March 2022 – Glory

There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:40-41)

I welcome you to the third month of the year themed “The Siege is Over.” In February, the LORD spoke to us about “The Limitless Life.” Ultimately, the plan of God is that you live in glory and honor (Psalm 8:4-5).

Glory is a word that denotes a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity. It is also a state of absolute happiness, gratification, and contentment. It is the beauty of God shining upon a man or a woman. Glory reveals the supernatural nature and the ability of God in the life of a man. “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world” (1 John 4:17).

Glory is the opposite of shame. Thus, you can live a full, glorious, and honorable life regardless of your background. Therefore, exercise your faith instead of resigning to fate! Do not let go of your divine inheritance.  God gave it to you, do not hand it over to the devil. Since the loss of glory did not exist in the beginning, you have every right to fight against it.

The word “glory” appears at least 402 times in 371 verses of the Holy Bible. In the word of God, glory is used to describe the splendor and majesty of God’s Presence. It comes from the Hebrew word “Chabod” which means “weighty.” In Isaiah 6:1-4, Isaiah saw the glory of God in his vision of the Temple. Ezekiel also saw the glory of God (Ezekiel 10:3-5).

 Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” As previously mentioned, glory is God’s presence and splendor. Our God is worthy of the praise and honor accorded to Him. It is true that certain forms of glory belong to God alone. However, God gives glory to His creatures, and they are permitted by God to enjoy that glory.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF GLORY

  1. Glory as worshipful praise, honor and thanksgiving: This kind of glory belongs to God; no man is worthy of it except the Triune Godhead.  Revelations 7:12 says, “Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
  2. Glory as great beauty and magnificent splendor: This form of glory is attributed to God’s creation. Luke 12:27 says, “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” The lilies of the field are known for their beauty. Jesus used that to describe glory using Solomon’s temple in comparison, as it was the most beautiful man-made thing the world had ever seen at that point. In today’s currency, the gold and precious stones used in the construction of the temple will be worth about US$5 billion. The beauty and splendor reflected by the lilies are referred to as glory.
  3. Glory as the height of prosperity, abundance and achievement: As stated earlier, glory is ‘chabod’ in Hebrew which means something weighty, abundant, and plentiful. Thus, glory can be defined as height of prosperity, abundance and achievement. You must believe that God wants your life full of beauty and splendor (3 John 2).

Besides the glory of worshipful praise, honor and thanksgiving which belong to God alone, we will examine the other forms of glory to which God allows man to attain. It is important that one pays attention to the first-time glory (chabod) was used in the Bible. This is known as the law of first mention to mean that the first use of a word in Scripture carries a lot more weight in comparison to the word’s alternate meanings. The first mention of glory indicates material wealth. Genesis 31:1 says, “And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.” Jacob had served his uncle, Laban, for 14 years with little or nothing to show for it. Then, the LORD saw to it that he received what was due to him, only for Laban’s sons to lament that he had taken the glory that belonged to their father. Yet, all he got was what he worked for!

Next, we have Joseph talking about his glory in terms of his accomplishments and successes in the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:13 says, “So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” He spoke of the status he had attained as his glory.

LOST GLORY CAN BE RESTORED

As beautiful as glory is, it can be stolen, hijacked or even covered. Since the beginning of time, several people have had their glory manipulated. Ecclesiastes 10:7 says, “I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.” Why would servants ride on horses while princes walk upon the earth? It is a case of a switch of destiny. I decree upon you that God will bring restoration now to whatever area of your life that your glory has been switched, in Jesus’ Name.

According to Haggai 2:9, the glory of the latter house shall be greater (surpassing, more glorious) than the former, in Jesus’ Name. As the God of heaven lives, this month, the glory you have lost shall be restored in multiple fold, by the mercy of the LORD. Be expectant!

  1. Nebuchadnezzar lost his glory for 7 years because of pride. However, he was restored by the mercy of God as if he had never lost anything.
  2. 2 Kings 13:23 says, “And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast He them from His Presence as yet.”

