Signal Hill Foundation Blog

A desperate father came to the disciples of Jesus to have them heal his son (Mark 9:14-29). But the disciples failed and the man came to Jesus.

Jesus did not appear very happy with his disciples and rebuked them for not being able to carry out the task. Jesus healed the boy.

The disciples asked him “Why could we not cast it out?”

“He said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’”

Several lessons are presented here:

1. We ought to be able to see mighty results from prayer and faith.

2. Obviously, there are degrees of difficulty in getting the things we desire in prayer.

3. Some things absolutely require “fasting.”

I think that most people have a very shallow view of fasting. To most, it is giving up food for a period of time.

It certainly could be going without food and that is the major idea in many situations. But it could be separation from a number of things.

Here is a new revelation I have had recently regarding this concept as referenced by Jesus and directed toward His disciples for the accomplishment of a mighty work.

First, what is the purpose of fasting? Some would see it as a sacrifice to God so that He would honor our request. Others would go a little deeper and understand that fasting brings us into discipline, which is another form of sacrifice to God to bring about results.

I think that there is a more practical meaning. To understand, all you have to do is exchange the word “fasting” for “focusing.”

According to Jesus in this context, fasting was part of the recipe to bring about the healing of the man’s son. He mentioned nothing about sacrifice to God.

Focus is a major element in getting results from your praying.

Jesus will elaborate in Mark 11 about the results of the withered fig tree to teach the disciples. Notice the concept of “focus” in that story.

Jesus focused on a fig tree. He spoke directly to the fig tree. The fig tree withered.

In his teaching the disciples regarding this incident, He told them they could accomplish the same thing, or cause a mountain to be plucked up and cast into the sea. But they must be focused and doubt not in their heart. In fact they were to be so focused that they too were to speak specifically to a situation and believe that it was already accomplished.

One of the major problems in powerful praying is lack of focus. We get distracted. We let doubt inter in. We do not see results as quickly as we want. We give up.

Focus is work. Doing without food so that our brain can concentrate is discipline.

I believe that most people, even if they did try to pray for something they earnestly desired, would not see it transpire because of distraction.

We are a distracted society. Food and business saps the energy from our mind and heart. We are “dull” most of the time.

Do you really desire something? Do you really want your prayers answered? Then you must concentrate and focus and never give in to distractions.

It could be that you pray correctly, say the right words, but have trouble making the faith connection because of distractions.

While growing up our children played school league basketball. We, and other parents followed them around the country supporting them in their games. I remember one parent who always yelled the same thing when one of our players went to the free throw line. He would yell, “Concentrate!”

Sometimes the opposing team and fans would try to distract the shooter, especially in a close game. So much of hitting the basket was about focus and concentration.

The player had to focus on the basket and concentrate all of their attention to the ball going in the hoop. Looking around or thinking about something else would elevate the prospects of a missed shot.

You could have unanswered prayers simply because you do not stay focused and determined. It could be that “this kind comes not out but by prayer and focus!”

During three years of public ministry, did Jesus go everywhere in the world? Did He heal everybody? Did He raise every dead person of every grieving family? Did He always walk on water? Did He always feed every hungry person? Did He always do what people wanted Him to do?

The answer is NO. He did not operate indiscriminately or haphazardly. Every work of His was directed by something.  What was that something? And is it something we should use?

The secret can be found in His statement and His actions.

In John 5:19-20 He said,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”

Here we see the secret of His operation –

1. He does nothing of Himself – meaning that He does not operate by flesh, mental logic, or His own human ingenuity or power – nothing!
2. He performs on the basis of what He sees the Father doing  and He does exactly that, nothing more and nothing less.
3. He believes that the Father will show Him other things as well.

He reiterated this concept again in John 14:10 where He affirmed,

“The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

In chapter 11 is the classic example.

Lazarus, his beloved friend had died. The family was upset that Jesus had not been there to heal him. But Jesus was away with His disciples. When He heard word of the death, He did not respond but waited which further puzzled his friends. He waited until Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. Then He went to the tomb.

