lifewords, secret place, 18 of 30, Psalm 34 Promises

Jesus has instructed us in Matthew 6:6  to pray,  and to have a time each day that we go into a private place to pray to Him in secret and He will reward us openly.  Oh the joy of meeting with our King in secret!  In that secret meeting place He will teach us how to worship, how to receive forgiveness for our failures, how to wait upon Him, how to pray. He will transform us by His Word, impart wisdom, love, joy, peace and all we have need of.  He will fill us with Himself. He will show us great and mighty things that we do not know. Today I want you to be greatly encouraged as you read one of the most powerful "secret  place" passages, Psalm 34:4-10.

 

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant, their faces shall never be ashamed.

6 In my desperation I prayed, the Lord heard me and saved me out of all my troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

9 Oh fear the Lord, you His saints, those who fear Him have no lack!

10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

 

I pray this verse will greatly encourage you today!  As you make time daily to meet with the Lord in secret, it will change your life!   This verse declares that as you seek Him, look to Him, cry to Him, worship Him, take refuge in Him, revere Him in the secret place each day,  this will result:

He will ........Answer you; Deliver you from all your fears; You will be radiant; You will never be ashamed; He will hear you; He will save you from all your troubles; He will send angels to encamp about you; He will deliver you; He will bless you; You will have great joy; You will have no lack; You will lack no good thing.

 

And He does all this so that we can experience relationship with Him and bring His love Word and presence to this hurting world and set the captives free in His name. Thank You Lord!

 

lifewords, secret place, 17 of 30, Filled with the knowledge of His will

I'm praying for you this morning that Mathew 6:6 is becoming a daily delight to you as you spend time in the secret place with your Father.

 

I am also praying this powerful verse from Colossians 1:9-12 for you and your family, asking the Lord that "you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may 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." This is an incredible verse to pray! Did you know it's possible for you to be filled with the knowledge of His will in your life?  He is your inheritance!  He is your All in All.

 

I love Colossians because it contains incredible insight to God's plan for how are to live in Him right now. I believe much of it relates to a lifestyle that the Lord desires and makes available to every believer, but that  only those who spend time in the "Secret Place" of prayer and the Word will experience.

 

In verse 1:23 Paul gives a strong admonition for us today... that we are to "CONTINUE in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard..." Every day our circumstances, our own thoughts, the things of this world have the potential to move us away from the hope of the gospel and even cause us to waver or get off course.  But we don't have to!  We can stay firmly established,  strengthened by His presence, We continue in the faith to the degree we spend time with Him in prayer and in the Word!  Let's stay alert, steadfast, understanding the times we are in, desperate for His presence. Be greatly encouraged today! M66

 

lifewords "Secret Place" series, 16 of 30 Jesus says Come!

How amazing that the Lord, our  Creator, Redeemer and King,  invites us  to come to meet with Him continually.  We understand that He lives in us and desires that we practice a lifestyle of abiding in Him, filled with His presence, but He invites us and teaches us to meet with Him in the secret place. (Matthew 6:6)

 

The Lord invites us to come to the table of His grace and be seated there, not just for our own lives but because of the lives He wants to touch through us. We can be transformed there! Psalm 23 says that "He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies."  In the midst of all that is  happening in our lives, we can come be seated at that table and receive from Him our daily needs, hear His instructions and be transformed to His likeness.  If we are to look like Christ, we must spend time with Him. Come to Him daily, and make time to stay long enough to be changed.

 

Jesus invites us to Come! Remember in John 7:37 He says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink". We should be the most refreshed people!

 

Jesus invites us to Come!  Remember in  Matthew 11:28 He says,"Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest".

 

The Lord invites us to Come!  Remember Jeremiah 29:13,14. "Then you will call 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 your heart.  And I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Although He was speaking prophetically through Jeremiah to the Israelites in exile in Babylon because of their disobedience,  I believe that the message of these words, the principle of these words, is for us today. He beckons us to come into the secret place of His presence, close the door on all the clamor of the world, and meet with Him, pray to Him, worship Him, wait on Him, receive from Him through His Word. His will is for us is Christlikeness. He is your All in All. Don't allow anything to keep you from accepting His invitation daily!

 

Secret place, 15 of 30 Staying anchored

I'm praying for you this morning that Matthew 8:8 is becoming a reality in your daily life!  Our consistent time in the "Secret Place" with our Lord is the key to living in His presence and continuing steadfast in the faith. 

 

This is an unprecedented time of spiritual warfare, a time the Bible warns us that many will fall away, even the elect can be deceived, distracted or spiritually asleep. Oh, but the joy of meeting with our Father in secret...delighting in His Word, learning to pray His will into the Earth, receiving all we need from Him, fellowshipping with Him, waiting on Him, worshiping Him!  This will keep us from drifting.  God's Word  speaks of our potential to "drift" away.

 

Colossians 1:23 says, "if indeed you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard..."  We are to continue! We are to stay firmly established! We are not to drift away from the Word we have heard!    

 

It is easy to drift, we must stay alert! Did you ever see a piece of DRIFT WOOD washed up on the shore.  It's called drift wood because it was detached from the tree and began to drift, little by little, from its original purpose and place of flourishing as a connected part of the life source of the tree.  Hebrews 2 says,"for this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we DRIFT AWAY from it."   

 

 

Let's not drift from His presence and His will for our lives!  The Word is our anchor to keep us from drifting.  As you spend time in the Secret Place, in His light you will see light. The Word will anchor you in Truth. You will call upon Him and He will show you great and mighty things that you do not know. He will fill you, He will teach you, He will guide you, He will love this world through you. Time in the secret place with the Lord is a sure anecdote to keep you from drifting! We have been brought near by the blood of Jesus, His forgiveness covers our failures that would try to disconnect us from Him. Stay connected and abiding daily.  Every day is a new day, His mercies are new every morning.