November 26, 2025 • 29 mins
Peace that holds in the middle of conflict isn’t a myth; it’s the fruit of living near to God. We open up the “secret place” as Scripture presents it—covenant nearness under God’s shelter—and show how this isn’t reserved for spiritual elites. From Psalm 91’s shadow of the Almighty to Jesus’ teaching about praying in the inner room, we connect temple imagery, priesthood, and the finished work of Christ to the way you pray, think, and live today.
Stephen shares a vulnerable story about wrestling with distraction, hearing the Spirit’s gentle correction about unrighteous judgments, and the freedom that followed through repentance. That moment becomes a blueprint: make space, meet God without performance, and let Him reorder what’s out of place. We talk about practical steps—fasting to clear the fog, a notepad to offload thoughts, habits that protect attention, and the simple courage to sit long enough for the mind to grow quiet. Along the way, we revisit Moses in the cleft and David in the tent, tracing a single thread: those who love God find shelter and direction beneath His wings.
If your calling feels complex, we simplify it: know Him and be known by Him. Assignments and purpose flow from there. Use righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit as a living dashboard for alignment, and when they dim, return to the secret place until they brighten. We close with a clear charge: seek first His kingdom, let Jesus take first place, and build disciplined choices that match your spiritual DNA. If this spoke to you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs rest, and leave a review to help more people find the path to real peace.
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Shalom to you and your home.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
All right, folks.
Welcome back to part two ofCovenant Alignment with Stephen
Cruz.
And Stephen, I'm not going totake any more time other than
just to say welcome back againand have at it, brother.
SPEAKER_01 (01:26):
Amen.
Thank you, David.
Welcome, everybody.
Life around the fire.
This is our fourth installmentof Covenant Alignment.
And today I want to talk to youabout a topic that is deeply
rich and is it's a continualsearch for intimacy and
revelation in our personal walkwith the Lord.
(01:46):
It's a topic that has been madeknown to me, but has not fully
been developed yet.
Nor will I think it will everwill be on this side of
eternity.
And the topic today is uh thesecret place.
If you've been in Christiancircles for any length of time,
you have undoubtedly heard thisphrase before.
(02:07):
It is often spoken as if it isfor the super Christian or the
super anointed.
But I'm here today to unpack thereality and the simplicity of
the secret place because it isavailable for all people who
love God and call upon the nameof the Lord with sincerity of
heart.
How many of us know that peaceis found in his presence?
(02:29):
The peace that surpasses allunderstanding is found in Christ
alone.
True peace doesn't mean theabsence of conflict, and it
isn't found in the absence ofconflict.
True peace is found in living inharmony with God in the midst of
life's challenges.
God promises there is such apeace, according to John 14,
(02:51):
verse 27.
Jesus says and reassures us thatpeace I leave with you, my peace
I give to you, says Jesus.
And the Hebrew word for peace isshalom.
Nothing missing, nothinglacking, nothing broken,
wholeness and well-being,completeness and harmony with
(03:12):
God.
Isaiah 9, verse 6 describesJesus as the Prince of Peace,
because he is the reconciliationand restoration of our lives
with God.
(03:39):
He says, Yeah, in the midst oflife's challenges, there is a
place we can find shelter, andthat place is the secret place.
To live in the secret place isto live inside God's covenant
faithfulness, under his shelter,under his wings, under his
blood, and under his authority.
The secret place references tothe inner sanctuary of the
(04:02):
tabernacle, a space only thepriesthood can enter.
In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9,he says, We are a royal
priesthood because we havereceived the mercy of God, we
have access through the finishedwork of the cross and the shed
blood of Jesus.
(04:22):
What once was only available tothe Levitical priesthood is now
available to all who come to Godby grace through faith in Jesus
Christ.
The writer of Hebrews in chapter10 tells us that a new and
living way was opened up for usthrough the curtain, that is,
through Jesus' flesh.
And we are able with a trueheart and full assurance of
(04:44):
faith, with our hearts sprinkledclean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with purewater, draw near to him.
When Jesus speaks in the SermonAmount in Matthew 6, 6, 6, when
you pray, go into your room andshut the door and pray to your
(05:05):
father who is in secret.
And our father who sees insecret will reward you.
Jesus is saying, Go into yoursecret place and pray to your
father who is in secret.
When he says this, he's usinglanguage that echoes temple
symbolism.
Now, the secret place is notabout isolation for its own
(05:28):
sake, it's about meeting Godwhere no one else sees, and it's
a relational space of intimacywithout performance.
So when Jesus says, go into yourroom and shut the door and pray,
it's a meeting place.
Psalm 91 is our key scripturefor understanding the secret
(05:51):
place.
If you haven't read it, Iencourage you to go read it.
Verse 1 says, He who dwells inthe shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of theAlmighty.
Verse 4 says, He will cover youwith his feathers.
Under his wings you will findrefuge.
(06:12):
This imagery echoes cherubimwings overshadowing the mercy
seat in the tabernacle.
So we can conclude that thesecret place becomes the
symbolic area beneath God'swings, a place of refuge,
nurturing, and divineovershadowing.
Psalm 91 is describing anintimate relationship with God
(06:34):
in which we have completelysurrendered our lives to him and
have put our complete trust inhim.
