The Purpose for the Present Pain

The seasons of brokenheartedness we experience, as worshippers, come to break our will power of the stubbornness that has led us astray from the heart of Yahweh. By disregarding Father's wishes to instead do that which we have deemed to be right in our own eyes, we ultimately set ourselves up to experience the sort of painful spiritual reckoning that is meant to crush the soul as well as the ego. 

As spirit beings having a human experience, we must undergo a maturing process that makes it unmistakably clear to us when even our best intentions conflict with Heaven's agenda. Consequently, the only way Father can most effectively get our attention is by ALLOWING us to presently experience the pain of our humanity contending with the plans He both ordained and set in motion before the foundation of the world. 

Pain creates brokenness. And yes, there are times in our life journeys when it takes us experiencing brokenness to produce our willingness to embrace the culture of righteousness. In other words, sometimes our way has got to hurt more than we ever thought it would in order for us to see why Yahweh never wanted us to go that route. But it is often through brokenness that we are steered back into the right direction.

The Process of Fulfilling Purpose

There is indeed a process to fulfilling purpose.  As part of this process, what often goes overlooked is the transformative work being accomplished within us.  When in pursuit of purpose, the pursuit forges the degree of maturity required to experience success on Yahweh's terms as opposed to our own.  It takes mature offspring to understand that what actually makes success, according to Father's plans, so sweet is that it's timed so perfectly.  This is why one of my favorite biblical phrases has become that of "in the fullness of time."

In our microwave mentality of a society, we daily see people willing to settle for "good enough" right now instead of waiting to receive "the best" at the appointed time.  While this largely occurs because of an impatient mindset, some people are simply worn down mentally by the frustration of waiting.  Their frustration further manifests itself in their hearts.  No longer willing to await destiny's arrival, a frustrated person may--with seemingly good reason--buckle under the pressure of waiting in order to obtain immediate relief and easily settle right now for that which is pleasing instead.

My encouragement to us all in the days ahead is that we intentionally ascribe to the words penned in Philippians 4:4-8.  Within these extremely powerful verses of scripture are found life-changing keys that the Set Apart (Holy) Spirit has made available to us for the express purpose of ensuring we fulfill purpose and are matured by the process of its fulfillment.  Since the weight of this topic is resting so heavily upon me, the final weeks of this year will be spent expounding on these five verses in a multi-part series to prepare us for the New Year.  So please be on the lookout for the coming installments.

The Power of the Tongue

We often quote (or hear quoted) that life and death is in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).  It's a very familiar scripture; and often times, out of our familiarity with something we've heard more times than we can recall, we may overlook deeply embedded truths that can unlock new levels of understanding for us but are only uncovered in our time of meditation.  For instance, regarding the aforementioned verse of scripture, I've been greatly impacted by this interesting take on life and death being in the power of the tongue: Each statement we verbalize SIMULTANEOUSLY empowers certain things to live and other things to die.

I love when Holy Spirit gives me such profound insights into the scriptures because from them I'm able to develop better everyday habits through the application of both the written and spoken Word of Yahweh GOD.  This insight, in particular, has inspired me to begin asking myself BEFORE releasing words into the atmosphere, "What will my words empower to live, and what will they empower to die?"  Since BOTH happen each time we speak, as noted above, it's imperative that we not wait until AFTER our words have been released to consider this.  And by making it a practice to ask this question, especially in those moments wherein our emotions seem to be getting the best of us, we can step out of our feelings and be targeted--as opposed to careless--in our speech.  THAT'S the place in which we must strive to be.

Trust In The LORD

It recently occurred to me how important it is to trust GOD.  We're so quick to say, "Oh yeah, I trust GOD."  But do we REALLY trust Him?  You see, trusting GOD is more than just placing confidence in GOD.  Yes, it's a VERY good thing to trust that GOD is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.  But a better question to ask ourselves would be, "At what level do I trust GOD to be who He says He is and do what He says He will do?"  I can assure you that we all do not have the same degree of confidence in GOD because there wouldn't be such disparaging differences in our lives if we indeed did.

