DAY 16 – THE SECRET OF TIME
In Christians’ personal work, the secret place has been the source of the most criticism and annoyance. The enemy will focus his most intense attacks on this one area of a Christian’s life because it contains the secrets to truly overcoming the kingdom. Enemies will do anything to get us to curtail our time with God. He will push, distract, harass, incite, oppress, entice, weary, lie, and intimidate us. When we devote ourselves to knowing God, all of hell seems to resurrect against us. Time is necessary for the hidden space with God to reach its full potential. The friendship deepens the more time you spend alone with Him. Here, the idea of 2 Corinthians 9:6 is applicable because the more time you invest in the secret place, the bigger the harvest you will reap.
The most crucial information in this book is that there is a threshold that must be crossed in order to experience the full bliss of the secret place. When you reach this point, the secret place turns into a source of joy that you will value above other competing needs. To get to this point, we need to spend a lot of time in the secret place, and even when we feel like we’re going nowhere spiritually, every hour spent there fills the vial. The vial will eventually be full, at which point the Lord will lead us across the barrier and into an another realm of delight and intimacy.
Guilt never inspires people to spend more time with God since it might demoralize them and make them feel inadequate. Satan wants you to think that God is upset with you because you haven’t been spending enough time with Him each day, but guilt is always based on satanic lies. God, however, is incredibly unimpressed with your performance, but He is incredibly moved by Christ’s performance. The Father’s heart erupts in affirmation, acceptance, and delight when you believe in His beloved Son, regardless of your level of diligence or lack thereof. When you have childlike faith in Him, Christ’s performance record is attributed to you.
God is your biggest supporter and exhorts you to benefit from the spiritual riches at your disposal. He is angry with you and watches with sad longing when you ignore the secret place. Satan’s falsehoods are absurd, therefore we should feel ripped off rather than guilty. Don’t feel guilty; instead, feel furious when events or emotions manage to invade your privacy. Set your priorities straight by allowing lovesickness to manifest within you.
Starting with just 10 minutes every day can gradually increase your time with God. You increase your spiritual strength by making small additions. By doing this, you will develop endurance to the point that spending a lot of time with Him will be your greatest joy. I’m reminded of Psalm 119:32 when I consider finishing this race: “I will run the course of Your commands, for You shall enlarge my heart.” The heart’s capacity to pump blood that keeps the body alive increases as a runner pushes himself to run farther or faster.