In verse 1, the Hebrew word forin the shelter is translated as
secret place.
That's where we're getting thatlanguage from.
And that Hebrew word means tocover or a hiding place.
(06:55):
It speaks to a place or a stateof concealment, whether for
safety, intimacy, or secrecy.
It's a covenant nearnessavailable to those who trust
him.
Thus, the secret place is ashelter found within covenant
relationship.
King David also spoke of thesame place as well in Psalm 27.
(07:19):
For in the days of trouble hewill conceal me in his dwelling.
He will hide me in the shelterof his tent and set me high upon
a rock.
In the day of trouble, the Lordwill hide me in the secret of
his tabernacle, the secretplace.
And so in our beholding becomingepisode, we talked about you
(07:43):
know, is our desire to seekafter the Lord, to dwell in his
house and behold his beauty.
King David is that's the sameHebrew word as Psalm 91, in the
shelter.
It says he will hide me in theshelter.
SPEAKER_00 (07:59):
And so the the verb form of of hiding place is a
word that means to hide.
SPEAKER_01 (08:24):
What it is the shelter.
The first breakdown of the ofthe verb of the meaning hiding
place is Shemek, which means asmall rounded vessel with a flat
roof or a cover.
This rounded vessel refers tothe heart of God, or perhaps a
place in God's heartspecifically designed for you.
(08:44):
When you enter this place, knownonly to you and God, and
therefore secret, God puts acover over you and you are
protected deep in his heart.
The second letter of Sitar isthis the Tao, which represents
to the knowledge of God.
(09:05):
It represents the restorationand guidance.
In the secret place, we enterinto the knowledge and guidance
of God for the specificsituation or difficulty we are
facing.
As we lay down our agendas andreceive his instruction, we can
let go of anxiety, fear, andworry.
We are restored in the secretplace.
(09:25):
And the last Hebrew letter ofsitar, which means to hide, is
resh.
And that means the Holy Spirit.
And so, how do we enter thesecret place?
We are led into the secret placewhere we receive truth and
knowledge of God by the HolySpirit.
(09:47):
So when we hide, quote unquote,or run into the Most High, the
shelter of the Most High, we cansee this beautiful picture being
painted of a hiding place setapart from the world, known only
to you and God.
It is a place of protection,provision, and intimacy, a place
where the knowledge of God isfound, and it's a place of
restoration.
(10:09):
So the question for us today isdo you want to enter the secret
place?
And if that answer is yes, thenJesus alone must rule and reign
in your heart.
And if that answer is yes, youknow, how do we enter?
In Christianity, everythingbegins with a relationship, and
(10:29):
the secret place is a place opento us through by which we enter
through prayer and worship.
It is a journey, a process, butwe begin entering in by desiring
to live with Jesus in thissecret place.
Jesus must be our desire, and hemust supersede all other wants
(10:51):
and needs and desires.
The secret place is a place ofknowledge, wisdom,
understanding, and revelation.
It is also a place ofrestoration.
You know, just recently, I uhabout two weeks ago, I woke up
early, about 4 30 in themorning, and I could feel the
(11:12):
drawing, the calling of the HolySpirit to pull away, to go spend
time with him while everyoneelse in my house was sleeping.
And so I have a I have aspecific place that I go to to
spend time with him.
It's quote unquote my secretplace.
(11:33):
In the physical, we know that wemeet with him in the spirit and
in you know in our minds' eye.
And so a little bit of atestimony here.
I was I've been battling likedistractions throughout the past
like week.
And it was beginning to liketrouble my mind, like they were
always in front of me, you know,not necessarily seeing clearly.
(11:56):
And so when I felt the callingof the Lord that morning, I I
knew that I knew that it washim, and I needed to go and sit
before him.
And so I as I began to sit, youknow, all these thoughts and
scenarios and people's names andplaces started like just coming
up as I was sitting there.
(12:19):
And we talked about that beforeabout letting our thoughts quiet
down.
But uh this time they weren'tlike going away.
And so I'm like, you know, whatis what are these, you know,
people's people, places, andthings mean, Lord?
And he said that these arepeople and places and things
that you have made judgmentsabout.
(12:39):
And I immediately felt the peaceof God when that was spoken to
me when I heard that because Iknew what I needed, what I
needed to do.
I needed to repent and forgivesome people because I understood
that you know I was walking insome unrighteous judgments,
which was causing me to lose mypeace and become mentally
(13:02):
distracted.
And so, you know, this is anexample of basically walking in
my own self-righteousness.
The Lord was faithful to say,you know, hey, son, you're you
need to get this straightenedout before any more time goes
by.
And he called me to himself, andI was obedient in that.
(13:23):
I know I had to sacrifice sleepto get up.
And the list of names the HolySpirit was showing me was like a
laundry list that needed to bewashed clean through the through
the through the power ofrepentance.
And so there are otherscenarios.
This happened many timesthroughout my my walk with the
Lord where you know we may needwisdom on how to navigate a
(13:46):
particular situation.
You would run to the secretplace to sit before him to hear
from him.
Or things may be going smoothlyin your life, and we just want
to sit at his feet and and bewith him.
You know, that's the opportunityto go to the secret place.
And this just illustrates thetype of relationship that is
(14:09):
available with God as a boringunbeliever.
