He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
This week I would like to address the Secret Place mentioned in the Bible several times. It is synonymous with Shelter of the Most High, the Shelter of His Wings, the Hiding Place, the Place of Refuge, the Strong Tower etc. It is where we meet God alone. We hear Psalm 91 quoted often, but to receive all the promises of Psalm 91 you must learn to dwell in the Secret Place and then you will abide in the Shadow of the Almighty. In the Secret Place there is only room for Him and you. No one else is allowed there. He wants to be only with you, and you must desire only Him. It is private as the place of consummation between a groom and his bride is. It is a place of deep intimacy with the Triune: God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. It is the closest we can get to heaven in these earthly bodies. Even though the invitation is extended to all mankind as is salvation, only few go there. It is a choice we must make individually. Our Father desires you to allow Him into the depths of your being. He wants to reveal His love for you there, but you must seek Him with all your heart and He will let Himself be found. Jeremiah 29:13 proclaims:
"And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart"
Have you ever sought for the Lord with all your heart? If not, you are missing out on the greatest privilege in your life. There you will freely receive a love like no other. You never leave the same as you came. We experience a love we are all thirsty and hungering for, but can only be found in Jesus. God is love and love is God. He personified that love through His Son, Jesus. He then sent the Holy Spirit that is able to come inside of you and reside in your spirit deep within your being. He is our teacher and leads us into all truth until the return of Christ.
It is Agape love! I can’t understand why we seek so many futile things and love from all kinds of sources rather than from the One who created us. Only He can totally fulfill all your needs completely. Only He can reveal the purpose you were created for. We all were created for Him, and by Him. (Colossians 1:15-20)
In Revelation He proclaims:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with Me."
What a beautiful invitation from the Son of God! He stands at the door of every heart. Do you hear the knocking this morning as you read this devotion? Do you hear His voice? Notice you must invite Him in. He will never force Himself on anyone. It is always your choice. He made His choice when He sent His Son to the cross so He could extend this invitation to all. If you allow Him in the depths of your being He will feed you the Bread of Life which is His Word. You must eat His Word. It feeds your spirit. We know if we do we will never hunger, and if we drink the living Water of Life we will never thirst. All our needs are met during these encounters, and we leave truly filled up with eternal life.
When we are invited to dine with others we enjoy great fellowship as we commune together. That is how it is with our Lord, but far superior to anything you can have with man. However when we leave the Secret Place we are full to over flowing in our spirits. Freely we have received, and now we desire to freely give what we have received. God’s love always turns outward. The Secret Place enables us to give the Bread of Life and Living Water to all who will receive. This is how we become bond slaves of Christ. We have the freedom to choose Him as Savior and we also must choose to make Him Lord of our lives. That is when we mature and live for others rather than ourselves as He did. Psalm 27:5 reads:
"For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the Secret Place of His tent. He will hide me; He will lift me upon a rock."
"Psalm 31:20 proclaims:
"You hide them in the Secret Place of Your Presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a Shelter from the strife of tongues.
Psalm 32:7-8 declares:
"You are my Hiding Place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you the way to go. I will counsel you with My eye upon you."
Psalm 17:6-8 exclaims:
"I have called upon You, for You will answer me. O God; incline Your ear to me. Hear my speech. Wondrously share Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge in You at Your right hand from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me in the Shadow of Your Wings."
Please take the time to look up all the scripture references and read the entire Psalms in His Presence in the Secret Place and He will feed these truths to you with revelation by the Spirit no one can take from you. David obviously knew how to get in the Secret Place. Thankfully he kept a journal! I encourage you to keep one also. It is the greatest thing you will leave your children and grandchildren.
He wants to give you eternal truths as He has all who have given us the Bible. The Bible is a compilation of what men have received inspired by God in the Secret Place during their lifetimes, especially Jesus while living on this earth. We read of a pattern He lived out. He would leave the crowds and the disciples to be alone in the Secret Places He created with His Father. Then He would be refilled with the Holy Spirit and go back to give all He had received. In John 17 we are allowed to be in the Secret Place as Jesus prayed His heart out in intercession for His disciples, which includes us, before going to the cross. He proclaims to the Father:
"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to me, and they have kept Your Word.
Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from you; for the Words which You have given Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You , and they believed that You sent Me."
Can people we know and our families say the same about our lives? If we haven’t learned to be in the Secret Place they cannot.
We cannot give what we have not received. We end up performing dead works and religious acts. We can never allow "ministry" to others to take the place of ministry to our God. He wants time with each of us to reveal His will on a daily basis for our lives. He wants to impart wisdom and guidance moment by moment if we can learn to abide in His Word and develop an awareness of the Holy Spirit always present in our lives. Read John 15 for Jesus’ teaching on "abiding." If you lack a hunger and thirst for the things of God, then pray for it. He tells us you have not, because you ask not.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew7:7-8
In His love.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
I so enjoy the beauty of an old barn. It represents a way of life I love and respect.