The secret to this procedure is found in 11:41 where He prays a simple little prayer as He stands before the tomb.

“And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

He was there only because the Father had shown Him what was to happen. He was there when the Father said to be there.

Thus, there was no question, confusion, or concern.

Jesus knew beforehand what was to happen. He saw it from the Father. The Father showed Him what to say, when to arrive, and what would happen.

Jesus did not have to use much faith or take a blind leap of faith or risk anything. He was absolutely sure of what would happen and even why it would happen. He had already seen it when He was away across the brook with His disciples.

This is why He arrived when He did, why He spoke what He spoke, and why what happened, happened.

The same type illustration is in the Old Testament with the story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal in the “showdown” on Mount Carmel. Elijah responded much the same way as Jesus. He got a word or vision from God, went to the mount and did little more than offer a prayer of thanksgiving. The fire fell immediately and consumed the altar that had been drenched in water. Read the story.

Now, does this apply to us?

Absolutely, I believe that it does. We are to get God’s word on our heart – see what He wills and wants – see His Word and act on it by faith.

But is this difficult? Yes it is. We have to pray, fast, try to get our head straight and our heart receptive.

We cannot deal fully with this here, but it is the core of my book, Logo Dynamics and something I believe in deeply.

Our goal ought to be to get to the place where we do only what we see on our heart that is a word from the Father. Then with just a speck of faith we do what we see.

Let us not be so carnal and animalistic that we are dull of hearing and seeing and doing. Let us not be like those Jesus spoke about that had eyes to see but saw not – ears to hear but heard not – and a hard heart that He could not work.

This is our goal – the example of Jesus.

Does the Bible, the ancient Scriptures, even those nearest to us which are over 1900 years old, have any relevancy for us today? Or were they only for, say, the Jews, or the twelve Apostles, or the original early church, or for just those in Jesus’ day?

Obviously, there are Scriptures that applied specifically and only to the “ungodly,” and the “godly,” and the “Jews” of the Old Testament. There were specific truths for the people in Jesus’ day and some only for His disciples, and some just for His Twelve. We should recognize this as simply good interpretation of the Bible.

But if one will look closely there can be discerned and separated a number of verses that apply to any people of any time and any social class. These I call “Universal Truths” as they apply across the board in the broadest possible sense. We should consider these as they definitely apply to us today.

These universals can be found throughout the Bible; Old Testament and New Testament alike. And they can be both negative and positive – a blessing or condemnation.  For instance, in just the New Testament, the universal word “whoever” and “whatever” each are used around a hundred times.

Recently, I began focusing on this concept and narrowed my research down to the New Testament. Then I narrowed it further to just the teachings of Jesus. What I found was very interesting and insightful. The bottom line was that there are some powerful verses that definitely and specifically apply to us in this twenty-first century.

As I read through the Gospels I would come across a “whoever” (MKJV) or a “whosoever” (KJV) and place out in my margin a reference of “UT” (not University of Tennessee!) which I meant as “Universal Truth.”

Although, there are negatives and positives – blessings and judgments in this regard, allow me to give just one brief passage that encompasses this concept from a positive and powerful aspect. It is also from the mouth of Jesus. I have bolded and underlined the words in observation.

Mar 11:23  For truly I say to you that whoever shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he said shall occur, he shall have whatever he said.

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you shall receive them, and it will be to you.

I have also tried to examine these “universals” throughout the New Testament to find their common denominators. For finding common characteristics or denominators is a useful investigative tool to get at certain and specific truths. It also lends credibility to the conclusion.

In reference only to the above Scripture and to other positive examples like it, I have come up with some obvious conclusions. Among other things I have discovered:

1. These universal truths seem to have little or no limiting time factor. They are ageless.
2. They are not limited by age, sex, social class, religion, ethnicity, or spiritual understanding. They can be applied to all people in any time frame.
3. They are not limited in their scope or capacity or what can be accomplished.
4. They are not limited by the physical.
5. Therefore, they are often couched in the realm of the non-physical or spiritual.

There are other negative or judgmental universals. I have just focused on one passage from the teaching of Jesus that has both “whoever” and “whatever” in a more positive light.

