The Secret Place

The Lord wants us to meet with Him in secret... Matthew 6:6! The invitation is given to every believer, every day, and is without limit. Jesus said,"if anyone is thirsty, let Him come to me and drink!"   Are you thirsty?   In the Secret Place we will know Him as our daily Bread and our living Water.  Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." He is the fountain of living Water, for us to come and drink of each day. The wells of salvation are found in Him... In His presence are springs of refreshing, peace, forgiveness, healing, wisdom and strength.  The waters of His presence will cleanse us of sin and fill us afresh with His love. He refreshes the weary. He satisfies the longings of our hearts.  Psalm 87:7 says "All my springs (of joy) are in You."  He alone is the living Water, and delights for us to come daily and drink freely as we worship, wait, pray, meditate on His Word. He will fill us so that this living water will spring up in us to water others.  Sometimes we feel exhausted, spent, depleted....and that is just an indication we need to choose to come to the Living Water! Apart from Him, we can do nothing, but as we drink of Him all things become possible and He will be to us a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

 

Come and drink freely, and allow the living waters of His presence to refresh you and overflow from you. This fountain never runs dry!

Lord, thank you that You are the Living Water.

Today we honor and appreciate all of our Veterans with much gratitude. We thank God for you and ask Him to bless you and lead you and overwhelm you with His goodness and love in Jesus Name.

 

The Secret Place

What if every day  we truly live in the reality of knowing Emmanuel, God with us. He is love and He wants to be with us! Remember He created us because He desired relationship with His family. He walked with Adam in the cool of the day, in relationship. We were separated from Him by sin, but in His love He  initiated His redemptive plan to reconcile us to Himself by sending His Son to become a human being.  His Name would be called Emmanuel God with us. This promise if for the entire world. Im so thankful He is with us and will never leave us or forsake us. The Light of the World came to earth to bring us out of darkness and into His light.. The Savior of the World came to rescue us from an eternal separation from God. The Prince of Peace came to dispel our fear and the turmoil of this earth. The King of Kings came as a precious baby who really was born in a stable and was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger or "feeding trough".   One of my favorite things is that manger.   The word is "feeding trough".  Jesus, the Word of God, laying in the feeding trough where the animals would typically come to eat each day.  He is the Bread of Life!  His Word is our daily food.  How we need to come to the feeding trough of the Word of God and find Him there each day. He is Emmanuel, God with us   and is now revealed through YOU and I.  Let's  encounter Him in a fresh new way in the Secret Place. He is Emmanuel, God with us, revealed in us, loving this world through us.  Thank you Lord!

 

The Secret Place

Spending time intentionally thanking and praising our King is the way to enter in to the Secret Place of His presence! A thankful heart pleases God. He delights in His children thanking Him and acknowledging Him with praise. A heart of thanksgiving will keep your faith airborne.  A heart of thanksgiving will keep your eyes on the Lord's faithfulness. Expressing our thanksgiving and praise to the Lord draws us near to Him. It keeps our mind renewed to the Truth of Who He is  and the surety of His promises. Thanksgiving is a powerful defensive and offensive weapon against our enemy. Oh Lord, thank You!!!!!!! Your goodness and faithfulness and love to us is overwhelming! You are worthy of all of our praise. Holy Spirit, teach us how to continually express our thanks and praise.

 

Psalm 100:4,5 "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him; bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations" 

 

Psalm 107:14 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good."

 

Psalm 105 " Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His Name.  Make known His deeds among the peoples, Sing to Him, sings praises to Him: Speak of all His wonders, Glory in His holy Name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad."

 

Psalm 95:1-3 " O Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.  Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms"

 

1 Chron 16:34 "Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good; His love endures forever."

 

Psalm 97:2 "Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His Holy Name."

 

Psalms 86:12 "I will give thanks to you Lord with all my heart."

 

Lifewords family, I give you a challenge for today and throughout the upcoming month. At five minutes until  the top of the hour, stop and thank and praise the Lord for five minutes, yielding all to Him and asking Him to fill you afresh with His love and presence.  If you are with someone at that time, invite them to join you in this time of thanks.  This will be lifechanging.  I am praying for you now and wishing you a very blessed season of Thanksgiving!!!!!! 

