CHAPTER SIX
MARINATED IN HIS GLORY
The Transforming Power of God's Presence
" Psalms 24:3–4 AMP Who may ascend onto the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to what is false, nor has sworn [oaths] deceitfully."
“Psalms 27:4 AMP One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord And to meditate in His temple. [Ps 16:11; 18:6; 65:4; Luke 2:37]”
“2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.”
“Isaiah 60:1 AMP Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you. [Zech 8:23]”
THE GREATEST TREASURE OF THE SECRET PLACE
There is something that happens in the presence of God that cannot be explained by human reasoning.
It cannot be manufactured by emotional excitement.
It cannot be reproduced through religious activity.
Neither can it be substituted by theological knowledge.
It is the transforming work of the glory of God upon a yielded life.
This is why I often say that it is in His presence that we are marinated in His glory.
The word marinated is intentional.
When food is marinated, it is immersed long enough for every part of it to absorb the flavour of what surrounds it. The change is not superficial. It begins from within until every fibre has been affected.
In the same way, the believer who consistently abides in God's presence begins to absorb the very nature of God.
His thoughts become our thoughts.
His desires become our desires.
His compassion begins to flow through us.
His peace governs our hearts.
His holiness reshapes our character.
His love becomes visible in our relationships.
His power begins to operate through yielded vessels.
The secret place is not simply where we visit God.
It is where God transforms us into the image of His Son.
TRANSFORMATION IS THE GOAL
Many believers measure spiritual maturity by activity.
How much they serve.
How many meetings they attend.
How many sermons they preach.
How much Scripture they know.
While these things have their place, none of them automatically produce Christlikeness.
God's primary objective is not to make us busy.
His primary objective is to make us like Jesus.
This transformation happens progressively as we remain before Him.
The secret place is not merely a place of instruction.
It is a place of impartation.
God does not merely teach us about Himself.
He shares Himself with us.
The longer we remain before Him, the more His life begins to flow through ours.
People begin to notice something different.
Not because we are trying to appear spiritual.
But because His presence leaves its mark upon those who dwell with Him.
Moses descended from Mount Sinai carrying more than two tablets of stone.
He carried the evidence of having been with God.
His face reflected the glory of the One in whose presence he had remained.
The same principle still applies today.
Although the manifestation may differ, genuine intimacy always leaves visible evidence.
Those who have truly encountered God carry something that words alone cannot explain.
THE RIVERS THAT NEVER RUN DRY
In my original message, I wrote:
"In His glory is peace, rest, strength, healing, restoration, power, fruitfulness. It is in His glory we find the fullness of God, drawing and drinking from the rivers that never run dry."
The more I meditate on this truth, the more convinced I become that many believers are spiritually exhausted because they have attempted to live the Christian life apart from continual communion with God.
The Christian life was never designed to be sustained by human determination.
It must be sustained by divine supply.
Everything we need has already been provided in Christ.
Peace.
Strength.
Wisdom.
Grace.
Endurance.
Joy.
Hope.
Yet these realities become living experiences as we continually drink from His presence.
Jesus spoke of living water.
Water that satisfies.
Water that continually flows.
The secret place is where thirsty souls come to drink.
Those who neglect this fountain eventually begin searching for satisfaction elsewhere.
Some seek recognition.
Others seek success.
Others seek constant activity.
Yet none of these can satisfy the deepest longing of the human spirit.
Only God Himself can.
The rivers of His presence never diminish.
He never runs out of grace.
Never runs out of mercy.
Never runs out of strength.
Never grows weary of receiving His children.
Every believer has continual access to this inexhaustible supply.
BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY SEASON
One of the remarkable characteristics of a tree planted beside a river is consistency.
Its fruitfulness does not depend entirely upon changing weather conditions.
Its roots draw life from a source deeper than the surface.
The believer who abides in God's presence develops this same stability.
Life's seasons still change.
Trials still come.
Losses still occur.
Disappointments still happen.
But beneath every circumstance flows an unseen river.
