| DAY 12 “In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted
up…” Isaiah 6: 1
The glory devastated the
prophet of majesty, who saw the greatness of God and the smallness of man.
Even the man of God had to have his lips dealt with. He was undone, dumb,
frozen in the mouth by the prostrating vision of glory. Between this experience
and chapter 7 lay sixteen years of quietness with the prophet in the background.
We must refrain from doing uncommended work.
Jesus gave explicit instructions
to the chosen apostles through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 1, 2). We must
listen to the precise call of God. If not, many pitfalls and waste of time,
and self effort bring us to apathy. Do we know the WOE, LO, and GO of divine
commission? When God puts on a glory show there should be in our hearts
a WOE, a LO, and a GO!
When God puts on a glory
show there should be in our hearts a WOE, a LO, and a GO!
1. WOE (Isaiah 6: 5)
Holiness comes as a result
of awakening to our own sinfulness. Isaiah saw God’s holiness and it made
him want to run away and hide. Unconfessed sin is unforgiven sin. Confessed
sin is purged by the blood of Jesus and, in the case of Isaiah, cleansed
by fire. Conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit is needed. Without conviction
and repentance of sin, God’s people cannot move on with the cloud.
2. LO (Isaiah 6: 7)
The path into the presence
of God is the precious blood-stained path of the Calvary road
The seraphim came with the
fire of a live coal to touch his lips. The application of the blood of
Jesus to destroy dead works is IN ORDER THAT WE SERVE THE LIVING GOD. We
have to obey the condition of the word to receive cleansing. We acknowledge
our sin in the presence of Jesus and, by grace, put it away. Very few believers
today experience the blood of Jesus or the fire of the Holy Spirit. That’s
why revival tarries. The path into the presence of God is the precious
blood-stained path of the Calvary road.
3. GO (Isaiah 6: 9)
Are we willing to do whatever
God wants? God will say GO only when our lives are on the altar and we
surrender to Jesus as Lord. There are no reluctant servants of Christ.
May the enthusiasm of a joyous heart keep us following the Master. In the
glory Isaiah heard, or overheard, the Lord speaking to some angelic being.
The prophet could reply because God had made him a clean vessel, a holy
man who could be trusted. The credibility of the prophetic office is a
life of pain, disappointment and suffering with isolation!
The commission of the church
is mission. Hallelujah! But we must know the call of God. To go out into
all the world, teaching and baptizing, was for the eleven disciples, who
previously had been named apostles. Word evangelism requires highly dedicated
CALLED men and women, who know the secret dealings of God in the quiet
years of preparation. Pentecost ignited the truths the apostles had heard
in Jesus’ mobile bible college. After the WOE, LO and GO, we have lives
that recommend the New Testament standard. May the experience of glory
prostrate and humble us that God in His time may lift us up in His service.
Glory is always looking for a NEW HOME… the shrine of an obedient, submissive
spirit.
Glory is always looking for
a NEW HOME… the shrine of an obedient, submissive spirit
Let’s pray,
“Father, please give
me a heart that is quick to repent of wrong, that is tender in Your hand,
and quick to do Your will. Give me a revelation of Your awesome holiness
and a glimpse of Your glory, in Jesus name. Amen.”
Day 13 “Moses did
not know that the skin of his face face shone… and that they were afraid
to come near him.”
Exodus 34: 29, 30
Unconscious realities. Others
saw what Moses didn’t see. We are witnesses but also witnessed, observed
by onlookers, who can give the true estimate of what we are by what they
see. You may discern a dark shadow over a believer’s face, an eye glinting
with lust or greed, or a glazed occultic stare. None of us can afford to
be over-confident because, “…let him who thinks he stands take heed lest
he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10: 12).
Compare the glory on the
face of Moses with the life of Samson. There are two trends in the Christian
life – we either DRIFT into spiritual bankruptcy or DISCIPLINE into spiritual
strength. Samson KNEW NOT his strength had departed (Judges 16: 20); the
Lord Himself had said goodbye. Disobedience and indiscretion ruined him
despite the Nazarite vow and good beginnings. Trace the little steps to
disaster.
May God draw us completely
out of the waters of the world and the occult to be containers of glory
Samson made the wrong choice
of wife. She was a choice of surface appeal and no depth. Anyone who diminishes
our love for the Lord is a wrong relationship. Anything that obscures your
vision of God is sin for you. The fatal flaw in Samson was his choice of
Delilah. The enemy seeks to prostitute desire so we lust after things for
our own benefit. Emotions, thoughts and desires must
come under the training
of the Holy Spirit. Samson meant “little sunshine” but the sun didn’t shine
anymore after Delilah had discovered the secret of his strength. Except
near death, where Samson found a real repentance and his greatest victory.
