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by WADE TAYLOR
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A Guide to
Spiritual Growth from the Song of Solomon for those of you who have a
Burning Hunger to know the Lord.
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=========================
Note from Steve Shultz: In an
unusual way, we are posting a chapter from Wade Taylor's book, "The
Secret of the Stairs" which is based on a prophetic experience
by Wade Taylor and on the "Song of Solomon"
=========================
"DISTINCTIONS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE"... a chapter from the book,
"The
Secret of the Stairs"
by Wade E Taylor
http://www.wadetaylor.net/
Keeping our
spirit "Poised"
βThere are threescore queens β¦ My dove, My
undefiled is but one.β Song of
Solomon 6:8a, 9a.
The certainty that all
Christians experience the βabiding presenceβ of the Holy Spirit is
absolute. Apart from receiving Jesus as our personal Savior, there are no
conditions to meet. For all who are redeemed, the indwelling presence of
the Holy Spirit is a reality that can be depended upon. The Holy Spirit
is always faithful in His ministry of maintaining our redemption, and of
making Jesus known to us, and personally real within us.
However, our
experiencing the βmanifest presenceβ of Jesus is conditional. To
have the ability to recognize His βmanifested presenceβ when He
comes to knock on the door of our spirit, and the capability to rightly
respond when He does, is dependent upon the development of our βspiritual
sensitivityβ and the βset of our spirit.β
This means that we must
prayerfully keep our spirit βpoisedβ toward Him, so we will be able
to recognize His presence, when He comes and makes known His desire to
fellowship with us.
As our love for Jesus
grows, we will find ourselves expectantly looking forward to these
visitations of His manifest presence. This requires our learning how to
open the βdoor of entranceβ into our spirit, when the Lord comes to
visit with us.
Developing Our Spiritual Senses
In our new birth, we are
spiritually reborn and become a βnew creation.β
βTherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new. And all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ.β II Corinthians 5:17-18a.
Our newly created
spiritual senses must be progressively developed, just as our natural
senses gradually matured, as we grew.
βThere is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body.β
I Corinthians 15:44b.
It is through these
inner spiritual senses that we perceive, or recognize the manifest
presence of the Lord.
βBehold, I stand at the door, and knock ...β
Revelation 3:20a.
The "Room" of Our Spiritual Being
This βdoorβ is
the βentranceβ into our spirit. Those who truly desire the Lordβs
friendship will quickly respond to the manifestation of the βfactβ
of His presence (knocking), and invite Him to come within the βroomβ
of their spiritual being. This room (chamber) is the area within
our inner being where we commune with the Lord. It is a βset apartβ
place where He is alone with us (our chamber), and where we are
alone with Him (His chambers). As we expectantly invite the Lord
to come within βour chamberβ to sup with us, He will guide us to
the stairs that lead upward to βHis chambersβ where we sup with
Him. Here, we partake of His life and become one with Him.
βThat I may cause those that love Me to
inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.β
Proverbs 8:21.
Now, we are ready to go
into the vineyards, with Him.
The Choice to Open the Door
The Heavenly Bridegroom
attempted to visit His Bride at a time that was inconvenient for her,
therefore she failed to respond. Disappointed, He departed because of her
reluctance to open βthe door of her chamberβ to fellowship with
Him. But, all was not lost. Instead, He allowed her to recognize the
essential difference that exists between the βgifts and blessings,β
which He willingly left behind for her to find, and the tremendous value
of His βmanifest presence.β Jesus longs for us to desire to know
Him as a person, rather than to only know Him for what He provides.
During the time in which
the Bride lived, the latch on the door of entrance into her home was
located on the inside of the door. It could only be unlatched by reaching
through a small hole in the door and unlocking it from within. This
provided a limited means of privacy, security, and protection.
The Lord so intensely
desired to be with His Bride that He reached through this opening in the
door toward the latch, but He did not open it. The βdoor of entranceβ
to our spiritual chamber is always within our control, and may only be
opened by us. This action by the Lord of reaching toward the Bride deeply
stirred her. Later, she testified concerning this,
βMy Beloved put in His hand by the hole of
the door, and my bowels (the
inner depths of her being) were moved for Him.β
Song of Solomon 5:4.
The Consequences of Delay
The Lord will never
invade or violate our privacy. We must open the door; He never will.
This principle is established in Scripture. He will knock, and then stand
there, waiting for us to open the door. But, He will leave if we do not
do so.
βIf any man hear My voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him.β
Revelation 3:20b.
When she noticed His
hand reaching toward the latch, as an expression of His desire to be with
her, she (finally) responded and opened the door to Him.
