The Algorithm: Ep. 5: Hidden Worship Still Wins — Power Restored in the Secret Place

WEBVTT

00:00:10.463 --> 00:00:14.203
Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

00:00:14.283 --> 00:00:19.883
Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you

00:00:19.883 --> 00:00:23.663
on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning,

00:00:23.863 --> 00:00:26.803
or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

00:00:27.123 --> 00:00:33.603
Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

00:00:33.923 --> 00:00:39.023
Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with

00:00:39.023 --> 00:00:42.423
a familiar prayer, the prayer of Jabez.

00:00:42.863 --> 00:00:46.423
Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

00:00:46.843 --> 00:00:54.883
Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

00:00:55.343 --> 00:01:00.663
Father God, we come before you this day asking that you would indeed bless us,

00:01:00.663 --> 00:01:04.723
not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

00:01:05.323 --> 00:01:10.203
Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,

00:01:10.383 --> 00:01:12.883
our ability to receive what you have for us.

00:01:13.323 --> 00:01:20.143
Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

00:01:20.583 --> 00:01:25.763
And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

00:01:26.083 --> 00:01:29.343
that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

00:01:30.103 --> 00:01:35.323
And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

00:01:35.703 --> 00:01:42.663
Your word says that you granted his request. And we believe that you are the same God today.

00:01:42.903 --> 00:01:47.543
So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

00:01:47.543 --> 00:01:52.523
us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

00:01:53.363 --> 00:02:01.123
Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:02:13.515 --> 00:02:16.555
Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman's Podcast.

00:02:16.895 --> 00:02:20.195
I'm your host Connie Morris and we're continuing our series,

00:02:20.715 --> 00:02:23.395
The Algorithm Is Not Your Altar.

00:02:23.635 --> 00:02:27.615
We're at day five, hidden worship still wins.

00:02:28.055 --> 00:02:33.155
The theme for this episode is the secret place restores power.

00:02:33.455 --> 00:02:35.355
Let's go to our scripture foundation.

00:02:35.715 --> 00:02:42.815
First one is found in Matthew chapter six, verse six, and it reads, I hope you're there.

00:02:43.235 --> 00:02:47.175
Let's get started. You always got to bring your Bible. So Matthew chapter 6,

00:02:47.295 --> 00:02:49.715
verse 6, and it says, the Bible tells us.

00:02:50.235 --> 00:02:56.435
When we pray, enter into thy closet and thy father, which sees in secret,

00:02:56.655 --> 00:02:59.055
shall reward you openly.

00:02:59.355 --> 00:03:03.435
God loves a private time with you. He don't want to show.

00:03:03.655 --> 00:03:08.475
He wants just you, your heart, and he just wants to spend that time with you.

00:03:08.615 --> 00:03:10.795
He's a very loving father.

00:03:11.175 --> 00:03:12.895
Let's go to Psalms 91.

00:03:13.295 --> 00:03:17.615
Like I said, I'm reading from my King James Bible. And so I have a lot of thousand

00:03:17.615 --> 00:03:19.815
this, but I like that. But let's go.

00:03:20.015 --> 00:03:25.575
Verse one, he that dwelleth in the secret place under the most high should abide

00:03:25.575 --> 00:03:27.875
under the shadow of the almighty.

00:03:28.215 --> 00:03:35.095
So once again, I just have a sense that God is calling us into a closet, into a secret place.

00:03:35.315 --> 00:03:43.815
Let's go to Colossians chapter 3, and that is, and we're going to look at verses 1 through 4.

00:03:43.995 --> 00:03:49.335
It says, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,

00:03:49.555 --> 00:03:52.375
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

00:03:52.495 --> 00:03:57.655
Set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth.

00:03:57.715 --> 00:04:02.895
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ and God.

00:04:03.055 --> 00:04:09.095
Verse 4, When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear

00:04:09.095 --> 00:04:15.555
with him in glory. Our life is hidden in Christ. I love that.

00:04:16.108 --> 00:04:19.168
That means there's some good things on that. We'll probably cover that later.

00:04:19.628 --> 00:04:23.648
Let's go to 1 Samuel 16, verse 7.

00:04:23.928 --> 00:04:26.848
1 Samuel 16, verse 7.

00:04:27.048 --> 00:04:32.648
And that reads, But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance or

00:04:32.648 --> 00:04:36.588
on the height of his stature, because I have refused him.

00:04:36.708 --> 00:04:42.728
For the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance,

00:04:42.728 --> 00:04:46.788
but the Lord looketh on the heart.

00:04:47.408 --> 00:04:53.648
God looks past that outward performance and he looks at the heart.

00:04:53.948 --> 00:04:57.248
Let's go to Hebrews 11.6.

00:04:57.568 --> 00:05:03.188
11.6 reads, it says, but without faith it is impossible to please him.

00:05:03.348 --> 00:05:11.648
For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him.

00:05:11.648 --> 00:05:17.248
When you go and you pray, when you seek God and you set yourself apart for him,

00:05:17.528 --> 00:05:24.728
you have to believe by faith that he's a God who sees, he's a God who hears,

00:05:25.248 --> 00:05:29.508
he's a God who's waiting for you in that secret place.