You know, he never leaves us norforsakes us.
And so if we have a heartposture that, you know, we want
to walk with him and walk beforehim and be blameless, you know,
he's going to help us out whenwe get off track.
(14:30):
And so that uh I hope thatencourages hurt encourages
somebody here today that thereare answers, answers available.
Things are not random in ourlife if we're experiencing
something.
It's it's our job to seek thatout, and the Lord is faithful to
reveal.
In John 17, verse 3, it says,and this is eternal life, that
(14:55):
they know you.
Knowing God is eternal life, andit is for the here and now.
It's not not later after we die,it's for right now.
You can know him.
The scripture says that eternallife is knowing him.
And folks, our call in life isto know him and be known by him.
SPEAKER_00 (15:21):
I truly believe that there's a lot of bad teaching or
misconceptions about ourcalling.
SPEAKER_01 (15:35):
You have calling, you know, a purpose,
assignments, those are threedifferent things.
Our calling is in in in thislife is to know him and to be
known by him.
And Apostle Paul says in inRomans 8, verse 28, and we know
that for those who love God, allthings work together for good,
(15:57):
for those who are calledaccording to his purpose.
You know, this is a scripturethat's floated around in the
Christian community, thislanguage.
But the many gloss over the keyaspect in this verse, it's those
who love God, all things workfor good.
(16:19):
All things do not work for goodfor those who do not love him.
And so if we go back to part oneof the beholding and becoming
episode on September 30th, wedid talk about Psalm 27, the one
thing that I seek after.
(16:39):
King David is saying, the onething that I have asked of the
Lord that I will seek after,that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of mylife, and to gaze upon the
beauty of the Lord and toinquire in his temple.
This is the secret place thatDavid is referring to in Psalm
27.
It's the same Hebrew word inPsalm 91.
(17:03):
And Psalm 91 traditionally isbelieved to have been written by
Moses regarding his experiencein the wilderness.
And specifically while he washiding in the cleft of the rock
in Exodus 33.
The imagery of God coveringMoses with his hand and the
promise of his protection, theshadow of the Almighty,
highlights is Moses highlightsMoses' deep trust and reliance
(17:26):
upon God's care.
And again, when we go to alittle bit deeper into Psalm 91,
verse 14, it says, Because heholds fast to me in love.
So the theme here is (17:38):
are we loving the Lord?
Do we actually love him with allof our heart?
Is he first place in our life?
You know, I think that's a aprerequisite for covenant
alignment.
You know, he can't be, he hasto, we have to live a God first
life.
He can't be third on the list.
(17:58):
You know, a lot of families getthings out of order.
You know, God is first in mylife, then my wife, and then in
my children.
A lot of people put the wifefirst or the children's first,
and then God's second or thirdon that list.
I guarantee you, if you look andexamine their lives, things are
(18:22):
not going as smoothly as theyshould be, and it's because
things are out of alignment.
God has to be first in our life.
And so some questions here forus today is Is Christ our first
love?
Do we hold fast to Him?
Is He the first person we run towhen things aren't going right?
And is He the first person thatwe we thank and give glory when
(18:44):
they are going right?
Are we lukewarm?
And do we need to tend to thefire of our hearts?
These are questions that if youdesire to seek after the Lord,
the Holy Spirit is gonnahighlight these things and it's
gonna be an easy fix.
It's not gonna be a burden.
(19:05):
You know, Jesus' teachings, hishis yoke, the yoke of his
teaching, teaching is easy inits light.
It's not a burden to follow himand what he is telling us what
to do and how how to live theChristian life.
And so another question is arewe a foolish virgin?
(19:27):
Or are we wise and have our oiland our wicks trimmed?
Is Christ a part of your life?
Or is he your life?
The secret place is for thosewho love him and understand that
they have been bought with aprice and their life is not
their own, but their life ishidden in God in Christ Jesus.
(19:52):
We have been restored tointimacy, and sin when you break
it down is nothing more thanbroken fellowship.
But Christ restored ourrelationship and the access is
available for us.
The question is, will we drawnear?
Going back to my testimony, youknow, how did I not, you know,
(20:15):
sought out that prompting, youknow, things were going on.
How did I push that down andignored it?
You know, I think that was thegrace of the Lord of saying, you
know, hey, these judgments thatyou have are starting to affect
different areas.
And if you don't fix it quicklyby you know acknowledging them,
agreeing that they are not rightand repenting, you know, the
(20:42):
Holy Spirit is is a is a He'ssuch a gracious helper.
But if we keep ignoring hispromptings, he's gonna go silent
on it on a matter.
And now we have an even largerissue in our lives.
And so will we draw near to him?
(21:04):
According to Hebrews chapter 11,verse 6, without faith is it imp
it is impossible to please God,because anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists, andhe is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek him.
Abiding in the secret placesabout beholding him.
We must start with repentance,in which we re we relinquish
(21:26):
every other idol and source ofvalue.
Then and only then can we abidein him.
We talked in the previousepisode about when we sit before
the Lord, we compare ourthoughts to being items on a
(21:46):
grocery store conveyor belt.
If you haven't listened to that,I encourage you to go back.
You hear a lot of questionssometime, you know.