βI rose up to open to my Beloved; and my
hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon
the handles of the lock. I opened to my Beloved; but my Beloved had
withdrawn Himself, and was gone: my soul failed when He spoke: I sought
Him, but I could not find Him; I called Him, but He gave me no answer.β
Song of Solomon 5:5‑6.
When she opened the
door, He was no longer there. Because of the delay in her response, He
had reluctantly withdrawn His βmanifest presenceβ from the door of
entrance into her chamber. However, the anointing, or the result of His
presence, had remained upon the lock. When she touched the lock, this
tangible anointing came onto her hands, ββ¦ my hands dropped with myrrh,
and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh.β When He departed, He left
for her a βhandfulβ of the blessings. Previously, she would have
been content to have these blessings, apart from Him, but now, she
panicked and longed for the personal presence of the Bridegroom Himself.
Omni-Presence vs. Manifest Presence
Many are not able to
differentiate between these two aspects of His presence.
First, there is His βomni-presence,β
which fills heaven and earth, and relates to our salvation and to its
outworking within our lives. This speaks of the unconditional, βabiding
presenceβ of the Holy Spirit within us.
Second, there is the
coming of the Lord to us as a Person, having intellect, will, and
emotions. The Lord is eager to come within our chamber, to personally βshare
Himself with usβ in fellowship, and then lead us upward into His
chambers, where βwe share with Himβ in the outworking of His
purposes. This speaks of a βconditionalβ visitation from the Lord
to us, and is referred to as His βmanifest presence.β
The first aspect of His
presence is general, and relates to His redemptive grace.
βDo not I fill heaven and earth? says the
Lord.β Jeremiah 23:24b.
The second aspect of His
presence is specific, and relates to His person.
βHe stands behind our wall, He looks forth
at the windows, showing Himself through the lattice.β
Song of Solomon 2:9b.
Jesus expresses the
conditions that allow Him to personally manifest Himself to us in the
Gospel of John.
βHe that has My commandments, and keeps
them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of My
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.β
βJudas says to Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how
is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world? Jesus
answered and said to him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My
Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with
him.β John 14:21-23.
An Important "step" for the Bride
The experience of her
failure in responding to the attempted visit of the Bridegroom became a
very important βstepβ for the Bride, in learning the βsecretβ
(a prompt response to His desire to be with her) that will lead her
to the place of ascent into His chambers. She missed her opportunity to
respond to the manifest presence of the Lord, this time. But she learned
through her disobedience, that she urgently needed to develop an inner
spiritual sensitivity, so she could hear His knocking upon the βdoorβ
of her chamber. She also learned the importance of quickly responding to
His approaches, regardless of her present circumstances.
βI love them that love Me; and those that
seek Me early (without delay)
shall find Me.β Proverbs 8:17.
Previously, the Bride
had picturesquely described a characteristic of the Bridegroom - His
hesitation in revealing Himself, because of His sensitivity to being
rejected. She had said,
βMy Beloved is like a roe or a young hart.β
Song of Solomon 2:9a.
She recognized that His
manifest presence was delicate, and could be easily grieved. Thus, she
should have known that He would leave when she delayed in responding to
Him.
We can learn from her
mistake, so we do not become the cause of another disappointment to the
Lord. We must be diligent in seeking to become more perceptive, enabling
us to rightly discern His presence. We need to be attentive in βlisteningβ
for His knock, and to promptly turn aside from whatever we may be doing,
when He comes to reveal Himself to us. Then, in anticipation, we can
invite Him to come within the βchamberβ of our inner being.
A Second Mistake
After her failure to
respond promptly to His visitation, the Bride made a second mistake.
Instead of asking for His forgiveness, and then waiting for Him to again
come, she departed and returned to her old ways, seeking out others for
advice, concerning the loss of His presence.
βThe watchmen that went about the city found
me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my
veil from me.β Song of Solomon
5:7.
Again, the ministry
turned on her because of her disobedience. They did not understand the βinner
workingsβ that were taking place at this particular time, to bring
about the changes that would enable her to become more responsive to the
Lord.
βFor we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should
walk in them.β Ephesians 2:10.
The Lord's Inner Working
Unseen to these
watchmen, the Lord was diligently at work, deep within her being. He was
enlarging within her the desire, and the capacity, to maintain an attitude
of βexpectancyβ concerning His visits to her. Along with this, He
was creating within her the ability to better respond and move with Him in
the outworking of His purposes, when He came to her in His manifest
presence. These watchmen could only see the surface problem, which was
not the true, inner need that was disturbing her. Therefore, they made
her condition worse. There are times when the Lord alone can help us
through difficult circumstances.
