Keys To Open Heaven 6: Treating God As Your Heavenly Father - Part 1

Throughout the Bible, there have been several instances where the ‘open heaven’ is in focus. 
The most prominent of those instances is Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan. When he came ashore and prayed, the heaven tore open for him. A voice was heard from heaven “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 
Oftentimes throughout history man has yearned for God to tear open the heavens and come down to earth. Perhaps, we can assume that this was God's way of answering those prayers. There are many keys that we can apply to unlock our blessings and open the storehouses of heaven. 

The first one in the list is repentance. Jesus never sinned, but he was baptised as a symbolic gesture even though he was a sinless lamb. 
The second one is water baptism. Jesus being baptised also shows his utter humility which is the third key. He was sinless and he humbled himself before his own creation to set an example for all of mankind. The fourth is fervent prayer. Many have experienced this, where with their dire and fervent prayers the gates of heaven have opened. The next one is obedience. 
The next key to open heaven is treating God as your Heavenly Father. When Jesus was baptised, God the Father declared that Jesus was his beloved Son. It was the declaration of the fatherhood of God over the Son. There is a shift in Jesus’ life from that moment on. Up until then, Jesus was known as the ‘carpenters Son’, ‘Joseph’s Son’ or ‘Mary’s Son’. From that day onwards there was a major shift in Jesus’ life. From then on Jesus was known as God’s Son. Joseph never comes into the picture after that. While it’s a declaration of the fatherhood on the Son, it is also a declaration that indicates that the Father is now responsible for the Son. Remember that all we need in our life is our God. If he is with us, who can be against us. Your earthly father can only help you to an extent, as they age their life might change. They might face health issues, their wealth might deplete and such. Our Earthly fathers have their own limitations. When you treat God as your own Heavenly Father, the heavens will open before you. 
Understanding God as your own Heavenly Father is the key. It is important that we must establish a personal connection with God. To the world he can be God, but to you he should be your Father. This is why when Jesus taught his disciples the model prayer, he began by saying ‘Our Father in Heaven’. 

In the Old Testament God is referred to as Father a few times and not directly. God is called Father in reference to Father of a nation, Father of a tribe etc. In the New Testament he is revealed as God the Father in a much more personal and real way. This assures a lot of security in our lives. 

When a Father passes away, there is a big vacuum that comes into the heart of his children. It almost feels like a layer of protection or covering is removed from their lives. But remember that when you are baptised into the family of Christ, there is a greater covering and a bigger protection that comes into your life. The covering of fatherhood of God wraps them up like a blanket. The reason for this is that a Father cannot deny his children.

 Just like your Earthly Father is kind to you, our Heavenly Father is also kind to his children. There is a lot of love that comes out from the heart of the Father.
 1 John 3:1 says, ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.’ 
You might be in a circumstance where you feel a vacuum in your heart. You might wish for your father to be near you, or someone to care for you. You might be in situations where you wished your father was there with you. Today the fatherhood of God can fill that vacuum. There was a major shift in Jesus’ life after the Father in Heaven, called Jesus his beloved Son. It also marks the start of Jesus’ public ministry. 

God the Father has always been with Jesus, every step of the way, except for a brief period of time, when he was crucified on the Cross of Calvary for taking upon him the sins of the world. When Jesus was a mortal being in this world, there wasn’t a minute that he was left alone. Because of our sins he was forsaken. 
John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’