The Glory of God
During this Christmas season, it is easy for us to overlook and get familiar with verses in the Bible we usually read and weaken the meaning. Let us press on in this season to experience more of God’s presence in our lives and in the life of the people.
Luke 2:12-14 “’And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘GLORY TO GOD in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’"
Week 1: God’s Presence with Us
It is important for us to understand that God’s glory is His presence. The message of Christmas is the message of God’s love to restore what Adam lost in the garden. Christ, the last Adam came and declared His presence on earth.
Jesus is the glory of God.
Hebrews 1: 1-3 ESV, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
We need to experience His Presence, share, teach, and let people experience His glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
PRAYER POINTS:
Feeling overwhelmed with the busyness of the Christmas season, experiencing anxiety and stress? Pray that God’s overwhelming presence restores your peace and joy and enables you to take hold of the glory of God in your midst.
Once you’ve experienced your restored peace and joy; pray and allow yourself to share, teach, and let others also experience His glory.
Pray that the radiant glory of God brings purification and sanctification in your life allowing you to continually embrace His glory in holiness.
God is love; He gave His only Son out of His great love for us. Pray that we can experience His deep love, beholding His glory that brings transformation to our lives.
Week 2: Christ is the Hope of Glory
We can get “familiar” with the Christmas season and forget that as much as God loves us, His presence could be deadly.
Colossians 1:27, NKJV “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
God is love, but His presence could be deadly.
1 Samuel 6:19, NLT “But the Lord killed seventy men from Beth-Shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. And the people mourned greatly because of what the Lord had done.”
Obstacles to experience God’s glory: Tradition, Religious spirit (the Pharisees crucified Jesus), Familiar spirit, sin/unconfessed sin.
How can we experience the glory of God
Exodus 25:22, NKJV “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”
PRAYER POINTS:
Pray that the spirit of familiarity does not overpower us, causing us to forget the riches of God’s glory in our lives.
Pray that we gain a deep understanding of the consuming greatness of His glory and that we need to approach His glory with holiness, thus allowing us to see God face-to-face.
Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the mystery of His glory and great love, enabling us to avoid spiritual death, remain alive with Him, and live a sanctified life.
Pray for the breaking of every obstacle: traditions, religious spirits, familiarity spirits, the sin of rebellion, unconfessed sins, and compromises with the world system that hinder us from experiencing God’s glory.
Week 3: God Wants to Restore His Glory to all Mankind
There are many ways the Bible mentions God’s demonstration of His glory so men can come to Him. God speaks in many different ways, but men do not perceive it.
Psalms 19:1, NKJV “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”
-- It says, “heavens,” plural. It talks about the natural and the spiritual realm.
Romans 3:23-24, NKJV “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:1-2, NKJV “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Isaiah 58:8, NIV “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
PRAYER POINTS:
Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and enlighten His words when God speaks to us in various ways, pray that we can discern His voice and not miss His message.
As God desires to restore His glory to all of us, let us humbly acknowledge that our sinful nature has separated us from experiencing His glory, but through redemption and grace, we are justified and able to once again experience His glory, goodness, and love.
Pray that as we are experiencing His glory, our light will shine upon this dark world, bringing forth supernatural healing, not only for ourselves but also for those in need of His healing touch.
Let us pray that our righteousness goes before us and that His glory remains our rear guard as we embrace the role of becoming the ambassador for the Kingdom. We proclaim His words and bring good tidings and great joy to our loved ones and the communities where He places us.
Week 4: The Glory of God Defeats all His Enemies
As we are entering into another season in our journey in life, there is spiritual warfare involved. When you read Ephesians 6:10-17 there is no mention of God’s weapon. So, what is His weapon? His presence! When He shows up, His enemies are defeated.
Ephesians 6:11, NKJV “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
John 17:5, NKJV “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
John 18:4-6, NKJV “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He.’ And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.”
Luke 2:12-14 “’And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘GLORY TO GOD in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’"
PRAYER POINTS:
Let us pray that we remain vigilant and alert knowing that spiritual warfare is always present in our life’s journey.
Pray that we will use the most powerful weapon of His presence in our spiritual battle knowing that when God shows up, our enemies will be defeated.
Pray that as we use the power of praising God in spiritual battle, and as we lift His name, our enemies will scatter and fall back in His presence.
Let us pray that our hearts will be filled with the desire to spread the word of His glory, spreading messages of peace and goodwill to everyone we meet.
May the glory of God be manifested!