Transcription
Please be seated in the presence of the Lord. You are most welcome in Jesus' name.
This afternoon, as I was thanking the Lord for so much He has done, I heard very clearly the Holy Spirit say, "Open Heavens." And within that time and days at the moment I came down into the sanctuary for the service, the Holy Spirit kept on reemphasizing what God has said. And when He spoke in the afternoon, He said clearly that the heavens have been opened unto us. And before I stepped down, I had a persuasion to quickly take out what the Spirit of God has thrown light on on when God opens the heavens or when the Holy Spirit says, "Open Heavens."
And so, I quickly had to take those notes because the Holy Spirit wants me to announce, reemphasize what it implies to everyone listening to this message. When the Holy Spirit announces "Open Heavens" or "Open Heaven," it always has physical results. It always has physical outcomes. Any time God opens the heaven, something must happen subsequently. So, there must be evidence of Open Heavens. There must be evidence. There must be evidence whether or not your heavens have been opened. It must be confirmed by your experiences in the physical realm.
Isaac experienced Open Heavens at the same time the heavens were closed. At the same time the heavens were closed, Isaac experienced Open Heavens. In Genesis chapter 26, the Bible records that there was severe famine in the land. The heavens were closed, but at that same time, the Lord exclusively opened the heavens onto Isaac. And you begin to see the evidence in verse 12. And at the same time the heavens were closed onto every other person, Isaac sold in that land. And in the same year, in the same year of Open Heavens, he reaped a hundredfold returns. And verse 13 and verse 14 will tell us how he went further and it became great and became very great. What God has never done for you before, He would do it from 2024. Can that man or woman say louder? Amen.
And I'm told to tell someone here that this is going to be permanent. Those who stopped you before will no longer be able to stop you. Those who cut short your joy before will no longer be able to do so.
In Genesis 21, verses 1-2, we are also told how Sarah experienced Open Heavens. For so many years, she had battled with barrenness in the marital realm. But there and then, in God's faithfulness, her moment of Open Heavens came. And when the heavens were opened, what was personally had seemed personally impossible for her all her life, it finally became possible.
Joseph experienced Open Heavens in Genesis 41, coming out of his darkest moments. And as I speak right now, the Spirit of the Lord is telling me that there is a man listening to this message that you are currently going through your darkest moments. And the Lord is saying, by His mercy, the heavens are opened unto you. The heavens are open unto your husband. The heavens are open unto that man. And so, in Genesis chapter 41, verses 37-46, just one day, in just one day, everything changed. Everything changed. Everything changed. You are crossing over from weeping to rejoicing. You are crossing over from shame and reproach to divine honor. I don't know if you have ever experienced it before, but from 2024, God is going to publicly honor you. And if you are ready for that, say louder, amen.
When the heavens are opened, it leads to an experience of the physical results of God's promise. So, when the Spirit of the Lord announces "Open Heavens," it means now you are going to experience the physical results of what God had promised. The physical results of God's blessing. The physical results of God's favor. For every seed that is sown and blessed of God, there is always a time of harvest. And the moment of Open Heavens is the moment of your own harvest.
In Acts chapter 10, verse 38, Good News Translation, Acts 10:38, it says, "You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on Him the Holy Spirit and power." A certain dimension of God's power and grace is about to be released upon you. It says, "He went everywhere doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was with Him." Open Heavens implies a season and moment of success, victory, fruitful results, outstanding dividends, reaping the fruit of your labor, reaping the fruit of your obedience, reaping the physical results of God's blessing. That is what happens in the moment of Open Heaven, when God, when something that seems impossible is divinely made a reality. Major success where there has previously been little or no success. When there a delayed blessing is finally obtained.
