First of all heaven is always open. It's not closed due to sin or weakness on behalf of the believer. God wanted me to even tell you that heaven is open to the unbeliever. Romans 10:13
Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved
Saved= sozo is to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction. To save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health To preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue. And you thought it meant just to save you from eternal damnation. I used to think that too but when I realized that the word "saved" means so much more, I got pretty excited about being a saved one. How does one cultivate this type of intimacy and encourage this type of supernatural expectation that comes with walking in an open heaven? Are you interested in knowing what it means to walk with God and know that all things are possible?
Heaven is always open. It's not locked. When Jesus said on the cross that "It is finished" he was proclaiming that he had done everything necessary for us to live as children of God no longer separated from the Father and from heaven's benefits.
Heaven is always open but realize that there are keys to the Kingdom. Keys are not for opening heaven but unlocking the benefits inside the Kingdom of Heaven.
Keys: (not an exclusive list--just a few to get you started on the right track)
Faith: We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that we need faith to please God. Hebrews 11:1 first defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things yet to be seen. Jesus said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed (very tiny seed) that you have enough faith to move mountains. Jesus made it clear in Luke 17 that our faith is like our servant and we need to put it to work on our behalf. Exercise your faith and see the muscles start to grow. I like the saying "starve your doubts and feed your faith". Faith comes or is encouraged by hearing the Word of God. Our fear or doubt is encouraged by feeding it negative things like "I hear this year is going to be the worst year for the flu...and the economy is sure going downhill, I'm never going to get that dream job so I might as well give up..."
Operating in love: We are commanded to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor just as we would love our self. (Mark 12:30) We are going to mess up from time to time but just keep a heart geared toward love and motivated to encourage others and your heart will stay free from stuff that stops on open heaven. (stuff that stops the flow of an open heaven is in part 3)
Thanksgiving: This key takes practice. It seems silly to thank God for stuff that has not yet happened but we are walking by faith not by sight and we need to act like the benefits of heaven are headed in our direction. Thanksgiving is paramount to receiving what you have prayed into this realm. I thank you Father that you have provided everything we need in Christ for life and godliness. This can actually be a lot of fun once you get used to having words of thanksgiving pouring out of your mouth.
Authority: This key is emphasised by Jesus when he taught us to pray to the Father, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on EARTH just as it IS IN HEAVEN." He also took his disciples aside and taught them that whatever they bind on the earth is bound in the heavenly realm and what ever they speak is loosed is made loose in the earth too. We have the power of life and death in our tongues. Wow! That is good news!
You CAN EXPECT to dwell in the secret place of the most high. You CAN EXPERIENCE like Paul said and hear things in the third heaven or paradise of God. We CAN WALK UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN and touch the earthly realm and simultaneously touch the heavenly reality.