Most--if not all--of us would agree that trusting GOD is super simple, when we can picture how He's going to come through for us.  That's technically NOT trusting Him (LOL!); but I'll make an exception this time.  I'm headed somewhere, though; so follow me...  When we really trust GOD, we don't even care HOW He fulfills His Word because our confidence rests in the fact that He's going to do just what He said.  It may not necessarily be how we would like for Him to do it or even when we feel He should do it.  But at the end of the day, GOD makes it happen just as He promised.

Don't Forfeit Your Inheritance - Part 2

Salvation is more than just believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths the Lord Jesus as Christ, the Son of the Living GOD.  WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.  If what a person has believed and confessed does not birth a new creature within them, then it's safe to say that they have no genealogical ties to the incorruptible seed of the Spirit.  Mind you, we're not talking about an instantaneous transformation of character here.  However, when Holy Spirit dwells in you, the spirit of conviction will not let you make a life for yourself in sin.  Why?  Because He knows the value of your spiritual inheritance better than you do.

Therefore, it is my sincere encouragement to EVERY believer that you do not forfeit what Christ has made available for you through His death, burial and resurrection.  The enemy knows the end he's destined to meet; and out of spite, he wants to snatch as many sheep from the flock as possible to get back at GOD.  And what better way to do so than to deceive souls into believing that they're safe for all the "right-ish" reasons.  Either you have fellowship with GOD or not, as there's no sorta, kinda, something in between.  For Christ said in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice," among other things of great importance.  If you do not hear the voice of the LORD, then--regardless of what you believed and confessed--He most likely does not know you and you most likely do not follow Him.

The Need For Motivation - Part 2 | 12.30.12

In discussing the initial post on this topic with friends, the idea arose of faith being something deep within that brings out the best in us.  Let's also add to that faith's ability to ignite our own capabilities to take the necessary corresponding action that will manifest the potential outcomes we believe will become reality.  Faith represents the course of action we take following our receipt of inspiration; and by reason of the choices and decisions we make, it's a definite indication of what we trust will manifest our desired outcomes.  But somewhere between being inspired and walking by faith, there lies motivation.  Between us receiving the vision and carrying it out there is an engagement of our "want to" to our "will to" once we've discovered the "why do".

The Need For Motivation | 12.27.12

After reading a friend of mine's Facebook status update on yesterday, I started thinking about the need for motivation from others.  In pondering the word "motivation," my mind interestingly enough gravitated towards the word "motive".  Quite intrigued by this, I began to wonder, "Why would I need someone else to provide me a motive for doing anything?"  As a born again believer in whom the Holy Spirit resides, I most certainly do not lack inspiration because my growing sensitivity to the Spirit and how He communicates frequently triggers ideas and visions.  And yes, I'm extremely grateful for this because I have come a long way in that regard.  But back to this motivation thing...  Why is motive such a difficult thing to generate for ourselves?

In Pursuit of Happiness - Part Eight | 08.20.12

Happiness is found in allowing GOD to be LORD of all in our lives.  When GOD is given permission to rule, it is then that He is indeed seen as LORD.  Webster's Dictionary primarily defines the verb "rule" as "to exert control, direction, or influence on."  Most times, we tend to consider "ruling" to ONLY be controlling; however, let's broaden our perspective and embrace a more comprehensive approach.  I believe the dictionary is on to something here worth exploring, so let's dig into this a bit further.

In evaluating this definition of "rule," we see three distinct forms of a single action.  Since GOD created mankind as being free will moral agents, it is not my belief that GOD controls us nor does He desire to do so.  However, I do believe that GOD CONTROLS the elements of our environment because He established the physical systems by which life on Earth operates.  Additionally, I believe that GOD DIRECTS our paths because the situations and circumstances we face are only those He allows.  Since everything about us was predestined before the foundations of the world, never do we face anything that is not purposed to move us closer to the will of GOD being fulfilled in our lives.  Lastly, because we are free will agents and must choose the way(s) we take, GOD INFLUENCES us to leverage the measure of faith He's already given us (according to Romans 12:3) to believe and take corresponding action.  GOD wants to reason with us.  It's His desire to influence our decision-making, not to force or buy our compliance with His will.  Our choosing to obey GOD must be a decision of the heart, not one of self-preservation.  Otherwise, the authenticity of our choice to fellowship with GOD is lost.

