The Secret Place
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
The secret place. If you grew up attending a local church you may be somewhat familiar with these three words. If you were to spend a week with Raquel and I, you would hear these three words fairly often in our home and in our Jesus community. In fact, the people who know us best can tell you that the secret place is one of the things that we are most passionate about. Whether you are familiar with the concept of the secret place or not, if you are a follower of Jesus, you’ve experienced it. How do I know?
The secret place is where we meet with God.
Raquel and I ended 2019 wrapping up our series on the disciplines of our faith, and we began 2020 with a call to partner with Jesus. In order to do these two things (practice spiritual disciplines and partner with Jesus) we must have access to the secret place.
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.
Matthew 6:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Matthew 6:17-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
Simply put, the secret place is the combination of two things:
1. Time and space intentionally set apart to meet with Father God/Jesus/Holy Spirit.
2. A genuine expectation to interact with Him.
A place set apart to be with Jesus and a genuine expectation to meet with Him. I know it can sound almost too simple, but like the disciplines, this requires a change in our priorities. Jesus is always such a great example of what it looks like to create the time to sneak away to the secret place.
So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Luke 5:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
Jesus was aware of His need to be with Father God daily and made sure He got it. He didn’t find an empty room in a house, He trekked to the wilderness to make sure He could be alone with the Father.
In addition to carving out the time and space to be with God, we must also have a real expectation. We must BELIEVE He will meet with us.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
Now, the beautiful thing about faith, is a little goes a long way. When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, He told them that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed (go ahead a check google images) they would be able to speak to mountains and move them. If you’re finding yourself a little low on faith, don’t stress it, just start reading your bible. Paul writes to the church in Rome and tells them that, “...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” When we read and study our bibles, we discover the heart of our Father and faith begins to grow as we learn that we can trust Him. (For more in depth explanation of this, click here.)
Jesus knew this, so He was constantly sneaking away to be with Father God in the secret place. Early mornings, late into the night, even in the middle of miraculous healing crusades. Jesus’ earthly priority was meeting with the Father in the secret place.
Want to know why?
The secret place was the source of Jesus’ power and authority.
In the gospel of John chapter 5, Jesus says that He is actually unable to do anything by Himself. He can only do what He sees His Father doing, and because the Father loves Him, Father God shows Jesus what He is doing. This is the same way children learn. They speak like their parents and behave like their parents because their parents show them how to speak and behave. Jesus knew that He could only bring the culture and power of Heaven to Earth, by being with, and doing what His Heavenly Father does.
I learned how to change the oil in my car because I was with my earthly father and he showed me how. Jesus learned to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons because He was with His heavenly Father, and the Father showed Him how.
And we can do the same.
In November of 2012, I began seriously pursuing the secret place for myself. I didn’t know it was the secret place at the time, but I was setting apart time and space to be with Jesus and waiting for Him to show up. I would wake up and search for a space where I could be alone and ask Jesus to be with me as I read my bible and prayed. At night, I would stay up late and ask Him to reveal Himself to me, to give me visions, prophetic words, any sort of supernatural experience as long as He was there. I wanted so desperately to experience the presence of God and after weeks of seeking, I began to.
It started with visions. At first I thought it was my overactive imagination, as if an adult onset A.D.D. had kicked in and I could no longer focus during times of prayer. I would be in the middle of prayer when suddenly an image or vivid scene would just show up in my imagination. I would stop, ask God forgiveness for being distracted, and getting back to prayer. Haha. After a few days of this I realized it wasn’t stopping and I started paying attention to what I thought I was “imagining.” I quickly realized that Jesus was trying to communicate with me through what I thought was an overactive imagination.
I was having visions!
Day after day, I would continue to seek Jesus in the secret place and as a result, I began growing more and more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I would sense His presence more strongly and I was able to understand more clearly what He was communicating to me.
This set something in my heart on fire.
I began spending hours a day in the secret place with Jesus.
I was hooked.
I was literally hanging out with Jesus. We would discuss the bible, He would constantly tell me how much He loved me, He would lead me to pray for the people in my life and He would speak to me about the future.
I was (and am) so confident that Jesus loves me because He told (and still tells) me Himself.
That year, 2012-2013, Holy Spirit made me so many promises about my future. He told me I would be a barber and then a pastor, confirmed that I would still marry Raquel, and that I would be the father of two little boys. In 2014 I began barbering full time, in 2016 I married Raquel, in 2017 we had our first little boy, in 2018 we became assistant pastors, and in less than two months we will give birth to our second baby boy. In seven years all of those things came to pass. And guess what... He is STILL speaking to me and making me promises.
Guys, this is real.
The secret place is real, and IT. IS. WILD.
Ever since I discovered the secret place, it has been one of my greatest passions. Direction, inner healing, spiritual growth, maturity, revelation, breakthrough, comfort, peace, and intimacy with Jesus all came about in my life as a result of my time in the secret place.
One of the greatest privileges Raquel and I have as leaders in our community is introducing people to the secret. Our goal as a Jesus community is to elevate and empower sons and daughters of God to be the place where heaven meets earth. Teaching and equipping our community to pursue Jesus in the secret place is how we are doing it.
When we enter the secret place with Jesus, we have entered the place where Heaven meets Earth. We are able to spend time with Father God and develop a personal relationship with Him. As we spend more time with Him, we begin to enjoy His presence and crave more of it. That’s the moment when we, like Jesus, become carriers of His presence.
We see what the Father does, and we are released with His permission to do the same.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18 New King James Version (NKJV)
We become like whatever holds our attention.
That’s why, when we learn to enjoy Father God the way that Jesus did, we too can walk in the same power that Jesus walked in. Jesus told His followers that they would do greater things than He did. I want to see that happen in our lives.
Just like Jesus, who couldn’t wait to sneak off and be with Father God, we too can have intimate experiences with God and walk out of them empowered. Equipped to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, speak the heart of God over the people around us, and increase the area where Heaven touches Earth.
Now before I wrap this up I’m want to share a few thoughts:
When I first began searching for the presence of God, I didn’t realize I was going to the secret place. If I had, I would have thought it was unproductive for weeks. It took weeks, before God started speaking to me in ways that I could understand. Now, I believe He was speaking the whole time, but it just took me a little while to pick up on it. I say this to encourage anyone who is trying to get into the secret place, but feels like the time is unproductive or pointless. Keep pressing in. I promise, God is doing things inside of you, and it’s only a matter of time before you begin to learn to recognize His voice and presence.
If you’re struggling to get into the secret place, ask someone that you trust and know is in the secret place. Raquel and I have walked many people through time in the secret place and it has always been so rewarding.
Set up accountability within your circle of friends so that you set apart time, a place, and expectation for the Lord. If your friends are not into that, find some that are.
The secret place is wherever you choose to set apart time and space to be with Jesus. It can take place during a five minute bathroom break at work, in every and any room in your home, in the woods or even in your car. It has been a tremendous help to me to set apart a space in my home exclusively to meet with Jesus, but it doesn’t have to be that way for you. You can close your phone, tablet, or laptop right now, wherever you are, and begin to meet with Jesus.
And I pray that you do.
Until next time,
We Are Ecclesia
