Are you dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God, are you resting in the shadow of the Almighty. The Lord is our refuge and fortress, and in Him we can trust. He is not a man that He can lie (Numbers 23:19). The Way we live our life has a lot to do with whether we are dwelling in that place of shelter provided by God. To live in this secret place of safety we must have a level of maturity in Christ. God is many things to many people. Each one of us has a uniqueness only the Lord can bring out of us into the light of our purpose, and calling on earth. We walk by faith not by sight, and are led by our spirits not by our flesh (Galatians 5:16-20). It takes some maturity to even find the secret place of safety God provides. The place of shelter for weary saints is for taking a break from the rat race of this world. It’s a place of refuge from the struggles and harmful things this life can bring. In our prayer time and worship to the Lord we find the deeper dimension of God. We must know Him and experience His goodness for ourselves. In the arena of praise and worship we find the secret place of the Most High God.

Mary Magdalene saw Jesus just after His resurrection from hell. She went to tell the disciples of Jesus He has risen. They did not believe her of course because they last saw Jesus crucified on the cross. He said after three days He would rise from death (Matthew 12:20), and it was the justification of humanity for freedom of habitual sin. The disciples after being with Jesus prior to His death, and seeing all the miracles He performed, they still didn’t believe He rose from death until He actually physically appeared in front of them. Mary saw the Lord with her physical eyes but we must see Him with our spiritual eyes of faith. To believe without seeing is our basis for Christianity. You received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life without physical sight of Him. You believed what was told to you about Him. That my friends is the way we are to live concerning everything about our lives. Trust God for your needs to be met (Philippians 4:19). Trust God for health and healing in your body (1 Peter 2:24). Trust God to mend that soured relationship, or if it’s God’s will for you to be with that person or people (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Have you seen the Lord yet, if not call in His name now, so you can be saved.

Paul tells the Philippians to practice what they have learned and received from him, in this verse. The Lord will give us a role model (Pastor, or Teacher) to follow so we can see faith in action in another person’s life. To grow up in Christ is the assignment all Christians have been given. It’s for our benefit not God’s. He wants us to be safe, prosperous, and successful in this life (3 John 1:2). Without Him everything is more difficult. We can live as mere men and women or live a supernatural lifestyle with the Lord leaving others with their mouths wide open in amazement of your blessed life. Until we become doers of God’s word and not just mentally assenting to it like hearers only (James 1:22), the trails will keep coming until you start developing your faith to stand up against anything (Romans 10:17). That’s what’s happening behind the scenes of our lives. Opportunities come for us to develop strong faith, not to take us out or give us a hard time for no reason. What you have learned about God must be tested, His word in you demands to be tested for faith to grow. Here is the roadway to peace in your life.

For those of us who live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the leading of the Spirit. If you walk by faith and not by sight, then you should be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh, your emotions (Galatians 5:16-17). It’s a completely different lifestyle than the way most people live. Walking by faith is trusting God even though you don’t have money for a new car, but God is saying, go buy without money now (Isaiah 55:1), His timing is crucial. Only by His Spirit will you know God’s telling you to move on it then and there. Specifics for each person’s everyday endeavors won’t be found in the Bible. Keeping in step with the Spirit requires some discipline on our part. Constant connection in fellowship with the Lord is vitally important to hear that still, small voice of God in your recreated human spirit. That’s where God speaks to us. That still small voice gets clearer and clearer as we spend more time with God in quiet study and prayer (1 Kings 19:12-13). Since we live by the Spirit let us keep in step with the Spirit.

We have all missed the mark concerning God’s original standard for living well and being right with Him. But God in His grace freely makes us right in His own sight. By the work at Calvary Jesus conquered this world’s evil system which includes giving Satan the Holy beat down in hell (Revelation 1:8). Jesus poured out His untainted blood for our sin. Only His blood could satisfy justice on our behalf. Everyone born is born into sin and shaped in iniquity from the start (Psalm 51:5). Without receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we live and die as mere men and women without God. In such cases that leaves you to pay the price of all the wrong doings you did while on earth. There is a record being kept in heaven in the lambs book of life (Revelation 21:27). If our name isn’t in that book when we get to heaven our fate will already be decided for where we spend eternity. It is the lack of knowledge that can destroy us (Hosea 4:6).Yet God in His Grace freely makes us right in His sight after we’ve received Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life. Is your name in the lambs book of life?

