As the congregation at the Fellowship is joining together throughout the coming year to read Bob Sorge’s book “Secrets of the Secret Place”. We have been asking those reading the book to send us any thoughts or testimonies they have. I would like to share a couple with you. Let these be an encouragement to you.
What an incredible thing to consider and experience – an intimate conversational relationship with the creator of the universe! To think that God is waiting for us to be alone with Him so we can know each other and so He can talk with us. WOW! This is my second time through the “Secrets of the Secret Place”. This time I am looking forward to going very slowly, one chapter per week, and doing it with others in The Fellowship – it’s like being on a journey together. These last two chapters reminded me of a daily morning prayer that Dale Fife, a guest speaker several years ago, shared with us. Often since that time, but not necessarily daily, I pray this; “Lord, here I am to walk with you today. Where are we going? What do you want to say to me today?” What would be the result of such a pr ayer? For Jesus – it was leaving Glory; walking on this earth into the lives of and touching all kinds of people from all walks of life that needed to experience the reality and power of His Kingdom; and only doing what His Father told Him – ultimately leading to the cross. For us, the consequence of such a prayer is that He reveals Himself to us; takes us out of the church and into all arenas of life and people to speak volumes of His love, acceptance, forgiveness, and hope to those who need to experience The King and His Kingdom – ultimately leading to our death-of-self only to find true life. How that looks for each of us will be different. I want to grow in my ability to hear and obeying. Where that takes me is a result of a daily decision of making myself available to hear His voice, a willingness to allow Him to lead me, and my desire to be obedient – no matter what. – Greg
It seems to me that the struggle to have a quiet time –any time with the Lord, requires sacrifice and discipline. I must carve time out of my day to spend with the Father, which means that some other portion of the day has to be eliminated. So what gets cut? Well, I’ve found: nearly everything that’s not relational. I have to ration the amount of time I spend on TV and Internet. It’s too easy to lose hours here or there. But the benefits of conversing and listening to the Father outweigh any sacrifice on my part. His words are life itself and I’ve already seen the fruit budding. My encouragement to others: be ruthless in creating and protecting your quiet times. Allow Jesus to be your intimate confidante and not merely a sometime acquaintance. Then we will see our city changed, our region transformed, our State prosperous, and our Country redeemed. – Ralph
If you have not started reading the book, or feel as if you are to far behind. I would encourage you that you are not to late. The chapters are very small in this book and we are only a few weeks in. If you are wondering where we are in the book, you can find the reading schedule by clicking here.