HOW TO RECOVER LOST GLORY

  1. Repentance: Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the LORD.” Father, on the authority of Your word in Psalm 102:13, please arise on my behalf, have mercy on me. Release me to my season of favor and grace for unhindered progress and advancement, in the Name of Jesus.
  2. Obedience: Jeremiah 7:23 says, “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.” Father, I repent of every form of spiritual carelessness, disobedience, and stubbornness that could have kept me backward in the journey of life. Have mercy on me, in Jesus’ Name.
  3. Praying: Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” On the basis of 3 John 2, I decree that from now on, I start to experience all-round progress in my life, destiny, health, marriage, career, business, and ministry, in Jesus’ Name.
  4. Worship: John 4:23 says, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” There is a difference between praise, thanksgiving and worship. The highest form of praise is worship. We worship God not because of what He has done for us but simply for Who He Is!
  5. Paying your vows: “Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High… If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth… When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you.” (Psalm 50:14; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21)  
  6. Stewardship:Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful… Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (1 Corinthians 4:2; Luke 16:11)   

There is more from God:

The fact that you are saved, healed and delivered does not mean you have reached the height of spirituality. That is only attained when you have tasted the fullness of God’s blessings. When some people experience a bit of prosperity, they assume they have reached the peak of God’s prosperity. In God’s economy, there are always better days ahead. There are greener pastures in vast portions ahead of you.

Abundant blessing:

What have you got that makes you nurse the feelings of sufficiency? Have you received all that God wants to give you? Listen, there are new worlds of undiscovered treasure ahead of you. Indeed, new blessings, riches, signs and wonders, and heights of spiritual growth are before you. “…there remains very much land yet to be possessed” (Joshua 13:1). Abraham did not only receive the blessing of prosperity, the LORD also made him victorious. Genesis 14:19-20 says, And he [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abram], and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.’ And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all.” (Emphasis mine) 

If you are saved, do not simply be content with the new birth experience and remain at the level of salvation. That is only the first step. You can consecrate your life onto the LORD and ask Him to sanctify you. His grace is inexhaustible. If you do not ask Him for a deeper walk, you will not know that there are new heights to be gained in your walk with God. Jesus prayed for the disciples in John 17:17 saying,  “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.2 Thessalonians 2:13 says, “…God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.”

Again, Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:4,8 to assemble in Jerusalem and not leave until the Father sends them the promised Holy Spirit to empower them for the ministry and for holy living. They obeyed and their obedience was rewarded with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Never be satisfied with being at any level spiritually, always strive for more. 2 Peter 1:5-10 says, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble.”      

PRAYERS:

  • Father, King of glory, I thank You for Your love, mercy, and generosity towards me and mine. You are my Master, Mediator, Messenger of the Covenant, Mighty One of Israel, the Great Physician, the Resurrection and the Life. I thank You!
  • Father, I thank You because the LORD Jesus Christ advocates for me (1 John 2:1; Hebrews 8:1) in every matter of accusation the devil brings up against me before You.
  • Deuteronomy 32:13 says, “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” Father, let me ride on the high places of the earth enjoying the best of life so that what is hard for others shall be easy for me. Thank You, Father, because You can do the impossible for me (honey is naturally sourced from beehives, not rocks).
  • Father, help me recover every lost opportunity, unction, promotion, glory, and favor, in the Name of Jesus. I recover everything good that I have ever lost, in Jesus’ Name.
  • Father, please strip me of every filthy garment put on me by the devil, and set all such garments ablaze, in Jesus’ Name.
  • Father, forgive me of all my sins and clothe me with new raiment, in Jesus’ Name.
  • Father, please restore my cutting edge that my hope may rise again. Wherever I have been plucked out of the source of my fulfilment in life, put me back in place, in Jesus’ Name.
  • A leaf is glorious while on the tree. The moment it drops, it loses its glory. You will never drop from God’s divine grace, mercy, favor and protection, in Jesus’ Name.
  • Father, please put on me the crown of glory and honor again, in Jesus’ Name. May I never know shame, embarrassment, dishonor, or any such stigma again, in Jesus’ Name. I decree that as from today, the seat of honor and glory meant for me will never be occupied by another person, in Jesus’ Name.
  • I reject the spirit of poverty, lack, and insufficiency. I break the yoke of perpetual borrowing, begging, and the taking out of loans. I will lend to nations; I am the head and not the tail.
  • I prophesy that any entity (individual or organization) that owes me money will not find rest until what I am owed is paid in full, in Jesus’ Name.
  • I decree that the fire of the Holy Ghost breaks every stronghold, barrier, or padlock that had previously locked up my wealth. Henceforth, my wealth is set free for my use to God’s glory, in Jesus’ Name.  
  • Exodus 22:7 says, “If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.” The thief is the devil (John 10:10), and I demand double for all the enemy has stolen from me, in Jesus’ Name.
  • John, the Beloved, testified that, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). I pray this day for my brethren all over the world that when the ultimate transformation to glory shall come, no one shall be found wanting, in the Name of Jesus. Amen