lifewords "Secret Place" series, 14 of 30, fullness

As you passionately and intentionally pursue spending time with the Lord in the "secret place" of prayer and in His Word, Jesus will teach you how to pray and you will begin to understand more clearly why you can pray with great faith and confidence and joy in believing. In that place of meeting with Him, we will discover that He is our All in All! Because He lives in us and we live in Him, He is our sufficiency in all things and He is always more than enough.

In this hour it is crucial we understand who He has made us to be in Him and that He has given us all things because He lives in us. Did you ever truly think about this verse?

 

"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace" John 1:16

Oh if we could just understand the fullness of Christ that is already ours as believers! We are not trying to obtain this, we already possess it. I see so many believers striving to obtain what is already freely theirs in Christ. When you invited Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord,He not only forgave you but He made you a new creation in Christ. Then, He actually came to live in you. He lives in You. Thank You Lord! Let us thank Him every moment for this miracle! This is the mystery that once was hidden but now revealed.....Christ in Us the Hope of Glory. If you understand He lives in You, then you will surely understand He is your All in All and you are lacking nothing! It will change how you live life. You will discover this in the "secret place" of His presence. Love lives in you. Victory lives in you. Truth lives in You. The living God has chosen to abide in YOU and invites you to abide in Him. As an act of our will, daily, we yield to Him, we submit all to Him, we allow the daily infilling of His presence

 

One of the most important verses we must understand and walk in is in Galatians 2:20. It is the most accurate picture of being filled with His fullness."I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

 

When we receive Christ and He comes to live in us, we don't receive part of Him. He lives in us and becomes our life. He lives in us in His fullness. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has made us a new creation and now lives in us. We are lacking nothing! Now, to the degree we yield to Him and to His Word and renew our minds to the Truth of His living Word, and obey His Word is the degree this fullness will be manifested in our life. It is in the secret place of prayer and the Word that we understand that He is our All in All and because of what is already ours in Him, we can begin to pray with much faith! Our lives become a conduit of His love, life, truth and victory to this world. Of His fullness we have received, grace upon grace. Lord, help us to live in the reality of this Truth!

 

lifewords "Secret Place" series, 13 of 30

We have been talking about the instructions Jesus has given to us to Meet with the Father, in secret and pray to our Father, in secret (Matthew 6:6) It's so awesome to think the Father wants to meet with us! And He will hear us and He will answer us. Hebrews 4:16 says that we can "come to the Throne of Grace with confidence, to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." I love 1 John 5:14-5 that says we have assurance, we can be sure, that when we approach God and pray according to His will, He hears us. And because He hears us, we can know that we can receive His answers! It's so amazing!

 

I want to continue to encourage you to make a time and a place to meet with the Father in prayer, in worship, in hearing from Him as you read His Word. It is His will for you!

 

A also want to encourage you that you can abide in this "secret place" throughout your day. You can take moments to step away from the activities of your day and meet with the Lord in secret every hour! You can stop wherever you are, in all that you are doing and meet with the Father in prayer and worship. This is having a "pray without ceasing" lifestyle. Jesus says in John 15 that the Father wants us to learn to live our lives as a branch abiding in the Vine , in continual fellowship with Him. He says that if we "abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, we can ask whatever we will and it shall be done."

 

I love Psalm 91:1, "He that dwells (remains in) the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." He is our Refuge and our Fortress, a very present Help throughout every moment. The Holy Spirit will guide our praying, moment by moment, as we practice listening to Him.This is how we can "Trust in the Lord with all our hearts, not leaning on our own understanding. In all our ways we can acknowledge Him and He will make our path straight." Prov. 3:3,4.

 

As we spend time in the secret place of prayer in the mornings, we will be able to continue abiding in Him throughout the day and recognize His leading. We can stop and listen. We can stop and give thanks. We can stop and worship. We can stop and pray. We can develop a lifestyle of continually walking with the Lord, not worrying about anything, but praying about everything. In Luke 18:1 Jesus said we should pray always and never give up . We can cultivate a secret life of prayer that will result in His manifested presence in our lives, His love demonstrated through us and powerful prayers that bring His will to this earth. Lord, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, in us and through us. We thank You, We praise You and we love You!

lifewords "Secret Place" series, 12 of 30

As we make time to meet with the Lord in prayer and in His Word each day, in response to Matthew 6:6, He promises to instruct us in His will, guide us on His path and direct our steps according to His purposes. Wow! The precious Holy Spirit will meet with us there 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. I love the truth of verse 11, "You will make known to me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of Joy."

