The Secret Place: Where Success Really Begins

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What if your greatest artistic and business breakthroughs aren't hiding in the latest marketing strategy but in the secret place with God? This paradigm-shifting episode reveals a powerful truth I received during an exclusive marketing mastermind event that completely recalibrated my approach to creative success.

The divine whisper was clear: "Be focused on pulling on my glory, not pulling on the levers of business systems." This counterintuitive wisdom unlocks the supernatural paradox that has transformed countless artists' journeys—lasting success flows from intimacy with God, not just strategic business actions. 

As creatives, we're often tempted by quick fixes and industry hacks that promise visibility and profit. But Scripture consistently points us toward a different path. Matthew 6:6 reveals how secret prayers yield public rewards. Psalm 91:1 shows that dwelling in God's presence provides divine covering. And Psalm 37:4 demonstrates how delighting in the Lord shapes and fulfills our deepest creative desires.

This doesn't mean abandoning business wisdom—it's about holding tension between practical know-how and spiritual sensitivity. Your unfair advantage as a Christian artist isn't just talent or technique; it's communion with the Creator Himself who can accomplish more through one divine appointment than years of self-reliant striving. When you prioritize His presence over performance, you position yourself for divine inspiration, heavenly connections, and supernatural breakthroughs that transform both your art and life.

Take the challenge this week: return to the secret place, realign your heart, and watch how God begins revealing His unique creative pathway for your artistic journey. Remember, you weren't just created to survive as an artist—you were created to thrive!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the
podcast, where we hope youconnect with God to bust through
the roadblocks that have heldyou back for years, create the
work you love and really livethe life you know.
God created you to live as anartist in His kingdom.
I'm Matt Tama, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friend, so gladthat you're with me on the

(00:24):
podcast today.
You know, several years ago Iwas privileged to be at a
marketing mastermind with reallysome of the top minds in
internet marketing in the world.
My coach at the time hadseveral of these over the year
that we were privileged to be apart of and just get to grow in

(00:44):
not only what we were wanting todo in business but also
personally just a really greattime.
I got a lot out of those things, but I remember specifically
sitting in one of theseconference meetings one time and
the Lord whispering somethingin my ear that really helped to
recalibrate me and recalibratemy heart, because I don't know
about you, but when I get a holdof something that is working

(01:07):
man, I love to take it and justrun.
I love to run with it, pressthe gas on it and everything,
and as great as that is and asgreat as God can use those
moments of acceleration in ourlife, those can really be
sometimes also opportunities forstrongholds to get developed in
your life and for the enemy touse something that was good and

(01:27):
something that was God to turnit into something that was
self-serving and strivingoriented and really gets you off
track.
And God said this to me and Iactually was.
I found this the other day inan old journal and I just
thought, wow, this is so good,Even in my season.
Right now, like God, I'm goingback to this, but here's what he
said to me and I'm just readingout of my journal.

(01:49):
He says, matt, I want you to befocused on pulling on my glory,
not pulling on the levers ofbusiness systems.
Only it's in the secret placethat I will release the secrets
of my heart for you and allyou've been called to.
I have so much more for you.

(02:10):
Don't just settle where it'scomfortable.
Believe me for the more, for Iam reigniting your heart with a
passionate fire again, anunquenchable thirst for my
presence and transformation.
You are an encounter facilitatorfor millions of people, a media
magnifier, and I was like, wow,it was just kind of this moment
with the Lord that he's likelisten, dude, I got, I got so

(02:31):
much more for you, but it wasit's really focused on.
In other words, the way it'sgoing to happen is not only
leaning into the business leversthat you can pull.
You know how to be moreprofitable, how to get in front
of more people, how to get thelatest Instagram hack, how to
sell my work for more money, howto, you know, sell more books

(02:52):
and be on more podcasts and bemore successful in all the ways
that the world say is successful.
He said no, listen, I want youto first be pulling on my glory.
In other words, get in thatsecret place with me and begin
to delight yourself in me again.
If you're going to spend mostof your day doing something,
most of your time doingsomething, do it on entreating