Well, when I sit with God, youknow, I have all these thoughts,
you know, we gotta kind of letthose go by.
And so kind of the example wasallowing your thoughts to pass
by like food on a conveyor beltat the grocery store checkout
(22:09):
line.
You know, some of our thoughtsmay be from God, just like my
testimony earlier, these thingsthe Lord was highlighting that,
you know, these are issues thatneed to be fixed.
Some of the thoughts are justthat.
They're just our thoughts.
And some of them are God'sdesires.
(22:30):
And so as we begin to, you know,step into the secret place and
make time in our lives, our busyschedule to get quiet before the
Lord and sit before him, youknow, we're gonna have to filter
our thoughts, whether you'resuper anointed and been walking
with the Lord for 40 years, oryou're day one born-again
(22:51):
Christian.
We all have thoughts.
You hear testimonies all thetime of the big and the small
and the kingdom of God, youknow, struggling with getting
quiet before the Lord becausetheir thought life is dominating
them and they can't get rid ofit.
Well, the thoughts are gonna runout, just like on the groceries
on the conveyor belt.
They're gonna run outeventually.
Are you going to endure untilthis your mind gets quiet and
(23:14):
still?
And so a good way is to have anote pen.
If you're worried about yourthoughts for getting something,
get a notepad and and you get aname or write it down real quick
and then move on.
You know, don't dwell on it,come back to it later.
And so have a have a notepadhandy next to you to jot down
(23:36):
any idea and get back to beingstill before the Lord.
And and I promise you, once themonce your mind runs out of
thoughts, you will come to aquiet stillness.
And this is the place oftransformation and a place of
exchange that happens wherewhere our burdens get replaced
with his peace.
(23:58):
And so in Christ Jesus, thesecret place is our portion.
Seeking first the kingdom of Godand his righteousness is
connected to the secret place.
And it's how we add another logonto the fire of our hearts.
You know, Apostle Paul talkedabout in Philippians chapter 3
(24:23):
that he's asking Apostle Paul'sdesire is that he would know him
and the power of hisresurrection.
Verse 10 says, that I may knowhim and the power of his
resurrection.
So the question here today is dowe want to know him?
Do we want a better relationshipwith our Lord and Savior?
(24:43):
Jesus said in Matthew 16, verse24, if anyone will come after
me, let him deny himself andtake up his cross and follow me.
Denying ourselves looks likeeliminating distractions.
Denying ourselves looks likeforfeiting our comforts.
(25:07):
Denying ourselves looks likefasting.
And so what what things can wegive up to seek the Lord?
You know, that testimony Ishared, you know, I had to
forfeit time.
Had to give up some sleep to gospend some quiet time before
everyone else wakes up to figureout what was going on.
(25:31):
And you know, we we need to denyourselves of some some the best
thing is fasting, giving up foodfor a period of time, and
replacing that with prayer timeand scripture reading and
sitting before the Lord andworshiping and praising Him.
(25:51):
The next acts, taking up yourcross.
Jesus said, if anyone will comeafter me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross and followme.
Taking up your cross meanspicking up your humanity so that
your humanity aligns with yourdivinity.
(26:12):
You are seated with Christ inheavenly places.
And we enter in the secret placeby the Spirit of the living God.
Apostle Paul tells us in Romanschapter 14, verse 17, that the
kingdom of God is righteousness,peace, and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
(26:32):
If we are not experiencing thesethree tangible fruits in our
Christian walk, it is a red flagthat we have not been in his
presence.
If we don't have righteousness,if we're not in right standing,
the Lord will let you know.
That's my testimony I sharedearlier.
I had unrighteous judgments.
I was not in right standing.
I was making judge, I hadjudgments against people.
(26:56):
So there was, there was, I waslosing my peace, I was losing my
joy.
You know, the it could beanything for anyone.
That's just one testimony ofhundreds that have happened in
my life, and I'm sure havehappened in yours.
That, you know, if we're not ifwe don't have right, you know,
(27:17):
right standing peace and joy,it's it's a clear indicator that
we need to run back into hispresence and receive from him.
A secret place is aboutworshiping him, worshiping him,
it's spirit and truth.
It is a divine place of intimacythat is special and unique to
(27:37):
each of his children.
We find hope, life, correction,discipline, love, peace,
healing, and restoration in thisintimate place called the secret
place.
And so the question remains (27:53):
if you've been following us here on
the Covenant Alignment segment,the question that we've posed
and we continue to ask is Am Ifighting battles that alignment
could resolve?
A lot of times believers arefacilitating distractions and
warfare by not seeking andfocusing on God.
(28:17):
But when we embrace our identityin Christ and continually press
into his presence by seekingfirst his kingdom and his
righteousness, we then abide inthe shelter of the Most High
God.
And so we will end today'sepisode by saying that covenant
(28:41):
alignment is disciplined choicesthat demonstrate your spiritual
DNA and it it invites othersinto the same freedom that
you've discovered in Yeshua.
And so, Father God, as we endthis time with you with each
other today, we ask, Lord, thatyou would help us make time to
(29:03):
sit before you.
And Lord, as we we take a stepforward, Lord God, that you
would open up the door to havethat time, Lord.
But may you reveal to us ifwe're out of alignment and what
are the steps needed to get backon the correct path.
