The Secret Place

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.” - Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

What do you notice about this verse? What jumped out at you?:

I’m sure you have all heard the phrase “fake it, till you make it.” This aphorism suggests that it is best for us to imitate or put on a fake confidence, fake peace, fake happiness, and fake competence. The problem with living this out is not only that it is deceptive, but it will never produce real fruit. God wants the real us! He made the real us. Psalm 51:17 says, God wants your broken and contrite heart (NKJV). He does not want us to mask our pain. He doesn’t ask us to role play or pretend. We need not accept counterfeit happiness, when Christ died for us to have true joy. Why put on a false confidence, when He is our firm hope and foundation? I love the story in the gospel of Mark when Jesus heals the boy with an unclean spirit. The father is so desperate for his boy to be healed. Jesus gently reminds the boys’ father that anything is possible for those who believe. The father cries out to Jesus, “I do believe, but help me with my unbelief.”
How many of us can relate to that? Sometimes our hearts wander, our minds scatter, and our words fall short. We can be so firm in our faith one day and feel so defeated the next. But, I urge you, brothers and sisters in Christ, to ‘FAITH it, till you make it’. We do this by praying. After Jesus delivers the boy, He proclaims to His disciples that this kind of spirit can only come out through prayer. Remember this truth: if we have faith, even the size of a tiny mustard seed, we can move mountains! And, even in those times where we do not believe, let us cry out to our Father to help us with our unbelief. There is so much more that our Father wants to give us! What will be in our filing cabinet when we get to heaven? A bunch of prayers God wanted to answer for us, but we never asked? Or will you filing cabinet be full of all the answered prayers that you were brave enough to ask? James 4:2 says, “…you have not because you ask not (NKJV).” Let us approach our Father boldly as He desired to freely give us all things!

Reflect on the following:

Write down a list of BOLD, prayer requests. Push and pray for those requests without ceasing. James 4:2 states “… you have not because you ask not” (NKJV). Let’s not limit God’s power by being too afraid to ask, let’s pray for the impossible to be made possible! 

Speak to the Lord and spend some time in prayer:

Lord, please help us to have great faith. Increase our faith in the areas we have let doubt creep in. Let us not be passive in our prayers but help us be bold and courageous. We rebuke anything that would try to hinder our prayers to You. We know that we have the victory in You. Even when we feel defeated, don’t let us believe the lie that we need to fake it. Let us be unashamed before You. Strip us of anything that might hinder our prayers. In Jesus Name, Amen.