What kind of atmosphere do you live in? I mean, what’s it like in your home? What’s it like in your workplace? The environment that we live in shapes our consciousness, and what we are conscious of is what we manifest wherever we go. If the atmosphere that we spend most of our time in is full of anger, anxiety, and strife, then it will be reflected in the atmosphere between our two ears, which robs us of a sense of nobility, security, and significance. You and I were created to live in the atmosphere of God’s glory, and, containing His presence, we were called to manifest His likeness. Psalm 16 says, “In His presence is fullness of joy and that His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
The question is, how do we perpetually live in the atmosphere of His presence? How do we get there? The bad news is that there is nothing you can do to get there, but the crazy good news is because of the finished work of Christ two thousand years ago, Jesus placed you THERE. Because you are in Christ, you are seated in the heavenly places in Him, and according to Hebrews 1:3, being in Christ, you are seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High. The Greek word for “Majesty” is “mega,” and mega literally means “great” or “greatness.” By adding the phrase “on high,” the writer of Hebrews is saying that the greatness of God is far higher than anything else and everything else in the universe. When you and I put our trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were birthed into the atmosphere of the greatness of God. Think of all the attributes of God and then add the word “great” to each one, and then you’ll get an idea of the environment that you now inhabit because of your union with Christ. How great is God’s love or God’s peace? How great is God’s purity or compassion? Think about God’s holiness, or wisdom, or joy, or patience, etc. How great is God? To abide in Christ is to, no matter what else is going on around you, be conscious of the Majesty of God that you participate in. It changes the atmosphere between your two ears into a heavenly atmosphere that brings every other small issue you deal with in life into proper perspective because you will be seeing everything through the lens of the Majesty/greatness of God that you are in union with, in Christ. You’ll live with a sense of nobility that can’t be challenged by someone’s rejection or someone’s attempt to minimize your significance. The overwhelming sense of the security of His nearness overshadows all the faint sirens that try to call you into places of fear and insecurity. CS Lewis said, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” As you learn to rest in the reality of your environment in the heavenly places at the right hand of the Majesty on high, you find yourself consumed with thoughts of Him and His greatness. In doing so, you’ll find the true you because the true you was created to live conscious of the greatness of God. Your self-consciousness will be filtered through a Christ consciousness, for He is your life, and the realm that He lives in is your abiding place. Remember what Paul said about our true identity; “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed (when He as your life becomes a revelation to you), then you will be revealed (then you will discover the true you that was created to live in the atmosphere of glory) with Him in glory.” According to Colossians 1:27, Christ in you, the hope of glory, is the riches of the glory of the mystery of the gospel.