A Living Word for Your Spirit by Wade Taylor

A Living Word for Your Spirit

 

By Wade Taylor 

 

God created all that was created in "six days" and on the "seventh day," He rested.  Each of these days was an indeterminate period of time in which a particular aspect of creation was accomplished.

Peter limited these days to specific time periods by saying, "a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day."

Of this time, "six days" relates to man's time, and the "seventh day," to the Millennial Kingdom of God.  The first four, "thousand year days" relate to the Old Testament, and the next two, "thousand year days," to the Church Age.

This time (six days) came to an end in the year 2000, and the time of transition into the Millennial Kingdom of God (seventh day) began.

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me... He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:20, 22

This "door" is at the end of the Church Age and is at the point of transition from the Church Age into the Millennial Kingdom Age.  This is a conditional promise to those who have a "hearing ear."

The Apostle John was transported from his time, to the end of the Church Age, and he heard the voice of the Lord, knocking.

"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter." Revelation 4:1

It is very important to notice that this door opened only when John heard the voice of the Lord knocking, and responded (After this I looked).  The result of a right response is being able to hear "things which must be hereafter." Jesus is yet knocking on the door of our temple, seeking those who will hear and respond.  Thus, our ability to hear spiritually is very important.

When Jesus was twelve years old, He went into the temple of His day and time, and astounded all those who heard Him (Luke 2:42-47).  When Jesus becomes twelve years old in His corporate body, He will again come into the temple.  This time, He will come within the temple that we have become.

"Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" I Corinthians 3:16

During this year, 2012, when Jesus becomes twelve years old in His corporate body, He will begin to come within His present day temple (us).

"When He shall come to be glorified in His saints...." II Thessalonians 1:10

All that Jesus did in a single body, during His first coming, He will again do through a corporate body, in the progression of His second coming.

The end-time visitation of our Lord is about to begin, as the final judgments have been delayed.

"Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." Isaiah 60:1-2

In the Old Testament, the glory came "upon." In the New Testament, the glory comes "within."

May each of us who desire our Lord's best, separate ourselves from all that could hinder our hearing the Lord's knock upon our spirit.

If we respond, as John responded, Jesus will come within our "temple" to affect the world of our day and time, beyond anything that has ever been seen.

And the Gentiles (unsaved) shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."

The greatest visitation ever is about to begin.

Wade E Taylor
www.wadetaylor.org

Maintaining Our Spirituality by Wade E. Taylor

Maintaining Our Spirituality

 

Wade E. Taylor

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7
The greatest gift and blessing that we possess is our spiritual sensitivity and hunger.
Unless we maintain a time of active daily communion and fellowship with our Lord, this "hunger," along with the anointing that enables us to unlock and understand the deeper levels of revelation within the Word of God, will gradually fade until we are left spiritually barren.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength... Isaiah 40:30-31
To maintain our spirituality, it is essential that we set apart a specific time and place in which to "wait upon the Lord." As we do this, we will be "re-charged" spiritually. Just as a battery that has been discharged through use must be re-charged, so also, we must hold ourselves before the Lord, to allow His life and power to flow back into our being.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
The word "after" tells us that this "power" is given after we spend time in the presence of our Lord. These times of specific "waiting upon the Lord" will impart to us a "divine strength" that replaces our human weakness. This will result in an increase of our love for the Lord Himself, and produce within us the anointing that will quicken our understanding, enabling us to respond to the presence and promptings of the Lord.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20
The emphasis is on our ability to hear, and our willingness to respond. This "hearing" is through the inner ear of our Spirit.
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:9
As we wait on the Lord in His presence, this ability to hear spiritually can be developed and improved.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant. Psalm 25:14
This word "fear" speaks of a reverential awe or respect that stimulates us to respond to His presence and voice and "wait upon Him" with focused, undivided attention.
It is important for us to recognize that we function on two different levels of life.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:44
Either one or the other of these will predominate � the "natural" or the "spiritual." As our spiritual life increases, our carnal desires will decrease. The "strength" of each of these is determined by the choices we make, the preferences we give, and which of these we nurture with our thoughts and actions.
The level of our spirituality is greatly affected by the amount of time we spend in "waiting upon the Lord." The time in which we come apart and look upward toward the Lord should never be passive, but rather, an active waiting in "anticipation," as one who watches for someone to enter a room. It should include a time of quiet worship and the expression of our love to the Lord.
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
As we express our love for the Lord, it will bring a response from Him ("I love them that love Me"), lifting us into a higher level of communion and fellowship with Him. As we look toward Jesus in an attitude of receiving, the "substance" of His being will flow into us, to change us into His image and likeness.
As we continue to daily "wait on the Lord," to receive the impartation of spiritual life and strength that is essential to our spiritual well being, there must be a parallel "crucifixion" of our natural, soulish life. This is accomplished as we commit to the Cross all things which are contrary to our spiritual development � that seek to hinder or replace our times of waiting before the Lord.
The Lord will, through this process of crucifixion, remove the agitations and all that rebels against our becoming "still" before Him. We must pass through this time of "processing" before we will be able to fully experience the release of spiritual life that the Lord desires to make available to us.
Our ability to "wait upon the Lord" will increase as we "wait upon the Lord." As desirable and well intentioned as they may be, relationships with other Christians will never nurture or satisfy our spiritual hunger.
There must be the lifting of our being into a "vertical" relationship with the Lord � an intimate, personal coming to the Lord Himself, as coming to a person who desires to be known. As we "wait in His presence," He will make Himself known to us. Then, we will be better able to fellowship one with another.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6
It is very important that we set apart special times when we are absolutely alone with the Lord. "...I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).
In "waiting upon the Lord" we are both "quickened" and "lifted" into the realms of the Spirit. While we wait, the Lord works, re-orienting our desires and creating within us a sensitivity and openness to the "realm of the Spirit." This process of maturing us spiritually may be hindered as, while we work, the Lord waits. It is much easier to work for the Lord than to come apart and become quiet so we can wait on Him.
As our spiritual senses are sharpened, we will become more responsive to the desire of the Lord for communion and fellowship with us, and toward His desire for the redemption of mankind through us.
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. Philippians 3:10
This increased spiritual sensitivity, which we receive through our extended times of "waiting upon the Lord," will also cause us to become more sensitized to the natural realm. We must learn how to bear this sensitivity without any reaction or retaliation because of what we see or feel.
Who is blind, but My servant? or deaf, as My messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. Isaiah 42:19-20
Because of the keen spiritual sensitivity that Jesus possessed, He knew the hearts of men, but He refused to react according to circumstances. He maintained His position in the heavenlies and was motivated according to what His Father was saying and doing, not man.
[However] that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46
"First...that which is natural; and afterward..." We are to move in the faith that we have, no matter how limited it may be, and then we will be lifted upward into the "realm of the Spirit," where we will begin to move into that which is spiritual.
As we continue to "wait on the Lord in expectancy," in time we will pass from the natural realm into the "realm of the Spirit," where we will begin to move in that which is spiritual. At times, we may "feel" very little of Him, or of His presence. Even if we seemingly feel nothing as we "wait," we will later notice that it has, in a good way, affected all that we do or say.
The Lord God hath given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned. Isaiah 50:4
It is essential that we set apart time within the schedule of our busy lives to "wait upon the Lord."
If we will do this daily, we will never be disappointed.
Wade E. Taylor
Wade Taylor Ministries
wade@wadetaylor.org
www.wadetaylor.org/