The
Bible declares that the whole earth is filled with the glory of God
(see Num. 14:21). When the people of God reflect who Christ is, we
manifest His glorious presence before the world.
God’s
glory is here. But we will need to open our spiritual eyes in the midst
of the darkness around us in the earth, in order to see and know that
this is true.
In
2 Kings 6, Elisha prayed that his servant Gehazi’s eyes would be opened
to see that they were not left alone to face the Syrian army that was
surrounding them. The Scripture says that “The Lord opened the eyes of
the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses
and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17, NKJV).
Today
God is raising up a people who will believe Him and see His glory
manifested in the earth. Why? Because it is harvest time.
We must “Lift up [our] eyes, and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35).
As the people of God, what must we do in order to reflect Him? How do we become a living manifestation of His glory?
GOD’S GLORY REVEALED
The glory of God–His presence, who He is, His promises made real–is
revealed when we obey His Word. An example of this is given in John 2,
when Jesus displayed His glory at the wedding in Cana.
Mary,
Jesus’ mother, told Him that the wedding hosts had run out of wine. His
response to her was: “‘What does your concern have to do with Me? My
hour has not yet come'” (v. 4).
Then Mary told the servants, “‘Whatever He says to you, do it'” (v. 5).
Jesus
had the servants fill the stone pots with water and then draw some out
to give to the guests. As a result of their obedience, the people saw a
miracle that day–the water was turned into wine.
This
was the beginning of Jesus’ miracles that manifested His glory! But why
did He choose to perform the miracle after saying that His hour had not
come?
I believe the answer is found in Mary’s words: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” He was compelled by the servants’ obedience.
Whatever
the Word of God says to do, do it, and you will see the glory of God
show up in your life! The whole earth will see the glory of the Lord
when you and I begin to do what the Word says. We will become the
manifestation of the glory of His Word.
John
wrote of Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He further stated: “And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” (v.14).
God
wants His Word to be evidenced in us. We were predestined to be
conformed into the image of His Son–who is the Word of God (see Rom.
8:29). Our heavenly Father made us to house and display His glorious
Word to the world.
LIVING LETTERS
Speaking to the church at Corinth, Paul told them: “You are an epistle
of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of
the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that
is, of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:3).
I
believe that in Moses’ day, the stone tablets that contained God’s laws
symbolized the hardness of the people’s hearts. But now, wrote Paul,
when the Word is preached, the Spirit of God writes the words upon our
hearts. That is glorious!
God wants you and I to be living epistles of His Word. We should hear the Word, do the Word and manifest the glory of His Word!
When
we look into the mirror of the Word, we should begin to reflect the
image of Christ and experience one manifestation after another (see v.
18). For example, when you read in Isaiah 53, “By His stripes we are
healed” (v. 5), you should be healed! When you read in Ephesians 5,
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself for her” (v. 25), you should begin seeing your husband
loving you and experiencing the glory of God in your marriage!
What
does it mean to give God glory, after all? It means that you take the
Word, apply it, do it and see God’s promises fulfilled in your life. You
give God glory when you become that living epistle–the Word manifested
in your human flesh.
GLORY, COME FORTH! Perhaps one of the most awesome depictions of the glory of God is found in John 11–the story of Lazarus.
Mary
and Martha sent for Jesus because their brother, Lazarus, was sick.
When Jesus heard, He said, “‘This sickness is not unto death, but for
the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified through it'”
(John 11:4).
I know we all
go through some tough times in life. But God is not glorified in your
being sick, defeated, in debt or having a bad marriage.
When
Jesus arrived at Lazarus’ tomb, He asked for the stone in front of it
to be rolled away. Then He prayed to the Father and began to cry out
with a loud voice, “‘Lazarus, come forth!'” (v. 43).
In
order to manifest the glory of the Lord, you must open your mouth and
call forth those things for which you are believing God. Say to your
circumstances, “Money, a good marriage, healing, come forth!”
When Lazarus came out of the tomb, he was bound and wearing grave clothes. Though he still looked dead, he came forth.
Your marriage may look dead. You may be broke. You may look and feel sick. It doesn’t matter; go to the Word of God.
Speak the Word over your finances, your marriage and your health. See the glory of God revealed in your life.
Jesus
prayed: “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them” (John
17:22). We have the same glory that Jesus has. Therefore, we have
everything we need to display His glory in the earth.
Now,
child of the Most High God, lift up your eyes. Christ in you is the
hope of glory (see Col. 1:27). Walk in obedience and seize every
opportunity to manifest.
Cynthia Brazelton and her husband, Tony, are pastors of Victory Christians Ministries International. She also founded Virtuous Women’s Conference International.
James Lasher 
Abby Trivett 
