The Power of the Secret Place
The famous Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with a dynamic statement: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”[1] If it is true that our ultimate objective in life is to glorify and enjoy God, then Jesus is a perfect example for us to follow. Christ showed us what was possible for a man (though He never for one moment ceased to be God) who wholly devoted Himself to God and His purposes.
Christ practiced the presence of God continually, which resulted in living a perfect life. His relationship with the Father was so intensely intertwined that He could say, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also” (John 14:7).
When then asked by His disciple Philip to show him the Father, Jesus replied,
Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. (John 14:9-10)
This leads us to the core revelation of being discipled directly by the Holy Spirit. This upward discipleship makes its most significant impact once we realize that, like Jesus, we are in God and He is in us. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus spoke to the Father about our unity with Him:
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23)
Are you getting this! We have the same opportunity as Christ to be immersed in the upward discipleship of the Holy Spirit every moment of our life. Like Paul, you can proclaim, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
You are never alone for “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We can rejoice in the fact that everything is possible for those connected to the vine, for “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3-4). We have it made, beloved! Let us be diligent in acknowledging and partnering with His divine presence living on the inside of us as we excel in our journey as disciples of Christ.
Detaching from the World
Christ not only modeled what it meant to abide in God in the regular routines of life, but He also demonstrated the necessity of taking time away from the world’s distractions to be alone with the Father. Even at the peak of His ministry, when large crowds were flocking to hear Him teach and see Him heal, Christ “would often slip away to the wilderness and pray” (Luke 5:16). This appears to be a rhythm in Jesus’s life, as we see from the following verses:
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. ~ Matthew 14:23
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ~ Luke 6:12
And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” ~ Luke 9:18
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. ~ Mark 1:35
When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. ~ Luke 4:42
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. ~ Mark 6:45-46
At the inauguration of His three-year ministry, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry” (Luke 4:1-2).
Detaching from the world is how God began Christ’s ministry to change the world! If Christ’s life were filled with times of getting alone to connect with the Father, it would be wise for us to do likewise. Though we can abide in Christ amid all our daily activities, there is a call on each of us to get alone with God regularly. In these times of detaching from the world, we can focus differently on the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish His work in us.
Alone with God
I have found that those who do not make time for regular set-apart connection time with God find themselves in a place of spiritual burn-out (this is especially true for pastors and others in spiritual authority). Though not a perfect analogy, I like to compare our inner man to the engine in a car. For a machine to operate, it needs a power source. In the case of most vehicles, that power source is gasoline. If there is no gasoline to fuel the engine, the engine will not run.
Similarly, we as humans require a power source to operate effectively. Our power source is God. Now, although God is with us every moment, and we receive regular “fill-ups” throughout our day, there is still something essential about getting alone with Him. During these times, we “cap off” our spiritual gas tanks so that we can live each day filled with the power of God.
Unfortunately, many in the body of Christ find themselves daily running on fumes instead of being filled full of God’s life for their daily mission. This becomes evident as many Christians remain in bondage to the lusts of this world. Our outer activities are a manifestation of the inner condition of our heart.
Jesus said that “there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:43-45).
We need time to get alone with God and be discipled directly by His Spirit. In my experience, these moments have brought about the most remarkable changes in my life, and I am confident they will bring about some of the greatest changes in yours as well.
[1] “Westminster Shorter Catechism Project,” Shortercatechism.com, last modified May 21, 2019, https://www.shortercatechism.com/resources/wsc/wsc_001.html