God to give you bread. It is easier for God to give you clothes.

It is easier for God to give you money. It is easier for God to give you houses. It is easier for God to give you vehicles.

It is easier for God to give you husband and wife. It is easier for God to give you children. It is easier for God to give you positions in the society.

But when it comes to securing an open heaven, it is a big task. The open heaven, nobody stumbles over it. There is a deliberate labor that leads you to securing your open heaven.

And in the course of the several days that we have gone through, we have seen many labors that can bring an open heaven to someone. The other day our brother Dennis was speaking and he talked about serious prayers that can make the heaven open. And we saw examples from the scriptures, even when Simeon Fabumi was speaking the other day, how the open heaven didn't come to Elijah by accident.

He had to take a very proper position that he would not be distracted until he secured it. What I desire to share with us, when all those labors have been done and the open heaven is secured, how do we maintain it? While this meeting is on, all of us, globally, we may be enjoying the open heaven of our brother Billy Akane, but the meeting ends today. How do you go with your own personal open heaven when brother Billy is no longer there? That has been my concern.

And I want to share with us briefly on how to secure and maintain the open heaven. I will look at, first of all, John chapter 20. In John chapter 20, the story is long, but we're beginning from verse 11.

We're talking about the resurrection of Jesus and how some people went there and they didn't do what Mary did. So they couldn't find Jesus to be with them. They couldn't get an open heaven.

But then Mary went and did what other people didn't do. And she got her own open heaven. Verse 11 said, John 20, 11.

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white, sitting. The one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus was laying.

And they say unto her, woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, because they have taken away my Lord. And I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back.

And saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She is opposing him to be a gardener, said unto him, sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him. And I will take him away.

Now that is Mary. She wasn't the only one that visited the grave. In fact, there were two other strong, energetic people who even outran her and got to the grave.

But there was something missing. They were not persistent. And so they just peeped into the grave and saw the empty grave and the napkins.

And then they came back. They said, well, we don't know. He's not there, but we're not sure what has happened.

Now, Mary went. When she saw the empty grave and she saw the napkins, grave clothes. That was not her hunger.

She took her time. And stood there. Verse 15 says she was weeping.

Now, weeping simply means to cry to God, to pray. She was weeping. What was she weeping for? She was weeping for an open heaven.

Remember my definition? It is the presence of God with a man. See, I'm not satisfied with just seeing grave clothes. That's not what I came to see.

Even in this MLR, yes, the crowd is much. But is that what you have come to see? No. I have come to see the Lord.

I have come to secure his open heaven. I want to win his presence. And that took this woman weeping.

She was weeping and weeping and weeping and weeping. Until she started drawing the attention. The angels even came and asked her, why are you weeping? Verse 13.

Woman, why weepest thou? She said to them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. She was seeking for an open heaven. And even at the inquiry by the angels, that was not her satisfaction.

Yes, the angels have come and asked her, why are you weeping? And then she explained, but that is not her matter. Her matter is to see the risen Jesus. And then she continued beyond the angels.

She continued and continued and continued. Until Jesus came around. Until the heaven opened.

Verse 14 said, as she turned her back, she saw Jesus standing. This is what the other two disciples did not see. Because they did not persevere enough.

They did not weep. They were careless. They took things for granted.

And they could not find an open heaven. But this one, she stood there. Everybody left.

This meeting may finish. And it is not wrong for you to remain in your center. Crying to the Lord and insisting that you can't end this meeting this Saturday night without carrying an open heaven to travel with.

So she stood there. She was alone. There was nobody to encourage her.

And she stood there weeping and weeping and weeping. Until in verse 14. She turned and she saw Jesus standing.

She saw Jesus standing. It is clear to us that the open heaven will not be found by a careless seeker. You will have to make up your mind.

You will have to determine in your heart. You will have to persevere. As our senior brother was telling us the other day.

If you are a careless seeker, yes you could spend some energy running around here and there. You could meet angels. But angels are not the open heaven.

Jesus is the open heaven. It is that ladder that we are talking about. And the Bible said this woman was there.