You should do your own study of the universal truths throughout the Bible and especially those from the mouth of Jesus. Underline or make a notation out in your margin. Better yet, copy out all the verses. Some will be warnings but some will be powerful statements of encouragement.

What does this mean? It means that the Bible is not only relevant but that it is relevant to us specifically today. It means that those powerful statements from Jesus are not just for first century Jews, Gentiles, His Apostles, or early Believers – they are just as relevant for us TODAY!

I have been asked several times here lately about the catastrophic events happening around the world and are they signs of the end.

I think that they could be signs of the end times. The Bible predicts specifically that there will be earthquakes and physical catastrophes around the world to signal the return of Christ.

But, if you don’t believe the Bible or consider prophecy, then it is all a mute point.

However, one of the greatest confirmations of the reality, validity, inspiration, and authority of the Scripture is the magnitude and accuracy of prophecies or predictions about future events. It has been calculated that there are over 1,800 individual predictions. These prophecies comprise 27 percent of the total number of verses found in the Bible. Over three hundred of these verses in the Old Testament speak prophetically about the first coming of Jesus Christ.

A man by the name of Peter Stoner took 48 of the specific prophecies related to Jesus and calculated the odds for one man fulfilling just these 48 prophecies as 1 in 10¹⁵⁷. The odds for the total of number of prophecies being fulfilled as predicted is staggering in numerical terms. The uniqueness of them is found in no other religious or secular writing.

Isaiah recorded God’s statement regarding prophecy,

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9, NKJV).

Again Isaiah writes,

“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9,10, NKJV).

The Bible is about prophecy; fulfilled, being fulfilled, and yet to be fulfilled.

I have written some on this topic. The title is Revelation Celebration. It is not exhaustive by any means. It is designed to be a primer on the plan of God through the ages. It is designed to touch the surface of the mountain peaks in the unfolding drama of God’s relationship to His creation. I am making an e-book copy available for anyone interested. Just go to our website www.signalhillfoundation.org/Store.html

The book is designed to give you a “birds eye view” scanning from horizon to horizon. Too often we get lost and bogged down in the minutiae of prophetic details and miss the main flow. When observing the terrain from the window of an airplane we see things from an entirely different perspective. We can look down and see where a road begins and where it ends. We can see how it intersects with other roads. We can see what was avoided in the past and what danger lies ahead. Too often we miss the glorious forest because we are looking at an acorn. Too often we miss God’s glorious plan because we are caught up in the details of our life and our own little world.

God has a plan for mankind and His creation. His plan is unfolding at this very moment. It will unfold in the days ahead because His Word guarantees it. You are a part of God’s plan. You are a part of it either as a lost person apart from a relationship with God through Jesus or you are a blood-bought, born-again, Believer. Revelation Celebration and God’s plan reveal the final end of either position. You need to digest this material if you are a lost person to awaken in you a need to come to Christ for salvation before it is eternally too late. You need to digest this material as a saved person so as to be comforted, confident, and ready to give to anyone a reason for the hope that lies within you.

Ignorance about God’s plan of the ages is prolific. I have heard Christians and ministers alike make statements like, “I am a ‘pan-millennialist’ – I just believe it will all pan out in the end!” This kind of response shows not only an ignorance of an important matter, but an arrogance in regard to our responsibility as Believers to proclaim the Lord’s return to a lost and dying world.

Most people want to know about prophecy and God’s unfolding plan. Some get confused and give up trying to understand. Some listen to inaccurate teachers or teachers who do not believe in or teach the Bible. Some get so engrossed in a detail here or there that they lose sight of the road map. The messages of Revelation Celebration are simple and straightforward. Their basis is the Word of God. Thus, you will find a large amount of quoted material coming directly from the Scriptures themselves. It is our prayer that you get a grasp of God’s plan for His creation and for the ages of mankind by reading this material. Don’t resign yourself to ignorance or elevate yourself in arrogance. Study to show yourself approved, a worker and a witness, that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Jesus could very well be on His way from Heaven to planet earth. Will you be ready with anticipation? Will you be ashamed because you have not been a witness of His name? Or will you be fearful for the judgment that awaits you at His hand? I, for one, want to be on the welcoming and worship committee! How about you?