Pursue Peace | 04.24.12

In Psalm 34, there's a verse of scripture that admonishes us to pursue peace (Psalms 34:14).  It was during a recent Bible study session at church that the Holy Spirit imparted some valuable insight to me regarding this Kingdom concept.  Initially, when I heard the word "pursue," my thoughts went straight to "a chase."  However, the Holy Spirit guided my thoughts in a different direction to better grasp what the scripture was trying to say.  To pursue peace is to intently follow peace WHEREVER it goes.

During that night's session, we focused on "Excellence In Speech" as part of the teaching series "Pursuing the Spirit of Excellence."  As Pastor Erick pointed out, "Our words are simply thoughts released in audible form."  Whenever a thought is released in audible form, there is an intention for which it was released.  Therefore, the heart--and not just the mind--come under the scrutiny of the hearers  (as well as those who hear of our words secondhand).  When we release our thoughts and expose our hearts to human scrutiny, we are no longer at peace as the intentions of our words are analyzed because our concern then becomes:

• Was that THE BEST WAY to communicate my thoughts? 
• Will my intentions be misunderstood?
• Did I EVEN have to say that?
• What do they think about me NOW?
• Etc, etc, etc...

But it's not just what comes out of our mouths that rob us of our peace.  The words which we allow others to release into our hearing have the potential to create chaos, as well.  People can only say around us what we allow them to say, so we must be proactive.  We can not give people permission to turn us into a landfill for their evil thoughts.  When in a conversation with someone that turns into a backbiting session about another person who is absent from the conversation, something just happened: PEACE LEFT AND YOU NEED TO FOLLOW AFTER IT.  If you stay and allow that toxic conversation to enter your hearing, it's guaranteed to rob you of your inner peace because your mind has been poisoned to perceive the absentee person differently than before those evil thoughts were released as words into your hearing.  Therefore, it's time we grow up.  Be watchful.  Not so much of the enemy and his devices, but be watchful of peace.  Keep your eyes on peace because wherever peace goes, make it your intention to be right behind it.

The Peace of GOD Guards (Part 1 of 2) | 01.28.2012

At the request of my dear friend Necole, my blog today is a continuance of a status update I posted on Facebook on Wednesday (01/23/12):

"Elton Taylor believes that there's no need to be anxious when we've prayed and cast our cares upon the LORD.  It's when we don't pray and make our requests known to GOD that we feel like a bundle of nerves."

When I posted this, I was literally facing a situation that INSTANTLY turned me into a bundle of nerves at first.  The anxiety was highly uncomfortable and it quickly became clear that I had a choice to make.  I could either suffer in anticipation of what was about to happen, or be at peace despite whatever was lying ahead.  In fact, it's times like these that test who we are and what we're made of.  As far as Christianity goes, right here is where the rubber meets the road in the walk of faith.

Keep Plowing | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

During my private prayer time early Sunday morning, I received the following Word while in GOD's presence:

"Keep your hand to the plow--that is, remain faithful to and focused upon the ministry work to which you've been called.  No matter what you've done, how you've failed or even how inadequate you may feel, do the works of Him who has sent you.  For it is the work of ministry that breaks up the fallow ground of your heart because it requires sensitivity to both GOD and people."

There is so much about each of us that could very well discourage us from doing any ministry work.  However, GOD's concern is that we remain focused on what's important: continuing to follow His instructions in good faith that He will do what He promised.  Like the lepers who were healed as they went, many of us will experience manifested healing as we go on doing what GOD has called us to do.  We all have problems, faults and issues; so what else is new?  Furthermore, we all suffer from heart conditions that impair our ability to be sensitive to GOD and people; but GOD has given us ministry to help ourselves as well as others.