And she was there. And she was there. Until when she turned, she saw Jesus standing.

And knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be a gardener. Now we have seen that consistency, perseverance, determination.

A mind made up was able to secure this open heaven. Now she supposing him to be a gardener. Said unto him, sir, if thou burn him hence.

Tell me where thou hast laid him. And I will take him away. That is my concern now.

I don't want to meet him at the graveyard and leave him at the graveyard. I want to see him. I want to touch him.

I want to embrace him. But much more, I want to take him away. This meeting ends this night.

You must take the open heaven away with you. If that does not happen, this meeting is a waste for you. She said, I am standing here crying.

I am not just crying for angels to talk with me. I am not even crying to just see Jesus here and finish here. Because, you see, in this meeting, even if you are a careless man, we can enjoy the open heaven secured by our brother, Billy Akali.

But the meeting ends today. This woman is saying, I want to see him and to take him away. Let your open heaven not close when we close with the closing chat tonight.

And then you are leaving empty handed. You must have to carry him away. Because, you see, it is the open heaven that follows you, that make Christian life even effective for you.

If you finish here and then you are going empty the way you came, then you have only wasted these few days. Say, I want to take him away. What are you going to take away when we do the closing charge this night? That is the important thing for me.

All along as the meeting started, I was just crying to God, saying, at the end of today, give me a takeaway. And that takeaway is not less than the open heaven, which is Jesus Christ with me. Now, so maintaining the open heaven has been a burden of my heart.

But then we look at another case in 1 Kings 18, which our brother Simeon Fabomi also touches on it. 1 Kings 18. It is very long, but I will just... In 1 Kings 18, we are seeing Elijah getting involved in a very serious prayer.

And he continued to pray until the heavens opened for him and miracles started taking place. And how the open heaven led him to take very serious decision on the prophets of Baal and ended their worship. Now, all those ones happened.

But my very major concern is the very last part, the last verse. Let me just say, let me read from verse 44 to 46. And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold, there arises a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand.

And he said, go up, say unto her, prepare the chariot and get it down that the rain stop did not. And it came to pass. In the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.

Now, those great things have happened. Rain has returned. Somebody has opened the heaven and the drought is ended.

But what touched me is just one little thing in verse 46. And the hand of the Lord was open Elijah. Even when the miracle had happened, the hand of God didn't stop resting on Elijah.

Even when great things have happened, instead of him going away to rejoice with the rain that has come and all of that. Verse 46 said, and the hand of the Lord was open Elijah. While this meeting finishes tonight, whose hand are you carrying away? If the hand of the Lord will only rest upon you while in this meeting, then you have missed it.

The meeting will not be so much of value to you. Because we will keep needing this open heaven from time to time. While life continues.

So even when the great thing has happened, miracles are taking place. For me, much more than the return of the rain and the healing and all of that. It is that small phrase that even when all has been done, the power of God came down and all of that.

Verse 46 said, and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. A minister is not relevant when the hand of the Lord ceases to be on his head. A minister is helpless and empty when the hand of the Lord has stopped being on his head.

The Bible is close to you when the Lord has stopped. I mean, his hand has stopped being on your head. The grace of God stops when the hand of the Lord has stopped being on your head.

And one thing Elijah insisted upon is that, yes Lord, I thank you so much for this that you have done. You have brought me. You have backed me.

You have taught Ahab a lesson and the prophets of Ba. But now that this miracle has happened, it shall not be the end. Let your hand be on me and the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah.

Maintaining the open heaven. That requires that the hand of the Lord will have to continually be upon us. We are talking about, so how do I maintain his presence? How will I keep enjoying this hand of the Lord over my head? Let's look at another case.

Psalm 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life.

Of whom shall I be afraid? Now these are men that have secured open heaven. They can mock the devil. They can look at him and say, look, I am sure of the open heaven.

What can you do to me? When the devil is bragging about, they'll just stand up. They know who they are boasting about. That look, the hand of the Lord is upon me.

Verse 2. When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host shall encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war shall rise against me, in this will I be confident.

