THE SECRET PLACE
“He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

PART 19

THE REALITY OF REAPING AND SOWING

I admit – I am driven. I want to know the hidden truth’s that are contained in the will of God. I remember as a child, asking questions about the scriptures and why the church did not believe these miracles applied today. The older men would smile and say these manifestations were for a specific purpose and they are not needed anymore. That was 40 years ago, and I have not stopped seeking the answers to my questions. I will always believe that God is the same and that Jesus desires to do everything He can to help people. I believe there are reasons why bad things happen but it is usually not what people think. God does not fail – humans fail. Our sins bring much trouble into our lives and most of the time we can blame no one but ourselves. Discernment is knowing God’s will, and knowing God intimately is a powerful step toward knowing what He is thinking. Understanding the revelation of His Word is possible and He longs for us to know Him. He sent His Holy Spirit to fill us and help us to know His will. Jesus Himself, lives inside of us and speaks to our spirit as we surrender our carnal will to Him. How can we believe that God wants us to stumble in the dark and not know His ways and thoughts? How can we stand and boldly speak for Him if we do not know what He wants us to do? The question is; will we allow the strong desires of our flesh to hinder us from personally knowing Him and His will?

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mathew 6:9) These are some of the most familiar words in the world. At first glance, they appear to be very simple and straight to the point; however, as one begins to meditate and examine thoroughly, it becomes overwhelming how such few words can be the foundation of such a large structure. We can understand and accept that God is the King of heaven and of His coming Kingdom. We agree that His name is to be adored, worshipped, reverenced and respected above all other names. Granted, these are huge sections of the foundation all on their own, but when we come to the last few words, we discover a hidden treasure map that can reveal and unlock many unknown mysteries.

There are questions that need to be answered, because without them, we perish – but with them – we succeed. By the way, what does being successful mean? It means that as we walk this journey of being a child of our Father, we become the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus! To know God personally is the meaning of life and everything else falls after this revelation. Our Father is the answer to all questions, and if we are completely devoted to seeking truth, we will wake up in the morning seeking His face in order to know Him more. Selah. “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Mathew 5:6) We cannot know the revelations of God’s Word or His specific will for our life, if we do not seek Him with ALL of our heart. Religion gathers historical information “about” God, but has no passion to KNOW Him personally. It is NOT ENOUGH to just go through the motions! It is NOT ENOUGH to settle for a lukewarm, mediocre life of being half-spiritual and half-carnal. As we draw near to God and become one with Him, We will know more about what He is thinking and be able to follow His instructions more clearly. Abiding means to LIVE in His presence and this increases the sensitivity of our discernment to know truth from error. This divine understanding increases our responsibility to DO what is right, make the right decisions and operate under His anointing. The masses only want the free benefits and blessings but turn away from sacrificing the control of their will.

“Thy will be done – on earth as it is heaven”, holds the secret code that can decipher the understanding of who God is and His perfect will. When Jesus ascended back to heaven after He died and resurrected, He said I send to you a “comforter” that can help you in your spiritual walk. A very good question would be to know what the Holy Spirit has been sent to help us do. I believe that as we draw near to God we are drawing near to The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the THIRD PERSON OF GOD and when we become serious with walking in THE Spirit, we are talking about walking “WITH” The Holy Spirit and giving Him our complete attention. The Holy Spirit is not God’s helper – He is God! He is here to live in us and HELP US understand how to intimately become one with God. He is offended when we yield to the temptations of sin and He will resist those who walk in carnality. “God will resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6) Let us meditate on a few questions that allows us to think about what we believe. Understanding His knowledge is crucial to knowing how to live, and it is the “doorway” to “KNOW” what God expects of us. This revelation of spiritual truth is what enlightens our conscience and has the power to unlock the barriers that could be preventing us from pressing toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.

1. There is no doubt that God has a highly detailed blueprint for each of His children’s destiny. This plan was set in motion from even before the time of our conception. “According as He has chosen us in Him “before” the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Ephesians 1:4) Can we agree that these “plans” represent His will for our lives? Yes – I believe God has a vision of a specific journey, calling and destiny for each person that accepts his invitation of salvation. This is why being LED by His Spirit is the most important theme in the Bible. When we respond to His voice in obedience – WE ARE “fulfilling” our planned destiny.

2. Can we agree that God has high “expectations” that His plans for us will be accomplished? Yes, of course He has very strong intentions for us to complete as much of our destiny as we can. He is ready to help us with anything we need. There is no lack of supernatural miracle power on God’s watch. He does not make mistakes with our lives. “Wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and understanding; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” (Ephesians 1:8-9)

3. Do you believe that “every detail” of God’s plans for all of His people are accomplished without fail? To begin with, God is perfect and whatever He does is perfect. If anything happens that misses the mark, it is because man failed. I believe it is not possible for someone to follow all of His blueprints to the letter. In fact, God’s Word say’s that everyone has sinned (rebellion) and fallen short of the “glory” (not followed His instructions). The amount of glory to God is based on the amount of obedience we manifest. Selah. This means that in our failure to be able to walk without error, we all suffer the consequences of our shortcomings and trespasses. I believe He does intervene in people’s personal lives especially when He is allowed, and when we miss the mark, He can still cause all things to work together for the “good”, but keep in mind that second best is never as perfect as the original plan. In addition, I believe there are certain things that are never fulfilled. Therefore, I do NOT believe that His plans are always accomplished in people. There are men that have been called to the ministry but with free will, they followed their carnal desires to do something else. They may still be saved but in refusing to follow Him with ALL of their heart, in disobedience they missed God’s “perfect” will.

