By Pastora Monique Lopez Ong
The presence of God is not a feeling. It is not a Sunday service or an event. We always use the term “the glory of God;” but do you know what it really means?
He is Holy. He is Full of Justice. He is Love. He is Peace. He is Grace. He is The Way. That is the Glory of God, His true nature and character, the totality of God — that is HIs Glory. When we say that we felt His glory, we felt all of who He is. Not in part, but totally. And when we look at the totality, the first thing that you will see is His beauty.He is the radiance, the beauty, the splendor, the honor, the fame,the heavy weight presence. No wonder when the presence of God moves, you fall.
In Exodus 3, God revealed His presence to Moses through the burning bush. At first glance, the presence of God will astound you. Since His presence is not of this world, it always seems new to most of us. His presence is heavenly, and when heaven opens, we can feel God’s presence here on earth. That is the privilege of those who love and follow Jesus. That is also the reason why not everybody understands it.
What is the face of the manifest glory of God? It is a visible power. Based on the Bible, God is a consuming fire, they saw tongues of fire, pillar of clouds, pillar of fire, the shekinah glory. In Exodus 40:32-35, it says, “When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” When the presence of God fills a place, it will be difficult to enter while others cannot stand the very strong presence of the Lord.
The presence of God can also be seen in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3. It says, “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” When you experience the glory of God, your first instinct is to worship and praise and you cannot stop. David danced with all his might. Isaiah 4:5 says, “Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a covering.” The manifest power and presence of God takes place in many forms. Signs and wonders in the form of smoke, fire, gems and gold, bright light and cold water. But we should not be after these things.
What is all of this presence of God? When you have an encounter with the presence of God, you are not an observer nor an outsider anymore. When God has called you, you give total worship to the Lord, not caring about anyone or anything anymore. When the Lord meets with you, your eyes should only be on the Lord and not on anything else. Because He is Holy, you will see the need to change and repent to come into His presence. Isaiah 6:2-3 says, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” We are striped before the manifest glory of the Lord. He knows and sees everything. And two things can happen. Either we repent and go inside the door or we turn to leave because we realize that we are sinners.
God already opened the door. Are you ready to step in?
The first step to acknowledge the glorious presence of God is to repent. Say yes to Jesus right away. Repent, change your ways and have a relationship with God. Psalm 100:4 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name.” Thanksgiving comes from your mouths and not only with your minds. Speak it out and declare His goodness. But what will really get you into His presence is worship, not only through songs and words, but in giving all of your heart, mind and strength.
The glory presence of God leads you to restoration. There are several kinds of the glory of God :
Healing Glory - where people get healed
Unifying Glory - where the body of Christ draws together
Creative Glory - ex. Gold dust, gems, feathers, etc
Revelation Glory - when you know God because you feel His presence
Resurrection Glory - dead people rise again because of the presence of God
Revival Glory - where the fire in the hearts of people are rekindled
The glory presence of God will lead you to restoration - He will restore you to the Father, He will restore you to your destiny. And you will see the goodness of the Lord. In Luke 4:18 says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
We are so blessed that we have Jesus because in His presence the poor hear the word of God, the captives are set free and the blind can see.
The glory presence of God releases the kingdom of God to the lost world. When you accept the Holy Spirit, it is not only for you. He will use you to proclaim the glory of God into the world. When you follow the Holy Spirit, everything else will follow you. Joel 2: 28-29 says “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”
There is going to be an outpouring presence of the Lord and He will release you for the expansion of the kingdom of God. Step into the presence. Ask for His glorious presence. He is here.
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