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When Jesus was baptised at the River Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended on Him, and the Father affirmed His delight. Similarly, the Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered disciple will see the heavens opened, experience the delight of the Father and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean for the heavens to be opened and closed? The principle is found in Deuteronomy 28—obedience to the voice of God brings blessings (vv. 1-14) and disobedience brings curses (vv. 15-68). Blessings and abundance occur when the heavens are opened. Moses spoke to an agricultural people, who relied on timely rains to nourish their crops (Deuteronomy 11:14) and for the sun to shine at just the right time; both rain and sunshine are needed for a bountiful harvest. When the heavens are closed, there is extreme weather, and crops are destroyed because of drought or floods.
Therefore, open heavens represent the grace and mercy of God, the blessed life and the promise of God for believers. The evidence is:
• freedom from bondage
• a vibrant walk with God
• the ability to handle stress, anxieties and fears
• increasing wisdom and revelation
• walking in divine healing, health and life
• overcoming sin, the world and the evil one
Such a life is faultless, without fractures or cracks, and where our body, soul and spirit are in equilibrium and alignment with God.
Open heavens mean there is a movement in our lives, as we progress from curses to blessings.
The Delight of the Father
The Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered believer will experience the delight of God the Father. As recorded in Psalm 45:7 and Hebrews 1:9, God told His beloved Son, Jesus,
“You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
When we do likewise, God will be delighted with us. Though Jesus was God, He chose to become fully human and through His obedience when He was on earth, He ensured His prayers were heard by His Father.
Similarly, we are to delight in doing the will of God, as the psalmist in Psalm 40:8 declares: “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart”. Some of us feel fear when we read of ‘doing God’s will’. What if God wants us to sell everything we have, give up our lives to become missionaries in faraway countries, or marry someone we don’t love?
We have such negative thoughts because we have allowed the devil to sow doubts about the goodness of God. Doing God’s will remove the barriers in our lives to experience all the goodness, grace and blessings of God—and when we understand this, we will delight to do His will. The best place to be is in the will of the Father.
Therefore, in our spiritual journey, there is a progression of our wills being aligned with God’s will. Before we were saved, we were all rebellious towards God (Ephesians 2:1-2). After we become believers, we still struggle to obey Him and fail from time to time. As we grow in Christ, we begin to obey His commands—at first out of obligation, but as we experience His love for us, we willingly obey out of love for Him. Then we progress to desiring to do the will of God, while recognising our limitations. Finally, we grow to truly love righteousness and hate wickedness, and here, God anoints us and sets us totally apart to do His will (Psalm 45:7).
Therefore, the evidence of the Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life is Christ-likeness: to be like Him and walk as He walked (1 John 2:6), in increasing measures of the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered believer is not only godly but also working in power, demonstrating works of faith in sharing the gospel with boldness and wisdom, healing the sick, casting out demons, setting free the oppressed and releasing those in bondage (Acts 26:18 and 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
Conclusion
As we move from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and finally on to Jordan, we have arrived at the place where we will decide to cross over—or settle for being just short of where God wants us to be. This is the place of transition:
• from natural to spiritual life
• from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3) to the tree of life (Revelation 22)
• from a walk by sight to a walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
• from our comfort zones to walking in God’s will; and
• from worry and anxiety to peace and seeking God’s kingdom.
Crossing the River Jordan is a choice and is voluntary. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, they had no choice; their lives were at stake. In a sense, the Red Sea represents our salvation. But when Israel came to the edge of the River Jordan, they had a choice: to cross or not to cross. This represents the discipleship journey of the believer. Similarly, when we hear the voice of the Lord, will we cross the River Jordan? Will we enter into death that we may arise with resurrection power?
Remember that Moses’ generation spent 40 years travelling in the wilderness. They had been led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Yet, they clung to unbelief—afraid of the unknown, doubtful of a God whose power they saw every day. They gave in to their fear of the ‘giants’ in the land, and frequently murmured and complained. Like them, we can ‘dry out’ and die spiritually if we allow hardness of heart and unbelief to creep in.
But Joshua’s generation embraced change and transition. They crossed the Jordan, letting go of the past and stepping into their inheritance. They left behind manna for the ‘milk and honey’ of the Promised Land—despite their never having set foot in it (Joshua 3:4). Like them, we are called to keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Joshua and his generation expected God to do amazing things, and so must we. We need to make a choice to press on, because there will be obstacles. Unless we are baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire, we will continue to struggle in our sins and our Christian life.
What kind of people are we? Are we the Moses generation in the wilderness, or the Joshua generation in the Promised Land? Let us lay hold of God to cross the River Jordan, and live Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered lives!
Let’s reflect. What do we understand by “open heavens”? How will we know whether we have the delight of Father God? Are there areas in our lives where we are not yet in the Father’s will? What is preventing us from doing so?
For the past 12 episodes, including today’s, we have covered Part 1 of our series. We have looked at the 4 milestones – Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and Jordan. In the next 3 episodes, we will look at how to strengthen our spirit and restore our soul, and finally to walk in victory.
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