 

In verse 12 the Holy Spirit reminds us that as we worship the Lord, He will instruct us in the way we should choose. "The secret of the Lord is for those who worship Him and He will make then know His covenant." In Psalm 32 David speaks of the Lord being His hiding place, and He is our Hiding Place today. The Word promises in verse 8 that" 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 the Father all that which was necessary for the day at hand. 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 instruct us in His path for our life each day! I am praying Colossians 1:9-14 for you right now with much faith and excitement.

 

"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light."

 

We can be filled with the knowledge of God's will for us and have spiritual wisdom and understanding from Him, we can know how to please Him and increase in our knowledge of God as we spend time meeting with Him. 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! Thank You Lord!

lifewords "Secret Place" series, 11 of 30

I'm praying for you this day that as you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength in the secret place of prayer and His Word, that you will begin to experience His manifested presence in an unprecedented way. As you Pray in secret, He promises to reward you openly. God's rewards are good! Here are some rewards that I am praying in agreement with you for your life. Receive these promises regarding His will for you. I pray that in the secret place today you would be

• Strengthened in your inner man (Eph. 3:16)
• Rooted deep in love and founded securely in love (Eph. 3:17)
• Able to grasp God's love - the breadth and length and height and depth of it. (Eph 3:18)
• That you would be filled through all your being with the fullness of God.(Eph 3:19)
• That you may "know" Him and the power of His resurrection. (Phil 3:10)
• That He would might grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation. (Eph. 1:17)
• That the eyes of your heart be flooded with light. (Eph 1:18)
• That you might know the greatness of His power in you. (Eph 1:19)
• That you may learn to sense what is vital and of real value.(Eph 1:10)
• That you may be filled with the fruits of righteousness. (Phil 1:11)
• That He will protect you from the evil one. (John 17:12) (Jesus' prayer)
• That you may know God's will. (Col. 1:9) and walk in His light ( John 8:12)
• That His joy would be in you (John 15:11)
• That you may be strengthened with all power, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks. (Col 1:11-12)
• That you would receive His wisdom (James 1:5), being transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you might know the will of God, (Romans 12:2)
• That HE would instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. (Ps. 32:8)
• That you would be on the alert, standing firm in your faith, acting like a man or woman of God, strong in Him and that all you do would be done in love. (1 Cor 16:13)
• That you would be ignited with His love and power to do what He has commissioned you to do......pray, share His love, speak His Word, minister to the hurting, preach the gospel, set the captives free, make disciples, do the works of Jesus, destroy the works of the enemy, (Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:15-18), I John 3:8) and live for His glory.
• In Jesus' Name!

 

lifewords "Secret Place" 10 of 30, Jesus with the Father

Mark 1:35 "And in the early morning , while it was still dark,He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there."

Our Savior, perfect, sinless and magnificent as He was, knew that His time meeting alone with the Father was the most important. He knew that the demands of the day that He would encounter would require the strength and power that even His sinless humanity could not provide. He is our example and shows us how essential our alone time with the Father is! For there in secret, the Father would speak to Him of the day. Jesus knew the truth of where His strength came from. He heard the instructions of the Father. He only spoke what He heard the Father speak. He did the works the Father showed Him. He demonstrated to us the life of the branch connected to the Vine that He speaks about in John 15. From this daily practice, He instructs the disciples to do the same in Matthew 6:6, "But you, when you pray, go into your room and close the door, and pray to Your Father in secret. And the Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you openly."

 

As we have this daily practice in common with our Jesus, I believe we will begin to look like Him and do what He did. There we can meet with the Father. There, the Holy Spirit will reveal Truth to us and fill us afresh with His presence. There, in the secret place are infusions of grace, love, courage, wisdom. There, we become familiar with His voice. We will decrease, He will increase. Like the recharging of a battery, we receive what we need for the day. Each day needs grace of its own. Today let us delight in following our Lord into that secret place of prayer with the Father, where we will know Him, receive of His fullness, and go forth to do His will and works. All for His glory!

