Glory V. Glories - Part 1

Dear Beloved,

I realize that the earth holds custody of innumerable glories of different kind. Some lawful, but in view of the tiny portion of eternity called time where we live, others are expedient. Apostle Paul therefore said clarified thus ‘We can have the things of The World (earthly goods/glories) but shouldn't abnormally use it’. However, it takes Mercy to know that only the person of the Holy Spirit can reveal the boundary that governs the use of natural ‘blessings/glories’, outside which we would become captivated i.e. become lawful captives. (1 Cor. 15:41/Jn. 14:26/Lk. 4:18)

Isa. 49:24 “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? …

1 Cor. 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

-          There is a glory around clothing. Though legitimate, I once found myself as a passionate captive of a ‘pull’ that made me steal and covet the buying of ‘crested designer clothing’ in the early 90’s, a hype of that season. (1 Jn. 2:15-16)

-          There is a glory around beautiful automobiles. While it should be a tool to fulfill ‘purpose’, I recall those youthful days when I stood for days by a highway during festive seasons, watching travelers with different brands of cars while travelling home during festive seasons. That was one of my unknown ‘idols’ as an unbeliever. I lavished the affection that should be set ‘above’ on cars! No wonder some would go far beyond their means or do many things against their conscience just to get an automobile. (Col. 1:18/Col. 3:2/1 Jn. 5:21)

-          There is a glory around pleasures. No wonder I was responsible for organizing parties for youths from various secondary schools way back, sneaking out of boarding school to carry out various exciting works of the flesh. (Gal. 5:19-20)

This list is endless, the experience is that of The Soul but I’ll hereby witness to The Greatest Subtle Enemy To Obtaining God’s Glory which once existed before mankind ‘slept’ and ‘awoke’ to another reality labeled as Glory! (Matt. 13:25/28)

If we attempt to view the skeleton of the book of Genesis, we would find an awesome expectation, a divine burden borne by the Godhead, all to see man inherit the Glory of God.

·         When David had a clue of this yearning, he asked ‘What makes God’s mind full of man’, what makes such a great being to condescend to man in every generation. (Ps. 8:4)

·         When Paul comprehended the length and breadth of this Glory, he proclaimed ‘Great is the Mystery of Godliness…’ The Mystery that assures us that we can supernaturally experience God like Jesus did! (1 Tim. 3:16)

·          When Paul realized that the Jews would miss out in a visitation meant to engraft them back to that Glory, he cried, ‘Oh that I was accursed from Christ for my brethren, Israel’s sake’. (Rom. 9:3)

·         When he further visualized it, his will was strengthened not only to suffer in chains but to die Christ sake. (Acts. 21:13)

We are predestined for Glory (Rom. 8:30), but have an enemy who fell short of God’s Glory and vehemently fights man that attempts to seek God’s Glory! Satan arsenal is the world, and that was what he employed in tempting Christ (Matt. 4:1-13). The world is that which appeals to a natural mind, has brought down the small and mighty and fights our capacity to delay gratification.

Our arch-enemy, Satan, understood the priestly order of the most holy courts of heaven before his fall and as a fallen priest, he effortlessly invented the law called Sin.

He knew that men would have to operate by one law or another, either by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus or according to the Laws that emanate from a fellowship with the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil that gave birth to LUSTS. So he stepped into action in Gen. 4 and found Cain who fellowshipped with the signals of that tree until ‘SIN was lurking at his door’.

Satan understood that God wanted mankind to live by Faith (i.e. transact with the realm of the unseen), so he went into the physical realm and employed his ‘usurped authority over the air’ to beam and build lusts around everything that man could relate with through the 5 physical senses (i.e. anything with a physical expression from the creature to things invented). (Eze. 28:14-16/Dan. 10:20/Eze. 28:2/Eph. 2:2/Rom. 7:22-23/8:2/Gal. 6:2/Jam. 1:25)

Through Cain’s inordinate desire for independence from the Faith of Life, he promoted this virus while the likes of Nimrod who had an ability to hunt souls later perfected this vision. Satan effectively used the ‘air advantage’ which he stole from Adam to beam lustful thoughts over succeeding generations and heavily corrupted the software of God’s Life in the souls of men. He perverted the course of the spiritual laws of Faith meant to drive man’s Soul to attain the fullness of God’s Person. By Gen. 6, that virus had grounded the life of Faith. Glories around the earthly/carnal life had swallowed up God’s plan. The Physical Became The Only Reality To Man Not The Spiritual!

Every civilization under the sun have employed this virus and profited with it. It finds expression in virtually any profession on earth that lacks an understanding of The Profession of Faith (Heb. 3:1). This virus restricts Christ from permeating the Souls of Christians after losing out in their Human Spirit at new birth. This virus understands and flourishes with any religion not founded by the Revelations of Christ. It knows the measure of liability that every Christian poses to its agenda, depending on their walk. It knows that Christians are only as strong as their weakest point. This virus is called The Lust of The Flesh/Eyes and The Pride of Life, THE CONSTITUTION CALLED THE WORLD! (Matt. 16:18/Acts 19:15/1 Jn. 2:16)

I’m not primarily talking of the physical world even though that has not been left out. I’m talking about that force that we can only contend with head long with via the Wisdom of the Epistles which reveals The True Color of the World. I’m talking about those daily thoughts that besiege our minds that seek to strengthen mindsets/strongholds built before and after we came to know Christ as Savior but only crucified after we truly know Christ as LORD! (Prov. 4:23/Matt. 7:21)

Through the initial salvation in the mid 90’s, I ‘woke up’ from some youthful exuberance earlier mentioned, but my sight/judgment had been reduced and accustomed to ‘that which passes away – The World’. I had adapted to a world that kept recycling itself through ephemeral glories. I had deceptively learnt of a sufficiency outside Christ. I had spent a wholesome 18 yrs running as one that beats the air, celebrated by the blind, living in a world perfected with deception, busy nurturing the world’s very ambition to rob me of seeking the knowledge called Eternal Life which should have been preparing me for God’s Glory. (Eph. 4:17/1 Jn. 2:17/2 Cor. 3:5-6/1 Jn. 17:3/Jn. 5:20)

I then had to begin the fight to enthrone Christ as Lord (over my Will, Mind & Emotions), a daily costly patient race to disown the images/philosophies of LUSTS which can only be conquered gradually.

But thanks Be Unto God that I’m steadily being set free from The World after discovering a particular kind of Word called ‘The Word of Righteousness’ which exposes, handles and skillfully pierces The World! One that illustrates a faith other than that which is readily embraced and employed in the initial phase of our walk with God, i.e. The Faith of The Son! (Heb. 5:14/Acts 26:18/Gal. 2:20/Rev. 14:12)

Selah!