Moses meant “drawn out of
the water”. He made the right choice: not to be the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
He endured by seeing the unseen. If we are governed by what we see, like
a beautiful Delilah, we will never live for the glory of God. Moses knew
the route to glory was the Cross. He counted the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures of Egypt for he looked to the reward (Hebrews
11: 26). Humility and meekness are the lens where the light of God’s glory
shines brightest.
“Lord Jesus, forgive me
for drifting into bankruptcy and give me a glimpse of Your glory that I
may fall at Your feet. Help me to make right choices in my life, for the
sake of the Kingdom. Amen. “
DAY 14 “But if the
ministry of death… was glorious… how will the ministry of the Spirit not
be more glorious?”
2 Corinthians 3: 7, 8
Only by grace, by the unmerited
work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, can we share His glory. Our sufficiency
is of God. We ourselves are never sufficient for the issue of life and
death that emanates from us (see 2 Corinthians 2: 16).
Outside of Jesus we can
do nothing. Self-sufficiency, self-confidence, selfdetermination, self-preservation,
etc. etc., are huge dangers blocking the grace of God and preventing glory.
If we know abounding grace
there will be redounding glory. Grace and glory are linked. Jesus came
to this world to get fresh glory (John 12: 28). The incarnation, the virgin
birth meant one thing: God came down to where we are at and He sits where
we sat, touched by the feeling of our infirmity. Grace is related to poverty.
Jesus became poor because He left the heavenly glory and made a staggering
adjustment of partaking of our flesh and blood. Our privilege through His
poverty is that an overflow of grace can abound to the true believer. Our
problem with grace is that we have emerged from a society of psychology
– the principle of belonging to a world of self-actualization. The self-sufficiency
required to succeed has enveloped us all. The idea of grace “something
for nothing for those
who don’t deserve anything”,
has no appeal for the once born man.
Self-sufficiency, self-confidence,
self-determination, self-preservation, etc. etc., are huge dangers blocking
the grace of God and
preventing glory.
Our repentance must be deep
if we are to enter true grace. The more we enter grace, the more we know
the glory. The apostolic grace was staggering. Paul could always say this
and that happened to me for the benefit of others. Our experiences are
not for ourselves, but primarily for others. The God of mercies and all
comfort “…comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort those who are in
any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God.” (2 Corinthians 1: 4). Paul never grumbled, and holiness in the man
of God exerts that moral kindness even to those who oppose. The ministry
of righteousness exceeds MUCH MORE IN GLORY (2 Corinthians 3: 9). It is
to a man’s glory that he overlooks a transgression (Proverbs 19: 11). If
there is to be glory in
our relationships we must experience reconciliation in the blood of the
Cross. Is the blood of Jesus between you and that other believer? Can you
see Jesus in them or is there something obscuring your vision?
DAY 15 “The wise shall
inherit glory: but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
Proverbs 3: 35
Shame follows disobedience
and defeat and makes us feel we are a mistake – a deeper problem than guilt
or the knowing we have made mistakes. The wise believer who has the mind
of Christ through good instruction and revelation shall INHERIT glory.
This promise goes beyond giving glory to God, but means we become a container,
a vessel of His glory. That container is our human spirit
or inner man or innermost
being. At the new birth our spirit is clean and undefiled, washed by the
blood of Jesus. However, our soul which is the vehicle for our spirit,
takes time to catch up. We may experience the condemnation of shame in
our thoughts and emotions as a result of being sinned against, or a hereditary
disposition toward worthlessness.
Ephesians 1: 18 speaks of
“the riches of the glory of His inheritance He has IN the saints.” (Emphasis
mine). We must pray for this revelation of seeing the potential in our
brothers and sisters, especially if we are in a leadership position because
we have a responsibility to release that which is deposited in others.
There is something wonderful and glorious in our new creation spirits –
the life and character of God. Wise virgins with the supply of oil (the
Holy Spirit) come to a place of glory. Deliverance ministry and inner healing
is often needed for God’s children who through neglect, and many other
sufferings, experience shame.
The complete satisfaction
of Christ IN YOU, the HOPE OF GLORY is coming to EVERY WISE believer. In
Proverbs we know wisdom has children – knowledge, instruction, counsel,
discretion, righteousness, humility and discernment. Are we instructed
in the Spirit by the word of God? Are our ears open, morning by morning,
to hear the voice of God? The instruction we receive from God and
obey will determine our
future: shame or glory, foolishness or wisdom. At the tender age of 2½
Tiger Woods was instructed golf by his father at 4.30 am every summer morning.
