secret place

Safety and Peace in Troubled Times

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

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We are living in tumultuous times when disturbing things happen on a frequent basis. I have heard one prophet declare that Martial Law will be coming to the USA in all 50 states. Regardless of whether or not it happens, there are often unsettling or downright troublesome things suddenly arising in the world.

How do we stand firm trusting God, keeping a sound mind when we feel the shaking? We learn to abide in his presence as we have special times with him. Then we learn to carry that connection we’ve developed with him throughout all that’s going on during the rest of the day. God becomes our anchor in the storm, our light in the darkness.

To develop the ability to abide, spend special times with the Most High God. Trust him. Draw close to him by yielding continuously in your spirit. The epicenter of your spirit is located in your Bible heart deep within you, not in your head. Special times can be spent in worship, by reading and meditating on scripture, or by talking with him in prayer. You can simply sit silently in his presence as he comes to you. Any or all of these are good, alone or in combination.

Take time in the secret place.

He’s already reaching out to you and me. He’s speaking. As you and I get better at being still before him, as we practice tuning into his frequencies, we learn to discern his presence. We come to recognize his voice. We grow in hearing him more clearly. We become more aware that he is with us. We abide with him and live by the Spirit more. So, since you’re hungry for God, persist and you’ll receive increase.

My special times vary from season to season. Sometimes I meet the Lord in the morning. Sometimes in the evening. Sometimes it’s both! Sometimes I am more focused on scripture and at other times I am more focused on prayer. Either way, I’m seeking encounters with him. Needs and seasons change. My patterns do too. Regular, frequent meetings with him build this relationship. They equip me to stay in fellowship with the presence of God throughout the rest of the day.

Hopefully you’re enjoying special times with the Lord already. If not, start now! As you seek him with your whole heart, give him permission to do what he wants to do in your time together. Connect to him with your heart and your head will follow along. Your spiritual senses will develop. Your understanding will expand. Deeper fellowship with him will follow. You’ll move into that place of abiding. There’s always more!

Your special times with the Spirit of the Lord anchor you in God’s love. Persist! If you miss a few (or a lot), just briefly receive forgiveness and get back to connecting with him. It’s the long haul that counts. Focus on the present and the future, not the past. Be kind because he is.

Your intimacy with God equips you for the storms that come. If a certain routine in your time with him becomes dry, then try something else. He’s after your heart not religious performance. Be after his heart too, as the biblical David exampled!

One way to practice abiding in the secret place of his presence is to memorize and meditate on Psalm 91. Consider personalizing the scripture as I have done here. Recite the passage out loud. Your confidence will deepen. Then, when you need help, you’ll be ready to recite his promises, reassured that he’ll keep his word. That’ll give you peace in the storm and influence the spiritual world in your favor. Learn to live in the secret place. As it says in verses one and two, and the promises found in the rest of the Psalm will be yours.

God bless you as you take time to be still before him. Enter the secret place, and put your trust in Him! Sometimes you’ll discover that you have entered in and didn’t even realize it! (That’s happened to me.) Most supernatural is too quiet for our flesh, as Dennis Clark likes to say. So, keep at it! Practice brings increase. When you look back, you’ll see your growth, probably more clearly than in the moment. God sees all. Blessings!

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Copyright 2025

Willing to Trust?

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / 2 Comments

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Matthew 23:37 NASB 95

Are we willing to trust, to come closer, to snuggle under the shadow of the Lord’s wings and stay there?

When He spoke these words, Jesus knew difficult days were coming. He longed to gather God’s people together, close to himself, and protect them. Yet He finished His statement by making this sad comment, “and you were unwilling.”

Recently I had a strange dream. I saw a man-sized hen walking among people some distance away. Suddenly she was in my face. It startled me – to suddenly be eye to eye with a huge chicken. That chicken was in my personal space and close enough to peck my face! Unnerved, I looked in her eyes. The tenderness that was in the hen’s eyes became apparent. Maybe this hen likes me. But could I trust her, or should I flee? I awoke with the dream’s memory freshly intact and feelings of uncertainty swirling.

That chicken reminded me of a traumatic childhood incident. While walking through my neighborhood a German Shepherd approached me wagging its tail. I liked dogs so began petting it. Suddenly that dog stopped wagging, bared its teeth and lunged for my arm. He tore a big swath out of my coat. The experience deeply frightened me. Would this chicken be unpredictable and turn vicious as that dog did? Could I trust it?

The eyes of that hen looked strangely familiar.  Lord, was that You? Did You come to me in the form of a hen, in my dream? Dreams can be strange that way! As I researched and pondered the possible meanings of this dream, I came across the Matthew 23:37 and the dream began to make sense.

In Psalm 91 it says:  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:1-4 RSV

Tumultuous times began before the Presidential election of 2020. They continue into this 2024 Presidential election cycle. We live in unprecedented times. Unusual events are happening and they are not over. The closer the people of God can get to the heart of God and to each other, the more deeply we can trust in the Lord, the safer we will all be from any coming storm.

Let us receive healing from our past traumas and anything else that causes us to remain aloof from the One whom we should trust. Let us put our trust more fully in the Lord. Let us find our resting place close to God, remaining stable and fixed under His wings, near each other, safe from any oncoming trouble.

There is much deception out there these days. Whose report do we believe? Is this or that real? What is the truth? “Jesus said…, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 ESV

 My suggestion to you is to draw near to the author of Truth. Put your trust in Him. Shed all internal misgivings you feel toward Him. God is absolutely good! Avoid what distracts from building that trust. Get closer to Him. Stay under His wings! How? Keep reading and you’ll find one suggestion.

For help with heart issues consider utilizing the Praying Medic’s relatively new book entitled, “Emotional Healing Made Simple.”  I have found it helpful. The author doesn’t know I am suggesting his book to you. May the Prince of Peace be with you in ever increasing ways!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Jesus loves you and wants to gather you under His wings like a hen gathers her chicks!

Note: Bible references taken from blueletterbible.org