 

The Secret Place

It's just too good to be true but it is true!  That we can meet with the Lord, the Creator of the Universe,  the Lord of heaven and earth, the Author and the Finisher, our Redeemer, our King, the lover of our souls... in secret.  He says that we will find Him when we search for Him with our whole heart. In that secret place with Him, as we humble ourselves, worship Him, wait in Him, renew our minds with His Word, call upon Him in prayer.....He fills us.   He consumes. He transforms. He teaches us, leads us, guides us He becomes our All in All and teaches us how to live as a branch abiding in the vine. Thank you Lord! 

 

 I'm thinking about the ten virgins of Matthew 25 today.  Jesus said the Kingdom ofHeaven is like this, so we know it is a timeless truth for us today. Five wise. Five foolish. They all had lamps, waiting for the bridegroom's return, but the wise were prepared with oil for their lamps. When the bridegroom arrived, those who had prepared with reserves of oil to keep their lamps lit were recognized by the groom and went in with him for the

 wedding. The others were unprepared, scrambling to borrow oil or try to go buy some.  Their lamps went out. They tried to come late, but the groom replied with some of the saddest words in the Bible,  "I tell you the truth, I do not know you." And He shut the door on those poor unprepared ones. Following the parable, Jesus gives us the  admonition, "Therefore KEEP WATCH, because you do not know the day or the hour."Every time I read the account, in my mind I want those who had oil to please share with the ones who are without.  But here's the truth.  Every person has to get their own oil.  Everyone has to keep their own lamp burning. Every person is responsible to be ready and to cultivate their own relationship with the Lord. And the place where we do that is in the secret place of  His presence, in His Word, in worship, in prayer. In the Secret Place we will know Him, and He will know us. In the Secret Place we keep watch, and there is abundance of oil to keep our lamps lit for the day and for the journey and for the return of our Bridegroom. 

The Secret Place

I love what Daniel says to the King in Daniel 2:28......

"however, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries."  The Lord reveals mysteries  and secrets to those who will meet with Him in secret. One of the key mysteries of truly walking with the Lord and experiencing His presence is found in 1 Peter Chapter 5, where the Holy Spirit instructs us to clothe ourselves with humility, for God opposes (resists) the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Simple.  We humble ourselves, He gives His grace without measure!. In verse 6 is one of the most important habits we can cultivate in secret.  "Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.  Casting all your cares upon Him because HE cares for you."  In the secret place of prayer we choose to clothe ourselves with humility, knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing.  The Lord does not humble us, we humble ourselves. How powerful that we can get on our face, or our knees, or just simply lift our hands to the Lord in secret and yield completely to Him, repenting of sin, pride, selfishness, arrogance, fear. We can do it early. We can do it now. This is the safest place. Our praying and our life will be powerful in Him. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us the areas of our lives that must be brought into the light of the cross, He gives His grace without measure. He forgives us. He cleanses us. He fills us. He pours out His grace. He exalts us in Him.  Self affirmation is empty.  Self dependence is foolish. Self deception is likely, apart from Him.  He will exalt us above the circumstances of life. "Lord, teach us how to clothe ourselves in humility. Show us how to completely humble ourselves, yield to you, rely on you, trust in you, live in You. Lord, I humble myself now, knowing that apart from You I can do nothing, but with you all things are possible. In Jesus' Name. Amen"

The Secret Place

You are the Lord's beloved one, and He delights to meet with you in secret! He loves for you to abide in Him, and  allow His Word  to abide in you. Did you know that you can know Truth today? Jesus said, "You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free." (Jn 8:32) He is Truth! His Word is Truth.  He also said that "when He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all Truth; He will not speak on His own initiative but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will show you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine, and disclose it to you." (Jn 16:13) The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World, He who walks in Me shall not walk in darkness but have the Light of Life." (Jn 8:12) As we spend time with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in secret, we will learn to discern deception and understand God's Truth. He will open the eyes of our natural and spiritual understanding.  He will replace darkness with light, confusion with clarity, ignorance with understanding.  Fear will be engulfed by faith in the Living Promises of God and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, Helper and Comforter.  He is the Spirit of Truth. Honor Him and you will be amazed, for in His light you will see light. There are many voices clamoring for your attention every day. When you spend time with the Lord, at His table, in secret, you will be able to hear His voice above the rest. Thank you precious Holy Spirit.  

