THE SECRET PLACE (14)

“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 ...” – 2 Corinthians 3: 18b

A major reward of abiding in THE SECRET PLACE is the Transformation that occurs in God’s Presence: “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” (2 Cor.3:18). The longer and more intensely we’re in His Presence, soaking in His Word and basking in His Love, the more power we’re ingesting into the fiber of our being. Coming to the Presence of the Lord is the divinely ordained process by which we change.

The Presence of the Lord is the Place of Change. Distancing ourselves from God always produces spiritual retrogression; proximity to God produces spiritual progression. The purpose of the Voice of Conviction is to press us into the face of Christ. The purpose of the Voice of condemnation is to push away from His Presence – that which is the very Source of our Victory! We can distinguish between conviction and condemnation by considering which direction the voice is goading us – toward or away from the Secret Place of His Presence.

God has always longed to draw close to man, but the Old Covenant had a fatal flaw. It required the people to keep their distance because of God’s Holiness. If they crossed the line, they would die. So many were dying in the wilderness that eventually the people told Moses, “Surely we die, we all perish! Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?” (Num.17: 12-13). God was also aware of the problem, for He said to them, “I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way” (Exo.33:3). The people on their part told Moses to draw near to God on their behalf, and God responded that they were “right in all that they have spoken” (Deut.5:28).

A vicious downward cycle was the consequence: The people had to keep their distance in order to survive, but this caused them to retrogress further into sin – which in turn required that they maintain their distance. The remedy to this hopeless pattern was the Cross of Christ. Now through the Blood of the Cross, sinful man is able to come into the Presence of the altogether Holy God and be transformed by His Glory, despite his weakness, failure, and sinfulness. This is a privilege only a fool would neglect or avoid pursuing.

Everything within us changes when we step into God’s Presence and are touched by the radiating glory that emits from His face: “For he Lord God is a sun...” (Psa.84:11). In the Secret Place, the sun of His countenance and radiation of His Glory kills every cancer of iniquity and transform us from Glory to Glory!