Behold the Glory of God!

 

"But we all, with uncovered 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.  Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God." (2 Corinthians 3:18-4:2)

What does it mean to behold the glory of the Lord?  I believe Paul is referring to our devotion to God, our attentive worship of Him, our time set aside to behold (to perceive through sight or apprehension, to gaze upon) who God is.  The Greek word for behold indicates not just taking a look, but fixing our gaze.  An intensely focused gaze or to look eagerly at something in order to see it more clearly. It means deciding, "I won't move from this position or do anything else until I fix my eyes on God - to intensely see God’s glory with such devotion that we are changed as a result.

 

What does Paul mean by “we have this ministry”?  I believe Paul is telling us that beholding the glory of God is a ministry/service we should devote ourselves to on a regular basis.

 

What happens when we behold the glory of God? Paul writes, "We are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."  The Greek word for changed means transformed, transfigured. Everyone who often fixes their gaze intently on Christ is being metamorphosed. A transfiguration is taking place. That person is continually being changed into the likeness and character of Jesus.

 

How is the glory of God shown?  Moses saw the glory of the Lord, and it rendered his face so bright, that he had to covered it with a veil.  We are to behold the glory of God in such a way that our faces shine too!  Through His glorious love, we are to be transformed into the same image - into the same love.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:37-39)

 

The glory of God is too great to pass by.  Cling to the hope He gives you.  Hope for healing, transformation, for His presence in your life and in our world.  Be astounded by His glory and be transformed by it.

 

Greater things have yet to come!

Pure Heart...

“You really can maintain a pure heart… but make no mistake: you will not do it by accident.  If you want a pure heart, you better be willing to fight for it. You will not keep it any other way.  God alone can create in us a pure heart and renew a right spirit within us. (Psalm 51:10) But out of God’s sovereign wisdom, He determined that guarding the heart He formed and lit within us would, in many ways, fall to us. We’re to own part of that job."  Beth Moore 

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." 
Proverbs 4:23


Everything we do flows from our hearts…

Our relationship God…

Our relationship with others…

Our work ethics and motives in life…

Our purpose and mission in life…

Every day we are given the opportunity to choose  - With that in mind, what does your heart say about you?

Hearing the Voice of God...

For many of us, hearing the voice of God can be so subtle that we often question if we heard Him correctly and even doubt if we heard Him at all. I often fall into this category and let doubts prohibit me from taking action. Recently I had two encounters where I heard the voice of God loud and clear, so clear that I knew I had no other option than to follow His leading.

It’s a scary thing to have the Spirit of God working within you. When you are actively hearing the Spirit, you will end up doing things you never, ever thought you would do. Living in the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit and dying to self can be a very frightening thing and damaging to your ego. Believe me – I know from experience!

So, let me share with you two recent experiences…

The first encounter was when I was shopping with my brother and his wife at Wal-Mart. I was in line at the checkout counter and the lady in front of me (along with her daughter and mother) went to pay for her items and found that her pre-paid credit card did not have enough money to cover the items she was trying to purchase. I watched as she pulled items out of bags and asked the clerk to remove them from her bill. She swiped the card again and was denied. She did this four times, and each time she was denied the funds. For me the saddest part was to watch her pull out shoes that were intended for her daughter and ask for them to be removed from the bill. After being denied the fourth time, she asked the clerk to put the items aside so she could call the bank.

It was at that moment in time that I clearly heard the Lord say “Pay her bill.” I immediately began to resist and started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, no – You really don’t want me to do that, do you? I don’t want to embarrass her in front of the clerk, her mother and her daughter. And anyway, the clerk is already removing the items from the counter. You seriously must be asking me to do something else.” Then I heard it... "I want you to pay her bill and pay it in full.” My heart started to race, I had butterflies in my stomach and my hands got cold and clammy.  I even started to sweat.  I had this intense almost out of body experience that totally scared me.  I said “Oh no Lord, you can’t be asking me to do that! Her bill is over a $250 and I don’t have that kind of money! Again, I heard, “Pay her bill and pay it in full.” Although I was still fighting with God in my spirit, I leaned over the counter and whispered (yes whispered) to the clerk “Please go ahead and ring up her bill. I will pay for it.” The clerk looked at me in shock and said quite loudly “Are you sure? You’re CRAZY! YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THAT!” “Yes, I know I am crazy. But I’m sure.” I whispered back. “ALL OF IT?” she asked in a loud voice. “Yes – All of it.” I whispered back.