Consider how the soil of our hearts has become hardened and compacted by the weight of this world.  When it comes to doing the work of ministry, we need to experience the power of GOD AS WE MINISTER just as desperately as the people we minister to.  The proof that we simply can't get the job done in our own strength and know-how lies in the fact that we often times don't even feel like ministering when called upon.  However, submitting ourselves to the call of ministry releases GOD's anointing to get the job done.  And since getting the job done requires sensitivity to GOD and people, the power released for each ministry opportunity manifests a little more healing in the hearts of those who minister.

Soar and See | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

On Saturday, this thought came to me:

"Eagles soar higher in the air than any other bird, yet they can see from way up there everything happening on the ground.  We don't have to be on the ground to clearly see what's happening down there because GOD has already equipped us to see it all from above."

This blessed my soul because many times we find ourselves in situations and places which we ought not be.  We've been called to higher and loftier places, but there's still this appeal to remain connected with what's going on at the ground level.  Some of us have family members who keep us up at night worrying.  Others among us may be burdened with outstanding debts consuming our thoughts throughout our days.  There are even those who just can't seem to escape the seemingly magnetic pull of old habits and addictions.  All these things and more keep us from soaring.  They keep us connected to the ground, but GOD is calling us higher.  Our Father desires for us to view all that's happening on the ground from His perspective.

One of the greatest benefits in maintaining a lifestyle of worship is how remaining in GOD's presence keeps me in a place that's high above everything around me.  It doesn't matter what may be happening because remaining in the place of worship DETACHES my emotions from everything while simultaneously INFORMING my mind of all I need to know so my heart stays in check.  That's what the picture of the soaring eagle reminds me of.  Even though it soars such a great distance above the ground, the eagle's eyes are keenly aware of the smallest rodent scurrying on the ground and is sober-minded enough to know just when it's best to swoop downward.  When you've been designed to soar, life on the ground is dangerous.  So it's with great caution that we ought to handle that which is outside of the domain we've been created to thrive in.  Worry is not for us.  Addiction is not for us.  We've been made free; therefore, we need to stay in our place of freedom.

Success Is Yours | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

As I was reading through my journal this week, I ran across a couple of notes taken a while back from a message delivered by Dr. Myles Munroe on "Maximizing Change and Crisis": 

"Most barriers to success are man made, and we are the ones creating our barriers. Your response is more important than what's happening."

It's so much easier to look beyond ourselves for someone or something to blame for the lack of success we experience.  Being successful has nothing to do with our luck of the draw but everything to do with how we pursue success.  It's our everyday decisionmaking that determines how much success we experience.  What do you do with what you've been given?  How do you respond to the circumstances that you've been presented?  Successful individuals make it their business to maximize the resources they have instead of comparing their own to those of someone else. People who regularly experience success don't waste time complaining about what's happening to them because they're too busy trying to make things happen.

Work It Out | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

The working out of one's salvation is the process of aligning the soul (mind, will and emotions) with the rulership of Heaven.  It involves a choice to come under the influence of GOD; and in choosing to trust GOD as opposed to ourselves, we must also willingly die to our human (or fleshly) desires.  As we allow the Holy Spirit (who dwells in our spirit man) access to our thoughts, hearts and feelings, that's when we REALLY understand His role as the Governor.  The Holy Spirit is the governing influence of Heaven here in the Earth. When the Holy Spirit takes His place in our lives as the Governor, there will be contention between that which makes us human and that which makes us spiritual.  However, a life steeped in worship desires Heaven's power more than Earth's pleasures.  As a Christian, if worship is not a lifestyle, then that lack of consistent fellowship with GOD in the realm of the spirit fosters an atmosphere of intense inner struggle.

Ultimately, it's the desire of our reborn spirit man for better government that prompts our humanity (ie flesh) to relinquish its control of our minds, will and emotions to the Holy Spirit that we--as new creatures in Christ--can gain control of them.  Since that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit, then our new spiritual identity overrules the former and we are no longer obligated to yield ourselves to the governing influence of the flesh.  (Sidenote: Hence no Christian should use the excuse, "Well I'm just human," because YOU'RE NOT.)  If the desire for better government was strong enough to warrant us becoming citizens of GOD's country, then why despise His governing influence?

