Carriers of His Glory

We can change the atmosphere in any situation and leave a divine impression with the people we meet when we realize that God has called us to be carriers of His glory.

Sitting alone in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport during a winter blizzard, I had not expected to strike up a conversation. So, when a gentleman rolled a woman in a wheelchair a few feet in front of me, I had glanced at her briefly, then resumed reading my magazine. I was totally absorbed in the news.

But since I was the only other person there, the woman struck up a conversation with me.

“This is going to be my last trip,” she said.

Somewhat distracted, I said, “Really?” I quickly became aware of God’s presence and immediately moved into the seat next to her so I could touch her. So I put my arm around her and let her tell me about her condition.

The woman suffered from critical arthritis. I found out the doctor had told her if she wanted to see her family again, she’d better do it right away because she could never travel again.

As she recounted her story, I just listened and held my arm around her, quietly allowing the anointing of God to flow into her body. I learned that she was a Christian, but she didn’t know God still heals today. So I shared some scriptures with her about healing, explaining that it was God’s will to heal those who are ill.

“I didn’t know that!” she exclaimed.

Within a matter of a minute or two, I asked her, “Why don’t you move your legs now?” She had already told me that she couldn’t move her legs at all. However, I know the anointing of His power to heal was present.

The moment the woman tried to move her legs, she screamed in shock, “Oh! I can move my legs!” God had instantaneously and totally healed her!

Within 10 minutes of sitting in a deserted part of O’Hare Airport, the woman who had rolled up in a wheelchair walked out praising God! Her life was completely transformed that day by the glory of God.
Carry God’s Presence to the World

God desires to use us in unusual ways, in unusual places–not just in a church setting. He wants His glory in all the earth. Our God is not One to be contained.

One day, as I was looking up the various meanings of the word “glory,” I discovered that the root of one of the words we translate glory means, “numerous; rich; honorable; abounding with; very great; lay heavily; prevail; promote to honor.” But I really became excited when I found that the full definition of the word includes “to make self many”–in other words, “to multiply Himself.”

In 2 Corinthians 3:18, the Apostle Paul states, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

God’s glory–His splendor, His honor, His prevailing power–comes to change us, to make us like Him. In that process of changing from one degree of glory to another, God multiplies or increases the presence of His glory within us. As a result, His glory becomes so great in our lives that even before we have said anything to people about Jesus, people can sense His presence when they are in our presence. He has overwhelmed us with Himself. Thus, we can become God possessed.

God desires us to carry His presence to the world. As we simply yield or respond to Him, He will release His glory through us to those around us.

I’ll often go up to a salesperson and ask, “How are you doing today?” If they say, “Oh I’m sick,” I’ll often take their hand and answer, “Well, in the Name of Jesus… Now, how do you feel?” With a startled expression, the individual will look amazed. Then sputter, “Fine!” Airports are awesome places for having divine appointments.

It’s not at all complicated. As Christians–as “Christ-in-us-ones”–we are anointed to take His Name and carry His glory to the world. This isn’t solely the responsibility of those who stand in a fivefold ministry office. It is the number one ministry of every one of us who are believers. We are all called to carry the glory and transforming presence of our God into the world.

But before we can carry Him to the world, we must allow Him to overflow in us.
Give God an Opening

That overflow comes as we open as path for the glory of God. But you may say, “I’ve already given an opening to God.” I assure you, He is waiting for you to open up more. The degree to which you allow the glory to overflow in you is the degree to which the glory can flow out through you.

A few years ago, I had an extraordinary experience that taught me on a personal level that wonderful things will happen when we choose to respond to His Spirit. During those years, each time I began to minister, I would fall into an exhilarating well of joy in the Holy Ghost.

It began after I had been waiting on God for several months about some matters. I emerged from that time of prayer and fasting falling on the floor and laughing with the most incredible joy. And I’ll tell you the truth: It felt so good. I wanted to do it all the time!

It is thrilling to feel God’s presence inside you so strongly that you laugh or weep because when He comes in, you change! At times my behavior seemed excessive to some. And it was–excessively joyful! The “joy” movement, as some refer to it, was a time of experiencing a profound connection with God’s nature and His presence.

But the important thing is not whether you laugh, fall, roll or run. The important thing is that you choose to respond to the Holy Spirit. Because when you respond to Him, you make a pathway for the glory of God to enter in and saturate you.

What is happening is God is creating in us a hunger for Him. And because we’re hungry for God, we’re open to whatever He wants to do.

God inspires us to pursue Him that He may lay hold of us. In gradual stages, He stirs us to open our hearts to Him. Why? He’s setting us up. Step by step, every time we respond to His presence, God draws us a little closer to Himself. He is guiding us into direct encounters with His manifest presence that will change us forever. (It’s not a one-time encounter.) The purpose? To get us in position for His grand finale–the greatest outpouring of glory the earth has ever known!

In Haggai 2:7, The Amplified Bible states, “And I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.”

In Hebrew, the word shake used in this context means “God will throw His weight around.” His “weight” is His fullness or abundance. The weight of God’s glory, then, is the fullness of God.
Church Not as Usual

Just as we have learned to confess who we are in Christ and to fill our hearts with His Word, we must also learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, for He is the One Who activates the power of the Word in our lives.

In this hour, like never before, the Spirit of God will release mighty demonstrations of the Word in the earth by the power of His glory. That glory will flow through us, the Body of Christ, to a world without Him–a world looking for a God Whose presence is real.

All we stand in need of–spirit, soul and body–is found in the glory. Recognize it. Yield to it. Receive it.

Then, when God wants to display a tangible demonstration of His Spirit and power to the world, He will do that through you and me. We are temples of the living God. We are containers of His presence. We are carriers of His glory.