The Secret Place

As we follow Jesus' earthly example of meeting with the Father in secret prayer, the Holy Spirit is our intimate Teacher Helper.   Aren't you glad that Jesus came to this world, born as a man, lived a sinless life completely yielded to the Holy Spirit and the will of the Father and demonstrated  to us the love and kingdom of God?   Lord thank You that You paid for our sin by Your substitutionary  death on the cross, redeemed us from death and hell by Your precious blood, rose from the dead to guarantee us eternal life,  and   have brought us back into relationship with the Father!  

 

Our Jesus has made us alive in Him,  and He has brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light! He has reconciled us back to a place of God's sons and daughters! We have been redeemed from the curse! We have access to His presence, no longer separated! We have the assurance of eternal life with Him!  Then, having finished all, before He left this earth to go back to the Father, He gave us instructions to  love our God, love others, be One and preach this Good News to all the Earth. He promised that when He left He would send Another, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, to be with us and live in us forever.  And He did!  Thank you Lord! This was the end game of the Father. He wanted a dwelling place not made with human hands but our very hearts and lives. So Jesus went back to heaven and the Holy Spirit came to this earth to live in us and through us, and prepare  us to be His glorious Church, His Bride.  Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is living in you and me. Jesus is the Head and we are His Body.  

 

Jesus spoke much of the Holy Spirit and He said that the Holy Spirit will fill you,teach you, guide you,reveal truth to you, comfort you,empower you, transform you and demonstrate the Word of God in and through your life. He will give you power over sin and power to be a witness to fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray. He  illuminates God's Word. He helps us live a holy life, pleasing to God. He causes us to succeed, as we rely on Him through our weakness. He will cause His fruit to be demonstrated in our life.  You will know Him in the Secret Place, and He will show you how to abide in Him, be familiar with His voice and live every day for His glory.

 

The Secret Place

In the secret place Jesus speaks of in Matthew 6:6, we will begin to know the Holy Spirit intimately and He will teach us all we must know about this life of faith we are called to. These days we are living in require great faith, great courage, great humility and reliance upon the Holy Spirit.  We are called to live a champion life, with eternal fruit, for the glory of our King.  In the Secret Place, our Champion Jesus will show us how.  This morning I'm thinking of the heroes of the faith listed in Hebrews 11 who received the power to do the impossible, keeping their eyes fixed on eternity. These have set a course for us to follow.

By faith they overthrew kingdoms; ruled with justice;  received what God had promised them; shut mouths of lions; quenched the flames of fire; escaped death by the edge of the sword;  became strong in battle; and put whole armies to flight. This is our job description today!They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection, many were tortured, some never reached what they were believing for.

 

All these earned a good reputation because of their faith. Their faith pleased God. They ran well and have left a legacy for us to follow into eternity. This kind of faith can only be cultivated in the Secret Place.  Their example urges us to strip off every weight now that slows us down, and run with endurance the race set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, our Champion who is the Initiator and Perfecter of our faith.  Don't allow weariness or distractions or fear or discouragement or lies to hinder you today, get to that secret place of prayer and His Word and He will meet you and ignite your faith to  continue running well for His glory!

The Secret Place

As we make time to meet with the Lord in prayer and in His Word each day, He promises to instruct us in His will, guide us on His path and direct our steps. The Holy Spirit will meet with us  in that secret place with the Father and Jesus! In Psalm 16, David speaks of setting the Lord continually before him, taking refuge in the Lord.  "You will make known to me the path of life. 

