Repositioning For Greater Glory
“But we all, with open [unveiled] face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory [ever-increasing, greater glory], even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
(2 Corinth 3:18)
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”
(Isaiah 60:1)
“So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
(Ephesians 5:14)
Grace for Repositioning
Happy new month, and welcome to the month of March!
I hope that you have learned and are choosing to walk in love toward yourself—understanding your worth, taking care of and appreciating yourself, and living with self-awareness. We have learned to extend grace to ourselves while allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us into better Christians. It is my prayer that we truly love ourselves in a healthy, godly way so that we may love others as God intends in Jesus name.
What is the Holy Spirit saying to us this month? In this year of exceeding abundant grace, God is set to reveal Himself in even greater ways to His people. He desires that we be ready to receive all that He has prepared for us. However, we understand from Scriptures that new wine cannot be poured into an old wineskin. To experience God in a greater, newer, and fresher way, we must position ourselves differently. Thus, the prophetic focus for the month of March is: Repositioning for Greater Glory. Hallelujah!
What is God’s glory you may ask? God's glory can be described as the manifestation of His perfect character, nature, and power. Psalm 19:1 tells us that “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork”. The glory of God is multifaceted. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the sole expression of the glory of God. We also understand that God’s goodness is His glory. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, the Lord responded that He would make His goodness pass before him (Exodus 33:18). God’s holiness is also His glory (Exodus 15:11); He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). Wisdom and wealth are expressions of the glory of God too. God’s glory upon His children is attractive (Isaiah 60:1; Ecclesiastes 8:1); the wisdom of God upon Solomon’s life attracted the attention of nobles. And we know that this wisdom was the reward for a dramatic offering (1 Kings 3:4-9). What this tells us is that greater glory can be provoked by greater giving. Worship and dwelling in God’s presence grant access to higher realms of His glory. For instance, during the dedication of the temple, there was the outpouring of God’s glory in the manifest presence that filled the temple (2 Chron 5:13-14). Likewise, Moses’ face radiated after prolonged fellowship with God on the mountain (Exodus 34:29). In the place of communion with His Father, the Bible records that the fashion of Jesus’ countenance was altered, and His garments glistered - Peter, James and John witnessed this (Luke 9:29).
We understand from Scriptures that glory is in levels (1 Corinth 15:41). There is more to God’s glory than we can ever imagine, ever comprehend, or see, and He desires to reveal greater dimensions to us. However, we cannot do things the same way and expect different results. Even if we are on the right path, we would need to do more to experience more. We need to reposition ourselves and be ready for greater glory. So how then do we reposition ourselves to experience greater glory?
In Deuteronomy 1:1-8, God Himself was tired of His people remaining on the same level for a long time. He commands them, "You have dwelt long enough at this mountain; turn and take your journey [it is time to break camp and move on]" (verse 6). This was a call to reposition, to not settle for less, to move on from a place of stagnation and embrace the new path God had prepared for them. I submit, therefore, that repositioning for greater glory requires intentional action, actively taking steps towards knowing and receiving more of and from God. You may need to assess areas in your life where you feel stuck—identify your own "mountain"—and take deliberate steps to move on to the greater glory God has prepared for you (John 11:40-41). In Exodus 33:21-23, God spoke to Moses, saying, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” - God offers Moses a way to experience His glory in a safe manner. Moses could have refused to move to the rock, and he would have missed out. But he trusted God and obeyed the instructions, taking steps to reposition for greater glory.
The Bible also tells us that glory is weighty (2 Corinth 4:17). The implication of this is that one can be crushed under the weight of glory if one is not prepared for it. Impatience does not let character to fully form, and when glory meets an immature christian, it can be destructive (James 1:4; Romans 5:4; 2 Chron 26:16). There is also the issue of pride. God is a jealous God, and will not share His glory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8). If we want to see His glory in a greater way, we must learn to ascribe ALL the glory to Him; He gets the glory, while we stay content with the blessings. Do you want to experience greater glory? Build capacity, build character. Live holy also (Hosea 4:7). Like mentioned earlier, the holiness of God is His glory. Just as precious jewels need to be refined so that their brilliance and radiance is revealed, so too must impurities—sin and iniquity—be removed for us to reflect God’s glory in its full essence.
Finally, to experience ever-increasing glory, we must live a life of thanksgiving, faith and service to God (Jeremiah 30:19; John 11:40; 1 Timothy 5:17). It is beyond any doubt that the glory of God is being made manifest in these last days. We just have to be positioned rightly to see it, to experience it in increasing dimensions. As we live intentionally to please God, making Him the centre of our existence, it will not be long before we begin to radiate with His glory in all areas of our lives. No more shame. No more staying small or feeling irrelevant. No more being ignored or relegated! This is indeed our season of exceeding greater glory!
Join us in our Sunday services this month where we would be looking at the following series: Grace for Repositioning; Arise, Shine; Greater Glory; Keep Moving; Repositioning for Greater Glory.
Jesus is Lord!