Secret Things Uncovered

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29

Several years ago Rhonda Byrne wrote “The Secret”, followed by “The Power” and “The Magic.” Her intent was to impart “the secret” to millions of readers so that they could believe it’s principles, learn them, and use them to gain whatever they “attracted” from the universe. After all, “you are what you think”, right?

Dr. Henry Cloud then came out with a book, “The Secret Things of God”, written to “unlock the treasures reserved for everyone” but found in the Word of God. Although his book was not intended as a “Christian argument for or against “The Secret”, he pointed out that her book affirmed “the deep spiritual hunger” that a number of Christian’s were seeking but could not find. His intent was for Christians to go to the Word of God and seek out God’s commands for every day living and to listen to them.

When I was a child, oftentimes when my friends wanted to get my attention, they would ask, “Do you want to know a secret?” and would whisper something in my ear. We would end up giggling over what this secret entailed. Adults tend to play this game by whispering something in their friend’s ears from time to time.

Growing up in the 60’s and as a star-struck teenager, I often listened to music by the Beatles, a popular boy band, who wrote a song entitled, “Do You Want To Know A Secret”, which was a love song. The one thing you had to do was “listen to the secret and promise not to tell.”

As a Christian, I am often reminded of how Satan tries to whisper in our ears by making a lot of promises in order to get us to do something contrary to our very own Christian principles. A perfect example is how he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness but Jesus knew the scriptural teachings and did not succumb to the many promises Satan enticed him with.

Let’s take a look at some of the “secret” scriptures in God’s Word in order to understand it’s definition. (NIV translation)

  • Job 15:8: “Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?”
  • Psalm 25:14: “The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.”
  • Psalm 27:5: “For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”
  • Psalm 25:21: “My integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.”
  • Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Another song that I really enjoy singing is “In The Secret…I want to know you. I want to hear your voice…I want to know you more.” Shouldn’t this be the desire of every Christian–to truly know God and to hear and listen to His voice no matter what is happening in our lives.

Psalm 18:30 tells us that “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.” This is a reminder that God will be with us no matter what circumstances we come up against in our lives. He is our strength and shield.

Psalm 18:2-3: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.”

Let us all seek out the teachings in God’s Word with an attitude of gratitude and being thankful for all that you receive from God whether great or small, good or bad. He is our refuge, our strength, and shield in whom we trust. This is a “secret” uncovered by untold millions who listen to His voice, His teachings, and His direction and drown out the wrong whispers.

May the Lord strengthen you as you read His Word and continue to follow Him daily.

Blessings,

Yvonne

Alphabet Faith Stories: eXtraordinary Women (A-Z)

Women of faith and action

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary definition of extraordinary:

  • Going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary
  • Exceptional to a very marked extent
  • Employed for or sent on a special function or service

For several weeks, I have written about a list of extraordinary women who had a personal story to share about how God spoke to their hearts about making a difference where they lived and/or around the world. Many of you could probably identify with one or two of the characteristics from each of their personal stories because of your own experiences. These extraordinary women included:

  • A: Awesome Annie
  • B: Believing Betty
  • C: Compassionate Charlotte
  • D: Determined Debbie
  • E: Effective Emily
  • F: Forgiving Fran
  • G: Grateful Gwen
  • H: Humble Helen
  • I: Intentional Iris
  • J: Joyful Josie
  • K: Kindhearted Kathryn
  • L: Loving Lily
  • M: Mature Martha
  • N: Neighborly Nancy
  • O: Obedient Opal
  • P: Patient Pam
  • Q: Quiet Quinn
  • R: Respectful Rachel
  • S: Steadfast Stephanie
  • T: Trusting Tammy
  • U: Understanding Ursula
  • W: Wholehearted Wendy
  • Y: Yielding Yvette
  • Z: Zealous Zelda

Each of these women had three things in common:

  • Each woman had a calling on their life;
  • Each woman prayed and asked God’s direction for their life (purpose); and
  • Each woman put their faith in action and trusted that His will would be done.

Let us all be fervent in prayer asking for God’s continued direction for our lives, and let us be faithful by putting our “faith in action” as we continue on the journey that He has set before us.

My prayer is that each one of you have enjoyed reading about these incredible, eXtraordinary women, and that their stories have touched your life in some special way.

Blessings,

Yvonne