“Building a secret-place lifestyle like David’s is critical in our process with the Lord, because it is in our secret place that God meets with us and establishes the root system, the foundational elements, for the fruit that lasts.”-Banning Liebscher
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father, who is in the secret place.”- Matthew 6:6 (NKJV)
In Chapter 7 (“Finding God”) of Rooted, Banning Liebscher discusses the first soil that develops trust and truth – the soil of intimacy. Hence, he recounts his teenage attempt to make his mom’s chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Since mom’s recipe seemed fairly basic, Banning anticipated no problems. However, the finished product yielded dark brown, flat, big, and crunchy cookies. The problem? – Banning used baking soda instead of flour.
Consequently, Pastor Liebscher concludes, the foundation matters greatly:
“Whatever goes in at the beginning — the foundation — matters greatly because it affects the outcome. God wants to build your foundation with the right ingredients and in the right order. Your root-building system, your inner world, is a personal relationship with Him marked by intimacy, dependence, faith, and rest. Where do you find those ingredients? You find them in the secret place of prayer.”
Furthermore, God meets with us and establishes the foundational elements of our root system in our secret place. In addition, as we draw near to God in prayer, our root system develops two vital things:
- the priority of love becomes the motivation of our life
- God reveals to us the story He’s unfolding on earth and anoints us for the part we’ll play in His plan
In conclusion, Banning recaps, finding God in the secret place is the first reason to develop a secret-place lifestyle. After all, He’s waiting there for us!
Today’s question: What Bible verses assist you in building a secret-place lifestyle? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The inner room – birthing your love for God root system”
