It’s always a privilege to go the house of God, to kneel down to pray, to sit down to read and study the Scriptures and yet people are always doing one thing or the other that the devil has given them to do instead, on service days (special or normal). We don’t know what the devil knows – that the more we study the word of God the more, the more we pray, the more we spend time in His presence, the more we develop intimacy with Him and the more we develop the glory of God around us. This is something the devil does not like.
The Israelites in the wilderness took only one look at Moses’ face shining with the glory of God and scattered in different directions (Exodus 34:29-35). When God came down His glory was seen and the Israelites could not stand it (Exodus 20:19-21). When Jesus showed up (even with flesh veiling His glory) demons screamed (Matt. 8:28-32).
The glory of God comes only from studying the word of God and from intimacy with God. This is what the devil does not want God’s children to achieve, especially anointed teachings because He knows that it would build glory in them. The devil does not mind giving you other types of assignments when it’s Bible Study or Prayer Meeting time. He would tell you to come back later that you would still have time to pray or study your Bible later on or before you sleep you.
There is nothing that can replace corporate worship and corporate prayer. The Bible says that God dwells among the praises of His people. God likes it when people gather to praise His name. When two or three people gather in His name He comes down from Heaven and stays with them, He quickly joins them so that He can release His glory upon them. There is nobody that stays in the presence of God that does not pick the essence – which is the glory of God. Once His glory is there, the demons will run away when they see God’s glory upon you.
God’s children cheat themselves of this easy way of defeating demons, instead when there’s a problem in the house their usual response is fasting for five days. But there are easy ways to get things from God. If you see the kind of pain a woman is in when she’s in labour you would understand the kind of pain demons experience when they see the glory of God upon a child of God. This is documented in the Scriptures (Psalm 48). Yet we think that it is only by prayer and fasting that we can defeat the devil. Seek the glory of God.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. (Psalms 48:1-7 KJV)
In Psalm 48 what did the kings with all their armies see that made them flee? They saw the presence of God; they saw Zion (Psalm 48:1-7). Did they go to heaven to see this? They saw God’s glory upon the psalmist. The psalmist described the presence of God as a refuge. In Zion is the glory of God, the shekinah. Bible historians write that when David put the Ark in the makeshift tabernacle the bright blue shekinah glory on it could be seen, 24/7.
It is next to impossible to describe the glory of God. You can only describe what it does and how it looks. Two Scriptures show us how it looks. In the days when Jesus walked on the earth you do not see it the way it is described in the Old Testament but the Scriptures tell us that Jesus was full of truth and grace and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14). When the demons saw Jesus in Matthew 8, they took only one look at Him and asked, “Have You come to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29). The demons screamed in terror yet Jesus had not uttered a word in prayer or cast them out. He was just passing by. Yet when the demons saw Him they cried out. I do not think that in this generation we can ever understand it fully. But I know that if you partake of it, nothing shall stand against you and nothing shall be impossible to you.
In Psalm 48:6, we read that the ships of Tarshish were broken. In Bible days Tarshish was a world power and a great economy depending on ships to move goods around. Only God can truncate this and God did the impossible because of the glory of God. Many of us either because we don’t understand it or don’t know, assume by our senses that this is the way to go about it when situations come our way. I can tell you categorically that you get to a point in your life of intimacy with God that you don’t need to pray, He acts on your behalf.
I read of a missionary working in the Caribbeans who said that one day when the natives were playing their voodoo drums for incantation, that his window suddenly flew open while he was sleeping. As he got up to close the window, he saw Satan. He said, “Oh, it’s you Satan,” closed the window and went right back to sleep. For most people there would be no sleep that night. Just an ordinary demon and there will be no sleep again. So what would you do when you see Satan himself? Get to the point where you have the glory of God all over you.
And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. Isaiah 4:5-6
Isaiah 4:5-6 shows that the glory would be found upon every dwelling of Zion showing you that what David saw in Psalm 48 was not heavenly Zion. Because the prince of Tarshish are human beings not spirit beings. Isaiah 4:5-6 shows us that the glory of God is the presence of God Himself. The angel of the Living God was the one that went before Israel in the pillar of fire and the cloud, and that same phenomenon that lead Israel through the wilderness was going to be in every house, every assembly and upon every individual.
