Crystal Rivers | Open Book | Nov 18, 2025 You are not merely a believer attending services or reading scriptures—you are a living temple, the actual dwelling place where God has chosen to make His home. This isn't metaphorical language meant to inspire; it's the fundamental reality of your existence in Christ. Consider this: when Jacob laid his head on a stone and saw angels ascending and descending from heaven, he wasn't just witnessing a vision. He was seeing a prophetic picture of what you have become. That place he called "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven"—that's you. Angels ascend and descend through you. Heaven flows into earth through your very being. Every temple and tabernacle built in ancient times—from Moses' tent in the wilderness to Solomon's golden temple—was merely a shadow pointing to you. Notice how each one was filled with images of angels, gardens, and heavenly beings. Notice how glory fell when the priests shouted in unity. These weren't just historical buildings; they were prophetic illustrations of your spiritual architecture. The glory that filled those ancient structures already dwells within you. Christ Himself, who is the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person, lives in your spirit right now. But here's what you must understand: this glory is meant to journey. It begins in your spirit, where it was deposited when you believed, but it must move into your conscious awareness, into your heart, and eventually manifest in your physical body. This journey requires your active participation. When you speak declarations like "Christ is in me" or "The glory of God dwells in me," you're not engaging in positive thinking—you're opening a door between your spirit and your consciousness. Your mouth becomes the gateway through which spiritual reality flows into mental and emotional awareness. This is why meditation on these truths isn't optional; it's the mechanism of transformation. Every time you pray in the Spirit, every time you declare your identity in Christ, you're exercising your consciousness to align with what already exists in your spirit. You're teaching your mind and heart to agree with what God has already accomplished. This isn't about becoming something you're not—it's about manifesting what you already are. The spots, wrinkles, and blemishes mentioned in Scripture aren't moral failures as much as they are areas where your union with Christ hasn't yet become tangible. Each day you choose faith over sight, each moment you declare truth over circumstances, you're allowing the glory within to consume another area of unbelief. This transformation is both a process and a destination. You're changing daily, becoming more aware of Christ within you, more conscious of your union with Him. Yet there will come a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—when this internal reality will fully manifest. The trumpet will sound not to bring something foreign but to reveal what has been growing within you all along. Until that day, your assignment is clear: Touch the glory within you. Don't just read about it or think about it—engage it. When you pray, don't just recite words; establish contact with the divine presence in your spirit. When you worship, don't just sing; let the rivers of living water flow from your innermost being. When you meditate on Scripture, don't just memorize; let the reality of Christ in you become more real than the chair you're sitting on. You are being sealed, marked, and claimed by the Holy Spirit each time you engage this reality. Like an owner marking their territory, God pours His essence upon you, declaring to all creation: "This one is Mine." Death cannot touch what God has sealed. Darkness cannot overcome where His glory dwells. Remember: you're not working toward becoming God's house—you already are. You're not trying to get Christ inside you—He's already there. You're simply learning to live from that re