Category: ARTICLE OF THE MONTH

Wade E Taylor

“And it came to pass, that as the people pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake….”  Luke 5:1-2

Notice that the people were “pressing upon Jesus to hear the word of God.”  Whenever we take a step toward the Lord, He will respond and begin to draw us closer to Himself.

There will always be “two ships” (two possibilities) in our spiritual life experience.  These are placed in our path by the Lord to cause us to make a choice.  Jesus will never enter the ship that relates to our self-life (our being in control of all that we say and do).  When we make the right choice, Jesus will enter the ship that relates to His will and purpose for us, and become active in our spiritual life experience.

“And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.”  Luke 5:3

Wade E Taylor

“I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find me… That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.”  Proverbs 8:17, 21

The “approbation,” or favor of the Lord rests upon those who have fully yielded their lives to Him, who desire to intimately know Him and are willing to spend time in His presence.  The result is that these will be able to recognize His presence and will have “understanding” concerning His ways.

If these qualities are to become a reality in our lives, we also must first learn to “wait upon the Lord.”

“Blessed is the man that hears Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors. For whoso finds Me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord.”  Proverbs 8:34-35

Wade E Taylor

“Deep calls to deep. At the noise of Your waterspouts, all Your waves and Your billows are gone over me.”  Psalm 42:7

“Deep calls.”  Our Lord is a seeking God who desires a satisfaction that can be found only in us – our worship and our times of fellowship with Him.  We were created for this purpose, which became marred by the transgression of Adam.

“At the noise of Your waterspouts.”  Our initial response may seem to us as being “noise,” but as we continue to worship and spend time in fellowship with the Lord, it will become as a “song.”

“The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”  Exodus 15:2

Wade E Taylor

“And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Matthew 16:19

This speaks of our having the “key” that will unlock the door of entrance into our having “kingdom authority.”  It will enable us to have a part with the Lord in cleansing both the heavens and the earth, in preparation for the coming Millennial Kingdom.

“And has made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”  Revelation 5:10

The “kingly” aspect will enable us to affect the earthly realm, through our overcoming obedience.  The “priestly” aspect will enable us to affect the heavenly realm, through our worship and communion with the Lord.

“And he that overcomes, and keeps My works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron….”  Revelation 2:26-27

For us to be ready to function in kingdom authority in “that day” means that there must be a present ruling (overcoming) within our lives.  We will never be qualified to rule others, unless we have first submitted ourselves to divine governmental rule over us.

Wade E Taylor

“And now… I want to write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of you, for I do not want any misunderstanding about them.”  I Corinthians 12:1 TLB

Our being used in the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the result of our ability to yield to the presence and power of God.  The quality of that which flows out through the operation of the gift directly relates to the accumulated spiritual “substance” that abides within the one being used.  This spiritual “substance” develops through the integrity of our relationship to the Lord, and to the quality of our devotional life.

“Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments, and they vary, but the Holy Spirit remains the same.”  I Corinthians 12:4. AMP

Wade E Taylor

“For it is under His direction that the whole body is perfectly adjusted by each joint that furnishes its supplies. And by the proper functioning of each particular part, there is brought about the growing of the body for its building up in love.”  Ephesians 4:16 Williams

Our spiritual life is far more than the accumulation of information that we gather, such as understanding doctrine and the written Word.  Rather, the “measure” of our spirituality is the result of the accumulation of the decisions that we make during our span of life.  When we stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the level of spiritual life to which we have attained (30, 60, or 100 fold) will be compared (measured) against His overcoming life.

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man (spiritually mature), to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  Ephesians 4:13

Life is never easy; it is a struggle in which we must continually choose what we will do, or which way we will go.  Because of the many desires that we have, along with the responsibilities that have been placed upon us, at times it may be difficult for us to make the right choice.

Wade E Taylor

“Draw me, we will run after You.  The King has brought me into His chambers….”  Song of Solomon 1:4

This verse expresses in two words, a prayer that is vital to our spiritual well-being, “Draw me.”

Following our prayer of desire is a commitment to the Lord that we will indeed respond to Him, as He creates within us a spiritual hunger that will enable us to make this commitment, “We will run after You.”

Finally, “The King has brought me into His chambers” is the marvelous result of the outworking of our prayer of desire, and of the expression of our determination to respond to the Lord.

This essential prayer, “Draw me,” relates to the spiritual hunger that in varying degrees is resident within each of us.  This hunger drive, a powerful basic “urge” that is at the foundation of all our desires, seeks its satisfaction in many ways.

The Lord will enlarge our spiritual capacity, as in faith we look to Him to cause us to become spiritually hungry.  A primary means to accomplish this is to present ourselves before the Lord, and then actively “wait upon Him.”  As we wait, the Lord will work in our behalf and will respond to our desire for increased spiritual hunger and capacity.