And finally, Open Heavens, as you could see from the experience of Joseph in Genesis 41:46, the dream he had long time ago in Genesis 37 was finally fulfilled in the moment of Joseph's Open Heavens. It was a time of fulfilled dreams. It is quite instructive that the prophetic word for the year 2024 is "My Year of Fulfilled Expectations." So, I want you with confidence, stand on your feet and tell at least 10 people, "It's my year of fulfilled expectations." Say it confidently. 2024 is my year of fulfilled expectations. Fulfilled expectations. Fulfilled expectations. It's my moment. My season. My time of fulfilled expectations. If you are sure you are the one the Lord is talking about, jump on your feet. Make a joyful noise.
Please be seated in the presence of the Lord. You are most welcome in Jesus' name. I'll quickly share with you the mystery of the spirit realm. In Psalm 139, verse 4, Psalm 139:4, Good Translation, it says, "Even before I speak, You already know what I will say." The Message Bible, he says, "You know everything I am going to say before I start the first sentence." The Voice version, "You know what I'm going to say long before I say it." Long before I say it. So, what is going to be announced in January, God is already aware. "You know what I am going to say long before I said it." It is true, Eternal One, that You know everything. And everyone. I want you to please recognize that what will happen in the future can be seen ahead of time in the spirit realm. So, most future events, whether they are going to be good or whether they're going to be bad, can be seen ahead of time. And sometimes well ahead of time. 5 years, 10 years ahead of time, 20 years ahead of time, 30 years ahead of time. Most of the future events that are capable of happening in the physical realm can be seen well ahead of time.
In Genesis chapter 40, you see something interesting there. Joseph was in the prison, and two prisoners, one the chief butler of Pharaoh and the chief baker of Pharaoh, both had dreams. And in interpreting their dreams, he told the chief butler that in three days' time, this is the interpretation. In three days' time, Pharaoh will send for you, and you will be restored back to your position. In three days' time, you are coming out of prison. In three days' time, your captivity in prison will finally be over. In 3 days' time, Pharaoh will show you mercy. 2024 will show you mercy. In 2024, you will experience the mercy of God. In 2024, you and your family will experience the mercy of God. You will encounter mercy. You will see the mercy of God. And I've just heard from the Spirit that by the mercy of God, someone will finally be healed. By the mercy of God. Somebody say, "By the mercy of God." How is it going to happen? By the mercy of God.
Please be seated. And so, he told him, "In 3 days' time, you will be restored." Now, listen to this. This is quite interesting. Exactly 3 days after, not the next day, not two days after, exactly 3 days after, to confirm to you that this wasn't guesswork, exactly 3 days after, they knocked on his prison door and they told him to dress up, get ready. Now, you are coming out of prison. And he was taken to Pharaoh's presence. And surprisingly, exactly what Joseph had said would happen by interpretation happened. Now, this is a mystery about that event. Pharaoh took that decision on the third day. So, when he had the dream, Pharaoh had not yet taken the decision to restore him. The next day, Pharaoh had not thought of it. Two days after, Pharaoh did not think about it. But suddenly, 3 days after he had the dream, Pharaoh suddenly remembered the officers in prison.
So, things that people are not aware that they are going to end up doing in 2024, it can be seen ahead in the spirit realm. It can be seen ahead in the spirit realm. In 2024, more than ever before, you are going to connect with your divine helpers. 2024, my year of fulfilled expectations. And this has many meanings. It also means my year of fulfilled dreams. It also means victory at last. It also means for someone here, victory at long last, because such a person has really waited, and finally, your own time has come.
In Proverbs chapter 13, verse 12, Proverbs 13:12, Easy to Read version, it says, "Hope that is delayed makes you sad, but a wish that comes true fills you with joy." In 2024, by the grace of the Almighty God, certain things will happen that will fill you, your family, and your loved ones with great joy. And then, God's Word translation, it says, "Delayed hope makes one sick at heart. Delayed hope." But after fulfilled longing is a tree of life. In The Voice version of the scripture, he says, "Hope postponed. Hope postponed." I don't know how long that thing you were expecting was suddenly postponed, suddenly put forward. It says, "Hope postponed." It grieves the heart. So, every time it happened, you felt disappointed. You felt discouraged. And when this happens for too long, you may become almost frustrated. He said, "But when a dream comes true, life is full and sweet." This life can be sweet. And if you have not experienced it before, by the mercy of God, 2024 is your turn. If you are sure you are the one the Spirit of God is talking about, tell the person by your side, "2024 is my turn."