(03:15):
my presence, do it on invitingme into this process.
Do it in tuning your heart tothe Lord, because here's what
I've learned in my life, overthese 30 plus years of being an
artist and being an artistmentor Success In our life and
in our art and in our business,100% of the time, lasting

(03:36):
success flows from intimacy withGod, not just strategic
business actions.
That is so, so huge.
And you know that's the way thekingdom works.
Right, transformation from theinside out.
But the enemies always want youto get to look toward the
outside things.
Right, the latest Instagramhack, the latest sales thing,

(03:58):
the latest way to do it cheaper,faster, stronger and keep you
in this kind of bouncing aroundof looking for the next thing.
But here's some scriptures thatI think really speak to the
opposite spirit of that right.
Matthew 6, 6 says but when youpray, go into your room, close
the door, pray to your father,who is unseen, and then your

(04:19):
father, who sees what is done insecret.
What will reward you?
In other words, outward reward.
Outward success comes where?
From your secret time with theLord, from starting your day,
starting everything you're doingin that place of prayer with
him.
What about Psalm 91, 1?
You know this.
Whoever're doing in that placeof prayer with him.
What about Psalm 91.1?

(04:41):
You know this whoever dwells inthe secret place, in the shelter
of the most high, will rest inthe shadow of the almighty.
In other words, when you dwellin the Lord, he dwells in you.
Right, we talk about that a lotwith renewing your mind, right?
I always say you know thethoughts you dwell on, create
the world that you dwell in.
Well, listen, if the thoughtsthat you're dwelling on are
always about business, business,business, growth, growth,

(05:02):
growth, how do I get out there?
How do I make more money?
How do I quit this job that Ihate?
Ah, striving.
Then guess what?
That's the land that you'regoing to dwell in, my friend.
That's the world that you'regoing to find yourself in.
But when you're dwelling in thesecret place and the shelter of
the most high, you can rest inhis shadow, in other words, rest
in a place where you know thathe is overshadowing and

(05:26):
empowering everything you'redoing, not out of your strength,
but out of his.
And what about Psalm 37, four,one of my favorite scriptures?
Delight yourself in the Lordand what he will give you, just
barely what you need to get by.
Nope, Doesn't say that.
Delight yourself in the Lordand what he will give you the
desires of your heart.

(05:46):
One of the things that I'velearned over the years of the
Lord is that he puts desire andvision in our heart, not
separate from himself, butthrough his nature.
That's how God gets his desiresand his plans and purposes for
the world and for our life intothe earth and into our life is
through dreams and visions.

(06:07):
But you can't just grab a dreamand vision and go out there and
try to make it happen yourself.
The pattern, again, is reallyclear.
Everything starts withdelighting yourself in the Lord,
being in the secret place withhim, taking time in his presence
.
As you do, that, not only doesyour desires change, your
perspective change, your ear is,and the ears of your heart, the

(06:29):
eyes of your heart, are tunedto the Lord.
So what is that secret place?
That secret place with the Lord, I think, is not only that time
where you go into your prayercloset, your studio, the sacred
space of your studio or whateverit is, and just spend time in
his presence, but I think it'scultivating an atmosphere of
that in your life every day,where, as you're walking, as

(06:52):
Paul talks about being a stateof continual prayer, we're
constantly in this place ofcommunion with the Lord,
listening and looking for andrecognizing the things that he's
saying, doing, nudging us theopportunities that he's bringing
, and tuning our spiritual earsand tuning our spiritual eyes to
the opportunities that he hasfor us.