(29:24):
And Father, if we are inalignment, show us how to
establish covenant spiritualdisciplines to maintain our
spiritual sensitivity so that wecan hear your voice clearly and
do the works that you arecalling us to do.
SPEAKER_00 (29:46):
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
SPEAKER_03 (29:48):
Amen.
Thank you, Stephen.
Folks, once again, we we we wewe love you, we care for you.
And if you have any thoughts,questions, concerns, please feel
free to drop us a line at lifearound the fire at gmail.com.
That's our email address.
(30:08):
Or you can type in Life Aroundthe Fire and look us up on the
web.
We would love to hear from you.
In the meantime, God bless you.
Adios, amigos.
All right, folks.
Welcome back to part two ofCovenant Alignment with Stephen
Cruz.
And Stephen, I'm not going totake any more time other than
just to say welcome back againand have at it, brother.
SPEAKER_01 (01:26):
Amen.
Thank you, David.
Welcome, everybody.
Life around the fire.
This is our fourth installmentof Covenant Alignment.
And today I want to talk to youabout a topic that is deeply
rich and is it's a continualsearch for intimacy and
revelation in our personal walkwith the Lord.
(01:46):
It's a topic that has been madeknown to me, but has not fully
been developed yet.
Nor will I think it will everwill be on this side of
eternity.
And the topic today is uh thesecret place.
If you've been in Christiancircles for any length of time,
you have undoubtedly heard thisphrase before.
(02:07):
It is often spoken as if it isfor the super Christian or the
super anointed.
But I'm here today to unpack thereality and the simplicity of
the secret place because it isavailable for all people who
love God and call upon the nameof the Lord with sincerity of
heart.
How many of us know that peaceis found in his presence?
(02:29):
The peace that surpasses allunderstanding is found in Christ
alone.
True peace doesn't mean theabsence of conflict, and it
isn't found in the absence ofconflict.
True peace is found in living inharmony with God in the midst of
life's challenges.
God promises there is such apeace, according to John 14,
(02:51):
verse 27.
Jesus says and reassures us thatpeace I leave with you, my peace
I give to you, says Jesus.
And the Hebrew word for peace isshalom.
Nothing missing, nothinglacking, nothing broken,
wholeness and well-being,completeness and harmony with
(03:12):
God.
Isaiah 9, verse 6 describesJesus as the Prince of Peace,
because he is the reconciliationand restoration of our lives
with God.
(03:39):
He says, Yeah, in the midst oflife's challenges, there is a
place we can find shelter, andthat place is the secret place.
To live in the secret place isto live inside God's covenant
faithfulness, under his shelter,under his wings, under his
blood, and under his authority.
The secret place references tothe inner sanctuary of the
(04:02):
tabernacle, a space only thepriesthood can enter.
In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9,he says, We are a royal
priesthood because we havereceived the mercy of God, we
have access through the finishedwork of the cross and the shed
blood of Jesus.
(04:22):
What once was only available tothe Levitical priesthood is now
available to all who come to Godby grace through faith in Jesus
Christ.
The writer of Hebrews in chapter10 tells us that a new and
living way was opened up for usthrough the curtain, that is,
through Jesus' flesh.
And we are able with a trueheart and full assurance of
(04:44):
faith, with our hearts sprinkledclean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with purewater, draw near to him.
When Jesus speaks in the SermonAmount in Matthew 6, 6, 6, when
you pray, go into your room andshut the door and pray to your
(05:05):
father who is in secret.
And our father who sees insecret will reward you.
Jesus is saying, Go into yoursecret place and pray to your
father who is in secret.
When he says this, he's usinglanguage that echoes temple
symbolism.
Now, the secret place is notabout isolation for its own
(05:28):
sake, it's about meeting Godwhere no one else sees, and it's
a relational space of intimacywithout performance.
So when Jesus says, go into yourroom and shut the door and pray,
it's a meeting place.
Psalm 91 is our key scripturefor understanding the secret
(05:51):
place.
If you haven't read it, Iencourage you to go read it.
Verse 1 says, He who dwells inthe shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of theAlmighty.
Verse 4 says, He will cover youwith his feathers.
Under his wings you will findrefuge.
(06:12):
This imagery echoes cherubimwings overshadowing the mercy
seat in the tabernacle.
So we can conclude that thesecret place becomes the
symbolic area beneath God'swings, a place of refuge,
nurturing, and divineovershadowing.
Psalm 91 is describing anintimate relationship with God
(06:34):
in which we have completelysurrendered our lives to him and
have put our complete trust inhim.
In verse 1, the Hebrew word forin the shelter is translated as
secret place.
That's where we're getting thatlanguage from.
And that Hebrew word means tocover or a hiding place.
(06:55):
It speaks to a place or a stateof concealment, whether for
safety, intimacy, or secrecy.
It's a covenant nearnessavailable to those who trust
him.
Thus, the secret place is ashelter found within covenant
relationship.
King David also spoke of thesame place as well in Psalm 27.
(07:19):
For in the days of trouble hewill conceal me in his dwelling.
He will hide me in the shelterof his tent and set me high upon
a rock.
In the day of trouble, the Lordwill hide me in the secret of
his tabernacle, the secretplace.