Wade E Taylor

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.”  Matthew 25:1-2

When considering this passage of Scripture, we may attempt to identify those who are foolish, rather than looking at ourselves.  The only way we can point a finger at someone is to point three fingers at ourselves.  If we will apply this verse to ourselves, it can be said that each one of us is half-wise and half-foolish.

Thus, we cast the deciding vote as to where we will be found in “that day” – either among those who are wise, or among the foolish.

“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet Him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”  Matthew 25:5-10

The desire and intention of the Lord is that we will be found among the wise; thus, the exhortation that those who are wise should take “oil” with them (renew their strength).  This oil results from an active on-going devotional life, by which we receive from the Lord a supply of His grace.

Wade E Taylor

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:25

To “live in the Spirit” is a state of being in which we have died to our self-life and have yielded the totality of all that we are and have to Jesus, so He can live His life through us as a present day witness.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me….”  Galatians 2:20

“I live; yet not I.”  This requires us to live on a high plain of integrity and commitment in order to maintain the necessary spiritual sensitivity that will make this possible.

“If we are living by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us be guided”  Galatians 5:25 BBE

To “walk in the Spirit” is to live one step at a time, with every aspect of our life experience being lived in total yieldedness and willing obedience to the will and purpose of our Lord.

As we walk with the poise of our spirit upward toward the Lord, His abiding presence and peace will confirm that we are walking in the center of His will.

by Wade E Taylor

As the “facets” in a diamond are viewed, some appear as being opposite to other facets.  The beauty of a diamond is due to the fact that these “opposite” facets complement each other.  So also, the partaking of “communion” with our Lord has many different ways in which it can be understood and experienced.

Some receive communion in a ritualistic manner, by partaking of a symbol, or emblem of the Lord’s body and blood.  There is no life in a symbol or emblem and these receive only a religious or sentimental satisfaction.

Others recognize that they are partaking of the very life of the Lord, and as they partake, they are receiving His literal body and blood being imparted into them.

There should be a time of preparation so we can effectively partake of “communion.”  We must be lifted into the presence of the Lord in order for His life to flow into our lives.  Just as it is not possible for us to “wait on the Lord in His presence” until we have passed from the natural realm into the spiritual, it is not possible for us to “receive” the literal body and blood of Jesus, until we exchange realms.

Wade E Taylor

Those who have experienced Jesus as being their personal “Savior” openly acknowledge that He shed His blood upon Calvary’s cross in atonement for their sin, and in some measure, they live a committed Christian life.  The name “Jesus” has become precious to them.

Among these are many who also know Jesus as “Christ.”  The word “Christ” speaks primarily of the anointing, especially the “One who is anointed (Jesus),” and in a lesser sense, of our being “anointed” as a member of His body.  These have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and have developed a sensitivity to His presence.  In some measure, they are being used in Holy Spirit gift ministries.

Wade E Taylor

“Yes, I long to come to know Him; that is, the power of His resurrection, and so to share with Him His sufferings as to be continuously transformed by His death, in the hope of attaining, in some measure, the resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead.”  Philippians 3:10-11 Williams

We must guard our spirit concerning attitudes and things that can hinder the “quality” of our spiritual life.  When we neglect to value and maintain His presence in our daily life experience, we will gradually lose our interest in daily communing with the Lord.  Our understanding of spiritual principles will become clouded and deteriorate, and we will be robbed of His best for us.

by Wade E Taylor

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

This does not say that all things are good, but that even terrible things (all things – without qualification) can work together to produce “good.”  This good (God) is not these “things” in themselves, but rather, that the “image” of our Lord Jesus Christ is being wrought into our being, and these “all things” have become a tool to accomplish this.

Wade E Taylor

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who  comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to  comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort  wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”  II Corinthians 1:3-4

There are many Christians who have been unintentionally hurt by a minister, or by another Christian.  These hurting Christians drawback from fellowship, refusing to again expose their need, and consequently they become spiritually crippled.

If they had the understanding that there was a higher “purpose” in the Lord allowing them to be  hurt, then the negative consequences could be avoided, and their fellowship among Christians restored and enhanced.

“But He knows the way that I take: when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”  Job 23:10

Wade E Taylor

“But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.”  Matthew 6:6

This speaks of the importance and the power of private, personal prayer.

To go into our “closet” and shut the door in order to pray is a very private, personal experience.  Here, in the privacy of our “set apart place” of prayer, we can express our heart to the Lord.  To express our deep inner desires and feelings in prayer, is as medicine to our soul.  But there is a greater and more important blessing.  Our Heavenly Father hears our secret prayer, and He will openly reward us.

Because no one is involved in our “shut in” time, we can come aside and pray at any time.  We “choose” when to pray.

However, intercession is quite different; we “respond” to an intercessory burden which “impregnates” us, and we intercede until it is “birthed.”

This speaks of the importance and power of private, personal intercession.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  Romans 8:26