THE SECRET PLACE (15)

“Redeeming the TIME, because the days are evil” – Ephesians 5:16

Optimal Investment of the resource of Time is crucial to finding fulfilment in THE SECRET PLACE: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the TIME, because the days are evil” (Eph.5: 15-16). The Secret Place has been the point of greatest frustration and attack in the personal walk of many Believers. Since the Secret Place holds the keys to authentic Kingdom overcoming, the adversary causes his toughest assaults to bear upon this aspect of the Believer’s life. Our enemy will do anything to get us to curtail the amount of time we devote to the Secret Place with God. He will distract, entice, harass, intimidate, push, oppress, and weary – whatever it takes to weaken and demotivate. When we devote ourselves to knowing God more intimately, all of hell seems to be mobilized against us.

The full potential of the Secret Place with God requires this great overarching element of Time – lots of it. The more exclusive time we devote to Him, the more meaningful the relationship becomes. This follows the principle of 2 Corinthians 9:6, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The more time – quality time – that we sow into the Secret Place, the greater the bounty we’ll enjoy. There is a threshold to cross in terms of uncovering and accessing the full Joy of the Secret Place. Until we find that threshold, we may find that we’re consistently pushing to get into the Secret Place, as though it’s a burden instead of a joy. But once we cross the threshold, the Secret Place becomes a place of delight that we’ll gladly prioritize over other competing demands.

We find that threshold into the dimensions of delight and intimacy, by giving quality time to the Secret Place, as top priority. Time invested here should never be considered to be wasteful. Even if it is, we should gladly waste it upon our Lord – the Creator of Time and Eternity! However, we need not entertain feelings of guilt over not taking enough time to be with the Lord. Such feelings will never motivate anyone to spend more time with God; in actuality, will discourage and make one feel like a failure. Guilt can totally snuff out small flame that presently might be. Guilt is always founded on Satan’s lies. But God is our Greatest Fan. Our Father is constantly coaxing us forward into the heights of spiritual victory. When we neglect the Secret Place, He is not disappointed IN us but FOR us. He wants us to share in Heaven’s best!

Missing the Secret Place is missing: drinking deeply of the Spirit’s fountain; being washed, cleansed, and renewed in God’s Presence; getting fed by the Illumination of His Word; and taking time to calm our hectic hearts and hear His precious Voice. We redeem the Time by Wisdom – understanding God’s Will.