The Theme of this year’s Mother’s Day celebration as inspired by the Holy Spirit is Ephphatha which means be opened. I believe it ties in so well with our Theme for the month which is Divine Help made available, God Almighty is saying to us, that He has set before us an Open Door, an effectual (successful in producing a desired or intended result) door that will usher us into another realm of His Apostolic grace and power in this year 2018 and beyond.
John 10:9-16 says: 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Our Lord Jesus is the key of David (The key of David: is actually Christ’s gospel—the good news He brought when He came to Earth! It gives you a specific understanding of that gospel, and it adds a royal dimension). His Father, our Father in heaven sowed him as a seed, so He can gain you and I: he is the seed of corn he was referring to in John 12:24 (Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit).
He said in his word that He is the Door. He is the only one that can open and no one can shut, what He shuts, no man can open.
Proverbs 18:16 (New Living Translation).
Giving a gift can open doors, it gives access to important people.
Our main example will be taken from 2 Kings 4:9-37
A story we might be very familiar with. The woman of Shunem.
The bible introduced her as a Great woman (a woman of affluence & influence) A wise woman because the bible made us understand that she perceived that Elisha was a holy man of God, in other words, she had the spirit of discernment (this is a gift every woman must pray the Holy Spirit to release to her, because it will help us immensely in our role as Daughters, Wives, & Mothers after God’s own heart). If the woman of Shunem did not have this virtue and was not obedient to the Spirit of God that helped perceive that Elisha was a holy man of God and she proceeded to do him good by giving, she would have died a barren woman.
The Bible makes us understand that she said to her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall and let us set for him there a bed and a table and a stool and a candlestick and it shall be, when he cometh to us and he shall turn in thither.
She was a wise woman, she asked He husband for permission & his consent to do all this for Elisha, and her husband did not object because is heart safely trusted in her.
Proverbs 31:14-15 says “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Proverbs 18:22 ‘He who finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord”.
The Bible makes us understand that not too long after she did this good deed, her giving became a gateway to an open door of favour and fruitfulness. She seemed to have everything but there was something lacking in her life, she was childless, but Jehovah the re-writer of destiny decided to pay her a visit through Prophet Elisha and blessed her with a son.
Jehovah will visit someone here today, He will change your story, He will change your name, He will give you a new song and dance, He will roll away your reproach amongst men, He will fill your mouth with laughter, He will make your Joy full, He will open doors of favour, success, divine opportunities & ideas for you and He will grant you the Grace to enter through these doors into your season of breakthrough & Glory in Jesus Mighty name.
The sermon, Your Giving: The Gateway To Open Door, By Pastor (Mrs) Anthonia Obafaiye, was delivered on March 11th, 2018 on the occasion of the 2018 Mother’s Day.