 In Your presence is fullness of Joy....... The secret of the Lord is for those who worship Him He will make then know His covenant." 

 

In the Secret Place we will discover God's will. "He will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go. He will counsel us with His eye upon us." Jesus spent much time alone with the Father, receiving from Him all that which was necessary for the day. When He told the disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," He was telling them that each day would require a fresh supply from the Father, of grace, wisdom, strength and direction.  He will strengthen us and give us all we need for the day.  He is our All in All.  He is the Light of the world and in Him is no darkness.

  

The Secret Place

As we come into our "secret place" with the Lord, we can be sure that He is near to all who call upon Him, who call upon Him in Truth.  As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. The Lord is drawing the hearts of His people to pray with a new fervor and commitment, and learn to pray well. He invites us to pray to Him in secret and promises manifested rewards. We will discover Him as our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in time of need. We will know Him as we pray. Psalm 9:9-10 says that "those who know you will put their trust in You. For you oh Lord have not forsaken those who seek You." As we seek Him in the secret place we will find Him.

 

As we yield to His Word, we will be transformed.  We may come into the secret place weighed down by sin, but we can receive forgiveness, cleansing and freedom!  In the Secret Place an amazing exchange occurs....... Our  weakness, swallowed by His strength. Our anxiety and fear exchanged for His joy. Don't be anxious about anything, pray about everything, with much thanksgiving!. As we renew our minds to the truth of His Word, our perspective becomes clear instead  of foggy. In His presence is fullness of joy. As we wait upon Him, He is our All in All, the All Sufficient One who loves us with an everlasting love. In the secret place the Holy Spirit is our personal Teacher in prayer. 

 

Prayer is the pipeline that brings God's will to this earth and in the secret place He will teach us to pray His very will into existence All the angels are on alert waiting for the prayers of the saints so that the Father can give them their assignments to fulfill His purposes. .  You can be sure He is attentive to your cry, He hears when you call. M66 Matthew 6:6. 

 

The Secret Place

"O my Strength, I will watch for you, 

for you O God are my fortress.  

My God in His steadfast love will meet me;  

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies." Ps 59:10

 

 When David wrote this, he was on the run for his life, hiding in caves, trusting no one.  Saul had sent skilled assassins to kill him.  But, instead of being overwhelmed by the circumstance, David turns His heart to His covenant God. He cries out Oh My Strength, I will watch for YOU! He is not focusing on the enemy, or His fears, but watching for His faithful God, His Fortress! Probably mentally and physically weary, I love His unwavering resolve.  Let this be our prayer today!  Our Lord, Who is Strength,  wants us to abide in Him and allow His Word to abide in us.  He lives in us, He is with us! Today, in the secret place of prayer, the Lord Himself is our Strength. Call upon Him in secret, for He is our fortress of safety, our Refuge, our very present Help in time of need.  Then David declares with complete certainty, "My God, in His steadfast love, WILL MEET ME". Why such certainty? Because  David remembers God's faithfulness in  meeting him every day up to that day. Today let's remember the faithfulness of our Lord, who loves us, never leaves us and dwells inside us. He will meet us and He will triumph over our enemies by the power of His Word! 

The Secret Place

"In the day I called,  You answered, and strengthened me with strength in my soul." Psalm 138:8  In the secret place of prayer are springs of refreshing, strength and victory.

One of the first things the Lord taught His disciples about the Kingdom is that God is not only our King but He is our Father.   We know that we are to learn to live in continual abiding prayer relationship with the Lord, and how wonderful that is! And Jesus emphasizes that we must have a secret place, a special time of meeting with the Father if we are to live the life of the branch abiding in the vine..  In that private place, shut out from people, shut out from the clamor and business of our life, shut in with the Father, Jesus will teach us how to pray. That spot may be anywhere, it may change from day to day, but find a  consistent place for quiet time in the Master's presence.

