Tag Archive | peaceful

Pursuing the Heart of God – Day 64 – The Secret Place

May26

Pursuing the Heart of God – Day 64

The Secret Place

Lord, what exactly to you mean by ‘the secret place’?

A Message from God’s Heart to Yours:

My darling child, the secret place is simply the place you and I meet alone, away from crowds, noise, and distractions. The meeting place may be a room in your home, a secluded garden, a mountain top, or a jail cell. The ‘secret’ is you and I alone together. This may happen anywhere you are, anytime of the day or night. The secret place is a special place in your heart that you and I connect and communicate.

I have said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6). “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:17-18). Prayer and fasting done in secret will be rewarded. Anything done in the secret place with Me will be My gift to you.

Go to the secret place when you pray. Go to the secret place to seek Me and find Me. Go to the secret place to hear My voice and know My thoughts. Go to the secret place to discern My will. Go to the secret place to acquire My wisdom and My strength. Go to the secret place to find My peace in the middle of chaos. Go to the secret place to experience My love and joy.

My desire is that you frequent the secret place at least daily; My preference is that you and I meet there throughout the day. I am always waiting for you in the secret place. Seek Me at all times; I am here. Believe it! You may find Me and hear Me speak to you any time you will make the time to listen; any time you will quiet your heart enough to hear My still, small voice.

Run to the secret place for a word of encouragement. Hide in the secret place and experience My protection. Walk with Me in the secret place; I will share My heart with you. Eat with Me in the secret place; I have a feast prepared for you. Let My Spirit refresh your soul in the secret place. It is no secret that I love you, and I desire to spend time alone with you, one-on-one, in secret. See you there soon!

Prayer:

Father, I am going in to the secret place right now to be with You, and You have been here waiting for me. It feels so good and so peaceful spending time here alone with You. Thank You for dwelling in my heart, so that I may meet with You any time of the day or night. It is such a gift to hear Your voice and discover Your thoughts. Please share more with me right now. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Two-way Conversation with God: 

  • Abba Father, what do You want me to know about this secret place that You and I meet? What do You want me to know about our relationship? (Write every thought you have and word you hear.)

 

  • Jesus, my brother, is our relationship the same as my relationship with the Father? What do You want me to know and hear about the relationship You and I share? (Record all your thoughts, feelings, and ideas.)

 

  • Holy Spirit, thank You for dwelling in the secret place. Help me to make time to be there more regularly. You are always there waiting for me. What do you want me to know about our relationship and our meeting time? (Journal everything He makes known to you.)

Review God’s thoughts and impressions you’ve sensed and written above. What Scripture comes to mind as you review your notes? Use the concordance of your Bible to look up an impression from God’s Word. Record the verse or passage here. Write all insights and encouragement the Holy Spirit illumines for you as you read God’s Word right now.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for sharing Your heart with me again today. It is so great knowing Your intimate thoughts, desires, and messages of love and encouragement to me. I am grateful that Jesus made the way for me to communicate with You, at all times, in all places. I carry You in my heart wherever I go. My desire is to remain in You and You in me. Come near to me now, my Friend. Let me know Your presence and feel Your love. I put my trust in You and receive the confidence that You are in control of all things. This brings me much peace and joy, no matter the circumstances I may be in. You are my Comforter, my Guide, my Protector an Provider. You are my Savior and Deliverer. You are my Rock and Refuge, my hiding place. Thank You for being my All-in-All; You are everything to me. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Supporting Scripture:

Psalm 139:13-17, 13For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mothers’ womb. 14I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the day ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. 17How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

Matthew 6:5-6, 5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:16-18, 16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Copyright © Sindy Nagel. All Rights Reserved

Step 6 – Enjoy the Rewards – Reward #7

Mar21


A woman is standing at the microphone and holding a pen.