And so in our beholding becomingepisode, we talked about you
(07:43):
know, is our desire to seekafter the Lord, to dwell in his
house and behold his beauty.
King David is that's the sameHebrew word as Psalm 91, in the
shelter.
It says he will hide me in theshelter.
SPEAKER_00 (07:59):
And so the the verb form of of hiding place is a
word that means to hide.
SPEAKER_01 (08:24):
What it is the shelter.
The first breakdown of the ofthe verb of the meaning hiding
place is Shemek, which means asmall rounded vessel with a flat
roof or a cover.
This rounded vessel refers tothe heart of God, or perhaps a
place in God's heartspecifically designed for you.
(08:44):
When you enter this place, knownonly to you and God, and
therefore secret, God puts acover over you and you are
protected deep in his heart.
The second letter of Sitar isthis the Tao, which represents
to the knowledge of God.
(09:05):
It represents the restorationand guidance.
In the secret place, we enterinto the knowledge and guidance
of God for the specificsituation or difficulty we are
facing.
As we lay down our agendas andreceive his instruction, we can
let go of anxiety, fear, andworry.
We are restored in the secretplace.
(09:25):
And the last Hebrew letter ofsitar, which means to hide, is
resh.
And that means the Holy Spirit.
And so, how do we enter thesecret place?
We are led into the secret placewhere we receive truth and
knowledge of God by the HolySpirit.
(09:47):
So when we hide, quote unquote,or run into the Most High, the
shelter of the Most High, we cansee this beautiful picture being
painted of a hiding place setapart from the world, known only
to you and God.
It is a place of protection,provision, and intimacy, a place
where the knowledge of God isfound, and it's a place of
restoration.
(10:09):
So the question for us today isdo you want to enter the secret
place?
And if that answer is yes, thenJesus alone must rule and reign
in your heart.
And if that answer is yes, youknow, how do we enter?
In Christianity, everythingbegins with a relationship, and
(10:29):
the secret place is a place opento us through by which we enter
through prayer and worship.
It is a journey, a process, butwe begin entering in by desiring
to live with Jesus in thissecret place.
Jesus must be our desire, and hemust supersede all other wants
(10:51):
and needs and desires.
The secret place is a place ofknowledge, wisdom,
understanding, and revelation.
It is also a place ofrestoration.
You know, just recently, I uhabout two weeks ago, I woke up
early, about 4 30 in themorning, and I could feel the
(11:12):
drawing, the calling of the HolySpirit to pull away, to go spend
time with him while everyoneelse in my house was sleeping.
And so I have a I have aspecific place that I go to to
spend time with him.
It's quote unquote my secretplace.
(11:33):
In the physical, we know that wemeet with him in the spirit and
in you know in our minds' eye.
And so a little bit of atestimony here.
I was I've been battling likedistractions throughout the past
like week.
And it was beginning to liketrouble my mind, like they were
always in front of me, you know,not necessarily seeing clearly.
(11:56):
And so when I felt the callingof the Lord that morning, I I
knew that I knew that it washim, and I needed to go and sit
before him.
And so I as I began to sit, youknow, all these thoughts and
scenarios and people's names andplaces started like just coming
up as I was sitting there.
(12:19):
And we talked about that beforeabout letting our thoughts quiet
down.
But uh this time they weren'tlike going away.
And so I'm like, you know, whatis what are these, you know,
people's people, places, andthings mean, Lord?
And he said that these arepeople and places and things
that you have made judgmentsabout.
(12:39):
And I immediately felt the peaceof God when that was spoken to
me when I heard that because Iknew what I needed, what I
needed to do.
I needed to repent and forgivesome people because I understood
that you know I was walking insome unrighteous judgments,
which was causing me to lose mypeace and become mentally
(13:02):
distracted.
And so, you know, this is anexample of basically walking in
my own self-righteousness.
The Lord was faithful to say,you know, hey, son, you're you
need to get this straightenedout before any more time goes
by.
And he called me to himself, andI was obedient in that.
(13:23):
I know I had to sacrifice sleepto get up.
And the list of names the HolySpirit was showing me was like a
laundry list that needed to bewashed clean through the through
the through the power ofrepentance.
And so there are otherscenarios.
This happened many timesthroughout my my walk with the
Lord where you know we may needwisdom on how to navigate a
(13:46):
particular situation.
You would run to the secretplace to sit before him to hear
from him.
Or things may be going smoothlyin your life, and we just want
to sit at his feet and and bewith him.
You know, that's the opportunityto go to the secret place.
And this just illustrates thetype of relationship that is
(14:09):
available with God as a boringunbeliever.
You know, he never leaves us norforsakes us.
And so if we have a heartposture that, you know, we want
to walk with him and walk beforehim and be blameless, you know,
he's going to help us out whenwe get off track.
(14:30):
And so that uh I hope thatencourages hurt encourages
somebody here today that thereare answers, answers available.
Things are not random in ourlife if we're experiencing
something.
It's it's our job to seek thatout, and the Lord is faithful to
reveal.
In John 17, verse 3, it says,and this is eternal life, that
(14:55):
they know you.
Knowing God is eternal life, andit is for the here and now.
It's not not later after we die,it's for right now.
You can know him.
The scripture says that eternallife is knowing him.