 

Jesus said to pray this way...."Our FATHER, Who is in Heaven..."  He also said, "But you, when you pray, go into your room and close the door, and pray to your Father Who is in secret. And the Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly." Matthew 6:6. He mentions the Father four times in these few verses regarding prayer. In the secret place is where we begin to know our Father intimately. Our amazing Father of love, who is in secret, wants to meet with us! He sees us, He will reveal His love, His attributes, His nature to those who will seek Him.  He will teach us to TRUST HIM with childlike faith and expectation. He will strengthen us.

 

The secret place is our school of prayer and Jesus is our Teacher. He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."Ask, and you shall receive.  Seek and you will find.  Knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

 

The Secret Place

Good morning! You are so loved by God.  As you spend time in His Word, He will speak to you concerning His love for you, His plan for your life and the reality of His presence. The Holy Spirit is in you to teach You and guide you and Help you.  

I'm so thankful that today we can pray like David in Psalm 61. "Hear my cry. O God; Give heed to my prayer, From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.  For you are my Refuge, A tower of strength against the enemy, Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings."  Sometimes we feel far from the Lord, as far as to the end of the earth!

 

Our heart grows faint and we feel so overwhelmed, so inadequate. But it is at this time that He leads us to Himself, to the secret place where we can take refuge in Him. He beckons us to come spend time in the private place and cry to Him, call to Him for help and pray. 

 

Make time to spend with the Lover of your soul in the secret place of His presence as you begin your day. Then you can continue to abide in Him, in continual fellowship and prayer throughout your day.  Draw near, and He will draw near.   He is our Refuge and our Dwelling Place. He will teach us how to pray in the secret place of His presence . Thank you Lord!  We love You and we worship You! 

The Secret Place

The Lord will illuminate His Word to us as we meet with Him in secret. It's so exciting that He wants to fellowship with us daily in the pages of the Bible. We experience Jesus through His living Word. He is the Light of the World, and as we follow Him in His Word we live in His light. He is Wisdom and will impart wisdom, through the Word, beyond our experience and natural understanding.

 

He is the Bread of Life. The Word is our daily bread. He is the Living Water. His Word  will refresh, strengthen and revive. You will discover Him day after day in His Word. You will know HIM, your Redeemer, Healer, Strength, Author and Finisher, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind to the Word of God, and you will know His will! 

 

As you meditate in His Word day and night, (Psalm 1), you will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, your leaf will not wither, you will produce much fruit for His glory and you will prosper in all.  Our effectiveness in prayer will be determined by our time reading, meditating on, applying, obeying and being transformed by God's Word.  Faith, the foundation of prayer, comes by hearing the Word.  In the Secret Place of His presence, the Holy Spirit  will teach us the Word and how to pray!   

The Secret Place

 Jesus said,

"When you pray

Go into your room (closet, private place)

And close the door

And pray to your Father, Who is in Secret.

And the Father, Who sees in secret,

Will reward you openly." Matthew 6:6...

 

What an amazing invitation and command given to all who are His children. Think about it, we are invited to close the door to all of the activities of life, every other voice, and meet with our heavenly Father in secret.  He hears us. He sees us. He rewards us. Jesus compels us to come.   In Matthew 11:28,  He says

" Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." In Psalm 23, we see that He "prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies." We must choose to come and sit at the table, the table of His presence. We are to come as we are, to receive everything we need, and to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.  

 

In the secret place, He teaches us how to pray. He saturates us with His love. He forgives and cleanses sin and clothes us in His righteousness. He makes all things new. He gives wisdom for the days ahead. He strengthens us in the journey. In the secret place, we can enter into His rest and receive His peace. He replaces sorrow for His joy, we exchange our fear for faith in His unchanging living Word.  He equips us with the  armour  needed for the raging battle. We can "come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in time of need." We decrease. He increases. He transforms us and builds us and rearranges things. He gives us His heart for people and regions and nations. He unites us to His purposes, renews our mind to Truth.  In that place we can be still and listen. We can worship and adore and love our King. Come daily, come often, Come early. Close the door and experience true relationship with the living God. In the Secret Place we encounter the Lord, our All in All. And, as we make it our pattern to  come, He will teach us how to pray.