Jerry Smith

Anyone can give. But not every act of giving gets Heavenly “credit.” There is a way of giving that leverages both approval by God and blessing response to you from God.

Do you want to do something tangible and physical that causes approval from God and motivates Him to bless you? Here is the key from the Apostle Paul.

“Each one, as he purposes in his heart, let him give; not of grief, or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that in everything, always having all self-sufficiency, you may abound to every good work…” (2 Corinthians 9:7,8 MKJV).

1. The word purposes is in the perfect tense meaning that one determines to be in that attitude and will continue in that attitude. In other words there is a solid commitment without wavering on what is to be given.

2. The word heart takes the concept past the logical thinker of the conscious mind to a relational position with God. The heart, or sub-conscious part of us, is where we commune with God. So this type giving comes from the “secret place” (see my previous article) and is not necessarily “logical” – this type giving may not make sense to the outward man or the logical thinker of this world.

3. The word not of grief (grudgingly in the KJV) literally means – not out of sorrow. In other words, if you are crying about seeing your dollar leave you as a sacrifice to God or to help someone else, something is wrong. The heart is wrong. This must be corrected if Heavenly credit comes. God is not pleased with this attitude and the intimation is that He will not bless, prosper or favor. So you could be “shooting yourself in the foot” and not getting Heavenly credit even when you give!

4. The word cheerful comes from a root word in the Greek pronounced hilaron. I can’t be certain of this but our word hilarious may come from the concept. It is only used here in the New Testament. In other words, the key to leveraging Heavenly credit is in this attitude of cheerfulness when we let the dollar leave our hand.

5. Now notice the positives in verse 8 – all grace, abound, in everything, all self-sufficiency, abound, every good work. And notice that it is personal – toward you.

This is powerful stuff! How we give is important for Heavenly credit.

Devastating Flood In Nashville – The Challenge of Giving Thanks

A weather front stalled over Nashville, Tennessee and surrounding areas for the last two days dumping record-breaking water and flooding the surrounding rivers. Over a thousand people had to be rescued. Beautiful homes had water up to the roof. Close to a dozen people died as a result. The Cumberland River just seven blocks down our street went nearly ten feet over flood stage. As I write it is still rising. Businesses and homes were flooded – most without flood insurance. The interstates were closed with trucks backed up for miles and nowhere to go. Our own building where Sharon and I live had the basement flooded with about 6 inches of water.

I went downstairs to view our stored Gospel Shoes that we donate sitting in water. Our maple furniture that we have had since we were married, along with antique furniture stood in contaminated water. I called our sons to help move it. While I waited I decided to wade the water and drag as much to the only dry room in the huge basement.

Why I tell you this has spiritual significance. I distinctly remember carrying an antique chair and sloshing through the water up to my shins. Half way to the dry area I remembered a message I wrote recently that had to do with giving thanks in all things and the power that it provided. I almost smiled and said out loud, “Thank you Lord, for this mess for out of it will surely come some good thing. Thank you.”

I quietly gave thanks for having it not nearly as bad as some who had lost so much more. That is one aspect of this concept. The other is giving thanks when you cannot find a comparison. The latter is the most significant because it is couched in darkness and not knowing and yet giving thanks. This is an important element of FAITH. Faith is when you cannot see, sense, or know. To give thanks in the face of normally unthankful situations leverages the principle of faith. I like to think of it as laughing in the face of the devil!

Can we do it? Will we think to do it in a time of crisis?

Give thanks in all things and offer it when you can as a sacrifice to God and you will leverage a wonderful principle for your life.

1Th 5:18  “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Psa 116:17  “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.”

This is truly the practical application of Giving Thanks even in a flood. And the storms and floods of life will come. Be prepared. Apply Thanksgiving in Faith and experience the power and peace of God.

