Living in His Glory by Pastor Matthew

The believer is created to walk in God’s manifested glory. Upon his creation, man was crowned with honour and glory.

“For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honour.” Psalm 8:5

In fact, man was meant to be a reflection of the glory of God. Just as the moon reflects the light taken from the sun, man is supposed to reflect the glory of God on earth. The final destiny of our salvation is that we manifest glory.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

With such a grandiose intention for man: to be a people of glory and virtue, what happened in Eden, through the sinfulness of man, was more than the loss of status and the introduction of sin. All glory was lost.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

When we get born again, we get restored to glory and virtue.

“As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” 2 Peter 1:3

The only way to get back to the way God intended you to be is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. This is what it means to be born again. When we get born again, we become like trees planted by the rivers of water:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3

Receiving Christ means that glory is restored in your life. You become a beacon of pride, respect and pleasure; you bring God honour and testimony and He is able to brag on you. It is with this in mind that the Prophet Isaiah declares: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1).” You are being called to rise to a

new height, to soar and reach the zenith, to move to a place of significance, to become a pace-setter, and start shining.

THE JOURNEY BACK TO GLORY

Once you have become born again you let the Word of God do a restorative work in your life by renewing your mind and changing your speech; there is still a work for you to do to recover your lost glory.

Many children of God are living below their calling. They are called to be heirs and princes but they live like servants in their Father’s house.

“There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in great dignity, while the rich sit in a lowly place. I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants.” Ecclesiastes 10:5-7

The recovery of anything is determined by how precious it is to the one who lost it. You can only recover what you desire to discover. When glory is stolen, virtue is taken and if virtue is taken, virtually everything is gone. Glory is the beauty of man. It is the apogee of his standing. It is his way of reflecting God on earth.

Therefore, you must pursue to get it. If you have lost your blessings, entitlements, harvests, or divine opportunities, there are some key steps you must take in order to get them back:

1. THERE MUST BE A DISSATISFACTION

Yes, your dissatisfaction must be strong enough to motivate your desire for a change. There must be a deep hunger and thirst.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

2. YOU MUST PRESS ON TO DISCOVER

Glory manifests when we discover the deposits of God that are in us. In the words of Ethel Walters, “God does not create junk. All of us are created with the inherent capacity to carry glory.” So we must seek to discover.

3. THIS MUST BE FOLLOWED BY A DESIRE, A PANG FOR CARRYING GOD’S GLORY OR PRESENCE, OR MANIFESTING THE BEAUTY OF JESUS ON EARTH.

So, to do this, you must not allow anything to stand between you and your testimony.

If it is a mountain, it must move.

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:23-24

MANIFESTING THE GLORY OF GOD

When we look again at Isaiah 60:3-4 we see that when glory begins to reflect in a person’s life, people will be drawn to the light, beauty and grace carried by the individual.

“The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.” Isaiah 60:3-4

People are naturally drawn to light. Our eyes have a way of focusing on where the light is. Even creatures are enthralled by light. Where there is glory, such a light will attract favour. People will rise to help the man who carries glory. As a result, his life will abound with success and blessing and the days of being small will be over.

When the glory is restored you have dominion over darkness: Isaiah 60:1-2 says: Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”

The word darkness here symbolises problems, confusion, hopelessness or the lack of light or enlightenment. When there is glory, you will rise above these issues and and in turn become a problem-solver yourself. People who have dominion over darkness are the solution to the challenges of their family.

When the glory is restored there is favour. Favour is a beautiful virtue and blessing, which decorates the life of the believer and adds colour to it. Joseph experienced this favour and he was chosen above his brethren. Isaiah says, “Where there is glory, favour that is attractive will manifest.”

“All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory.” Isaiah 60:7

When you carry favour, it will beautify your life and decorate it. You will prosper in the middle of challenges like Joseph. Where others are struggling and running helter-skelter, you will be manifesting testimony. This kind of favour draws people from the four corners of the earth to connect with you.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” Zechariah 8:23

Dear friend, please understand, your calling and ordination is unto glory and virtue. This is why we were created.