Last week, I shared with you about a Secret Place in the heavenly realm that is the key to a 100-fold life. I had spent quite a bit of time in this place, when I began to wonder why I would go in and out through the tiny, round door, rather than “abiding” there all the time, as is described in Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
-Psalm 91:1, NKJV
This question led me to study all the Hebrew words translated “secret.” Several of them simply mean hidden, concealed or too wonderful to comprehend, such as Deuteronomy 29:29, which reminds us that the “secret things belong to the Lord.” But my study also revealed that there are two very distinct Secret Places found in Scripture.
One is the place we explored together last week. This place is where God shares his secrets, His counsel and His mysteries with His friends. It is the place where He calls us to “reason together,” deliberating with Him concerning heavenly verdicts that govern earthly affairs. We’ll explore this word and this place in more detail next week.
The other Secret Place is where we abide under His shadow, literally inside the dark cloud that surrounds Him. This Secret Place is all about supernatural protection. The most common Hebrew word for this place of Divine protection is Strong’s #H5643, which basically means “covering, shelter, protection.” It is the Secret Place of Psalm 91, where we abide under His shadow and are fully and completely protected from evil. It is the word used in Psalm 139:15, when David says, “My substance was not hidden from You when I was made in secret.” It is also used in this passage where God says to Israel:
You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
-Psalm 81:7, NKJV
The key to accessing the safety of this place is hungering for intimacy with Him enough to draw near, pressing through the dark cloud and the mysteries that surround Him.
He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
-Psalm 18:11, NKJV
Another key is simply abiding in this place by faith. At salvation, you became one spirit with Him (I Corinthians 6:17), so nothing can ever separate you. But the practical reality of this oneness is realized in your life as you remain aware of it and access it by faith. It is this “abiding” that keeps us connected to Him, our source of life, fruitfulness…and protection.
I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches.
As you live in union with me as your source,
fruitfulness will stream from within you—
but when you live separated from me you are powerless.
-John 15:5, TPT
Here is a paraphrase of Psalm 91 that I received one day after coming under the shadow of His wings and realizing that this Secret Place is quite literally a womb!
When you sit enthroned as royalty “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6) while dwelling under the shadow and authority of Shaddai (God of the Mountain, God the Destroyer of Enemies, God the Self-Sufficient One, God the Nurturer of Babies, God the Almighty), you remain hidden in His strength. Being both “under authority and in authority” (Matthew 8:9-10) provides this place of safety.
With God as your refuge and fortress, you will walk in faith, boldness and confidence. He will rescue you from every way the enemy tries to deceive you into coming into agreement with him so he can have power over you (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11). He will protect you from poisoned arrows – those attacks aimed at causing you to be wounded and bitter. He will shield you from the effects of word curses, the power of slander and from physical infirmity. God will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will feel completely safe and secure. The only way the enemy can defeat you is to get you to believe his lies, so in this place of closeness and intimacy with God, He will reveal Truth to you. His Truth and faithfulness will shield you (Ephesians 6:14).
In this place of safety, you do not need to worry about evil attacking you at night or arrows wounding you during the day. You do not need to fear demonic assignments of disease. God will not allow the destroyer (Revelation 9:11) to devour you or to bring devastation during your time of blessing. Even during times when innumerable people are perishing around you, you will remain unharmed. You will see judgment released upon those who have chosen to partake in injustice and oppression.
Dwelling continually IN Yahweh prevents evil from wounding you and prevents disease from even approaching your home, because God gives His angels orders to watch over you and to protect you in all your ways. They will lift you to a higher place, so you do not stumble over low-level earth things.
Instead of being defeated by demonic forces, you will walk in your God-given authority over them, literally stepping upon the heads of the demonic false trinity: the lion, the serpent and the dragon (Genesis 3: 1; Mark 16:18; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:7-9)!
Yahweh said to me, “Because you have made me the object of your passion, I will deliver you from everything that would harm you. I have exalted you, seating you IN Me in heavenly places, ‘far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come’ (Ephesians 1: 22-22). I am able to do this because you know Me, My reputation, My fame and My glory. When you inquire of me, asking for help with anything, I will respond to you. You will know My reality and My presence, even in difficult times. I will rescue you and will release My justice on your behalf, honoring and promoting you. You will be fully satisfied with the LIFE that flows to you from Me. My deliverance, salvation, prosperity and victory will be plainly visible in your life, as you enjoy Me.”
So, press through the dark cloud and draw near Him today. Choose to remain aware of your oneness with Him – oneness that nothing can separate. And by faith, thank Him for the complete and total protection that is yours… in the Secret Place.
Next week, we’ll break down the other Secret Place from Scripture, and you’ll learn how you, as a friend of God, have the privilege of “keeping His secrets” by pronouncing them in the earth according to His instructions. Truly, it is an exciting time to be alive!
In the Secret Place,
Virginia