The Secret Place: Solitude and Simplicity
This has been a beautiful week filled with testimonies of you guys getting in the secret place. The best thing you could do for us as pastors is share what God is doing in your life. That encourages us so much. We encourage you to take time to comment below, what God is speaking and showing you during this sermon series. We’d love to hear from you.
Our Vision: to elevate and empower sons and daughters to be the place where heaven touches earth.
Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the Secret Place will abide in the shadow of the almighty”
aka be the place where heaven touches earth.
We want to learn to dwell, so we can abide and can remain where He is
The Secret Place: a time and place set apart with the expectation of encountering God
Our goal for this sermon series:
To be seen by God
To connect with God
To enjoy Him
I was led to start today’s sermon with how I found the Secret Place.
I grew up in the church
Led ministries
Encountered God powerfully through our gatherings
God would speak to me a lot
I knew I could hear His voice
I knew I had a calling and anointing over my life
I read my bible, but wasn’t consistent and I didn’t have prayer stamina
Until Joshua and I broke up
April 4th 2010
Drove home and was processing everything that had happen
I began thinking “I want this year to be different”
“I have an opportunity here and I wanna take advantage of it”
At the stop light on W Union Blvd. Holy Spirit rushed into the back seat
I could feel his presence in the car tangibly
He asked me to give Him one year of my full attention
No distractions, no other relationship, just me and Him
All I can say that it was the empowerment of Christ that allowed me to yes
Words will never be enough to express my gratitude for that day
I was weeping, but it was because this time I knew it was different
I began waking up as early as I needed to in order to spend 1 hour with the Lord in the morning and 1 hour before bed
I was working 2 jobs, student teaching and leading youth ministry-but I didn't care.
Prayer Shawl, Prayer Rug, Worship and the word.
God would meet me in the most intimate ways
Parts of my life that were so void began to feel so fill-I couldn’t believe how satisfied I felt
I became addicted
From there my life changed. I couldn’t live half way, it was all in or nothing
He called me to big changes, scary things, but because He won my heart in the Secret Place I was more than willing to trust Him. I knew I could.
I went through the hardest years of my life after this. Pain and suffering that I could have never imagine and didn’t think I deserved
But He kept calling me near, guiding me, leading me, speaking truth over me, reminding me of my call and destiny even when I couldn’t see it anymore
He rescued me from the past of destruction I was headed into and He drew me closer and closer to Him.
Fast forward 12 years and my greatest moment have been in His presence. My greatest encounters have been at His feet. My greatest victories and moments of healing have been in the holy place and I could never imagine a day outside of His presence.
I don’t want to. It would be too painful. My greatest joys are with Him.
My greatest love story is between HE AND I
My biggest prayer is that we would have a church here that knows this. That believes this. That lives for this: to dwell with Him forever.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN SOLITUDE!
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. 2 Cor 3:18 MSG
In the Solitude, God removes the veil
We begin to recognize that He is LIVING and there is nothing between us
We are transformed to look like Messiah
Our lives are transformed because our lives begin to look like His! We begin to look like Him!
We should expect daily transformation!
Make solitude a priority. Doesn’t matter where, when or how just set the time apart with the expectation and intent of meeting Him.
If I could sum up this message it would be this: Make time to be with Him alone and Keep it Focus on Him alone
If I could give you a shortcut to crazy, life altering God encounters it would be simple: Make it about Him.
When we set a place and time to meet with Him and make it about Him it is a guaranteed encounter.
Why? It is what we spoke about last week: Confession of truth is the password. If we just start with the full truth of who God is we will always encounter Him.
It is when we make it about everything else that things can get complicated.
But if you want to encounter Him, make it about Him
Now this takes practice. It is not easy because our culture has conditioned us to make it about us.
But let’s look at Jesus quickly. When He prayed, when He connected, who was it about always?
GOD, The Father.
Our Father in heaven, (starts pointing to Him)
Hallowed be Your name. (His name made Holy)
Your kingdom come. (His kingdom come)
Your will be done (His will done)
On earth as it is in heaven. (The way it is done in heaven)
Give us this day our daily bread. (What He knows we need)
And forgive us our debts, (What He does for us)
As we forgive our debtors. (The way He does for us)
And do not lead us into temptation, (Lead us in your ways)
But deliver us from the evil one. (Display your might)
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (IT ALL BELONGS TO YOU!)
Matthew 6: 9-13 (NKJV)
We connect with God by making it about Him. That is Simplicity.
Start with Him, End with Him
Meditate on Him
Recall His faithfull
Declare what His Word says
Read the Psalms to Him
Repeat the promises He has made you
Tell Him how you feel about Him
Remind Him how powerful He is
Tell Him what Belongs to Him
Tell Him what He has authority over
Shout the Names of God
Tell Him about His holiness
Thank Him in advance for something you are believing Him for
Dance or Sing a new song before Him
Run in surrender for Him
Paint/ Sketch His beauty
Hike and point out to Him the beauty He has created
Tell Him you just want His presence. He doesn’t owe you anything
Simplicity
Doesn’t matter where you meet him or how, just make it about Him. His Kingdom and His ways.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. (SEEK FIRST!) Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matt 6:27-34 (MSG)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (v. 33 NKJV)
Show up for Him
Response: Back To Life by Bethel Music