The Lord left her in
this condition for awhile. This time, her visit to these watchmen had a
different outcome. Her heart had been captivated by the Lord and she was
earnestly searching for Him, rather than frantically seeking for His
blessings, as in the past. Therefore, she recognized that the Lord was
allowing her to be βchastenedβ through the ministry, that she might
be inwardly changed.
βFor
whom the Lord loves He chastens.β
Hebrews 12:6a.
Because she now
understood that the Lord works βall things together for good,β she
was able to maintain a good attitude toward these watchmen. We too should
be careful about giving expression to our feelings, concerning difficult
situations in which we find ourselves, especially when we know that others
may not understand. If we do express our need irregardless, our spirit
may be damaged and our spiritual perception decreased. It is exceedingly
important that we discipline ourselves in order to maintain the
sensitivity of our spirit to His presence.
Two Different Types of Christians
After this experience
with the watchmen, she turned to those who should have been seeking Him
with her, and said to them,
βI charge you, O Daughters of Jerusalem, if
you find my Beloved, that you tell Him, that I am sick of love.β
Song of Solomon 5:8.
There are two different
categories of Christians within the Church. This is clearly demonstrated
in the Song of Solomon.
βMy dove, My undefiled is but one; she is
the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bore her.
The Daughters saw her, and blessed her.β
Song of Solomon 6:9‑10a.
The first is the βBride,β
who can be identified as being βThe Church within the Church.β
This βhidden Church withinβ (Bride), first relates to the
Lord, and then through Him, to others. The βvisible Churchβ (Daughters
of Jerusalem), first relates to others within the church, and through
them, to the Lord.
Capturing His Singular Attention
The Bride has captured
the singular attention and interest of the Bridegroom and said to Him,
βTell me, O You Whom my soul loves, where
You feed, where You make Your flock to rest at noon: for why should I be
as one that turns aside by the flocks of Your companions?β
Song of Solomon 1:7.
She is no longer content
with simply enjoying all the blessings of salvation, or with just having a
part in the program of the Church. She is reaching beyond this to the
Lord Himself, and will only be satisfied with a personal relationship with
Him.
The second group, the βDaughters
of Jerusalem,β are saved and have some understanding of the things of
God. They attend Church and become involved, but they are satisfied with
being saved, healed, and blessed. These say to the Bride,
βWhat is your Beloved more than another
beloved,β Song of Solomon 5:9a.
They are saying, βWe
have gone as far as we are willing to go, we will stay here. Besides, we
do not see why we should go through all those βdealings,β like you
do.β
No Longer Satisfied without His
Manifest Presence
The Bride was seeking
the Lord because He had withdrawn His βmanifest presenceβ from
her. She could no longer be satisfied with the Church program, and only
fellowship with those within the Church, as the Daughters of Jerusalem
were doing. Therefore, as she desperately searched for the Lord of the
program, she spoke to the βChurch visibleβ - portrayed here as βThe
Daughters of Jerusalem,β and said,
βI
charge you, O Daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my Beloved, that you
tell Him, that I am sick of love.β
Song of Solomon 5:8.
The Daughters of
Jerusalem (Church visible) answered her and said,
βWhat is your Beloved more than another
beloved, O you fairest among women? What is your Beloved more than another
beloved, that you do so charge us?β
Song of Solomon 5:9.
They only saw the
benefits of being a Christian. To them, going to Church represented an
obligation, or duty fulfilled. Also, it provided them with a time for
social fellowship and activities. The thought of entering His chambers
for fellowship and communion with the Lord Himself was far from their
minds, or interest. They could only say to the Bride,
βWhat is He more than a
good job, a nice home, or security? What is He more than all of the good
things we have? We are satisfied and content. We are the Daughters of
Jerusalem (saved), and it is enough. Do not bother us with your
seeking of the Lord, you are trying to be too spiritual.β
They were as those in
the Laodicean Church, of whom the Lord said,
βBecause
you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;
and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked.β Revelation 3:17.
The Bride's Heart Change
But something had
happened within the heart of the Bride. She had been in the garden alone
with Jesus, and experienced the joy and the satisfaction of communion with
Him. Now, she longed for the continuing experience of His personal
presence and friendship. She felt incomplete when she was apart from
Him. When the Daughters of Jerusalem said to her, βWhat is He more
than another,β she did not tell them about all the blessings she had
received from Him. Rather, she began to extol the Bridegroom Himself.
βMy Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest
among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, His locks are
bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the
rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed
of spices, as sweet flowers: His lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling
myrrh. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: His belly is as
bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble,
set upon sockets of fine gold: His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent
as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely.β
βThis is my Beloved, and this is my Friend,
O Daughters of Jerusalem.β Song
of Solomon 5:10‑16.