That river is the presence of God.
Many people mistake fruitfulness for activity.
True fruitfulness is the natural outcome of abiding.
You cannot manufacture spiritual fruit.
It grows.
Love grows.
Joy grows.
Peace grows.
Patience grows.
Faithfulness grows.
Gentleness grows.
Self-control grows.
Why?
Because the life of Christ is flowing continuously through the believer who remains connected to Him.
The secret place nourishes the roots before fruit appears on the branches.
God always works from the inside outward.
STAYING UNTIL WE ARE FILLED
One burden continues to stir strongly within my spirit.
Too many believers leave God's presence before God has finished ministering to them.
We have become accustomed to hurried devotion.
A few moments of prayer.
A quick reading of Scripture.
A brief acknowledgment of God before rushing into the demands of the day.
Yet throughout Scripture, those who carried the greatest measure of God's glory learned to linger.
Abraham remained before the Lord.
Moses remained upon the mountain.
David waited in worship.
The disciples tarried together until the Holy Spirit came.
There is something sacred about staying.
The longer we remain before Him, the more the Holy Spirit begins uncovering areas of our lives that still require surrender.
Sometimes He comforts.
Sometimes He corrects.
Sometimes He convicts.
Sometimes He remains silent while simply allowing His peace to settle over our hearts.
Every moment has purpose.
The secret place cannot be rushed.
Relationship matures through time.
Love deepens through fellowship.
Trust grows through continual communion.
The believer who learns to remain eventually discovers that God's presence becomes home.
CLEAN HANDS AND A PURE HEART
David asks a profound question:
"Who may ascend onto the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?"
Then he answers:
"He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to what is false, nor has sworn [oaths] deceitfully."
God's invitation is open.
Yet intimacy carries responsibility.
The issue is not earning access to God.
Christ has already opened the way through His sacrifice.
Rather, the issue is maintaining a heart that remains yielded to Him.
Clean hands speak of our outward conduct.
Pure hearts speak of our inward motives.
God is interested in both.
We may impress people through visible actions while hiding selfish motives within.
Yet nothing remains hidden before the Lord.
The secret place exposes everything.
Not to condemn us.
But to heal us.
God's conviction is always restorative.
He reveals what needs cleansing because He desires deeper fellowship.
Every act of repentance removes another barrier to intimacy.
Every surrendered area enlarges our capacity to receive His glory.
THE PRESENCE CHANGES EVERYTHING
One of the greatest evidences that we have truly been with God is not found in extraordinary manifestations.
It is found in transformed character.
People often pursue spiritual gifts.
God first develops spiritual fruit.
The gifts demonstrate His power.
The fruit reveals His nature.
Both are important.
But fruit sustains what gifts alone cannot.
Love outlasts talent.
Humility protects anointing.
Faithfulness preserves influence.
Holiness safeguards authority.
Character becomes the vessel through which God's glory is continually expressed.
This is why the Father patiently forms Christ within us.
His desire is not merely to use us.
His desire is that the world encounters Jesus through us.
When people meet us, they should increasingly encounter His compassion.
His gentleness.
His wisdom.
His purity.
His peace.
His joy.
This is the work of His glory.
LIVING WITHIN THE ORBIT OF HIS GLORY
In my original message I wrote:
"Stay close and within the orbit of His glory."
The Lord has continued to impress this phrase upon my heart.
Every planet remains stable because it stays within the orbit assigned to it.
The moment it leaves that orbit, disorder follows.
The same principle applies spiritually.
The safest place for the believer is continual fellowship with God.
Outside His presence we become vulnerable.
Prayer grows weak.
Discernment fades.
Conviction becomes dull.
Compromise appears attractive.
Yet when we remain close to Him, His light continually exposes darkness before it gains influence.
His peace guards our hearts.
His Spirit strengthens our inner man.
His wisdom directs our decisions.
His love becomes the atmosphere in which we live.
The Christian life was never intended to be lived occasionally in God's presence.
It was designed to be lived continually within the orbit of His glory.