Maria Woodworth Etter- Practical Steps to Abiding in the Secret Place in these Last Days
Jesus told His disciples-
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
John 15: 3, 4
If we abide in Him by abiding in the Secret Place of His Presence, then we will bear fruit. In other words, bearing fruit should be the natural outflow on abiding in the Secret Place.
James wrote-
But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
James 1: 22
Maria Woodworth Etter said of the Secret Place-
Terrible times are coming even in this land. Everything will be shaken except the people of God who are hidden away in the secret place of the Most High. If you do not take the warning messages that have been given here, I will witness against you in that day. “Let no man take your crown.”
It is clear in this hour of deception, where a deluding spirit has blinded people we must walk with our lives hidden in the Secret Place. So, we must learn how to abide in the Secret Place.
1. Prayed Up
The Secret Place revolves around prayer, real prayer in which we connect and have fellowship with the Living God. David shared-
“When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
Psalm 27: 8
Most people seek the Lord’s hands and not His face. We are to come face to face and enjoy fellowship through the finished work of the Cross. Etter wrote-
“The Communings of Jesus” Not a sound invades the stillness, Not a form invades the scene, Save the voice of my Beloved, And the person of my King. Refrain Precious, gentle, holy Jesus, Blessed, Bridegroom of my heart, In the secret inner chamber, Thou wilt whisper what Thou art. And within these heavenly places, Calmly hushed in deep repose, There I drink with joy absorbing, All the love Thou wouldst disclose. Wrapt in deep adoring silence, Jesus, Lord, I dare not move, Lest I lose the smallest whisper, Meant to catch the ear of Love. Rest thou, O my soul, contented, Thou hast reached thy happy place, In the bosom of thy Savior, Gazing up in His dear face.
We are called to a prayer that is a form of worship of the Lord. Most people when it comes to prayer, have a prayer list and have lost sight of learning to spend time in free worship of the Lord.
“My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”
Psalm 45: 1
Here we see the concept of a prayer that is an outflow from the heart of our love for the Lord. Learn to pray from the heart and delight in Him. Of this heart to heart and face to face relationship, Etter explained-
So the working of the Holy Ghost is foolishness to the natural mind. He is not discerned by the natural man; but you go to God and get the oil of heaven, and you will have light on the blessed Word of God. God will talk to your heart, and Christ will be real and salvation will be real and heaven will be real because the Spirit of God will let you down into the deep things of God. Glory to God!
2. Pray in the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is not a thing, but a Person. We must recognize that He is a Person and we must learn His personality and how to develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Etter said-
The Holy Ghost is a wonderful person, not a myth or shadow. Pentecost is the greatest thing that ever happened in God’s work when the Holy Ghost came in to stay. He came and took possession of one hundred and twenty men and women. He sat upon their heads in cloven tongues of fire and went in and took possession of their bodies, then of their vocal organs; and they spoke, every one, as He gave them utterance.
One of the most powerful ways to grow up spiritually and learn how to yield to the Holy Spirit, is to pray in the Spirit. Etter spoke of tongues-
That was what brought three thousand people to their knees that day. God had said, “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit; I will pour out a cloudburst of power and glory upon My people. They shall speak with new tongues, they shall prophesy, they shall cast out devils.”16 Don’t be tired of hearing people speak in new tongues; don’t call anything common or unclean that God does.17 It is the Holy Ghost let down from heaven. The Word says, “With stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.”18
3. Be His Mouthpiece
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nation, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I command you; and lo; I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 19, 20
The call for us to “GO” is one that stands even in this hour! We are to demonstrate in our lives that we are disciples of the Lord and as a result make disciples. We are not called to make converts but disciples!
The Lord has an expectation that we will fulfill the call of Heaven and serve our generation. We can get busy doing things at Church but never fulfill His purpose for us. As we seek His face, He will begin to reveal to us His call on our life. We must seek to be always moving toward the call, whether we are running, walking or falling in the direction of the call.
Paul told Timothy-
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed , accurately handling the Word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2: 15
Invest into the call! As you begin to understand what He desires you to do, begin to work on developing the call. But in all your efforts take time to build your Word foundation. Take time in the Word and develop a solid understanding and knowledge of the Word. Etter said-
He has anointed us with power and especial gifts to demonstrate the power and presence of Christ in a visible manner: “As he is, so are we in this world”