4. Does this also include and apply to those who are not His people? For one thing, it is not impossible for the lost to hear God’s voice but it would take a miracle. As the blood of Jesus has the power to save and forgive every human spirit, God’s plan for ALL humankind is that they all might be saved. In this light, we can say this is a plan. Since I believe that God does not predestine anyone to hell, but rather hopes that all would be saved, evidently this is an example of Him also being disappointed in the lost. Even when the lost perform good deeds, they are not counted as eternal rewards because it was not done in the right spirit. Remember, God did not accept Cain’s offering of fruit and vegetables because it had to be presented with blood and that is what HIS righteousness is all about. Being redeemed is the covenant of being one with God.

The lost cannot please God no matter what they do, because they are not connected spiritually. As long as people live the way they want and feel good about it, they will never surrender their will to God. Selah. Even after the lost become saved, it is common to NOT understand what it means to love and serve Jesus as Lord. It takes time to learn about spiritual warfare and the need to discipline our flesh. It takes time to develop the intimacy of prayer and how to walk in His Spirit. The battle within the Christian world today is the huge amount of distractions and temptations that is causing the warriors to become lazy and at ease. Many have taken off their battle gear and put on their pajamas. Selah. The pleasures of this life are a very powerful influence on our old nature that still remembers the days when we lived according to our own will. The world has become so violent and unstable, it is tempting to hide behind the walls of the church and in our homes where we can lock the doors and pull down the shades. Be encouraged from II Timothy chapter 2, “For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He will deny us: If we are faithless, yet He abides faithful: He cannot deny Himself.” We are growing in our faith; we are learning how to trust His perfect love and how to yield to His perfect will. We want to do what is right because we love Him with all our heart. “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the Word, and NOT a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes his way and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.” It is time to examine our heart and study His Word! Faith moves God and His promises never fail!

5. So what does release God’s power for things like physical healing? To begin, I am amazed at how fragile the human body is. I have been feeling good lately and I have been praising God for blessing me with good health. However, a couple of days ago, I began sneezing and feeling stuffy, but just ignored it. I ended up going to the doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I prayed, laying hands on myself and done everything I knew to wage war against this virus. I feel so bad I can hardly sit here and write, nevertheless I still feel very grateful that so far in my life, I have only had some minor health problems. Let me say, I believe in prayer. I believe in laying on hands and praying in faith, in the Name of Jesus. I believe in anointing the sick with holy oil and I believe in prayer cloths as a point of contact as a faith agreement. I also believe that we can pray over holy water to be used in deliverance and God’s power can be transferred within a substance just as He flows through our hands. I said all that to ask – number one, why did I become sick, and number two – does God desire for me to be sick right now? There could be several possibilities for me being sick but whatever the case; I honestly believe He does not enjoy seeing His children suffer. Just because we are feeling symptoms or have been diagnosed with something has nothing to do with faith and God’s power! We have two choices; we can receive it and give it control or fight against it and allow God to give us victory over it! If we have repented of our sin, we can approach Him with confidence and believe that He will intervene on our behalf.

Infirmities are connected to sin (which is disobedience against God) just like poverty. Nevertheless, let me clarify something before we go any further. The type of sin I have been talking about is “deliberate, premeditated and intentional” sin. I am not referring to the trespasses, stumbles, or failures, where we make mistakes and seek His face in repentance. These sins are a result of the imperfect, mortal realm that we live in, and His forgiveness stands ready to wash them away. The wicked hearts of the unredeemed mortals along with the lost state of their spirit “naturally” embrace the dark side. The lost are spiritually blind and their carnal reaction to temptation causes them to be susceptible to the influence of evil. We can see clearly how people start out in life as seemingly decent individuals but crumble under the pressure to do things that are beyond the imagination. Does God want to see them destroy themselves or others? No – He realizes they have allowed the Father of all lies to deceive them and lead them to ruin. Allow me to ask you another question; do you believe God will protect someone from becoming sick? Do you believe Satan also has the power to protect someone from being sick? I definitely believe God has the power to protect us. He had a “hedge” around Job, and His Spirit encamps around us and He uses His angels to watch over us. The problem comes when we read the “fine print” and realize these are NOT unconditional promises. In other words, His level of security is directly related to our level of obedience. If Ananias and Sapphira had not lied to the Holy Spirit, they would have lived and been blessed. We may think we are getting away with our rebellion but WE ARE going to be held accountable for what we commit and omit.

Sickness and disease was not present in the perfect atmosphere of a sinless creation. Did God want to see His creation become corrupted and filled with death? Of course not! He warned about what would happen if they disobeyed Him the same way a parent warns their children of the consequences of doing wrong. He gives us the freewill to walk in His Spirit or to sneak off and do private things that we are not supposed to do. However, it is interesting to note, that when we think we have fooled everyone, the sin within us can literally change our destiny. We may not notice the effects of our actions right away but just as the seed is sown in the field, the consequences of sin can also take a while to sprout and develop. The account of David’s adultery with the wife of Uriah is well known to most Christians. Few, however, have discerned the patterns revealed through David’ life, or see how these things apply to them today. David understood that all this had come as a judgment from Yahweh. He was forgiven, yet his son Amnon raped his sister and his other son Absalom killed him. Absalom rebelled against his father David and he also was slain. David’s sin opened the floodgates of tragedy to enter his home and his son with Bathsheba died. These are examples of how sin can alter and destroy many lives. We must observe carefully and realize there are consequences and reasons why things happen and much of it has to do with our carnal decisions.