And folks, our call in life isto know him and be known by him.
SPEAKER_00 (15:21):
I truly believe that there's a lot of bad teaching or
misconceptions about ourcalling.
SPEAKER_01 (15:35):
You have calling, you know, a purpose,
assignments, those are threedifferent things.
Our calling is in in in thislife is to know him and to be
known by him.
And Apostle Paul says in inRomans 8, verse 28, and we know
that for those who love God, allthings work together for good,
(15:57):
for those who are calledaccording to his purpose.
You know, this is a scripturethat's floated around in the
Christian community, thislanguage.
But the many gloss over the keyaspect in this verse, it's those
who love God, all things workfor good.
(16:19):
All things do not work for goodfor those who do not love him.
And so if we go back to part oneof the beholding and becoming
episode on September 30th, wedid talk about Psalm 27, the one
thing that I seek after.
(16:39):
King David is saying, the onething that I have asked of the
Lord that I will seek after,that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of mylife, and to gaze upon the
beauty of the Lord and toinquire in his temple.
This is the secret place thatDavid is referring to in Psalm
27.
It's the same Hebrew word inPsalm 91.
(17:03):
And Psalm 91 traditionally isbelieved to have been written by
Moses regarding his experiencein the wilderness.
And specifically while he washiding in the cleft of the rock
in Exodus 33.
The imagery of God coveringMoses with his hand and the
promise of his protection, theshadow of the Almighty,
highlights is Moses highlightsMoses' deep trust and reliance
(17:26):
upon God's care.
And again, when we go to alittle bit deeper into Psalm 91,
verse 14, it says, Because heholds fast to me in love.
So the theme here is (17:38):
are we loving the Lord?
Do we actually love him with allof our heart?
Is he first place in our life?
You know, I think that's a aprerequisite for covenant
alignment.
You know, he can't be, he hasto, we have to live a God first
life.
He can't be third on the list.
(17:58):
You know, a lot of families getthings out of order.
You know, God is first in mylife, then my wife, and then in
my children.
A lot of people put the wifefirst or the children's first,
and then God's second or thirdon that list.
I guarantee you, if you look andexamine their lives, things are
(18:22):
not going as smoothly as theyshould be, and it's because
things are out of alignment.
God has to be first in our life.
And so some questions here forus today is Is Christ our first
love?
Do we hold fast to Him?
Is He the first person we run towhen things aren't going right?
And is He the first person thatwe we thank and give glory when
(18:44):
they are going right?
Are we lukewarm?
And do we need to tend to thefire of our hearts?
These are questions that if youdesire to seek after the Lord,
the Holy Spirit is gonnahighlight these things and it's
gonna be an easy fix.
It's not gonna be a burden.
(19:05):
You know, Jesus' teachings, hishis yoke, the yoke of his
teaching, teaching is easy inits light.
It's not a burden to follow himand what he is telling us what
to do and how how to live theChristian life.
And so another question is arewe a foolish virgin?
(19:27):
Or are we wise and have our oiland our wicks trimmed?
Is Christ a part of your life?
Or is he your life?
The secret place is for thosewho love him and understand that
they have been bought with aprice and their life is not
their own, but their life ishidden in God in Christ Jesus.
(19:52):
We have been restored tointimacy, and sin when you break
it down is nothing more thanbroken fellowship.
But Christ restored ourrelationship and the access is
available for us.
The question is, will we drawnear?
Going back to my testimony, youknow, how did I not, you know,
(20:15):
sought out that prompting, youknow, things were going on.
How did I push that down andignored it?
You know, I think that was thegrace of the Lord of saying, you
know, hey, these judgments thatyou have are starting to affect
different areas.
And if you don't fix it quicklyby you know acknowledging them,
agreeing that they are not rightand repenting, you know, the
(20:42):
Holy Spirit is is a is a He'ssuch a gracious helper.
But if we keep ignoring hispromptings, he's gonna go silent
on it on a matter.
And now we have an even largerissue in our lives.
And so will we draw near to him?
(21:04):
According to Hebrews chapter 11,verse 6, without faith is it imp
it is impossible to please God,because anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists, andhe is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek him.
Abiding in the secret placesabout beholding him.
We must start with repentance,in which we re we relinquish
(21:26):
every other idol and source ofvalue.
Then and only then can we abidein him.
We talked in the previousepisode about when we sit before
the Lord, we compare ourthoughts to being items on a
(21:46):
grocery store conveyor belt.
If you haven't listened to that,I encourage you to go back.
You hear a lot of questionssometime, you know.
Well, when I sit with God, youknow, I have all these thoughts,
you know, we gotta kind of letthose go by.
And so kind of the example wasallowing your thoughts to pass
by like food on a conveyor beltat the grocery store checkout
(22:09):
line.
You know, some of our thoughtsmay be from God, just like my
testimony earlier, these thingsthe Lord was highlighting that,
you know, these are issues thatneed to be fixed.
Some of the thoughts are justthat.
They're just our thoughts.
And some of them are God'sdesires.
(22:30):
And so as we begin to, you know,step into the secret place and
make time in our lives, our busyschedule to get quiet before the
Lord and sit before him, youknow, we're gonna have to filter
our thoughts, whether you'resuper anointed and been walking
with the Lord for 40 years, oryou're day one born-again
(22:51):
Christian.