And The Living Bible says, "Living Bible says, hope defied makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, at last, at last, at last, at last, at last, at last, there is life and there is joy." People will no longer call you to encourage you in 2024. People will call you to congratulate you.
So, when the scripture says, "Hope defied makes the heart sick," it implies times and seasons and moments when you are waiting and hoping for something to come true, and it doesn't come true. That is what it means by hope defied. The word "defied" in this verse is a word that means something that is drawn out or postponed. And when you are hoping for something important, waiting for it, longing for it, and it keeps on getting postponed or pushed further down the road, it naturally makes your heart sick. But now you have come to the point of victory. Victory over delayed blessings.
There is an interesting scripture in Romans chapter 4, verses 18-21, Romans 4:18-21, Contemporary English version, it says, "God promised Abraham a lot of descendants, and when it all seemed hopeless." So, I want you to recognize that you can be God's favorite and yet go through this experience. God can love you so much, yet you will go through this same experience. God promised Abraham, and here you are, listening to this message, carrying some valuable, precious promises from the Lord, overdue for fulfillment. He said, "And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God." So, there a time will come when God, what God had clearly spoken and even confirmed sometimes repeatedly, time passes, circumstances would now make such a promise of God look impossible. Seemed impossible. But said Abraham had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. Verse 19, "Abraham's faith never became weak, no, not even when he was nearly 100 years old. He knew he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God." Listen to verse 21. He said, "Abraham was certain that God could do what He had promised. He was certain. He was sure. He was absolutely confident that God could do what He had promised."
Now, you read something in Proverbs 13:2, which is the foundation for our year, for our script, our prophetic word for the year. It says, "Hope defied." What exactly is hope? The word "hope" talking about it is the expectation of the manifestation of something. To confidently expect a positive development out of a given situation, irrespective of present negative realities. Romans 4:18-19. And one interesting thing about hope is that hope is a catalyst for miracles. The presence of hope implies a belief that something positive can still happen, and it is about to happen. The presence of hope implies a belief that the situation can still change. Can still change. I'm one of those who is ever confident that things can change for better, for good, in the nation of Nigeria. And I will advise you to join, to join us, because God is going to help us to make it possible. The presence of hope implies a belief that the desire can still be realized. Hope in God's mercy is the beginning of divine intervention. I would like you to say that and let your neighbor hear you. Hope in God's mercy is the beginning of divine intervention. Say it one more time. Hope in God's mercy is the beginning of divine intervention. Faith is the demonstration of your hope in God. Hebrews 11:1. By hope, Abraham expected a child from God. Then, in demonstration of his hope in God, he exercised faith by doing what? By sleeping with his wife even at the age of 99. Faith is a product of hope. It takes the combination of hope and faith to experience victory over delayed blessings. Luke 18:1-8. Romans 4:18. To a family listening to this message, thus say the Lord, 2024 will be your season of victory at last. Victory at last. Victory at long last. And that implies it's going to happen after a lengthy period of waiting, after a long period of delay. Finally, in 2024, God is going to help you bring that thing to pass. So, at the end of the day, it will happen in the fullness of time. 2024, it will finally happen. In the long run, which is 2024, that thing will finally be perfected. You have heard it many times, "in due time." "In due time." And now the Lord is saying, 2024 is the due time.
And one of the things you must get ready to do in 2024, you must be ready to try again. You must be ready to make another attempt. You must be ready to try again. You must be ready to make another attempt. There are times when God will lead you to try again. And now the Lord is leading certain people to make another attempt in the year 2024. What did not come true in time past, finally in 2024, through the help of God, through the influence of God, through the grace of God, it will finally come to pass.
