Spring 1995
His Way of Preparation
Wade E Taylor

The ways of the Lord are different from ours and usually are not understood by our intellect. We must respond to Him in simple trust and faith, knowing that He knows, and trusting in His knowing.

This principle is seen in the preparation of Moses to deliver Israel from their bondage to Pharaoh.

As Moses stood before the burning bush, the Lord asked, "What is that in thine hand? And he said, a rod" Exodus 4:2. This rod was a tool of his vocation. As a shepherd, Moses used the rod to guide the sheep and deal with serpents.

The Lord asked Moses to throw it on the ground. When he did so, the rod became a serpent and Moses fled from it. He had been in the wilderness for forty years and had surely faced many snakes, yet he fled. This indicates that it was large and probably poisonous, or he would not have backed away from it.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine
hand, and take it by the tail" Exodus 4:4a.

Had Moses been asked to pick it up by the head, he might have felt that he had a fifty-fifty chance to successfully do so. If he succeeded, he would have it by the head and be in control. If he missed, he would be dead.

However, Moses was required to pick it up by the tail, which meant he had to totally trust the Lord, as this gave him no control at all and would have led to his death. This is what the Lord desired, a total dependence upon Him, even when it was not reasonable.

When Moses obeyed the Lord and picked it up by the tail, it again became a rod in his hand, but this time as a source of power.

"But ye shall receive power, after ..." Acts I:8.

Many years ago, I attended a Sunday morning service at a large "Full Gospel" Church. During the service, a message in tongues was given from the congregation. The pastor became visibly upset and said we should not be nervous or concerned as manifestations such as this were restricted to the Wednesday evening service in the basement.

Thus, the gifts were only to function under his control. He had taken the "moving of the Spirit" by the head rather than by the tail.

Some will permit the moving of the Spirit so long as they are in control, rather than allowing the Lord to move in His time and way. But the Lord may not cooperate with our so-called "timely" or proper way, and withdraw.

Thus, due to man exercising control - often sincerely, many visitations of the Lord have fallen short of their intended purpose. Other visitations have come short of what might have been, due to a lack of spiritual guidance. There is a fine line between human manipulation and Holy Spirit guidance that must be distinguished, that the Holy Spirit is not grieved and the visitation derailed.

Those who are spiritually perceptive and who understand that the Lord may move in unfamiliar ways should be acknowledged and given responsibility. These will guide cautiously and slowly, and seek to follow rather than attempt to lead the Holy Spirit.

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God has chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the
things which are mighty; and God has chosen the
base things of the world, and things which are
despised, and things which are not, in order to
bring to nothing things that are; so that no
flesh should glory in his presence" I Cor 1:27-29 MKJ.

Many read this passage of Scripture, but few are willing for it to be practiced.

Moses had trembled and fled from the presence of Pharaoh. While in the wilderness, he responded and stood before the Lord at the burning bush; and as a result of his obedience, he was sent back to Egypt to stand before Pharaoh with his rod of authority.

Previously, Moses knew that he was called, and tried to bring deliverance, but had utterly failed. Now he was sent by the Lord, and Pharaoh is trembling before him. This could not have happened until "after."

Jesus said "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear ... and open..." Rev 3:20. This door speaks of the point of transition where we move from the mental into the spiritual. It is here that our ability ends, and His begins.

We are required to respond to His "knocking" in trust and obedience. As we "sup" with Him, we will receive an impartation of strength for the outworking of His purposes.

That which the Lord asks of us may not fit our ideas, which must then be set aside to make room for the Lord's program. This does not depend on our understanding or our past experiences, but rather on our obedience and trust in His ways.

We should put great value on the moving of the Holy Spirit in our services. It is only in His presence that He is able to reach into the inner depths of lives and move to meet the need.

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the spirit is spirit" John 3:6.

When the word "motorcycle" is spoken, we understand the word through an image that is stored in our brain. If the word "horse" is spoken, the image changes and the two wheels become four legs and a saddle is added. But if the words "spirit" or "life" are spoken, there are no images that relate.

Jesus said that His words were spirit and life. Thus, we can only understand what is on His heart through the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, who gives the understanding. We must come beyond the natural realm of logic and reason into the realm of spiritual faith and trust.

Words can challenge and direct us toward this, but they do not bring us into the realm of the Spirit where we are quickened and birthed into a higher relationship of cooperative activity with the Lord.

There are times when we leave a meeting feeling really good and tell someone that it was an exceptionally good meeting. But when we were asked about the message, we could not remember it. This is because our spirit was fed rather than our head. The words were only the vehicle that carried "spirit and life." The delivery mechanism was forgotten, but the product (spirit and life) remained. Although this is true, it is better however, to remember the message too.

The authority and power that we receive through our being tested, enables us to enter this realm of spirit and life which brings victory in the place of need, and results in a deeper trust in the Lord.

In these last days, many are being stirred, or moved upon to come higher. This requires our going beyond the program into the realm of "spirit and life" as the Holy Spirit directs and leads. It may not make sense to our heads, but our obedience will release us into a place of usefulness that will not only satisfy the deep within our hearts, but will please the Lord as well.

The Lord is seeking to push us past the surface of religious activity and into this realm of trusting Him. We cannot lose when we do it His way.