Abiding in the Secret Place

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Psalms 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”


9-11 Because you have made the Lord , who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.


14-16 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.


Abiding in the secret place of the Most High doesn't happen by accident! You can belong to Jesus and NOT abide in the secret place of the Most High. Because of love, and the free will love requires, I have to choose where I will abide hour by hour...even moment by moment...when my heart is under assault with doubt or despair.


This morning, I hear God highlighting two choices I can make that will secure me in His presence:


1. Using the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus to take charge of my soul (mind, will, and emotions) and


2. letting God's "light and truth" lead me into the secret place of the Most High.


Psalms 43:2-5 For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.


Matthew 18:18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.


There is an enemy of the children of God who prowls around like a lion, looking for whom He may devour. Satan is NOT a lion, mind you, but he sure tries to be like one! If He can get away with dragging a child of God away from the secret place of the Most High God by lying to them, he certainly will. Satan does this by subtly influencing our soul in areas he can touch. He distracts us primarily through fear. God never uses fear of external circumstances to drive people. As the perfect good Father, God uses truth to invite His children nearer to what is good for them. Satan, the imposter, uses fear of an imaginary future to drive us. He also has many unclean spirits that he will send to influence our emotions: pride, anger, lust, jealousy, irritation...when one of these "feelings" starts working in our emotions, it colors how we interact with God and others. Demons like this want us to justify to ourselves why we are right to feel these ways, rather than cast them away from us...bind them...in the name of Jesus! How often have I let an enemy keep lying to me, when I could have just commanded it to leave!?


Every time we tell a feeling (it really is usually a demon) to "go in the name of Jesus" the Holy Spirit is sure to release His power to make that enemy move. If we are faithful to resist, the enemy will actually flee:


James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.


The word "resist" James used means to "wrestle." It isn't a one-time command, it is resisting UNTIL the emotion subsides...the enemy fleeing is a guarantee IF I will resist. This has worked in my life 100% of the time that I have actually done the resisting.


The flip side of this truth is true, as well. Whatever I bind on earth, heaven...the Holy Spirit and the angels...is sure to enforce, BUT whatever I refuse to resist...whatever I "loose" to roam free in my heart....heaven will generally not resist for me! This takes intention and sifting of my emotions and thoughts. Free will...love...requires that I get to choose what influences my heart.


Once I have resisted and my enemy has fled, there is one more choice I must make...to ask for God's "light and truth" to lead me back into the secret place. I picture it like this: if I am on a trail in the woods, and I wander off the trail, it is hard to see where the trail even is. When I am off a trail in the woods, it isn't easy to just plough my way forward back onto it. BUT, if I backtrack a little, I easily come back to the trail and can get back to moving forward. God's light and truth are like this...for me, they are my testimony...an honest memory of what God has already done...thanksgiving for what God has already worked in my life will lead me back into the secret place. An honest memory recited out loud by thanking Him for specific things like: the miracles He has let me see, bailing me out when I need it, my house, the food in my fridge, my kids being healthy, the change in my heart over the last few years...it only takes a few minutes for me to remember God's miraculous presence all around me. This opening of my eyes to light and truth will always lead me right back to where He is!

Abiding in the secret place is a location of sure protection. This is actually a passage about flourishing in tribulation. Tribulation is ramping up, and practicing the life of abiding in the secret place is essential right now! I want this to be my mode of living before the pressure requires this to be my mode of living, then I will be secure and able to direct others to the place of security.

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