Post by Oluwatosin Oni (@oloriireoni)

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 23 JULY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Psalm 9:2
“I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”

This verse is David’s declaration of post-deliverance worship.

BIBLE READING: Psalm 149:1-2
“Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.”

This psalm is a call to exuberant, congregational praise.

Deliverance Is Not the End; It Is the Beginning
“When someone who is under the burden of the yoke of satan cries out to God genuinely for help, God steps in and delivers such a fellow. However, after receiving the deliverance, there are certain things the person must do and continue to do so that the ‘taskmaster’ (the devil) will not lay a heavier burden on him or her.”

Deliverance Is Deliverance Is Not
A gift from God The end of the story
A moment of freedom A guarantee of permanent freedom
An act of grace A license to be passive
After God brings you out of Egypt, you must keep yourself from going back. After He breaks the yoke, you must take steps to ensure the yoke does not return—heavier than before.

The Israelites: Delivered but Responsible to Stay Free
“For example, God heard the cry of the Israelites when the Egyptians enslaved them, and He came to their rescue (Exodus 3:7-8), but there were steps they had to take to ensure that they were not re-enslaved by their Egyptian taskmasters.”

What God Did What They Had to Do
Heard their cry They had to follow Moses out of Egypt
Sent plagues to persuade Pharaoh They had to leave quickly, without hesitation
Parted the Red Sea They had to walk through it
Destroyed the Egyptian army They had to keep walking forward, not look back
Deliverance required their cooperation. They could have refused to leave. They could have lingered in Egypt. They could have turned back at the Red Sea. Their freedom was a gift, but their continued freedom required obedience.

The Warning of Matthew 12:43-45: The Empty House
“Matthew 12:43-45 tells us that if a person becomes free from a burden of demonic possession and remains empty, the burden will return in a worse form because the evil spirit that left the person will return with seven other spirits that are more wicked than itself, so that the latter end of the person will be worse than the first.”

Matthew 12:43-45 – “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

The Unclean Spirit’s Strategy What It Means for You
He leaves but seeks to return Deliverance is not permanent by default
He looks for the house He comes back to check on you
If he finds it empty If your life is not filled with God’s presence
He brings seven worse spirits Your latter end becomes worse than the beginning
“I pray that in any area the enemy wants your latter end to be worse than your beginning, the Almighty God will frustrate his plans, in Jesus’ name.”

A Filled House An Empty House
Occupied by the Holy Spirit Vacant, swept, but unoccupied
Full of praise, prayer, and God’s word No active worship, no spiritual maintenance
The unclean spirit cannot re-enter The unclean spirit returns with reinforcements
The house cannot remain empty. If you do not fill it with praise and the presence of God, the enemy will refill it with bondage.

The First Step to Keeping the Burden Away: Praise God Continually
“When a fellow has been freed from a burden, the first thing that he or she must do to keep the enemy away and ensure that the burden that has been lifted does not return is to praise God continually.”

Praise Does Lack of Praise Does
Fills the house with God’s presence Leaves the house empty
Declares to the enemy that you are occupied Invites the enemy to return
Keeps your freedom secure Risks your freedom being lost
Praise is not just a response to deliverance; it is the maintenance of deliverance. It is the lock on the door after the enemy has been evicted.

The Lame Man at the Beautiful Gate: Leaping and Praising
1. His Condition
“Acts 3:1-8 tells the story of a lame man who lay by the Beautiful Gate of the temple. When God visited him and took away his burden of stagnation, poverty, and shame, he began to walk, leap, and praise God without caring about anyone who was watching him.”

His Burden Duration
Lame from birth Over 40 years (Acts 4:22)
Carried daily to the temple gate Dependent on others for everything
Could not enter the temple Could not worship as he desired
“This man was born lame, and before his healing, he was already above 40 years old (Acts 4:22). https://rccglive.com/open-heaven-23-july/

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