The Daughters' Heart Change
She had been spending
time alone with her Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ, and was able to give
an intimate description of Him. She could clearly describe His Person
because she had a single eye towards Him. She knew Him as an intimate
Friend, and could give clear, authoritative expression to His beauty and
to His desirability.
The Daughters of
Jerusalem had said,
βWhat is your Beloved more than another
beloved, that you do so charge us?β
Song of Solomon 5:9b.
Due to her personal
knowledge and relationship with Him, the Bride, with heart authority,
exalted the Lord Jesus, and set Him forth as the answer to the inner cry
of every heart. This brought a response from the Daughters of Jerusalem,
which is so needed in our day of special gimmicks and programs that are
being used to build up the Church.
βWhere
is your Beloved gone, O you fairest among women? where is your Beloved
turned aside? that we may seek Him with you?β
Song of Solomon 6:1.
Their spirit had been
stirred by the testimony that flowed out as a river from the inner depths
of the Bride, as she gave expression to her love for Him. She set forth
the Lord Himself in evident view for the Daughters of Jerusalem to
behold. In Acts 1:8 the Lord said, βBut you shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me
...β We ourselves are this witness. Only as we become so close to Him
that we can express our love personally βto Him,β will His beauty
then be reflected through us, for others to behold.
The Value of Time Spent with Him
The enemy of our
spiritual life continually seeks to turn us aside from this, and will try
to tell us: βIt is selfish to endeavor to become spiritual, or to spend
time waiting on the Lord. Rather, go out and do something for somebody
else. Get so busy working for the Lord that you have no time to prepare
yourself to work with Him.β
The enemy knows the
power that can flow through the life of the one who has been alone with
the Lord, in His chambers. He knows the heart cry of those who will
eagerly respond β after they βwitnessβ the beauty of Jesus being
expressed through the life of His Bride.
βWhere is your Beloved gone β¦ that we may
seek Him with you.β Song of
Solomon 6:1.
We must purposely set
apart time to wait upon the Lord. As we do, we will fall so completely in
love with Jesus and become so like Him, that it will be He that is seen,
rather than us. Then, wherever we go, His presence that abides with us
will penetrate through every hindering bondage and fear, in those who are
witnessing the result of His life in our life. This will bring others to
a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
βFor many are called, but few are chosen.β
Matthew 22:14.
The βmanyβ refers
to the Daughters of Jerusalem. The βfewβ refers to the Bride.
Another way to say this is: The Daughters of Jerusalem are called, but a
Bride is being chosen from among them, because she has become willing to
come apart and seek Him.
βThere are threescore queens ... My dove, My
undefiled is but one.β Song of
Solomon 6:8a-9a.
Here again, two
different categories are expressed. The called, and the chosen. The βcalledβ
includes all Christians. The βchosenβ refers to those who have
pressed on to know the Lord Himself. These chosen ones have discovered βThe
Secret of the Stairs,β and have begun their upward climb into His
chambers, to be with Him.
Do you want to be His Bride?
The Lord is calling a
Bride out from among those who are still saying, βI have gone to bed,
how shall I get up?β These Daughters of Jerusalem know the voice of
the Lord to a degree, but they are not committed. They have a limited
involvement in the Church and are willing to only go so far. They draw a
line, and refuse to go further. They say, βI will not become one of
those fanatics.β They know there is a price to pay in order to enter
His chambers, and they are not willing to pay it.
βThe Daughters saw her, and blessed her.β
Song of Solomon 6:9b.
They realize that the
Bride has something they do not have. They have enough spiritual capacity
to recognize the Bride, and enough spiritual sense to know they should
bless her. They can only see the Lord through the description that the
Bride willingly shares with them when she, with a glow within her being,
says to them, βThis is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O Daughters
of Jerusalemβ (Song of Solomon 5:16b).
How much better it is to
arise from our bed of indifference to respond to His knocking on the door
of our heart, and then allow Him to guide us upward on the stairs into His
chambers, that we might come to intimately know Him; and then, in the
manifestation of His presence, share together with Him in the outworking
of His purposes.
Now, He can say to us:
βCome, My beloved, let us go forth into the
field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards;
let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the
pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you My loves.β
Song of Solomon 7:11‑12.
And now, we as His
Bride, can respond, knowing we have found that for which we had been
searching, our Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.
... a chapter from the
book,
"The
Secret of the Stairs"
by Wade E Taylor
http://www.wadetaylor.net/
This book,
"The
Secret of the Stairs", is available by clicking on the
Elijah List store at;
http://theelijahlist.safeshopper.com/391/cat391.htm#BK-WT001