 

lifewords "Secret Place" , 9 of 30 Christ our Life

Good morning! In today's "lifewords" I would like to share with you a powerful quote from Charles Trumball. In the secret place of prayer, Christ will become our life, and it will be no longer we that live, but Christ living in us. Colossians 3:3 says "For you died,and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

 

"Jesus Christ does not want to be only our Helper, He wants to be our LIFE. He does not want us to work for Him. He wants us to let Him do His work through us. When our life is not only Christ's but Christ, our life will be a winning life, for He cannot fail. And a winning life is a fruit bearing life, a serving life. We must bear fruit in character and in service. If Christ is our life, surrender absolutely and unconditionally to Christ as Master of all that we are and all that we have, telling God that we are now ready to have His whole will done in our entire life at every point, no matter what it cost. We may have Christ, yielding to Him in such completeness and surrender of self that it is no longer we that live, but Christ that lives in us."

lifewords "Secret Place" series, 8 of 30

I want to keep encouraging you in Matthew 6:6. Jesus charged His disciples, "But you, when you pray, go into your room (or closet, or secret place) and close the door, and pray to your Father Who is in secret. And your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you openly." David said in Psalm 17:8. "When You said, 'Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face Lord I will seek." Do you sense the Lord is beckoning you to meet with Him often in secret?

 

Jeremiah 29 contains God's declaration to Israel, inspired by the Holy Spirit through Jeremiah. This was a very devastating time as they had been taken into captivity and sent into exile to Babylon. The passage contains a promise of hope that, after a season of time, although the Israelites had disobeyed God, He would be faithful to fulfill His covenant promises to them. Jeremiah 29:11 is a very familiar verse that God knows the thoughts He has for us, to give us a future and a hope, to do us good and not evil. Although these words in context were given specifically to Israel at a specific time. I believe that through them the Lord reveals His character and His commitment to His Word to His people today. His unchanging redemptive nature, steadfast love and His promise to respond to His people who will seek Him are expressed in Jer. 29:12.

 

"Then you will call I upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find me when you search for Me with all of your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord."

 

I believe the Holy Spirit wants to ignite these Words in our hearts now, Jesus taught, Ask and you will receive, SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND, Knock and the door will be opened. With steadfast love He invites us urgently.....Dear one, Call upon Me in prayer, come to Me! Seek for Me now, Search for Me in My Word WITH ALL YOUR HEART! Seek for Me in your worship! Seek for Me in the stillness! Seek for me as you obey my Word. Search for me with all your heart and I will be found you. When we truly begin to find Him in His Word and prayer, and live in Him and in the reality of His presence, He will not only reveal Himself to us but He will reveal Himself to the world through us. In our secret time with Him, He will consume us with His love, transform us by His Word and strengthen us in our journey. He reveals His secrets to those who choose to seek after Him and who are close enough to be familiar with His voice.

You are His beloved one and I am praying for YOU, Amy

lifewords "Secret Place" , 7 of 30, thanksgiving

Giving Thanks in the Secret Place.

 

Good morning! This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever! Today I would like to share about a daily practice that has transformed my prayer life and my journey.....

 

Thanksgiving! As prayer time in the "secret place" is the priority, let's understand both the necessity and power of thanksgiving.....having a thankful heart and expressing our thanks to the Lord, especially as we come to our prayer time with Him. In Psalm 100:4, the Holy Spirit through David instructs us in how to approach the Lord in prayer. We are to "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and come into His courts with praise." This was the instruction to the Israelites as they came into the Tabernacle area and this is our instruction today as we come into our "secret place".

 

I love to thank the Lord for His overwhelming faithfulness, goodness and love. Just think about it.....His amazing creation , His plan for our redemption, His great love for mankind and for us personally, the power of His blood, the power of His resurrection. Lord thank you for Your forgiveness! Thank you we are Your children! You will never leave us or forsake us. I'm so thankful for God's Word and I tell Him often. I'm so thankful for the precious Holy Spirit who lives in us moment by moment and guides us into all truth. I'm thankful for His great love and mercy and grace. I'm thankful for another breathe to breath today and for His amazing provision. I'm thankful for my precious family and the blessing of being in the family of God. I'm thankful to live in a free land and for my freedom in Christ. I'm thankful the sun came up again today and He is Lord over all. As we come into the secret place of prayer we should come like David expressed in Psalm 95:2.  "Oh 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."

 

Remember the Holy Spirit's instructions through Paul in Philippians 4:6?