The customer was still on her phone with the bank so as I left, I got her attention, handed her the bags and said “Your items are paid in full. It’s a gift from God.” She stood there in shock and started to cry. In that brief moment, I just wanted to disappear as quickly as possible so I grabbed my brother (who was still trying to figure out what took place and why I was acting so strange) and ran towards the door. As I got in the car, my heart was still racing, my hands were shaking, my hair matted from sweat and those butterflies were now birds flapping inside my stomach.  I have heard the Lord voice before but never have I had something so strong and intense like this before.  I couldn't shack the intense feelings going on inside of me.  I was still trying to figure out what just took place and why I was acting so strange and as I drove away, I thought “Only God knows why and the significance behind it… I don’t need to try to figure it out."

The second encounter has a bit of a twist to it and I am still working through this one with the Lord. I will keep the details somewhat vague but I clearly heard the Lord telling me to cover the deposit for two young ladies going on a mission trip. Again I heard the Lord calling me to do something that would seem somewhat crazy to those around me but this time I didn’t want to argue with Him over the details. I know this may sound wild but for a few minutes when I heard His voice, I felt a portion of God’s love dwelling inside of me. It was like I felt the Spirit of God overtaken my heart and the emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's.  At the same time that I felt the Spirit’s prompting, a friend leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I know what you want to do, and I want to join you.” My first reaction - I was shocked that someone could know me so well that they could see/hear the Lord prompting within me even when I was still trying to determine if I heard the voice of God correctly myself. My second reaction – I was excited because this person didn’t think I was crazy and was willing to share in this moment with me.  I got excited about the idea. In my mind, this was terrific on several counts… I could share this experience with someone plus I could also share the burden of the expense too. Not bad. Not bad at all! I would covered one person’s deposit and leave the other deposit for my friend to cover.

So… I bet you already know where God is going with me on this one, right?!

Over the past few days I have realized that although I did respond to God’s voice, I did not fully follow through with exactly what He was asking me to do. I am learned a hard lesson on the importance of fully obeyig God's voice.  Let’s just say my ego has been readjusted and after much external frustration and confusion and my own internal struggle, I ended up doing exactly what God had asked me to do.

King Saul comes to my mind. He disobeyed God by failing to completely destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, as God had commanded. As a result God withdrew his favor from Saul and had Samuel the prophet anoint David as king.  The last thing I want is to loose God's favor.

Hearing the voice of God is important but fully being compliant to His voice is the key to truly following hard after Him.

I wonder how many opportunities just like these two I've missed along the way... all because I didn't want people to think I was strange or I because I worried too much about those around me and as a result didn’t fully following the voice of God?

It takes a habit to have a holy habit…

For the past few weeks, I have been studying the book of Daniel. It amazes me how steadfast Daniel, and even Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in their faith. They all had holy habits that enabled them to stand firm despite various circumstances they found themselves in. Their holy habits enabled them to preserver in a foreign land under captivity. Their holy habits enabled them to eat right even when lavish foods were at their beck and call. Their holy habits enabled them to stand firm in their faith in God even when those around them were bowing down and served other gods. Their holy habits allowed them to trust God despite consequences – firey furnace and the lions’ den. Their holy habits allowed them high ranking positions and when those positions were taken away, they still had holy habits of going to God in prayer which enabled them to live by faith and not by sight.

Holy Habits - First, let me say that that I believe holy habits can only come from God. They are not just a list of “To Do’s.” If we do our part in making it a habit of seeking God, knowing God, following hard after God, obeying God etc. – He will do He part in making us holy. Holiness is the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The habits I am referring to are simply the vehicle that allows God to change us.

So with that said, I wish holy habits came easily for me… Phil 4:8 has been and will continue to be my life verse and was the reason why I started this blog in the first place. When considering this verse, one should review the verses that surround it.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9

Paul is writing these words while in prison. He knew what it was like to be anxious. He was in a foreign place, separated from family and friends and persecuted for his faith. (Sounds a lot like Daniel!) However in the midst of this, he says “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING…” Anything… Anything means no matter what, absolutely nothing, to any extent and in no degree must we be anxious. What Paul is saying is that we can be 100% free from worry and anxiety. How?