In Luke chapter 5, verses 4-7, Luke chapter 5:4-7, you read how the Lord told Peter to try again, and you will see what surprisingly happened. In the same environment where he tried and he achieved nothing at that time, Jesus told him, "Try again." It's not just about trying again. There is something more. This time, there is a divine backing. There is divine support. God has gone ahead of you. Everything this time will work together for your good. Living Bible, Luke 5:4-7, it said, "When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Now, now, now, now, go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch a lot of fish.' Simon replied, 'We worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we will try again.'" Are you ready to try again? If you are ready to try again, stand on your feet and tell the Lord, "I'm ready to try again. I'm ready to try again." The Almighty God will back you up. The Almighty God will give you success. The Almighty God will favor you this time in the name of Jesus. Please sit.
In the presence of the Lord, verse 6, it said, "And this time, 2024, amen. And this time, their nets were so full that they began to tear. A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking." Look at verse 5 in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. It says, "We toiled all night exhaustively and caught nothing in our nets. But on the ground of Your word, on the ground of Your word, based on this crossover message, on the ground of Your word, on the ground of Your word, on the ground of Your word, I see things picking up on that your project site once again. Work is going to pick up there now. And this time, something remarkable will happen. You are suddenly going to catch up." For the last time, said, "But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets again." Again, apply again, try again, start again. Contemporary English version, it says, "We have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. Please do not be discouraged. Don't let the setbacks you have gone through discourage you from trying again." This time, he said, "We worked hard all night, but we caught nothing." And that is enough to make some people say that, "I don't think God is in this thing. I don't think God is in this thing," because you tried so much, you invested so much, and nothing to show for it. But that is not true. In certain things that God is certainly going to give you the ultimate victory in life. Sometimes it would not come at the first attempt. It will not come at the second attempt. So, some of the things you have been ordained to achieve in life, you will not achieve them at the first attempt. Please, this is one of the insights of the mystery of life here on earth. And that is why Jesus spoke in Luke 18:1 that in your journey in life, you will need to engage the key of persistence. You need to make repeated attempts before certain things will finally be done for you by who? By God. Luke 18:1-7. God is the one that will ultimately influence the outcome. But Jesus is saying, you would have to make repeated attempts. So, don't be discouraged. Never give up. 2024 is the time to try again.
In Proverbs 21:18, Proverbs 21:18, Living Bible, it says, "The wicked will finally lose." In 2024, the wicked will finally lose. Those who have been suppressing your glory, they will finally lose. Those who have been blocking you in life, they will finally lose. Then the Bible says something more there. It says, "The wicked will finally lose. The righteous will finally win."
Luke 18:1, Luke 18:1, Living Bible, "One day Jesus told His disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes. They must keep praying. There is a breakthrough point in prayer. May you not give up before your breakthrough point." In Contemporary English version of the Bible, Luke 18:1, he said, "Jesus told His disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up. Never give up." Wives, encourage your husbands in 2024. Husbands, encourage your wives in 2024. Parents, encourage your children in 2024. You must not give up. Something is going to happen if you will not give up. As you persist, something will happen. The Message Bible says, "Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. And never quit." I believe there is a saying, a popular saying that winners never quit. And so, you see Jesus emphasizing this part here that you must never quit. There is a breakthrough point ahead.
So, in closing, before you rise to pray, some vital things, truths you must always remember. Nothing is too hard for God to do. With God, you can never be too old for a particular blessing to still happen in your life. You can never be too old. With God, you can never be too young for certain blessings to happen in your life. God did it for Joseph at the age of 30. Old age, youthful age cannot be a barrier when God says your heavens are open. With God, the time can never be too short for something outstanding to happen. And so, something you must always remember, brethren, you are the only one that can write off yourself. Nobody can write you off. You are the only one that can write off yourself. Anybody that has written you off concerning something, the Lord is saying they have made a big mistake because in 2024, God Himself is going to supervise your testimony. So, do not write off yourself, as Sarah almost did in Genesis 16.