We all have thoughts.
You hear testimonies all thetime of the big and the small
and the kingdom of God, youknow, struggling with getting
quiet before the Lord becausetheir thought life is dominating
them and they can't get rid ofit.
Well, the thoughts are gonna runout, just like on the groceries
on the conveyor belt.
They're gonna run outeventually.
Are you going to endure untilthis your mind gets quiet and
(23:14):
still?
And so a good way is to have anote pen.
If you're worried about yourthoughts for getting something,
get a notepad and and you get aname or write it down real quick
and then move on.
You know, don't dwell on it,come back to it later.
And so have a have a notepadhandy next to you to jot down
(23:36):
any idea and get back to beingstill before the Lord.
And and I promise you, once themonce your mind runs out of
thoughts, you will come to aquiet stillness.
And this is the place oftransformation and a place of
exchange that happens wherewhere our burdens get replaced
with his peace.
(23:58):
And so in Christ Jesus, thesecret place is our portion.
Seeking first the kingdom of Godand his righteousness is
connected to the secret place.
And it's how we add another logonto the fire of our hearts.
You know, Apostle Paul talkedabout in Philippians chapter 3
(24:23):
that he's asking Apostle Paul'sdesire is that he would know him
and the power of hisresurrection.
Verse 10 says, that I may knowhim and the power of his
resurrection.
So the question here today is dowe want to know him?
Do we want a better relationshipwith our Lord and Savior?
(24:43):
Jesus said in Matthew 16, verse24, if anyone will come after
me, let him deny himself andtake up his cross and follow me.
Denying ourselves looks likeeliminating distractions.
Denying ourselves looks likeforfeiting our comforts.
(25:07):
Denying ourselves looks likefasting.
And so what what things can wegive up to seek the Lord?
You know, that testimony Ishared, you know, I had to
forfeit time.
Had to give up some sleep to gospend some quiet time before
everyone else wakes up to figureout what was going on.
(25:31):
And you know, we we need to denyourselves of some some the best
thing is fasting, giving up foodfor a period of time, and
replacing that with prayer timeand scripture reading and
sitting before the Lord andworshiping and praising Him.
(25:51):
The next acts, taking up yourcross.
Jesus said, if anyone will comeafter me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross and followme.
Taking up your cross meanspicking up your humanity so that
your humanity aligns with yourdivinity.
(26:12):
You are seated with Christ inheavenly places.
And we enter in the secret placeby the Spirit of the living God.
Apostle Paul tells us in Romanschapter 14, verse 17, that the
kingdom of God is righteousness,peace, and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
(26:32):
If we are not experiencing thesethree tangible fruits in our
Christian walk, it is a red flagthat we have not been in his
presence.
If we don't have righteousness,if we're not in right standing,
the Lord will let you know.
That's my testimony I sharedearlier.
I had unrighteous judgments.
I was not in right standing.
I was making judge, I hadjudgments against people.
(26:56):
So there was, there was, I waslosing my peace, I was losing my
joy.
You know, the it could beanything for anyone.
That's just one testimony ofhundreds that have happened in
my life, and I'm sure havehappened in yours.
That, you know, if we're not ifwe don't have right, you know,
(27:17):
right standing peace and joy,it's it's a clear indicator that
we need to run back into hispresence and receive from him.
A secret place is aboutworshiping him, worshiping him,
it's spirit and truth.
It is a divine place of intimacythat is special and unique to
(27:37):
each of his children.
We find hope, life, correction,discipline, love, peace,
healing, and restoration in thisintimate place called the secret
place.
And so the question remains (27:53):
if you've been following us here on
the Covenant Alignment segment,the question that we've posed
and we continue to ask is Am Ifighting battles that alignment
could resolve?
A lot of times believers arefacilitating distractions and
warfare by not seeking andfocusing on God.
(28:17):
But when we embrace our identityin Christ and continually press
into his presence by seekingfirst his kingdom and his
righteousness, we then abide inthe shelter of the Most High
God.
And so we will end today'sepisode by saying that covenant
(28:41):
alignment is disciplined choicesthat demonstrate your spiritual
DNA and it it invites othersinto the same freedom that
you've discovered in Yeshua.
And so, Father God, as we endthis time with you with each
other today, we ask, Lord, thatyou would help us make time to
(29:03):
sit before you.
And Lord, as we we take a stepforward, Lord God, that you
would open up the door to havethat time, Lord.
But may you reveal to us ifwe're out of alignment and what
are the steps needed to get backon the correct path.
(29:24):
And Father, if we are inalignment, show us how to
establish covenant spiritualdisciplines to maintain our
spiritual sensitivity so that wecan hear your voice clearly and
do the works that you arecalling us to do.
SPEAKER_00 (29:46):
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
SPEAKER_03 (29:48):
Amen.
Thank you, Stephen.
Folks, once again, we we we wewe love you, we care for you.
And if you have any thoughts,questions, concerns, please feel
free to drop us a line at lifearound the fire at gmail.com.
That's our email address.
(30:08):
Or you can type in Life Aroundthe Fire and look us up on the
web.
We would love to hear from you.
In the meantime, God bless you.
Adios, amigos.
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