One thing have I desired of the Lord. That will I seek after. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Now verse 1 to 3. They are just expression of the confidence of a man who has secured open heaven. That look, the threat of the enemy doesn't mean anything. The bad situation around, hard situations around doesn't mean anything.

Because he knows if I go inside, I'm going with God. And that God is here to support me. Therefore, he drew his conclusion in verse 4. That if the open heaven does this for a man, then I choose one thing.

What is that? I have decided not to stay in another place. I have decided that I will seek that thing and dwell in the house of the Lord how many days of my life? All the days of my life. As if David is saying, I have discovered a secret of effective service.

I have discovered a secret that will make the enemy to run away from me. I have tested it and I want to maintain it. And so I choose to stay where this open door is.

So it's the one thing do I desire and that will I seek after. To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. You will notice that he's not going there to be asking for school fees for his children.

He's not going there to be asking for dowry. He's not going there because he's sick, he needs healing. He's going there to maintain the open heaven.

He says, I want to be there and to keep admiring you and to keep seeing your face and to keep seeking your power. All the days of my life, I want to behold the beauty and inquire in his temple, maintaining an open heaven. When it has happened once, don't let it go.

Whatever it will cost, pay the price to maintain it. Now he chose to be where he found this and so he will continue. Many of us, we have not concentrated our efforts on seeking these one things.

That's why our experience of open heaven has been intermittent. You will get it today. Today is open, tomorrow is closed.

Today is open, tomorrow is closed. When they be discovered, they say, look, I am packing my load to go and stay where the open heaven is. And I will be there not for one week, not for one month, I will be there all the days of my life.

And he was there. Maintaining the open heaven. I know in this, from Wednesday to this Saturday, there's a general open heaven, which even if you are casual, as we follow our leaders who just entered there, it's like it is raining and one man has one umbrella.

And as he opened the umbrella, whoever comes under that umbrella, rain will not beat him. But what if you get to the junction and the umbrella owner is going the other direction? You will have to come under rain. In the heart of God, it is like, let every one of us secure this open heaven and keep enjoying it, and keep maintaining it.

If you become careless, and we break from this meeting this night, you are going to go empty handed. You are going to go without the hand of the Lord on your life. I wish we can copy what David has done, that we also, we will prepare our heart that, look, not too many things will attract me from now.

Not so many things will I be spending my life seeking now. I will seek one thing. I will insist on one thing.

I will insist on his presence. I will not just be a visitor from time to time. I will dwell where God is and continue to enjoy the open heaven.

Maintaining an open heaven. 2 Samuel 16 Maintaining an open heaven. Sometimes you see people acting in a particular way, and you may mistake them for weakness.

No. Those who have come to understand the open heaven and they price it very high. It is nothing with them to let go their rights so that they can maintain the open heaven.

In 2 Samuel 16, and then we begin from verse 5 to 14. And when King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gerah. He came forth and cut steel as he came, and he cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

And God said Shimei, when he cut, come out, come out, thou bloody man and thou man of Belial. The Lord has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose state thou hast reigned, and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son. And behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.

Then said Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, unto the king, why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And the king said, I'll make some comment before I came to verse 13, I mean verse 10. Now we started reading from verse 5 to 9. At this point, David was already a king.

And at this point, David already had a guard of military people around him. Abishai, the captain, and they were ready to shed blood at any moment. And they were ready to also defend the king to their own blood.

Now they saw a nobody. They saw a useless man by name Shimei. And this man just came out and began to abuse David and to abuse David the king.

He was a king this time. And I am surprised that from verse 5 to 9, David has not opened his mouth to defend himself. Why? Why will somebody be insulting the king? Verse 5, verse 6, 7, 8, 9. And the king has not opened his mouth.

What was David doing? David was careful not to lose his open heaven. Lest I open my mouth carelessly and say something. And then my heaven closes.

And so he was just quiet. After abusing and abusing, the boy also started casting stones on the king and casting dust and raining insults. David is still quiet.

As if that boy was not even talking with him. To the point that the army captain, Abishai, the son of Zerea, he woke up and queried, why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Now, these are people who don't have open heaven and they don't even cherish it. They have burrows in the house of the lord.

