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VOICE OF HOPE
23 September 2022
Psalm 91:1 AMP, He who DWELLS in the shelter (SECRET PLACE) of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].
DWELL – To live as a permanent resident. 2. To exist in a given place or to live in a certain state. 3. to be settled.
Today I want to reveal a mystery unto you. The secret place is more than a physical place, it is more than our prayer closet – THE SECRET PLACE IS A STATE OF BEING. Dwelling in the secret place is so much more than spending time in our prayer closet, it is so much more than praying psalm 91 over yourself – THESE THINGS SURELY DOES NOT MEAN WE DWELL IN THE SECRET PLACE. The man and the woman who dwells in the secret place are those who truly know who they are in Christ!!!!
Genesis 1:26, v26 (a) And God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
We have been created spirit sons of our Father who is spirit. THIS IS OUR TRUE IDENTITY.
v26 (b) and LET THEM HAVE DOMINION.
“Let them” Who are 'them'? They are those who carry the image and likeness of God. They will have dominion upon the earth.
Psalm 139:15, My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
We have been created creatures of the secret place to dwell in the luminous brilliant light of a holy God. We were made in the express image of our Father and we radiated His glory. Our spirit man was made in the secret place, in the very presence of our Father. Our spirit man is what was made in the image and likeness of God. We come from Him. We carry his nature. Our body was formed from the earth.
Genesis 2:8, Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
The garden of Eden was more of a state Adam and Eve were in than it was a physical garden. Adam and Eve being made in the image and likeness of God dwelled in the luminous light of God’s presence; their habitation was in the light of God where no darkness was to be found. Their heart was pure before God knowing only good, as no evil was to be found in them.
Genesis 2:15-17, 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden TO DRESS IT AND KEEP IT. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in that day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely die.
Adam was to protect the state he was in, being formed in the very image of a holy God, as something more precious than silver or gold. Adam was to count the state he was in, being a vessel carrying within the very glory of Elohim as worth more than all the wealth the world could offer. Adam was to count the presence and glory of God as the highest prize to be attained.
Genesis 3:1-7
1. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2. “Of course, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
3. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4. “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
5. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6. The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So, she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
1 John 2:16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
7. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS MORE ABOUT CHOOSING BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL THAN IT WAS ABOUT TREES AND FRUIT!!! It was more about counting their state of divinity as more precious than anything the world could offer than it was about whether it was an apple or a pear or an orange!!! It was more about counting the presence of Elohim, their Creator who loved them so much that He made them in His image, clothed them in His glory, and counted them worthy to dwell in the secret place as worth more than all the silver and the gold, than it is about whose fault it was, Adam or Eve!!!! GOD WARNING ADAM TO NOT EAT OF THE TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN; THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL was God warning Adam against the evil that would come to deceive them into disobedience, He warned them to not heed to that voice nor submit to it. We need to understand THAT IT WAS MORE ABOUT GUARDING THEIR HEARTS than it was about guarding the garden. GOD WAS THEIR PROTECTOR AND THEIR SHIELD, HE SURELY DID NOT NEED THEM TO GUARD ANYTHING, but their hearts. WE NEED TO START LOOKING AT THE WORD OF GOD THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SPIRIT AND NOT THE EYES OF OUR FLESH!! God warned Adam that sin was crouching at his door and his desire was for Adam but that he was not to allow sin to overcome him, but he was to master it. BUT ADAM FAILED AND GAVE INTO SIN AND ALLOWED EVIL INTO HIS HEART – no longer was their heart pure before God.
We read in Genesis 3:6, When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
1 John 2:16 warns us against this, “for everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” Adam and Eve became aware of their body of flesh and were now controlled by the desires and the lusts of their carnal nature. They were no longer walking according to the spirit man but according to the carnal man. Adam and Eve left their state of being!!! They gave up their birthright!!!
The consequence of their action we see in,
Genesis 3:23
1. So, the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden,
2. and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.
We need to take note of 2 very important points in this scripture!
1. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden.
AGAIN, WE NEED TO SEE THAT IT WAS MORE ABOUT BEING BANISHED FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD than it was about being banished from a garden!!!
2. God sent Adam to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.
Again, we need to see that it is more about the consequences of their sin and being in a fallen state than it is about cultivating the ground. They now had to bear the weight of the fallen state they were in, being in a state of weakness and the sting of death upon them.
Adam lost his position as a son of God. Adam and Eve lost their STATE OF DIVINITY. The very regenerating life of God had left them. They were banished from ever entering the presence of God. They were forever separated from the presence of God. The glory that once covered them lifted and they were both found to be naked. They went from life to death. There was a shift that took place, and they exchanged their position as a spirit man in a body and became a body with a spirit. They were no longer God conscious but now became sin conscious. No longer did their spirit dominate them but their flesh. The death that God warned them against was not physical death, but spiritual death. They lost the image and likeness of God, and they were no longer like their Father. The Word of God clearly states that God is Spirit. As I said at beginning of this message: – THE SECRET PLACE IS NOT A PHYSICAL PLACE, BUT A STATE OF BEING! They took on a new form.
Psalm 91:1, He who DWELLS in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].
They were now no longer in a place of safety where no enemy could harm them but were left to their own defences. They were no longer in a place of having dominion and walking in authority but became weak and destined for destruction. They were no longer in a place of supernatural provision where God provided for their every need but had to fend for themselves. I am convinced that Adam’s countenance dropped, and he felt a great loss being driven out of the presence of God. No longer did they have access to the tree of life. The tree that as long as they partook of it, granted them eternal life, quickening them daily by the life that flowed from God Almighty. Now death was their portion. I believe Adam felt great sorrow. I believe that many questions and thoughts were going through his head. How could he make things right? Why was he so foolish? Why did he believe the lies of the serpent? God warned him to guard his heart against evil. How can he ever make up for it? How can he ever satisfy the anger of God against him? He so desired to return to the garden. He so longed for the safety of the garden. Outside the garden, it felt so different. You see once you have been in the secret place of the Most High and you have made your habitation there then only will you understand the loss that Adam felt.