The Takeover (Part 2) | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

I ended the first installment of this series by suggesting that GOD is not interested in controlling us or our lives.  In our pre-reconciled state, we actually lived in a controlled state.  As a matter of fact, Jesus delivered us from a life of bondage, which is all we knew (Hebrews 2:15).  So why then would we think that GOD's plan involves us being delivered from one enslaved state to another?  It just doesn't add up.  GOD's plan of redemption was intended to set men free.  It was GOD's intention to restore man to the position he had in Eden, wherein he was given responsibility (ie "the ability to respond").  And man's GOD-given ability to respond isn't based upon human reasoning or emotionalism but rather learning the art of Heaven's diplomacy because it's not us who need to be overtaken, but the Earth.

We have been made in the image and likeness of GOD via the spiritual rebirth, and we are able to respond to situations just as GOD does because we have been given the name of Jesus the Christ.  It's by the power and authority of that name wherein we are able to transact business in the realm of the spirit and see manifestations of Heaven's power here in the Earth.  But the reason why we don't see this kind of power any more than we do is because GOD's people have not been taught to walk in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost.  More importantly, the average Christian suffers from a spiritual identity crisis.  People who have no clue WHO they are certainly can not be expected to know HOW TO BE who they are.  So what then do we see?  A bunch of confused people running around doing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in hope that they'll eventually stumble across SOMETHING that works.  Last time I checked, GOD isn't schizophrenic.  Yet we claim to be made in His image and likeness.  Something is TERRIBLY wrong with this picture, friends.

The Dominant Third | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

We are all works in progress.  However, as we progress towards being the finished works GOD desires, we become more acquainted with our troublesome spots.  And if we're willing to be honest with ourselves, we often times allow our dissatisfaction with these areas of our lives to overshadow how we see ourselves.  It's the guilt of our sin that perpetuates this struggle--an ongoing identity crisis (for some) that stifles the growth of even the most well-intending of Christians.  So let me encourage you, Kingdom citizen...YOU are not your ISSUE.

Everything about us that's contrary to GOD and the culture of His Kingdom is not really us.  We are spirit beings who have been given souls and live in bodies.  At our very core, we are spirit beings; and cemented therein is my identity and yours, as the redeemed of GOD.  When we accepted the free gift of salvation and eternal life, we were born again after the incorruptible seed of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 1:23).  And since everything produces after its own kind according to GOD's established order (Genesis 1:12, 21, 25), we are therefore spirit beings that are perfect even as our Father is simply because spirits birth spirits (John 3:5-7).  The aspects of us that disagree with GOD's ways are in no way a reflection of our spiritual nature.  These sore spots are characteristic of our humanity, our means of expression, and the anatomical faculties we've been given to make sense of the world around us (Romans 7:18).

Tearing Down The Statues | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

Ironically enough, this blog post started out as Facebook status update:

"Elton Taylor is thankful for the power to tear down every statue I've allowed the enemy to erect in the garden of my heart. «More Below»"  

But when the «More Below» became too much to post on FB, I thought it best to share this on my blog so I could really expound upon this thought like I so felt.  So here goes... Most times, statues symbolize victories.  They commemorate events and memorialize those responsible for the achievements gained.  In the Bible, we see how statues even became the objects of idolatrous worship, by which way GOD's people strayed away from what He stood for and consequently held in higher esteem that which the statues represented.

Although Satan is not GOD's equal on the opposite side, this truth doesn't stop him from trying to portray himself as such.  Even though the devil is ALREADY a defeated foe, thanks to Jesus' resurrection from the dead, WE ALLOW the evil one to be victorious over us when we don't enforce the victory that's already been secured for us.  Each victory we grant him is symbolized by a statue he erects in the gardens of our hearts as a reminder of the sinful things we've done, the ungodly behaviors that have been part of us most--if not all--of our lives, and the dominance the Kingdom of Darkness exerts over those areas of weakness.

I Am A Masterpiece (Part 2 of 2) | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

Note: This particular blog post is a continuation of "I Am A Masterpiece (Part 1)."