As you read on you find out that it is automatic and also not automatic. It is automatic because it is God’s will for you. It is not automatic until you take the step of faith and apply the principles that bring down the glory of God. The glory of God is available for as many as are named Zion or assemblies of Zion. There is the earthly and there is the heavenly. What I have just told you is the earthly. We would get to the heavenly as we go on.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Psalm 73:24
Associated with glory is the word of God (Psalm 73:24). You can’t be in the presence of God without the word of God. The glory, the presence of God comes for a reason. If you’re sick it comes to heal and teach you lessons because there must be a reason why you are sick. Under normal circumstances a Christian is not supposed to fall sick. Psalm 103:3 says God heals us of all our diseases. The Scriptures cannot be faulted. God says, If you don’t live like an Egyptian none of the diseases of the Egyptians can come near you (Exodus 15:26). God says, if for some foolish reason you live like an Egyptian and fall sick, and say, “Lord, I am sorry,” He would heal you and when the glory of His presence comes to heal you He says He would also teach you and tell you where you missed it. Psalm 73:24 says He would guide you. Guidance always leads to glory – whether earthly or eventually heavenly glory (received to glory 1 Tim 3:16). There is that element of guide, read, study be in His presence then it leads to glory.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11. Walking uprightly is associated with glory (Ps 84:11). You cannot dodge it. God says He is willing to give glory upon every assembly of Zion and every individual named after Him. The glory would be there but there are conditions attached to it – studying the word of God. God would give good things and He would give grace and glory. Associated to receiving glory is acceptance of grace. And grace does not stand by itself. It must be used. Grace standing by itself is just a 5-letter word but when grace is used it becomes potent and that is when God comes into action. And when He is there the glory of God follows and when He has defeated your enemy He deposits some grace in you. God will give grace and He will give glory. Grace that is not used will not attract glory; when grace is used the owner of grace comes down to speak to you and you need to listen.
Moses could not die because of the glory of God in his life. At 120 years he climbed a mountain, his eyes were not dim, all because he spent time with God and the glory of God shone upon his life. People saw it. It was real, it was tangible. Who is making the effort? Who is studying the Bible? There is room for personal Bible study alone in your room but there is also room for communal Bible study. People who are wise enough know that even a donkey can be used by God, as in the case of a great prophet, Balaam. Do not look down on people or reject the word of God from people just because they are not called pastors and you see them as just brothers in church. Stop looking at human beings or personalities, look for the word of God in people because each time God takes a microphone He is speaking to people and you need to listen so that the glory that comes with God speaking and being near you can be your portion.
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Thou And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ 2 Timothy 2:1-3
Why is the word “strong” attached to grace? Why be strong in the grace? Because grace must be used effectively. Go and fight with grace, don’t just stand in I’m born again. Go and share the things you have learnt so that others may also continue to work with grace. Let the word of God continue to flow, let God always be in action, always teaching people. There is a release of grace when the word of God is exchanged and as you are doing this wherever you find yourself you are God’s best soldier. The words “good solider of Christ” show that there are also bad soldiers. A bad soldier is not strong in grace, he does not repeat the word of God to other people. It is in using grace that grace expands and God moves and each time He comes to back up His word things happen – the ships of Tarshish would be broken down, enemies would be in travail and God would drop glory in your life as added bonus.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:29-30
If you say you are born again, you must pass through this process – those He foreknew He called, and the ones He called He’s transforming them into the glory of His Son. He glorifies them, in other words He mixes and applies the glory of God to their lives so that they share in His glory. It is not scriptural to sing, “You are the Lord, You will never share Your glory with any man” because God is willing to share His glory with His children. You can’t describe the glory outside what it does in people’s life and what it stands for. There is no English word that you can use to describe it that will be perfect. If you say you are born again then you are a candidate of glory. Those He predestinated are being changed every day, God is glorifying them – He set them on a path of being glorified, as they obey Him and as they stay in His presence. There are two dimensions of glory – the heavenly and earthly glory. Heavenly glory wants to mix with the earthly.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:10
You cannot remove glory from salvation whether physical or heavenly. But how many people show up and demons scream? How many people see mad men and just continue going on their way? Rather they would cross the road when they see a mad man. Something is missing in Christianity that all of us are not bothered about – we don’t see His glory – power. All we just do is church – a form of godliness and we deny the power thereof. And it’s because we don’t want to make the sacrifice, we don’t want to pay the price, we don’t want to make the effort. People are praying but they are not praying effectively and this is why you don’t see the power of God among God’s children. And it’s a burden to God because He is ready to display His glory but we are not ready for it because of our attitude and the way we see Christianity.
Salvation and eternal glory go together (2 Timothy 2:10). The glory here will propel you upstairs and change you into His own image. The fullness of His glory becomes real when you’re eventually up there. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3). But this shining starts here as blessings. See Proverbs 11:30-31, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner. The glory and the reward is here. You will be recompensed here on earth and also in heaven.
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. John 10:10.
In John 10:10 the Greek word translated life in John 10:10 is zoe, which is the life essence of God, the glory of God. Jesus came to give us life abundantly. Why are we not having this life? The answer is very simple. Because we deny Him our companionship, our presence. We deny Him the release of His glory by not studying the Bible, by not praying together. Psalm 22:3 says, But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Israel here in Psalm 22:3 is not one person but all Israel. It is in the house of God that all of Israel congregates (Psalm 122:1). It is not just one tribe but all of Israel. That’s why I was bold to say that there’s a place for corporate service and God says He would be there. So if God comes in the service and you’re not there you’re the one that would miss the portion to be released that day. Because He doesn’t come visiting to drink tea. He comes to release His glory and bless (Acts 10:38).