Jesus is always the same yesterday, today, and forever. He isn’t pressured by the struggles of life. Once our heart is fixed on the Master we begin to glean some of that consistency in our life. Once we come to the conclusion Jesus takes care of that which concerns us (Psalm 138:8), and our understanding of the Lord being our strength and our shield (Psalm 28:7), consistency of character becomes easier. While Jesus walked the earth He had to experience all the pressure, demonic influences, and every possible scenario of trouble. He has experienced all the heartache and pressure of this world system, and He was willing to be crucified on the cross for our sins regardless of the shame and pain He went through. He never backed out of His commitment and ministry from Father God. He stayed the same from the beginning of His acceptance of the assignment. We have less pressure in our lives than He had, and we find ourselves formulating plan “B” to avoid discomfort or pain, or embarrassment. Commit to your own hurt if necessary but keep your word of commitment (Psalm 15:4). Your character and integrity depend on it. Without Character and Integrity we become like a ship on the sea tossed around by the wind without direction in life. Be consistent!

We can be strong and courageous knowing the Lord our God is with us wherever we go. God has commanded us in His word to be strong, vigorous and very courageous. If He’s telling us to be this that means we can. Sometimes it’s a matter of we may not feel like being strong and courageous. We walk by faith not by sight, and we aspire to be led by our spirits and not by our flesh (2 Corinthians 5:7). It is a participatory action that brings our spiritual well being up to snuff. There is no fear in mature love. Love actually drives out the fear in our hearts and minds when we act by faith not by our emotions (1 John 4:18). We should have God in our lives to the degree we are acknowledging Him in all of our ways so He can direct our paths towards victory (Proverbs 3:5-6). The command of God is for you to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, not your might which is limited (Ephesians 6:10). Things get easier when your perspective is from the Lord’s view. Get the Lord’s view by coming up higher in your quality time with God. Come up higher with your commitment to pray more consistently. Come up higher in seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness so all of your concerns and needs are taken care of by the Lord (Matthew 6:33). Fight the good fight of faith to be with God on another level and you’ll be strong, courageous, and victorious in everything your hands touch.

As Christians our great commission is to go and make disciples of all nations. Sharing the good news of the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15). Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is the goal. We are to go out and help collect the lost souls for Christ and save them from a forever fiery grave in hell, and the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). Many people today are desperate for any kind of help. Finding the Lord is the single most important thing a human being can do. Imagine being born, and living an entire life of struggle only to die and be punished forever because of the sin nature you didn’t get rid of before you transitioned. We are all born into sin and shaped in iniquity, meaning we didn’t have a choice in avoiding the sinful nature that comes into every person born (Psalm 51:5). We now have an opportunity to rid ourselves of that sinful nature and escape the fires of hell when we die. Justice must be satisfied! God is a God of love but judgement keeps order and it must be dealt with concerning how we lived our life. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). Do it now, tomorrow may not come for you.

One day every nation and tribe and people & language of mankind will give an account of what they did while living out their lives on planet earth, because it is the precursor to the next age of existence in eternity. Planet earth is an opportunity for salvation with God because of the sin nature of mankind. Here and now is the time to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:13). After our bodies expire and go back to dust, our human spirit goes on to the after life either with satan, and his followers or with God. Even with all the demonic influences, agitating spirits, and moral conflicts this world brings, you must choose the Lord now to be with Him after you die. It’s not automatic to go to heaven. There’s a prerequisite or a participatory action necessary on our part. Believing in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised him from death for your justification, gets you into heaven. This must be a genuine repentance of heart, and willingness to follow the Lord ensuring your relationship and admission into heaven (Romans 19:9-10).

All glory and honor goes to the Lord because He created all things. There is Nothing alive that was created without God. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it belongs to Almighty God (Psalm 24:1 NLT). The devil’s been running things down here since the fall of mankind in the garden (Genesis 3:10:22 ESV), but the Lord owns it all. Jesus was sent for our justification after sin came into the picture. God created all things for His pleasure. Mankind was created so God could have someone on His level to fellowship with (1 Corinthians 1:9). We were created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). We have been demeaned, disgraced, and basically brought down to a low life level of existence. This was not acceptable with God. To see His creation brought down to a lifestyle that starts out defeated because of sin, it is a lifestyle which does not include God in it. All glory and honor goes to the Lord for His creation of all things, and for bringing mankind out from under the rule of Satan’s dominion and influence. Follow God’s program and live above the evil in this world (John 17:15).