Jerry Smith

www.signalhillfoundation.org

Jesus responded to His disciple’s request on how to pray with what many call “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is actually “The Model Prayer” (The Lord’s Prayer would be found in John 17). A brief form of this “Model Prayer” is also found in Luke 11:2-4.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Now, on the surface, it seems a little simplistic. But do we really understand the significance of it and its importance? I doubt that we do. Here are some insights that will make it more relevant.

1. First, there is the importance of focus – what we focus upon is where we go and what consumes our lives. Here the beginning and the ending of the prayer focuses upon the Father, His holiness, His kingdom, His power and his glory.  If we will practice daily refocusing our attention (and it is a daily feat) upon God as our Father (personal relationship) and upon His eternal attributes it will do wonders for us mentally and spiritually. Most of our worries and problems come because we are focused on “what if,” “who did what to us,” ourselves, or the powers of the world coming against us. We live in a “me focused” world with encouragement to go in that direction.

2. Secondly, there is the “daily bread” idea. Is it just food for our physical body? I think not. I believe it has to do with His “Word” to us daily. If we can get God’s word on our heart and act by faith on this word we will have it all – direction, an understanding of His Will, what we need to be about today and power in prayer.

3. Then there is the “forgive us our debts” concept. Why is this important? It is important because it has to do with the cleansing and clarity of our heart. Why is this important? Because the heart needs to be clear to receive the Word by which we are to live each day.

4. Then, lastly before the conclusion, we must face each day ‘on guard’ and be watchful of the evil one, recognizing our vulnerability, and trusting in God’s protection.

There is much more we could say on this brief outline prayer. Allow me to conclude by focusing on the “daily bread” and “forgive us our debts as we forgive” concepts.

Here, in my opinion, is the deeper meaning. Jesus told the devil that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” He told the disciples “I have food to eat that you know not of.” He called Himself the “bread of life.” He said, “I only do that which I see of my Father.”

Here is the point – Every day get God’s Word on your clear and clean heart, act on this word by faith and dependency upon the Father, with His kingdom in focus and powerful things can and will happen in your life. You will begin to live in the “abundance” Jesus talked about in John 10:10.

This is not just a simple liturgical form for worship. It has deeper meaning. It is daily and relevant. God has a fresh word just for you today. Learn to feed upon it and live by it.

You can learn more about this concept in my book – Word Dynamics. Click here to see our Store page for ordering information. All proceeds go to our mission funds.

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving and Praise – A Powerful Tool For Answered Prayer

Giving thanks and Praise to God is not just something we are required to do out of obedience in worship to God. It is also a personal element that triggers powerful response. Giving thanks is very much tied to faith. In fact, I am coming to understand that faith has a hard time operating apart from faith in the arena where God works. So it is not just something we do as an act of worship. It is a powerful element for answered prayer. But what I want to focus on in this message is “the sacrifice” of praise and thanksgiving; when does thanks become a sacrifice, and is this aspect important?

The writer of Hebrews said:

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb 13:15, MKJV).

When does thanksgiving become a sacrifice? Listen up. This is powerful and important. Thanksgiving becomes sacrifice when you do it either before you see the end result (like faith), or when you are in a normally unthankful position.

Let me illustrate with the story of Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi.

Paul and Silas were on a missionary journey in Philippi. They were arrested for preaching the Gospel and thrown into the dungeon. They were beaten and whipped and placed in chains. The dungeon was not a humane place. It was dark and dank and often underneath the toilet of the palace. It would have been one of the worst places to reside. But obviously, they knew this secret of giving a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise.

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (Acts 16:25,26 MKJV).

We find his principle in his letter to the Philippian believers:

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

When you give thanks and praise when your way is dark, when everything seems hopeless, when you cannot see, when you do not feel like it – then it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and can have powerful results.

The opposite is also true. The Israelites, after being delivered from Egyptian bondage murmured and complained and were definitely unthankful. As a result they reaped the wilderness for forty years and eventually death.