(07:12):
Again, god could release somuch more in just a suddenly, in
just a divine appointment withone person than you could get in
years of trying to grow yourart and grow your business all
by yourself.
That is this supernaturalsecret weapon, right?
Some people said the unfairadvantage right that we have as

(07:34):
believers is that we get toconnect with the mind of God,
the heart of God, for what we'redoing.
And so God releases not onlydivine creativity and
inspiration and ideas, but hereleases us moments of
understanding of what to do nextin your life and in your
business, in that secret place,in that place of focused,

(07:57):
intentional relationship withhim.
Now, this does not mean thatyou got to lay on the floor and
be in your prayer closet foreight hours.
No, we spend time with the Lord, we focus on that.
We read his word, we meditateAll the things that we talk
about in developing arelationship with the Lord.
If you've been around me at all, I mean we meditate all the
things that we talk about indeveloping a relationship with
the Lord.
If you've been around me at all.
I mean we talk so much aboutthat.
But anytime listen, anytimeyou're with Jesus, it will

(08:21):
motivate and inspire you to getup and start walking in the
things that he's designed you todo right.
And so, again, this is thisparadox in the kingdom, but
that's the way the kingdom ismade of paradoxes, right?
Business success, artisticsuccess, personal success, flows
out of prioritizing hispresence over our performance.

(08:44):
I'll say that again Successflows from prioritizing his
presence over our performance,prioritizing his presence over
our performance.
And when you do that, it givesyou the confidence to really
start breaking out of thesecomfort zones that we're so used
to walking in.
And so these places where we'rejust doing everything that

(09:05):
everybody else is doing, we'rejust following the crowd.
And well, I thought you'resupposed to sell your art and
develop your creative voice andget out there in the marketplace
this way, because that's whereeverybody else was doing it.
We just kind of settle in thisrhythm of well, if everybody
else is doing it, it should bethe way I'm doing it.
Listen, as the old adage goes,if you do what everybody else
does, you're going to get whateverybody else has got.

(09:25):
And I don't know about you, butI don't want what everybody
else has got.
I want what everybody else hasgot.
I want what God has for me inmy creative practice, in my
business, in my life.
And so God ignites passion andinspiration and direction in our
life, in the place of hispresence, in the sacred place of
the studio, in this place of uswalking with him and the things

(09:48):
that we have been designed todo.
So, my friend, if you'rethinking this year about how do
I grow my business, how do I bemore profitable, how do I get
out of that job that I hate, howdo I see God use me more, I
promise you the time that youchoose to spend with the Lord,
meditating on his word, being inhis presence, laying before him

(10:10):
on the floor, whatever it isthat you do to get with Jesus.
As you get in there and developthat secret place routine, I
promise you God's going to speakto you and move you.
It's all about learning to holdintention, if you will, this
balance of business, wisdom andthe practical things you got to

(10:31):
know and, at the same time,spiritual sensitivity and
learning to lean into the voiceof the Lord.
All right, listen, my friend.
I promise if you'll do that,you're going to see change and
transformation in your life thisyear, and I just want to
challenge you do that this week,take some time with the Lord.
Maybe it's time for you to comeback and say, lord, I've been
out pulling on every lever outthere except the lever of your

(10:54):
glory, except using the toolsand strategies that you've told
me about leaning into yourpresence.
God, I repent of that.
I want to change the way that Ithink about that.
Lord, draw me into yourpresence and use me for your
glory.
Help my heart to delight in youso that I can be everything and
do everything that you'vecalled me to do.
Listen, my friend, trusting inyourself is not how you're going

(11:16):
to get there.
True success isn't just makinga living from your art or being
successful.
It's making art and making alife that flows from life
himself, life in Christ.
I love you, my friend.
Until next time, remember, youwere created to thrive.
Bye, hey.
Thanks so much for spending afew minutes with me today on the

(11:38):
podcast Listen.
I hope it's been a hugeencouragement to you on your
journey as an artist.
Hey, also, before you leave,make sure to hit the subscribe
button so you don't miss any ofthe other episodes of the
Thriving Christian Artistpodcast, and also be sure to
connect with me on Facebook,instagram or at my website,
which is matttommymentoringcom.
Until next time, remember, youwere created to thrive.

(12:02):
Bye-bye, thank you.