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Open Heaven 20 May 2018 – From Jacob To Israel
Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Memorise:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Bible Reading For Today: Genesis 35: 9-15
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[a]God appeared to him again and blessed him.
10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[b] but you will no longer be called Jacob;
your name will be Israel.[c]” So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[d];be fruitful and increase in number. A nationand a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.
12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”
13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.
15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[e]
Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Bible reading in one year 2 Samuel 15-16, 2 Peter 3
Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Message
Jacob was the second son of Issac. His early life projected a lifestyle and behavioral pattern that closely matched his name, which can be interpreted as supplanter, impersonator, deceiver or usurper. However, he received mercy from the Lord and has a divine encounter where God decided to change his name. In Genesis 32:28, God said to him:
“…thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel…”
The renaming of Jacob as Israel (which means “triumphant with God”) was a spiritual event that had far reaching effects on his physical life and his personality. Immediately after his identity was changed, Jacob stopped exhibiting the characteristics of his old name. The old things about Jacob passed away and all things became new for him as Israel. Open Heaven 19 May 2018
I pray for someone reading this Devotional that every old symptom of sin, sickness, poverty, bondage and oppression shall pass away from your life today in Jesus’ Name. Open Heavens
Open Heaven 20 May 2018
It is important to note that what happened to Jacob in the Old testament is closely related to the regeneration experience seen in the New Testament. Regeneration is the change brought about by the spirit of God, which makes a person new creature in Christ Jesus. Open heaven 21 May 2018
The salvation that Jesus brought to us is not simply to energize the old creation with new ability and power; rather, it brings about a new creature that has the divine nature of God (2 Peter 1:4). It ignites a spiritual process wherein everything working against the regenerated person is thoroughly dealt with (Colossians 2:14).
The practical result of this is spiritual regeneration evidenced by radical change in the nature, character, desires and motives of the transformed persons.
The new creature is so new and different from the old that it even requires new diet to survive, which is the word of God. That is why Matthew 4:4b says:
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”
Concerning regeneration, the key element is change. God is calling all of mankind to change through the power of his word. However, there is a strong resistance to this change in every human being. (Romans 8:7).
This resistance comes from the mind and the body, and must be overcome before any real change can make manifest. The transformation experience requires serious effort to overcome this resistance. (Romans 12:2). Whenever anyone surrenders his or her life to Jesus, God takes hold of the old lifeless creature and fashions it into a new creature that is Heaven-bound, full of life and suitable for His use. Have you experience this transformation indeed?
Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Key Point:
The inner transformation that Jesus gives must manifest as outward change for all to see
Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Hymn 12
Sing Hymn 12: How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
Verse 2:
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.
Verse 3:
Jesus! My Shepherd, Husband, Friend,
O Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.
Verse 4:
Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.
Verse 5:
Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death!