Paul speaks of those who do not practice the sacrifice of thanksgiving in Romans chapter one. He says of those who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped the creation instead of the Creator: “neither were they thankful.” The progression he gives is devastating; unthankful – prideful – futile thoughts – darkened hearts – fools – destructive actions – perversions – debased minds – and finally judgment and death.

Do you want a powerful tool for answered prayer? Try giving thanks as a sacrifice. It is so important and necessary that Paul says that it is the will of God for the believer in every situation:

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:18, MKJV).

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4, MKJV).

One of the fun things many of us did as children was to create a hiding place; a fort, a treehouse, a tent or just pulling the covers over our head. It was fun to think we had our own private secret place.

This is the second article regarding our Secret Place because I have come to discover just how important it is. My Biblical references include insight from the Psalmist David, the Lord Jesus, and the Apostle John. These are listed for you at the bottom of this article.

I first started thinking about this when I read from The Sermon On The Mount, where Jesus said that if we pray, fast or give we should do it in our “closet” and the Father who sees in secret and is in the secret place will reward us openly. And any time Jesus put a parable, story or statement in triplicate you had better perk your ears up. It was extremely important.

Then I read in the Psalms where David kept talking about God’s secret place; His pavilion, His covering, His shelter, His shadow, His refuge and His hiding place. He kept composing songs (psalms) with this motif. He understood it as a special place where he could go escape and know the peace, protection, power and provision of God like no other place. What was this place?

Before we just repeat what I wrote in the previous article, allow me to share the most recent thought regarding this concept. It has to do with one of my all-time favorite passages – the “abiding” passage in John 15. Here we have an expansion on this most important spiritual concept regarding our secret place. I believe that John’s insight could very well be referring to the exact same place as the secret place of David and the secret place of Jesus. And look, again, how important it is.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

We do not have space to pursue all the important ramifications of this concept but let me summarize –

1. There is an internal spiritual/mental secret place – the “heart.”
2. It is a place where God likes to abide.
3. It is a place from which God likes to protect and provide for His own.
4. It is a place from which come rewards and blessings.
5. It is highly personal and intimate.
6. We can choose to go there or not.
7. It is an active place of interaction – a place of intercession, thanksgiving, request, decision-making and goal-setting.

Although this is a somewhat new and developing concept with me, I have expanded more on a similar topic in my book Logo Dynamics which you can download from our website at www.signalhillfoundation.org in the store section.

References: Matthew 6:4,6,16; Psalm 27:5, 31:20 and 91:1; John 15:7

By Jerry Smith, Signal Hill Foundation Director

Recently I discovered something I had been over-looking for years. There is a little known teaching that has been obscured because we have mentally and logically assigned it to the physical realm. What I discovered was that there is a Secret Place mentioned by Jesus in His teaching and also by the Psalmist David which can be applied to the spiritual-mental as well. Let me explain by sharing the Scriptures that led me to this discovery.

First, I was reading the statements of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 6. There He gave a tri-fold illustration regarding doing a charitable deed (v.4), prayer (v.6) and fasting (v.18). In each of these He mentioned that “the Father who is in the secret place,” and “who sees in the secret place,” will “reward you openly.”

Then one day I was reading from Psalm 27:5-6 -

“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”

All of a sudden it occurred to me that the secret place was not a physical closet where we go to pray. There was something more and deeper.

Take this with the fact that Jesus said, “…the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke17:21), and you have a different view – an inward view – an internal concept, both spiritual and mental.

Jesus said so much about the “heart” of man as being the place where things happen. What we express comes from our heart. We must believe from our heart,etc.

So here is the point. The “secret place” is not a physical closet or church building. It is not physical at all! It is our heart, our subconscious heart, the place where God touches down, where we meet Him, the “mercy seat” of the “Ark of the Covenant.”

If you want to be “rewarded openly” then the key is to get into the “secret place.” When we do, the God who “sees” in the secret place and “is in” the secret place will reward you openly. A great truth don’t you think?

I will speak more about this in the next blog article as we look deeper at what it means for our lives personally and practically.

For now, you can download my pre-published book Logo Dynamics as an e-book which relates to a lot of this. Go to our website: www.signalhillfoundation.org/Store.html