Psalm 51:5-6, 5. Surely, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Now all of us because of sin, everyone born of Adam, who lost the image and likeness of his Father, would be born in a state of sin and darkness, and in a state of weakness and death like our father Adam. I WANT YOU ALL TO SAY, BUT GOD!!!!! GOD, THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, HAS RESTORED US BACK TO OUR STATE OF DIVINITY THAT WAS LOST BECAUSE OF SIN.
Verse 6. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
It is only the man of the spirit that understands the things of God, it is foolishness to the man of the flesh.
YOU SEE, WITHIN EACH OF US, is the spiritual son of God who has the knowledge of God our Father and us being His sons.
Let us look at Ephesians 2:1-7
Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”
Paul is saying once you were dead. Was he speaking about physical death? Certainly not! He was speaking of spiritual death. He was saying that the spirit son of God was dead because of disobedience and sin. Paul is saying ONCE YOU WERE DEAD, but this is no longer the case. WHY?
1. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
2. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
We were dead because we use to live in sin, like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, but this is no longer the case! Because the spirit that is in the world no longer works in our heart but another Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. Because we have separated ourselves and we have come out from among them. Because we are no longer children of the darkness but of the light. Because we understand the grace of God and do not take it lightly nor do we count it as something that is beneath our notice. Because we count the presence of God as worth more than all the pleasures and wealth the world can offer. Because we understand if not for God and for Christ, we would have remained lost, trapped in darkness, and separated from God without hope.
3. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
4. that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
5. For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
6. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ
Through Jesus God has restored us to our previous state of divinity, once again we are those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Once again, we have dominion and walk in authority. Once again, we carry within the glory and unlimited power of God. Once again, we have supernatural provisions at our disposal. Once again, we walk in supernatural ability. GOD’S GRACE HAS GIVEN US ENTRANCE BACK INTO THE SECRET PLACE, back into our previous state as a son of God!!!! It pleased God to do this because of the sacrifice of Jesus. God has separated us from the moment he formed us in our mother’s womb and called us to be His sons!!!
Galatians 1:15-16a 15. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16. to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
God send His Son Jesus to be the light in the darkness that would show us the way back to the presence of God, back to the secret place. God send Jesus to be the light that would shine into the heart of every man to make known the truth of what we have lost and who we are in Christ. Jesus came to give us the opportunity to choose.
Let us look at Matthew 16:15-19 15. in which I will be paraphrasing, then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” 16. Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17. Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18. Now I say to you that you are Peter (you recognized and believed, that I am the son of God, but Simon son of Jonah I tell you now that you are no longer Simon the son of Jonah but you are now Peter and you are a son of God), and upon this rock, I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.19. How will people recognize that you are a son of God? I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
DO NOT ALLOW SATAN TO KEEP YOU BLINDED FROM THE TRUTH OF WHO YOU ARE!
Romans 8:28 – 29, 28. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 29. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
DO NOT LET SATAN ROB YOU OF YOUR DESTINY!
Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
DO NOT LET SATAN ROB YOU OF YOUR CROWN!
Revelation 3:11, I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take away your crown.
HOLD YOUR POSITION
Ephesians 6:13-14, 13. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in times of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. 14. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Praying the armor over you every day is NOT putting on the armor of God, IT IS KNOWING WHO YOU ARE!! It is only when you stand in faith, unshaken, unmovable, trusting in the salvation that came by grace, knowing that you are no longer a son of Adam but you are a Son of God, knowing that no weapon formed against you will prosper, knowing that you are no longer a slave to sin but you are a slave to righteousness, knowing that you are no longer bound in darkness but you walk in Gods light and the darkness cannot overcome it. Holding your position is standing in the face of adversary and in time of trial saying the very words Jesus spoke to Pilate in John 19:11 Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So, the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” Holding your position is standing face to face with the old nature and mastering it!!!! We are not of this world, we are a new species, we are a peculiar people, we are the sons of God!! I want to say this - Pride is not believing that you can live without sin, that is confidence in knowing who you are. Pride is believing you can do it without Jesus!!!
James 1:12, 12. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. 16. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17. whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
You can say with confidence, though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, these evils will not touch me. I will open my eyes and see how the wicked are punished. I have made the LORD my refuge, I have made the Most High my shelter, no evil will conquer me; no plague will come near my home. For he will order his angels to protect me wherever I go. They will hold me up with their hands, so I won’t even hurt my foot on a stone. I will trample upon lions and cobras; I will crush fierce lions and serpents under my feet! The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name – THOSE WHOSE HEART IS PURE AND WHO DWELLS IN the SECRET PLACE, WHO CARRY MY IMAGE AND LIKENESS, MY SPIRIT SONS!!! When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with long life and give them my salvation.” Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, these evils will not touch me. I will open my eyes and see how the wicked are punished. I have made the LORD my refuge, I have made the Most High my shelter, no evil will conquer me; no plague will come near my home. For he will order his angels to protect me wherever I go. They will hold me up with their hands, so I won’t even hurt my foot on a stone. I will trample upon lions and cobras; I will crush fierce lions and serpents under my feet! The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with long life and give them my salvation.” There is a place by God where the Lord will be your shepherd and where He will lead you into green pastures, and to still waters where you will find rest. There is a place by God where He will prepare a table in the presence of your enemies and even though you should pass through the valley of death you will fear no evil. Should you desire that place, a passion for the secret place is the key to enter in.
Thereze Barnard
Editor-in-Chief
Voice of hope Blog
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