They are just there to cause trouble if trouble comes. They are there to just scatter things. Look at his language.

You are calling a living being dead dog. Now, if a dog is already dead, why do you still want to go and cut the head of a dead dog? He was hungry for blood. Contrary to the principles of maintaining an open heaven.

David himself is still very quiet. Now, when he finally opened his mouth to talk in verse 10, the king said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zerea? And I want to talk to you, brother, sister. Why you are laboring to maintain open heaven? Do you have some allies? Do you have some loyalists who are now encouraging you to act in a way that you will lose your open heaven? Sometimes they say, Martha, maybe land crisis or somebody is owing you some money and all of that.

And for you, in your heart, you have decided that, well, if pursuing to collect this money will mean that I lose my open heaven, let me just go. Then, an Abishai will come to you and say, give me permission to go and collect that money for you. For him, he doesn't mind, he can bring police, he can go and fight, he can go and do everything.

David distanced himself from this kind of people just to maintain his open heaven. You know, this boy has been serving him, but at this point, David is saying, what have I to do with you? What have I to do with you? Anybody that is seeking to make you lose your open heaven, tell him this, that, look, what have I to do with you? Anybody that will be instrumental to making you lose your open heaven, distance yourself from that person. What have I to do with you, sons of Zeria? I price my open heaven much more than my honor.

Yes, I'm the king. Yes, this boy is abusing the king. Yes, this boy is casting stones at the king.

Yes, this boy is throwing dust. Yes, this boy is insulting. But for me to act in such a way that I will lose my open heaven, I distance myself from you.

What have I to do with you? Then David added, let him curse, because the Lord has said unto him, curse David. Excuse me, did the Lord say to that boy to curse David? No. But you see, when you want to maintain an open heaven, you act differently.

You make room even for people's nonsense and mistakes. Well, if the Lord has asked him to abuse the king, let him abuse the king. Me, I want to maintain my open heaven.

I'm not going to defend myself. I'm not going to go fighting because I'm the king. No.

Assume that the Lord has even asked him to abuse me, let him abuse me. Are you ready to take insult just to maintain your open heaven? And David left his case in the hands of the Lord. He said, the Lord has asked him to let him curse.

Who shall then say, wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life. How much more now may this Benjamin do it? Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has bidding him open heaven. No price is too much to maintain it.

If you can keep abusing me from morning to evening, in my own open heaven, it's not painful. Whatever evil you plan to do to me, in my open heaven, no problem, because when the Lord arises, he will settle it. Verse four, 12.

And may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will require me good for his cursing this day. Did you see that? Maintaining an open heaven. That even this evil this boy is doing to me, as long as I'm under open heaven, he's working my promotion.

That the Lord will soon arise and he will handle this case. He will turn it into a blessing. And David said to his men, and as David and his men went by the way, she may went along on the hillside, over against him and curse as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust.

And the king and all the people that were with him became weary and refresh themselves there. You notice that that cursing and stoning had continued, but David did not allow those loyalists, those Aburos in the house of God, who wanted to come and cause trouble and to make him lose his open heaven. And it went on and on and on and on and on.

No wonder the Bible said, David is a man after God's own heart. I don't know how God describes you. David is a man after God's own heart.

You would think that he just came there by chance. How many of you can experience this kind of situation and keep quiet? How many of you can experience this kind of insult, this kind of disrespect and keep quiet? How many of us, somebody will take your land and then we have brethren who are lawyers who are ready to defend you in the court, free of charge. And you will not tell them, say, look, just leave it to the Lord to handle.

David left his case and just simply because I don't want to do something that will close my heaven. You know that heaven can open and it can close. Somebody like Samson, you know his open heaven started from the womb.

He was anointed in the womb and then he came out and started manifesting the grace of God until the Leela noun caused that heaven to close. And he didn't know, he said, I will rise up and do as if I'm still in my open heaven. And then the result was different.

