30 Days of Glory

Day 8:  Altered State

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of Jesus Christ."  2 Corinthians 4:6

            The highest manifestation of the Glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.  According to 2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." The Holy Spirit reveals the face of Jesus Christ. The outcome is that we are transformed into the image we behold—we shine!

In attempting to describe what a person experiences in a Glory Encounter, the best description seems to be that we are in an altered state. What is experienced is real, but in another realm from normal sensory perception. Jesus becomes so real that His tangible presence becomes the focus of all senses. We feel His touch, hear His voice, see His face, and smell His aroma and it is just as real and identifiable as sitting next to a life long friend and engaging them in normal conversation. But it is on another level. We are usually not seeing with our natural eyes or hearing with our ears. Yet we are hearing and seeing.

             Recently I was listening to the radio when the host of the program signed off by saying “I will see you tomorrow”. Now everyone listening knew we wouldn’t “see” him with our eyes and yet that is the only way to communicate the thought being expressed. “See you tomorrow” on the radio means we will hear his voice and experience his on air presentation audibly. In a similar manner, when we “see His glory” or “hear His voice” or “feel His presence” it is a real tangible experience that can only be conveyed in words that approximate the encounter. The encounter is so unique it defies description—but one thing is certain—When we see Jesus we are transformed by the experience and we are never the same again!

God is looking for those that are willing to embrace the full expression of His Glory. A heart that is open to receive is the prerequisite.   A few months ago the Holy Spirit defined the manifested Glory of the Lord for me in the following terms: “When God shows up and brings everything He’s got with Him!” Unfortunately, many choose to narrowly specify to God what they are willing to receive. The degree to which we are able to embrace the full expression of His glory will determine the extent to which we benefit from the encounter. His desire is to transform us from “glory to glory”. He wants to take us to places we never dreamed we could go. But if we limit His access to our lives or limit our receptivity to the expressions of His glory that He chooses to use then we cut ourselves off from the changes that He desires to bring.

           When God shows up in His glory He is in control and we have lost control. He takes over. Our minds are affected—our thoughts, perceptions and senses are overloaded. Our physical bodies are often impacted by the tangible manifestation of His Glory; some shake, some fall, some laugh, some cry. Many experience a trance-like or dream-like state. Some hear and/or see angels. Sometimes physical stuff happens. I have seen oil form on people’s hands or “glory dust” appear and cover whole rooms and everything in them. Clouds, lights and sweet aromas have all been reported by those are caught up in His glory. Scripture says that the ultimate manifestation of the Glory of the Lord is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

 “ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2Corinthians 4:6

           When we see Jesus we have seen the ultimate expression of the Glory of the Father revealed by the Holy Spirit. All the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily in Him. It is the assigned task of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us, thus revealing the Father. When we see Jesus, we have seen the Father. We often opt for complexity when trying to express and experience all that God is, when what we really want is reality. The reality of Jesus. God with us. Somehow we mistakenly believe