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:21.
Only God is able to change our vile bodies into that glorious body. If you think that glory is only heavenly you’re missing the benefits of the glory of God, because if it’s only heavenly glory that you’re looking for, you miss the earthly glory. But there must be earthly glory before heavenly glory happens. God wants to bring the earthly first; you enjoy the benefit of the earthly before you enjoy the heavenly glory. This vile body can be changed. On the day of Rapture there is going to be a change. But before that there is also another change and both changes are associated to glory.
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Corinthians 3:18
In 2 Corinthians 3:18 God is pointing attention to the fact that Jesus had a glory, the essence of God, zoe. It is the glory that is in the mirror we are looking at not Christ. If Paul carried the same meaning in 2 Corinthians 3:18 as he did in Romans 8:29 he would have used the same words “be conformed to the image of the Son” but rather he used the word “glory” that as we look at the glory of God in a mirror we also are being changed into the same image, into the same glorious appearance of God.
2 Corinthians 3:8 speaks of focusing. Let’s look at the case-study of Moses. When Moses was given the glory, you notice two things. The first time he went up to collect the tablets of the ten commandments God wrote, there was no glory on his face. But when he went back the second time his face shone, God gave Him the glory and his face shone. Why was there no glory when Moses went the first time but there was glory when he went the second time? Why was it that each time Moses came back after a while the glory disappeared but came back when He went back up to the mount to speak with God. But when he came to the realm of men the glory disappeared but when he went to the presence of God the glory would come back. Does this not show you that God wants permanent friendship with you, for you to be permanently in the presence of God? These are the things associated to the glory. Glory is an approval by God. If you have it God approves of you. He doesn’t give it to just anyone but only to the person that draws near Him.
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalms 15:1-5 KJV)
Based on Psalm 15 how many people qualify? How many of us have not backbitten or said something bad about another person? Yet we excuse it is a small sin. We speak ill of our President, the man that God put in authority but the Scriptures say that God puts kings in authority. Judge yourself with every adjective in Psalm 15? He that does the things in Psalm 15 will always dwell on God’s holy hill, he shall never be moved—nothing shall move him, no evil that is coming can capture him and he will always win.
Glory is an approval of God and recognition by God. When God asked Moses to bring the seventy elders to the mount, He said that only Moses could come up to the top of the mouth, the elders were to stay back (Exodus 24). This shows that receiving glory is an approval of recognition by God. Who is going to work towards it to the point that God points you out and singles you out and says that only you should come up? Do you think that it was just by mistake that God chose Joshua to succeed Moses? Joshua was able to withstand the presence of God. When God asked the 70 elders to come up to the Mount, Joshua also followed (Exodus 24:13-14). When nobody could stay in the tabernacle when the glory of God filled the tabernacle, Joshua stayed there (Exod. 33:11). He also imbibed the glory of God howbeit it was not physically displayed like on Moses. Later on God told Joshua I would put on you what I put on Moses that made people love and respect him, they would fear you when I put that thing on you (Josh 1:5-7). But there was no physical glory on Joshua just like there was no physical glory on Jesus. Yet demons cried out when they saw Jesus. No physical glory on the disciples yet as they walked by people got healed by their shadow. It was said of Jesus in Acts 10:38 that everywhere He went He was doing good. The woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and she was healed. Her problem of many years stopped. She drew the glory because it was there. God gave us Moses to show us how to get it. In the New Testament you don’t see it but it is there. It is between you and your God. But demons see it and they will give you the honour and respect you deserve when they see the glory of God in your life.
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Corinthians 4:17
The pressures of today are to bring out the glory of God within us. Like how a diamond is made beautiful. An uncut diamond in the rough is cut and polished to increase its value. By the time an uncut diamond is polished and beautified the value increases. The inward pain and affliction that God allows us to pass through is so that the glory of God can come out. When we say we don’t want to go through pains and trials we are saying we don’t want the glory.
Silver is very valuable after it has passed through fire. It is only when a blacksmith can see his reflection in the silver after it has passed through fire that it is pure. When Malachi 3:2-3 says that Jesus would sit down as a refiner it is to bring out the glory, the zoe life, the life of God. It is available but we keep covering it up like Moses’ face was covered. For us the only way the glory can come is that we are in His presence, either in prayers, talking to Him or in church praying together and having Bible study together that He comes to visit and then drops His glory. The more of such visitations you get the more glorious you will be than the person who has not had such visitations from God. And when people hear you speak they will say, “this man is anointed and knows the Scriptures.” The sacrifice you made, the price you paid they can’t pay it. What you read in Psalm 15 and Psalm 24 are the things that you do to maintain God’s presence. If those things are not enough for you, then trials come to bring out the weight of glory. The words “weight of glory” show that glory has weight. When you say that something has weight it means that you are measuring it in comparison to other places or other people, so some would have it more than others. It is the person that is giving more attention to God that would have more of the glory than the person that is just a church goer.
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