Via the new birth, believers are transitioned into the way of living from the inside out as opposed to living from the outside in as before.  The once dormant human spirit is quickened by the Holy Ghost, and this new creature emerges who must now learn how to live by the leading of his regenerated spirit man and no longer that of his flesh (or five senses).  You see, according to Ephesians 2:10, we are GOD's workmanship and we have been created to the intent that we be about doing good works.  This is only possible because GOD works in us to accomplish what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).  And in order to bring GOD pleasure, we must purge ourselves from the world's influence so the Master can easily make use of us and we can be prepared to do the works of Him who has both saved and sent us (2 Timothy 2:20-21, John 9:4).

As GOD's masterpiece, we must reflect the glory of His craftsmanship.  It doesn't matter how flawed or damaged we may have been when we came to Christ.  Now that we are reconciled to the Father, our spirit man ALREADY reflects the fullness of GOD's glory.  Our present goal, therefore, is to fully engage in the process of allowing that same glory to be made manifest in our souls (ie mind, will and emotions).  Our everyday thoughts, decisionmaking and feelings need to reflect the Master's craftsmanship because that's what PEOPLE encounter FIRST.  In other words, this glory cannot be reserved exclusively for church.  Other people experience our souls BEFORE they connect with our spirit man. Therefore, it's imperative that we maintain good works (Titus 3:8). While works don't save us, they ought to be the noticeable result of our salvation.

What Did You Say? | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

One thing I've noticed throughout my life as a born again believer is that the level of my spiritual maturity--at any given point--can be gauged by assessing how well I handle the tasks GOD places before me.  Whether it be something I read about in the Bible, heard in a sermonic message/teaching, or was prompted to do by the Holy Spirit, my reaction to the task or assignment is a great indicator of where I'm at spiritually.  The first thing I say is the best indicator because the first reaction is usually the most honest, as it pertains to my heart.

This past weekend, I ran across a photocopy of something I received years ago from a motivational email. I'd like to share it with you because words are powerful.  We casually say things without fully considering its meaning, yet the atmosphere doesn't consider our ignorance (willful or innocent).  As we speak, the atmosphere responds because that's the order of things.  Therefore, it's in our best interests as agents of atmospheric change to heighten our awareness of the words the proceed from our lips.  So here is the message:

Did is a word of achievement.
Won't is a word of rebellion.
Might is a word of mediocrity.
Can't is a word of defeat and fear.
Ought is a word of duty.
Try is a word of little faith.
Maybe is a word of procrastination.
Will is a word of courage.
Can is a word of power and self-determination.
Doing is a word of progress and fulfillment.
Done is a word of success.

It's that simple, friends. I challenge you to carefully examine your own usage of these words.  Think: "What kind of task is this word in response to?  Why do I feel the need to respond with that particular word?  How often do I use this word?"  Word usage may seem like a small, insiginificant thing; however, Bible says that the little foxes spoil the vines (Song of Solomon 2:15).  Our enemy is counting on us not to perceive such "small things" as threats to our well-being, but gone unchecked they will snatch the fruit of our labor before we ever see its full development.  Therefore, let's not allow our words to work AGAINST US when they've been designed to work FOR US.  Remember: "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21:23).

The Order of Righteousness (Part 2) | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

As a continuation of yesterday's blog post, I'd like to focus more on paranoia.  It can be best understood as the tendency toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.  In order to move from one state of mind, in which we FELT everything was coming AGAINST US, into another state of mind, in which we KNOW everything is working FOR US, we must be declared righteous and, as a result of that declaration, live righteously.  Therein lies our power to triumph in every area of our lives.

Of course, this then leads me to wonder about our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ who always seem to be "under attack."  When we seek first the Kingdom (the rulership) of GOD and His righteousness (His way of doing things), it pulls everything into alignment (Matthew 6:33).  If righteousness and righteous living together produce order, then our mindset should not perceive life's situations as coming against us but as them rather working for us.  In other words, GOD only allows righteous people to face situations purposed and sent for their benefit.  Otherwise, it simply would not come our way.  Any feelings of being "under attack" are merely the result of unrighteous choices.