Rejoicing in the Lord always – ALWAYS. Have you ever noticed that you can’t rejoice and worry at the same time? I was an event planner for several years and as a result I tend to think of an anxious bride when I think of anxiety. An anxious bride is not focused on the bridegroom but on all the details that surround the event. A bride that is focused on her bridegroom is relaxed and enjoys the day, rejoices in the fact that she is marrying her soul mate. If you worry, you are taking your mind off of rejoicing. The first step to rid anxiety is to rejoice in the Lord. It takes a holy habit to rejoice in the Lord always...

Knowing God is near – Life is short and His return is near. This acknowledgement gives us new perspective on what really matters in life. It puts things into perspective and allows you to not waste energy worrying on things that really do not matter. This is the only life we have to live, therefore live it unto the Lord and don’t let your mind focus on the things that won’t count in eternity. It takes a holy habit to acknowledge God is near and life is short…

In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your request to God. He wants us to seek Him in prayer with a thankful heart. God wants us to pour out our hearts and souls to Him and tell Him all of our worries, hurts and needs. We are to have a constant conversation with God. Inviting God into every situation is the beginning of freedom from anxiety. God knows our hearts and he knows our circumstances. He even knows why we are going through hard times and He knows what the outcome will be. All our days are numbered before one of them came to be. Rest in the truth that God is in control and He knows the plans He has for you. It takes a holy habit to constantly converse with God in everything!

Think about such things - Focusing your mind on what is true takes a holy habit of taking thoughts captive and realigning your thoughts to the boundaries of God’s word.

As a result, the Peace of God will rule and reign in your life. Supernatural peace can override reality! Oh, God, let me hear these word in my inner man; let me believe I can apply it and that it will become life to me.

Oswalk Chambers says, “The one thing that keeps the conscience sensitive to Him is the continual habit of being open to God on the inside.” Greater things require deeper relationships!

“The constant flow of river water dances against the glacial rocks…"

A friend wrote that quote in her blog titled “I come from God” where she refers to life being like a flow of river water. The river has a greater source that forces the water downstream, with the river’s twists and turns, the water is forced around, through and over rugged rocks, broken branches and varies forms of debris. Parts of the river flow smoothly while other parts form white water rapids. It is with those thoughts that I pondered God’s reference to peace being like a river…

IS 48:18 “If only you had paid attention to my commands; your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”

Few circumstances “rock” my world but when they do, they seem to hit me in one key area of my life. My thoughts. For the most part, I am content with where God has me in life. I am independent and self-sufficient but from time to time a circumstance will take me for a loop and I find myself caught up in the twist and turn of the “river” and I focus on the “glacial rocks” before and around me. I get scared and my unhealthy thoughts dwell on lies... For me those lies trigger a deep sense of feeling forsaken, deserted, abandoned, isolated and alone.
In His loving ways, God has beautifully reminded me that He Is Enough and I am NOT alone.

• He has lovingly reminded me to pay attention to His commands and keep my mind within the boundaries of His word. Phil 4:8 says “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy – think on such things.
• He has lovingly reminded me that just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - I can be delivered from the fire, I can be delivered through the fire or I can be delivered by the fire. The same is true for those “glacial rocks” in the river beds of life.
• He has lovingly reminded me that just like Daniel in the lions’ den - I am not alone. 2 Tim 4: 16 - 18 "At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed... I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.”
• He has lovingly reminded me that just as the Lord ’s Prayer says “Give us today our daily bread” God will meet ALL my needs for today. I am not to focus on tomorrow but just keep my mind focused on today.

My friend ended her blog with the following quote “I wonder what it would be like if more of us dared to relax into the current of the River, to trust where the flow carried us as the exact place where God desires us to go? I think my life would be less about trying to do the work of God and more about enjoying the ride all the while glorifying God.”

My focus shouldn’t be on the twists and turns or glacial rocks but the greater source of the river - The Great I AM is in control and He is enough!

Oh may I learn to relax and go with the current. May I learn to kick up my heels and enjoy the ride.  May I learn to enjoy both the smooth river waters as well as the white water rapids on this journey called life.

Footnote:  The quote is from Charlotte Ferris' blog posted on Eagles Wings Ministries.