October 25, 2007

• The Glory of God by Anne Williams

  Last Saturday was our Women’s Luncheon and one of the members of our church, Ann Williams, shared with us.

  Ann started out by telling us to fear not, for God is with us, and He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. She told us that she has walked with the Lord 30 years, and recently found that she was having some feelings of dissatisfaction, and wanted to find out why. She said that she had some victories and some defeats. But God had a higher vision for her, a place for her to go in Him. God’s vision for her had changed, increased. Until she was walking in God’s vision for herself, she remained dissatisfied.

  God wants to take us to higher levels, to see us fulfill our purpose and divine destiny. The Fire of the Holy Ghost burns within and settles in you. What He has given you in your heart, set out and realize. But how will you ever get there? God brought you to this point. Trust the Lord with your life, cry out in the Spirit for His Manifest Presence, and pray.

  Psalm 20 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice.  Selah  May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call.

  He surely will answer us and deliver us from all of our fears. We can count on Him. He is faithful and will bring it to pass. We have a fervent cry for God’s manifested presence, a great need for Christ, and praying for the unsaved. We have Christ, and He is the Hope of our Glory, but the unsaved need Him so badly. God wants the Church to move out in the strength of His Glory. Not in His omnipresence but His manifest presence. God has been present throughout the ages, on the scene to help fulfill His divine destiny, to help out in impossible situations. We need God to get us out of ourselves, out of “me” and out in Jesus’ name to reach others.

  Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

  Exodus 40: 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and the fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

  God brought the people out of captivity, and His glory protected the Israelites. They were brought out by God’s hand. God’s glory was also available in the New Testament and is available today.

  Luke 1:35 AMP Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.

  The Glory is the Holy Son of God. We see His glory revealed on the Mt. of Transfiguration, with Jesus in the cloud of Glory. Jesus was met by Moses and Elijah who gave Him strength to complete His work – this was seen by Peter, James and John.

  Matthew 17:5 AMP While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted. Listen to Him!

  Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and  a cloud received Him out of their sight.

  The cloud protects, guards, gives direction and prepares us. God’s glory helps us to fulfill God’s divine destiny in our life, to fulfill it in HIS POWER. God’s glory protects God’s people. Can we expect His glory now? Yes! We need manifestation of His power. In His presence everything changes. We are covered, chosen, distinguished.

  Exodus 33:15-16 AMP And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here! For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

  We need God to fulfill His service and show His glory, to fulfill our destiny.

  Glory in Hebrew is 3519 Kabod which, besides meaning glory, also implies weight, and we see God’s Glory coming down in the Temple, so that the priests could not stand under the glory. To serve God we have to be sanctified and set apart, washed by His blood and the Word.

  Ephesians 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

  2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

  God wants us to grow from glory to glory. We are not there yet, but we are being changed. Don’t grow discouraged, press forward and keep growing, line upon line, precept upon precept.

  The priests experienced so much of the Glory of God that they could not stand to minister.

  2 Chronicles 5:13-14 AMP  And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

  This is our God who is for us, who wants to help us fulfill our destiny. We will never be satisfied until we are manifesting His best for us, don’t settle for less. Don’t take beggarly elements. We are His Chosen, set apart.

  Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

  The glory manifested in fire and wind, and with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. We are not to look back and say, we wish we were there in the Upper Room back then. We are here and HE HAS equipped us, and given us His glory, so that we can do His will.

  We need to walk in His Righteousness. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church and died for their lie. We have to remember that the Holy Spirit is there with us all the time and knows what we are doing, saying, and thinking. We have to be honest with God.

  The Church is enabled to fulfill the great commission, to continue to speak the Word of God with boldness, freedom and courage. When we step out in faith, God will meet us. The same power that was manifest in the early Church is available to us now.

  Acts 5:11-16 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

  Why aren’t we seeing these miracles in the Body today?  Unbelief. We have limited how we think about God. Many feel God has abandoned us, or they take God for granted. They are casual in their conversation with God. They no longer make a bold witness, they have a form of Godliness, but deny the power of His Word. They look like good Christians on the outside – not smoking, drinking, taking drugs, but what about laying hands on the sick? They don’t do that, or they don’t think that God does that anymore. They have filled their minds with lust, porn, idols and thoughts of unbelief.

  Is our heart stirred up enough to pray for God’s Glory? It will take the fervent prayer of a passionate heart, and the desire to really want to be in His Presence. We need to be sensitive to the prophesying of the Holy Spirit, to listen to His guidance, and obey. Sometimes it may take us outside of our comfort zones. We need to believe that God’s manifested Presence will show up. We cannot do it on our own, we have to do it through Him. As the Body of Christ, we all do it together, there can’t be any Lone Rangers, and if we get into one accord the glory of God will be greater than even Solomon’s Temple.

  We need to stir ourselves up with fervent prayer. If we don’t know what to pray for or how to pray, we can still pray, discuss it with Him, share all our desires. He will help us to sort out what is important, and the rest will fade away. Take it to His Word and take it to prayer.

  Ephesians 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

  We are the Temple of the Lord, dedicated, consecrated and sacred. Not all will seek the Glory of God and the refining of our lives. Will you be one of His? It’s your choice. There is so much more to our walk in Christ than to be saved and go to Heaven. We will not truly be satisfied in our life until we can answer the master, until we obey His perfect will for our lives.

  Ann suggested that we do more Bible study on the Glory of the Lord and His presence. We closed with the following verses.

  2 Corinthians 3:9-11 AMP For if the service that condemns [the ministration of doom] had glory, how infinitely more abounding in splendor and glory must be the service that makes righteous [the ministry that produces and fosters righteous living and right standing with God]! Indeed, in view of this fact, what once had splendor [the glory of the Law in the face of Moses] has come to have no splendor at all, because of the overwhelming glory that exceeds and excels it [the glory of the Gospel in the face of Jesus Christ]. For if that which was but passing and fading away came with splendor, how much more must that which remains and is permanent abide in glory and splendor!

  Have a blessed day! May we see more of His Manifest Presence and Glory!

  Heather

  • 4:32 pm
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