Nancy Taylor Tate
A salvation message is needful and good. It’s our foundation, the beginning of our walk with the Lord. Yet there are people already saved, who are hungry for truths to grow by. These are the folks God has put on my heart.
There is an old Nigerian saying I used to share in my prayer class, “You can’t put a load on a running donkey!” How important it is that we find time to get quiet, that we might reflect on truths being shared, praying into them, that they might become a part of our spiritual experience and who we are.
In his book, Remarkable Miracles, G. C. Bevington tells how someone asked why he would take three days to go out into the woods to pray. They wondered if it took God that long to speak. Bevington’s answer was, no, but it took that long for him to get quiet enough to hear!
Even one piece of truth, if the Holy Spirit quickens it to you, can change your whole life. My prayer is that you find the time to really hear what the Holy Spirit is illuminating to you and let it settle into your spirit. That truth then can become a building block from which you can grow in understanding and move forward in your walk with the Lord.
How important we cultivate a hearing ear. I remember my dad commenting on Matthew 13:11. The disciples had asked Jesus why He spoke in parables. He answered, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
Then my dad would say, “I want to be a “you” and not a “them.” His point was simple yet profound. We all felt the same way! We would pray, expressing our desire to be a “you” and not a “them,” then invite the Lord to work within our hearts.
Those times of teaching, along with our own personal quiet times were rich. As I prayerfully read 1 Corinthian 2 in my prayer closet, I came to understand that “spiritual things are spiritually discerned.”
Then I thought about Matthew 13, and the “seed” that fell on the “wayside.” I prayed earnestly for spiritual understanding, that the “seed” would find “good ground” in my heart.
Time and time again, as I read through 1 Corinthians 2, along with other scriptures, prayers sparked in my heart. I would read a verse and it would turn into a prayer inside me. Prayers would come from the verses I was reading, then I would spend time in the presence of the Lord, opening my heart to receive from Him.
That pattern has continued with many verses through the years. How precious when God speaks to us through His word and works in our lives. Jesus said, “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” John 6:63. What a deposit comes when with an open heart we spend time with Him.
Another verse that ministered to me is found in Isiah 50:4. I came to understand that “morning by morning” as I set aside time to be with Him, the Lord was awakening my ear. There was something happening spiritually inside of me. I needed to give it time to grow.
Following our salvation, it is the Lord’s desire that we grow in the knowledge of Him.
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18a
In Colossians 3:2, Paul speaks of Christ, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
May we always stay Christ centered in our spiritual walk. May we cultivate a hearing ear, then learn to become quiet, so we can hear! As we wait on the Lord with whatever scripture He may be speaking to us through, may we open our hearts for His spirit and His life to fill us.
May we always find those quiet times, time we can spend with the Lord. May our fellowship with Him continue to grow, and may we come to know Him more.
As we make a personal decision to spend quality times in communion with Him, we will never regret it. May you be blessed and refreshed in the presence of the Lord.