"DON'T BE ANXIOUS about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God." Thanksgiving is such a key to answered prayer and to living in God's presence and favor. Thankful people are joyful people, the presence of God surrounds their life and they cause others to been encouraged and look to the Lord!

 

Having a continual expression of thanksgiving is a very good thing! Psalm 42:1  "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your Name Oh Most High, to declare your loving kindness in the morning and your faithfulness by night." Thanksgiving should saturate our prayer time and our lives moment by moment. Thanksgiving squelches selfishness and apathy. It is a remedy for depression and fear. It pleases God and get's our eyes on His greatness. Regarding prayer, thank Him for answers before you see the manifestation .Let's come into our prayer closet thanking Him, then continue to saturate our praying with thanksgiving and leave our prayer closet thanking Him, determined to continue in expressing our thanks to God.. Remember, moment by moment, His great love for you and be thankful! Express your heart of thanks out loud, that is what thanksgiving is! Thanksgiving will keep your faith airborne, cause heaviness to flee, and will change the way you live your days!

 

Thank you Lord!

lifewords "Secret Place" series 6 of 30

"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! But 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.

 

Remember Jesus' Words. "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.  Pray to the Father in secret, Your Father sees in secret, Your Father will reward you openly, Your Father knows what you need.

 

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 reward us openly. He will teach us to TRUST HIM with childlike faith and expectation. 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

 

I'm praying for YOU now! Amy

lifewords "Secret Place" series 5 of 30

It's no secret that life is besieged with battles. As believers, we understand we are in a daily spiritual warfare and many enemies line our path on the right and left. But, our Lord is our Refuge, our Strength, our Commander in Chief, our Victory! He has given us spiritual weaponry to wage war. God's Word and Prayer are two of our essential weapons we must become skilled in daily, and we will see great victory. Still, these battles and trials can take their toll on us. At times we feel weakened, exhausted and overwhelmed. Oh how important it is that we find our rest in the secret place of God's presence. Are you weary, tired or just plain exhausted?

 

Today I want to remind you about Samson in Judges 15. Having slain a thousand of the enemy with the jawbone of a donkey, he is exhausted from the battle. Though God supernaturally helped him to defeat the enemy, he exerted all of his natural strength in the process. He was physically, mentally and emotionally spent. And that is often our condition isn't it? There in that place, Samson appealed to the throne of grace for supply. He called upon God in prayer. And in response, God struck the hollow place of the rocky ground and water gushed out. Samson was refreshed and rejuvenated. As Samson called,God responded by creating a naturally impossible gusher of refreshing water. We cry out to God in prayers of petition. The greater your need, the greater your petition to God. God will respond and will send refreshing and strength. In answer to Samson's cry for help, God did the impossible. He made water come out of a rock. He named the place En-Hakkor, in Lehi until this day. It means "the Caller's Spring." Whenever we read "Until this day" it means this principle is still for us today. Lord, teach us to call upon You! Thank you for sending supplies of Your refreshing, rejuvenating us today.

 

Don't get stuck in your weariness, get to the Secret Place call upon the Lord in prayer often! He will bring waters of refreshing even in impossible situations. He will strengthen you! Psalm 138:3 says "In the day I called, You answered, and strengthened me with strength in my soul." In the secret place of prayer are springs of refreshing, strength and victory.

lifewords The Secret Place (4 of 30)

Good morning.

 

Remember how much you are loved by our Lord today! Psalm 31:4 says that we are to be of good courage! He will strengthen us as we put our hope in Him. This "lifewords"series focuses on the "secret place" of prayer Jesus speaks of in Matthew 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Jesus spent much time in prayer with the Father. He continues to pray for us in heaven even now! Isn't it wonderful that you can pray to your Father, ask of Him and expect to receive according to His wisdom and His Word? We can begin our days in the secret place of prayer and continue throughout the day.

 

Ephesians 5:15 says that we are to walk "circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." We know for sure from M66 that God's will for us is to pray in the "secret place". His will, His instructions, His charge to us is to pray in secret. He will reward us. In the secret place, the Holy Spirit will teach you how to pray. He will give you a clear understanding of His will. As you meet with Him you will discover His presence, be transformed by His love, receive strength and joy, and He will show you how to pray according to His will. You will continue to decrease and His presence will increase in your life. The love of God will fuel your praying and your faith will soar as you become excellent in praying according to God's Word. On top of that, He will reward you openly!