This open heaven can come upon a man and yet it can be closed. And I see David working very hard to maintain it. Saying, look, if quarreling with this man will make my open heaven to close, let me not talk about it.

Now, another little information in John chapter eight, John chapter eight, maintaining your open heaven. In John chapter eight, verse 11, this is a story of the adulterous woman that was caught red-handed and brought before Jesus. As terrible as the sin of this woman was, I saw something good.

Nobody commits fornication alone or adultery alone. There must be two opposite sexes, a man and woman coming together. When they caught this woman and brought, where are the others? Which means she also could have run away if she wanted.

But in the midst of her sin, she was looking for something. She was looking for help. So she surrendered herself to those who caught her, more so that she knew they were bringing her to the Lord.

Now, when they brought her to the Lord and inquiries were made and it was established that, yes, she did this. And the judgment of Jesus was that if anybody has not done so, let him be the first to cast down. But that's not what concerned me.

Verse 11, verse 10, when Jesus had lifted up himself and saw none but the woman. Now, if those accusers who brought her had all gone, why couldn't she also run away? I think she was looking for something. Where are your accusers? Has no man condemned thee? And she said, no man, Lord.

And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sing no more. That's how to maintain open heaven.

Say, madam, I am not condemning you for your adultery. But if you will continue to enjoy open heaven, go and sing no more. Which means, if you continue to sing, you are working hard to close your open heaven.

For example, you came into this meeting in a terrible situation of sin and God has graciously forgiven you, not for you to go and continue and sing. He said, if you have enjoyed the open heaven where God forgave you your sin, and if you want to maintain that heaven, then go and sing no more. If you return to sing, your heaven will close.

In John chapter 5, at the pool of Bethsaida, there was a man who was sick for so many years, 38 years. Angels will come, his own heaven will not open. They will come and steal the water and all of that, and he could not receive help for 38 years.

So one day, Jesus decided to visit there. And Jesus went there, deliberate for him. Say, when he saw him, he knew that this man, you have been suffering here for long.

Today, your heaven will open. You will find help. And Jesus just went, and he saw the man, and let me read that quickly.

Certain man was there, which had an infirmity 38 years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, will thou be made whole? Now, open heaven does not attend to your case in parts. It's whole.

It's whole, it's complete, it's total. Which means, apart from the physical sickness that this man had, if there was any other case associated with him, the open heaven will settle it all together. Would you like to be made whole? The important man answered, sir, I have no mind.

When the water is troubled to put me into the pool, but while I'm coming another step down before me, Jesus said unto him, rise, take up their bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walk. On the same day was the Sabbath.

After that, in verse 14, maintaining and open. After what? That is apart from this healing. Jesus find that this man were in the temple.

Healing did not end his case. Healing was just the beginning. After the man was healed, now it is laboring to maintain the open heaven.

Verse 14 said, after what? Jesus find that him in the temple. And said unto him, behold, thou art made whole. See no more.

Lest a worst thing come unto me. Now an open heaven will continue to update instructions for you. You notice that at the pool, he told him, rise up, carry your bed and go.

But as he kept enjoying the open heaven, the Lord met him again and said, now you are made whole. See no more. Lest a worst thing come unto thee.

What can be worse than 38 years of sickness? It's close heaven. What can be more than 38 years of bed reading? It is close heaven. And I see, I see Jesus now telling the man, look, you were sick for 38 years.

I visited you, opened the heaven for you, made you whole. But when you leave, go and see no more. Like that woman was told.

And why? Because something worse will happen to you. And that worst thing is close heaven. If you go and continue to live in sin again, the heaven is going to close over your head.

So go and see no more. Lest a worst thing can happen to you. Now the worst thing is not the death of your wife.

The worst thing is not that you don't have money. The worst thing is not that there is sickness. The worst thing is that the heaven closes over a man's head.

What will happen to you afterward? Because the Bible says afterward. And we're talking about hereafter. After this meeting, hereafter, what will happen? Will you still return and begin to work hard to close the heavens over your head? It's a go and see no more.

Lest something more terrible will happen to you. Genesis 39, verse 1 and 2, then 7 and 8. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph.

