We have access to God’s rest anywhere and at any time by abiding in the secret place. The secret place is where we encounter God alone.
I have been spending time with God in the morning, but throughout the day, I was bombarded with busyness and allowed fearful thoughts to play in my mind.
It was finally near the end of the day and I felt exhausted, both physically and mentally.
God then reminded me that I didn’t go to Him when the first negative thought came to my mind. Though I was feeling off throughout the day, I didn’t take even a couple of minutes to abide in Him. I tried pushing through the day ignoring my feelings, or even resting from work to feel better, but none of it worked apart from abiding with Jesus.
As I quieted myself to hear God in the midst of my exhaustion, the Holy Spirit reminded me of 1 Peter 5:7 which says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” I immediately was hit with the revelation that I don’t need to live in fear because God cares about me and I can trust my fears in His hands. If I had only been quick to turn to God, I wouldn’t have been left exhausted in the evening.
We need to be quick to go to God when we have that icky feeling in our hearts that doesn’t align with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The reality is, apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). This is why Jesus reminds us to abide in Him because a branch can only bear fruit when they abide in the vine. He is the vine, and we are the branches. Let’s be the ones who will abide in God every moment of every day.
It’s not enough to be with God once a day. We need to practice dwelling with God throughout the day to abide under His rest. The word “dwell” means to sit and remain. God can’t speak when our thoughts are racing with things that need to get done or fearful thoughts we may have. We need to practice stilling ourselves throughout the day to hear the Holy Spirit speak to us.
Jesus often went to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). If Jesus has to spend time being with God, how much more do we? We need to practice dwelling with God if we want to abide in His rest and be under His shadow of protection.
Are you committing every day to spending time in the secret place with Jesus?
The only way to live stress-free is by being with Jesus. When our soul is feeling weary, that is our sign that we need to spend time with Jesus.
Jesus reminds us in John 15:5, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” We cannot produce peace and rest apart from Jesus. Let us make a habit of consistently abiding with Jesus throughout the day.
Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and counsel our weary souls. We now must choose to lock eyes with Jesus and abide. The Spirit is invited to work in us when we read the Bible with the expectation to encounter God. Sometimes we can read the Bible and hope that God speaks, but our hope should be an expectation that HE WILL.
The Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) and has the power to bring revelation that will transform us. The Word of God is Jesus Himself (John 1:1). So, as we open our Bibles, we are meeting the person of Jesus, and He will speak to us through His Word. If you’re in a place of needing direction and wisdom, God will guide you through His Word. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
Will you open up the Bible with the expectation to encounter Jesus?
Though we can encounter God at church and through people, nothing compares to our encounter with God in the secret place. The “secret place” is a place where it is just you and God. It’s a place where your heart is still enough to hear only His voice. It’s the place where you surrender everything and sit at His feet, listening to His words that bring life.
True transformation happens in the secret place. When we go to God in secret, it also shows Him that we are here just for Him. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) by revealing Himself and transforming us through a revelation of the Word. We don’t need to doubt if God is there or hears us – He CAN be found in the secret place.
Let’s never forsake spending time with God in the secret place. If we live outside of intimacy and fellowship with God, we will only find ourselves falling short of being able to live a life that pleases Him. So remember, abide in the secret place.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for meeting me in the secret place. Help me to abide in you every moment of every day.
0 Comments