 

This "secret place" life is available to every believer. We get to choose. I believe we can have as much of God's presence and will in our lives as we want, to the degree we will spent time with Him in secret!

lifewords, "Secret Place" 3 of 30

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 this day! This is the day the Lord has made, let's rejoice and be glad in it!

 

Can you sense the Lord drawing you to spend time with Him in the secret place? I love the Words of our Lord to His disciples. "But when you pray, go into your inner room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father Who is in secret, and the Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you openly." Matthew 6:6. If you look up the verse today you will see that He proceeds to give them a pattern of how to pray in what we refer to as the Lord's Prayer. He instructs them in fasting, giving, money, the cares of this world, God's provision and His kingdom. It a great chapter to read today and I encourage you to meditate on it. Can you imagine that the Lord, the Creator of the universe, our Father of love, our Redeemer, wants to meet with us in secret. And knowing our need, He calls us to pray and ask and seek and promises to respond to our cry!

 

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!

lifewords "Secret Place" series 2 of 30

Divine Exchange in the Secret Place

 

Good morning!

 

You are loved and highly favored by the Lord today, because you belong to Him and He lives in you. Wow! Today is the National Day of Prayer and it will be a day of days! Be sure to gather with the believers in your city to seek the Lord and call upon Him. Pray that the hearts of His people will be ignited to pray like never before. Lord, Your Kingdom Come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven today!

 

I'm so excited about Matthew 6:6. Jesus instructs all who will hear today, "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."We have access to that secret place because of the blood of Jesus, there is now no separation between us and God. Throughout the gospels we see Jesus often departing to a secret place, a solitary place to meet with the Father and pray. If we are to live as He lived on this earth, we must follow His example of meeting with the Father in secret.

 

As we come into our "secret place" with the Lord, we can be sure that He is near to all who call upon Him. As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. Real prayer is calling upon God, He is our Father. In the "secret place" 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 will direct us how to pray for our family, our loved ones, our church, our city, our nation and the precious people of the nations of the world. He 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 How awesome!

praying for YOU, Amy

lifewords "Secret Place" series 1 of 30

Good morning! You are the Lord's beloved one. Thanks for beginning this new month of LifeWords with me. This series is "The Secret Place" and I pray we will be transformed by the Word daily. LifeWords is an encouraging exhortation written right from what the Lord teaches me in His Word each morning. These devotions are not heavily revised, but I believe will be a fresh, "now" truth from His Word that will inspire, and prepare you for the days ahead. I'm praying that God will give you an expectancy of hearing directly from Him as you read these devotions.

 

So, let's open our hearts to receive from the Lord now. The Holy Spirit will teach us and illuminate God's Word in our inner man. He will cause the written Word to become the living Word written in our hearts, transforming and renewing our minds. Father, thank you for Your love and presence in our lives. Thank you for Your redeeming blood that forgives and washes us now. Thank You for Your Word! Jesus we love You. Teach us to abide in You, know You, and recognize Your leading. Open our understanding to the times we are in, live in us and through us to bring your love to those around us. Holy Spirit we honor You and welcome You. In Jesus Name.

 

Prayer in the "Secret Place" is the key to our life in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 6:6 (M66),"When you pray, Go into your room (closet, private place) and close the door and pray to your Father Who is in secret. And Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." M66. Meditate on it, think about it, ask the Lord to reveal Truth that you will live out as you obey this Word! M66. Can you sense the Father drawing you to meet with Him in this secret place before your day begins, or during your day, or before you go to bed? In the secret place of His presence is where we will have relationship with Him. Be sure to have your Bible, because Prayer has two components. It is listening to God by reading His Word with an open heart. Sometimes it is just being still in His presence, waiting upon Him, loving Him, worshipping Him, receiving from Him, BEING with Him! The other side of prayer is our speaking. If you will spend more time listening, yielding and receiving than speaking, then the words that you do pray will be powerful and led by the Holy Spirit. In the "Secret Place" we will find Him. In the Secret Place we will know Him as our All in All. There is no limit to how closely we can know Him, abide in Him, and be completely free in His love, yielded to his leading. M66. Can you imagine that the Lord delights to meet with you in secret? Wow! If that wasn't enough, He will also reward you openly. This truth makes me laugh with joy!

 

Remember that tomorrow, Thursday, is our National Day of Prayer, gather with The Church in your city!