That's an open heaven. My definition was the presence of God with a man. Even as a slave, even as a man that was wrongly judged by his brothers, even as a man that was mistreated, Joseph still maintained the presence of the Lord.

And the Lord was with Joseph. And he was a prosperous man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Now verse 7 and 8. And it came to pass after this thing, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, lie with me. But he refused and said unto his master's wife, behold, my master wanted not what is with me in the house. And he has committed all that he has to my hand.

There is nothing greater in this hour than I. Neither has he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art the wife, art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Why is Joseph afraid of committing this sin? Do you know that sleeping with that woman would have been of a great advantage to Joseph? He would be eating the best food. In fact, his master would be eating crumbs.

He himself would be eating the best food. And anything misbehavior, this woman would be there to defend him before Pharaoh. But why would Joseph refuse? It's because I have enjoyed open heaven and I want to maintain it.

So the Bible said he refused. I want you to be strong at refusing any form of sin. I want you to be strong at resisting every form of sin.

This temptation was not just one. So that woman kept doing it, kept, I mean, casting his eyes, casting her eyes upon him, casting her eyes upon him every time, every time, every time. But you see verse 8 said, but he refused.

Joseph refused. There's no need for you to go and fall in sin and say, eh, when she came the first time I refused, but because she has continued and continued, that's why, that's why, that's why. Joseph refused because he prized open heaven very high.

And he knew that if I misbehave now and the thing closes, I will die in this prison. Now, because the open heaven was upon him and he maintained it, you know, the rest of the story is that he was even made a prime minister in that land. Verse 10.

And he came to pass as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he harken not unto her to lie by her or to be with her. Brother, how long have you resisted the devil? It is his right to keep visiting every day, every day, every day, making demands. But again, it is your own duty to keep refusing and refusing and refusing and refusing.

If you want an open heaven, your refusal to sin cannot only be just once. It will have to be always, always, always, always. Even in the old age, you have your own age mates.

So old age does not deliver you from sin. It is your resisting sin that will maintain the open heaven. It's a refuse to lie by her or to be with her.

Park yourself very far from a sinful environment. And it came to pass about the time that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there was none of the men of the house there with him. Even when an environment has become suitable for sin, remember open heaven.

Even when sin seems to be advantageous, remember open heaven. Even when sin can offer you great advantages and profits, remember heaven. I mean, open heaven.

Bible said there was nobody in the house that day to report if he decided to do adultery that day. But the man refused. The man refused.

Now I am beginning to understand. Generally, a man is stronger than a woman physically. All those who say she forced me, I do not agree with you.

Bible says she caught him by his garment. She caught him. How did he free himself? You can resist sin in order to maintain an open heaven.

If it comes 20 times in a day, you can resist it 20 times in a day. In verse 12, now the Bible said he caught him by the garment, an attachment that could lure you into sin. You know, the Bible talks about this garment so much.

It was a coat of many colors, beautiful, and all of that. How much is that wonderful dress versus the open heaven? Joseph said, I would rather go naked but in my open heaven. Let me not insist on this coat, this beautiful garment, and then lose my open heaven.

So he removed it and left it with that woman and ran away. What is that garment that is likely dragging you to lose your open heaven? But if you price open heaven very high, then be ready to lose anything just to maintain it. Shall we pray together? Father, we thank you and bless you together this morning.

Yes, we know you have granted us open heaven in this meeting. But our cry is to carry this open heaven with us. Let it not all end this evening.

When we'll be doing closing charge, let it not be closed heaven for some people. Let your hand still remain on us, even as we go. Whatever price we need to pay to be able to maintain this open heaven, help us to price your open heaven higher than anything.

If it means losing our coats of many colors, our garments, help us to do it. And if you are there this morning and the devil has gotten hold of an attachment in your life and is trying to drag you into sin so that you could lose your open heaven, Joseph resisted not once, not twice, and he survived it. Is there a woman in your life that is trying to empty you and to close the heavens open in your life? I'd like you to take a strong decision this morning and say, No more.

No more. Thank you Father for hearing us. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.