Reward #7 – Delight in the Peace

By the time I reached my mid-thirties, I had created a busy life for myself. I had everything I wanted: a husband, a home, a job, a girl, a boy, friends, a dog, God, a church, a ministry, and much more. Why did I feel so empty? I controlled my life—or did my life control me? My life resulted in exactly what I had made of it, not what God had planned. My life was good, but it was not God’s best for me. My life felt full, but I remained hollow. My whole life had left me with a hole in my heart. Our definition of a full life is different than God’s. The life I had created quickly spun out of control and into depression. I was in pieces and had no peace within.

God met me at the bottom of my pit of depression. He stretched out His hand to me. I took hold, and He pulled me up. He set me down on His firm foundation and began the rebuilding process in me. As I learned to trust God more every day, I turned over new areas of my life to Him. When I turned over complete control to God, He rearranged major things in my crazy, busy life to give me the peace He wanted me to enjoy.

After many months of meeting with God on a daily basis to listen to His voice—absorb His healing, find freedom in forgiving, enjoy His encouragement, follow His instruction, consider His conviction, and savor His wisdom—I could now delight in His peace. God had rebuilt my demolished soul through the work of His Holy Spirit inside me. He gave me a newfound confidence in Christ and in myself as a child of God. He gave me a renewed relationship with the Father. He gave me a stronger, more vibrant faith and a passion for serving my Savior. He gave me more spiritual knowledge and a better understanding of the Holy Spirit and His role of transforming me into a new creation.

Let me be clear. Life did not get a lot easier, but it did become more peaceful as I gave over control to God. That statement seems contradictory. Losing control should not produce peace in one’s spirit, but the things of God are not as they seem. He does not operate as the world does. When I gave up control and surrendered to the will and plans of God, He lifted a burden from me.

As I consulted with Him in all areas of my life, big and small, I turned from being a people-pleaser into being a God-pleaser. I didn’t care as much about what people thought anymore; I concerned myself with what God thought. I did not have to please everyone; I had to please the One. I tried not to spread myself thin going in too many different directions. I focused my attention in one direction—up.

It took many months for God to rearrange my life in order to give me the kind of peace He wanted me to experience by trusting fully in Him. I had obligations I needed to fulfill and positions I had to find replacements for. I had to change the way I operated in my home among my family. As God freed up my time by releasing me from a few responsibilities, I became more available for Him to use in His work.

Doing God’s work generated a much greater reward than anything I might take on myself. With obedience come peace and joy. As I faithfully met with God every morning, our relationship deepened immensely. He did a great deal of intense work with me on discovering, processing, and healing my emotional wounds. I shed many tears along the path to healing. The rough and rocky emotional journey had to be traveled to get to a better place—a place of freedom, peace, and rest.

One of the first observations my Christian mentor made about me all those years ago was that I did not have much peace in my life. It was a very smart—and true—observation. I experienced a full life, yet I did not know what peace-full felt like. Some people do not experience a full life according to worldly standards but have a life full of peace and contentment because they rely on intimate communication with God through the Holy Spirit, rather than depending on things and circumstances. The full life Jesus Christ came to give us equals a life full of His peace when we are in tune with the voice and Spirit of God, not based on material possessions, human relationships, or excellent conditions.

Jesus stood at my door and knocked. I answered and let Him in. I spent time with Him and listened to His voice. I pursued Him, drew near to Him, and remained in Him. The outcome has been a deeper, more intimate relationship with my Savior. The lasting effect is a life full of His peace. I now know the peace of God, even in the midst of life’s challenges.

Get close to God by being in touch with God’s Holy Spirit inside you. Tap into the power of the Prince of Peace, who lives in your heart. Listen to God’s voice and experience a life full of His perfect peace. Psalm 85:8 says, “I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints—but let them not return to folly.† Listening to God’s voice enables us to delight in His peace. The peace of God is more precious than diamonds, silver, or gold. Enjoying all the rewards of listening to God makes me want to share this excellent practice with the world.

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A woman is standing at the microphone and holding a pen.

Book One in Hearing God’s Voice Series