Nancy Taylor Tate
Several months ago, Allen spoke about essential aspects of our relationship with the Lord, emphasizing the importance of our life and words lining up with the Word of God and establishing credibility within our lives.
This foundation brings a testimony that gives glory to God and also affects our “Becoming Spiritually Perceptive,” which Wade Taylor writes about on our website. How we need renewed minds, righteous living, and a right perception of things today!
In “Our Attaining to That Which Is Best,” Wade Taylor speaks of guarding our spirit concerning attitudes and choices that hinder the quality of our spiritual life.
If ever there was a time we needed to guard our attitudes, it is now! Offense seems to be everywhere. How important we keep our spirits clear, that the Lord might use us as light in the turbulence and darkness all around.
Key to maintaining a right attitude are the personal decisions we all must make: Am I looking for the good or the bad? Am I going to love or hate? Am I going to criticize or stand in the gap and pray?
When difficult things happen, offenses often come as well. We must then make a choice. Are we going to carry offense? Or choose to forgive? Are we willing to believe God for a turning, in which He works everything together for good?
There are troubles in this life, that’s for sure (John 16:33). Yet as Christ becomes the focus of my love, the center of my life, He promises to work that which is not so good, for good (Romans 8:28). Sometimes as I’m praying, I envision a pancake turner, like you would use to flip eggs. Then, I pray for a Holy Ghost pancake turner to flip that which is happening and work it together for His glory!
As our supreme example, when Jesus was on the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He then commended Himself into the hands of His Heavenly Father (Luke 23:34; Luke 23:46). When we, too, take this posture, the total victory of the cross is made manifest in our lives.
1 John 2:5 says that we know we are in Him, if we are loving. In John 15, Jesus says a key to abiding in Him is love, or our heart attitude toward one another.
The Lord is bringing us up into a new place of love, so that if we see a fault or a weak area in another, we will choose to stand in prayer and intercession for them, rather than criticizing, until that area begins to develop.
Francis Frangipane said in his book, Truth, Holiness, and the Presence of God, “Anyone can pass judgment, but can they save? Can they lay down their lives in love, intercession, and faith, for the one judged? Can they target an area of need, and then, rather than criticizing, fast and pray, asking God to supply the very virtue they feel is lacking? And then, can they persevere in love-motivated prayer until that fallen area blooms in godliness? Such is the life that Christ commands we follow!”
Needs all around us are giving opportunity for this nature and character to be worked inside us. God is love. He is bringing forth a people who resemble Him.
Are we willing to love each other? Are we willing to care about each other? We will never become holy by criticizing other people. We will never be brought nearer to God through finding fault.
Are we willing to move beyond our own personal reactions and yield to the Lord so He can use us in the midst of difficult circumstances?
We cast the deciding vote. Are we going to become bitter or better? The difference is in the “I.”
May the Lord renew our minds and empower us to live righteous lives today. May we have a right perception of things. May we guard our spirit concerning attitudes and choices that would hinder the quality of our spiritual life. May we center our lives in Christ Jesus, that we might find His heart and His thoughts and give expression to Him as faithful and effectual witnesses in the earth today.
“For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” 2 Timothy 1:12c.
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.
The Lord is raising up a righteous people for His end time glory in the earth today. May we be a part of that people!