Without biblical instruction you’ll never become wise because the word
of God is our wisdom manual. Every problem of shame or guilt is a lack
of spiritual wisdom: a failure to focus on the mind of Christ. Thomas Edison
said, “Every failure can be traced back to a broken focus.” To inherit
glory we must have full attention on the word of God and the “rest” of
the Holy Spirit residing in us, and presiding over us (Hebrews 4: 9 – 11).
Let’s pray,
“O God only wise, You
see my failures and You see my potential in Christ Jesus. I want to turn
from shame and guilt to Your grace and glory. Through the Spirit of wisdom
and revelation open my spirit and mind, cast off all darkness and unbelief
and help me to see the riches of Your glory in the saints, including myself,
in the precious name of Jesus I ask. Amen”
DAY 16 “The wise shall
inherit glory: but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
Proverbs 3: 35
Do you have a mental self-portrait
of yourself fulfilling the will of God? Peter denied the Lord three times
and it led to the brokenness of guilt and shame. How tenderly Jesus adjusted
him in John 21, reconciling him to relationship and ministry potential.
Peter also knew the infilling of the Holy Spirit (John 20) and the mighty
baptism IN fire (Acts 2). Then he could charge the Jews for denying the
Holy One – check out Acts 3: 14, 15.
Amazing how God cancelled
out Peter’s shame of betrayal. In the very place or area where he missed
God he could have such boldness in charging the Jews of the same sin.
The wise shall inherit glory
and Peter gives us all hope. He so often missed it with Jesus while under
the best mentor the world has ever seen.
But after the Holy Spirit
had immersed him into the power of God, Peter inherited the glory that
flows from the grace that flows from the wisdom of the Cross. Amazing how
God cancelled out Peter’s shame of betrayal. In the very place or area
where he missed God he could have such boldness in charging the Jews of
the same sin.
Here is wisdom –
1. The thing that you hate
and angers you is a clue to what you can correct in the Holy Spirit. Peter’s
repentance and self-forgiveness was so deep he could correct the stubborn,
unbelieving, hard-hearted Jews.
2. The thing that upsets
and grieves you is a clue to what you can heal in Jesus name. Peter healed
three thousand hearts on the day of Pentecost because he was grieved that
God had been “…taken by lawless hands, crucified and put to death.” (Acts
2: 23)
Amazing how God cancelled
out Peter’s shame of betrayal. In the very place or area where he missed
God he could have such boldness in charging the Jews of the same sin
Wisdom says all that you
go through can be used by grace and faith to minister comfort and consolation
to others.
I am a Bible teacher because
I hate ignorance and laziness among God’s people. I do not fear the devil,
by God’s grace but I do fear my ignorance and your ignorance. We are destroyed
by it says Hosea 4: 6. Let’s pray,
“Lord I turn from the
shame of my ignorance and guilt to Your glory of a sensitive and wise heart.
Help me to see that where I’ve missed it, and messed up, is the very place
where I can be used in Your service for Your glory. Amen
DAY 17 “For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.”
2 Corinthians 4: 17
Once there was a Scottish
discus thrower who practiced with an iron discus. He marked out the record
length and attempted to attain it for a year. When he got near he entered
the Olympics and was surprised that the officials handed him a wooden discus
with a metal ring. Being only a third of the weight he was used to, he
easily out-threw the other contestants to win gold medal. We are training
for reigning. God is taking us through all kinds of afflictions and weighty
situations for the end result of glory. Through daily disciplines He is
working toward a glorious goal: divine union with God… a state of being
made continually perfect… enabled to share His throne-life (see Revelation
3: 21).
Whatever affliction we go
through it is made to appear ‘light’ in the perspective of heaven’s blessing
for us. In terms of the world we are, and will be, untouchable and unbeatable
like the discus thrower. Some will go through such hardship and tribulation
that longsuffering and selfcontrol will be fully developed in them, they
will reign with Christ as kings and priests. Do we need spiritual eyes
to see what the Lord Jesus is getting at in the day by day monotonous training
when we see only difficulties and drudgery? Paul advises us as athletes
to compete by the rules (2 Timothy 2: 5) if we want to be crowned. How
we obey instruction and correction will determine whether it’s a crown
or no crown. We are competing for an imperishable crown so let us run in
such a way that we may aggressively obtain it! We are not shadow boxers
pretending, but in a real fight. Refuse drifting and aimless behaviour,
and
discipline your body and
mind and emotions and will. Too many believers are like Lot who lingered
when destruction was near. Don’t love the Word and the world at the same
time. An eternal weight of glory is promised for single-minded believers.
Hallelujah!
“Lord give my spiritual
eyes the wisdom to see why I’m going through these tough times. Give me
grace to overcome even when the odds seem overwhelming, “…when my heart
is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:
2). Amen.”
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