00:05:29.808 --> 00:05:34.468
And that final verse is Luke chapter 10, verse 42 from our foundational scriptures.

00:05:34.468 --> 00:05:37.168
And it reads, but one thing is needful.

00:05:37.723 --> 00:05:43.203
And Mary has chosen the good part, which should not be taken away from her.

00:05:43.523 --> 00:05:49.423
We see here in these scriptures that God wants us to pray in secret.

00:05:49.663 --> 00:05:53.383
If you read the whole six, remember we went through that last episode,

00:05:53.623 --> 00:05:56.083
Matthew 6, verses 1 through 6.

00:05:56.403 --> 00:05:59.723
It's like God doesn't want you showing. He don't want you performative.

00:06:00.083 --> 00:06:02.883
There's always a time and a place when he'll ask you to speak.

00:06:03.003 --> 00:06:06.923
And then he'll allow your personality to kind of let the word get across to

00:06:06.923 --> 00:06:12.043
everyone. But many, many times God wants us in that secret place.

00:06:12.363 --> 00:06:18.783
And those who seek him in those secret place, remember the Bible tells us that he rewards the openly.

00:06:19.023 --> 00:06:25.343
That means that he's going to reward you in front of the people that maybe have been your enemy.

00:06:25.623 --> 00:06:29.443
Maybe those who thought that you pray too much, sister pray all the time,

00:06:29.743 --> 00:06:31.223
sister go to church all the time.

00:06:31.383 --> 00:06:37.663
But yet when God rewards you openly, everybody knows it. Let's do a quick review

00:06:37.663 --> 00:06:41.663
before we get into our word, our devotional, Psalms 91.

00:06:42.043 --> 00:06:45.123
We read that he that dwelleth in a secret place.

00:06:45.363 --> 00:06:50.643
So remember, God likes us in his secret place. It's like, you know, think about your home.

00:06:50.903 --> 00:06:55.623
Everybody can't come into your home. You know, if they do, then it's not really

00:06:55.623 --> 00:07:00.263
a home because everyone that comes in your home treats it differently and they

00:07:00.263 --> 00:07:01.803
bring different things with them.

00:07:01.923 --> 00:07:06.383
And so you should be picky about who enters your home. Even when my children

00:07:06.383 --> 00:07:11.523
were growing up, I was like, no, no, no, when I'm not here, nobody comes in the home.

00:07:11.783 --> 00:07:15.483
Why is that? Because it's a sacred place. And you want to be able to watch the

00:07:15.483 --> 00:07:17.743
people who are in your house, especially if they're your children,

00:07:17.903 --> 00:07:19.863
your children, friends, right?

00:07:20.023 --> 00:07:22.863
And so that secret place is a private place.

00:07:23.580 --> 00:07:27.060
And God knows everybody can't go in that private place with you.

00:07:27.340 --> 00:07:31.460
And so you have a private place in your home. Like I said, you can go in a closet.

00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:35.460
You can go in your bathroom. You can just sit in your car. But God wants us

00:07:35.460 --> 00:07:39.400
to dwell in the secret place, not just visit every once in a while.

00:07:39.580 --> 00:07:45.200
He said, well, we see here in Colossians that our life is hidden with Christ.

00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:50.800
Think about that. Christ hides us. So we're protected from some unknown things

00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:54.080
that we don't even know about because we seek him first.

00:07:54.220 --> 00:07:58.660
We seek him and we dwell in that secret place. And we see in Samuel,

00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:02.020
1 Samuel, that God looks at the heart, you know.

00:08:02.260 --> 00:08:05.660
And so no one can really see your heart unless you go to the doctor.

00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:10.640
They put you on an MRI, some type of machine, or the doctor listens to your heart.

00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:14.140
But otherwise, nobody knows what's going on inside of our heart,

00:08:14.260 --> 00:08:20.560
but God does. And in Hebrews 11, 6, that he rewards those who diligently seek him.

00:08:20.780 --> 00:08:24.940
I'm looking at this and I'm hearing reward twice in two different scriptures.

00:08:25.200 --> 00:08:29.180
God rewards the opening when you seek, openly when you seek him.

00:08:29.340 --> 00:08:33.900
And he says, if he rewards you, he rewards those who diligently seek him.

00:08:34.020 --> 00:08:36.920
So those some diligently means all the time.

00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:40.960
It became a habit to you, right? It's not something that you do random.

00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:46.060
It's a habit that you diligently seek him. and he will reward you openly.

00:08:46.540 --> 00:08:50.120
And finally, we see that Mary in verse Luke 10 says,

00:08:50.326 --> 00:08:55.566
shows the better portion. What is the better portion? It's to sit at Jesus' feet.

00:08:55.826 --> 00:08:58.906
Now in the natural, we don't see Jesus, right?

00:08:59.086 --> 00:09:04.566
But in the spirit realm, we can imagine that he's seated in the room and that

00:09:04.566 --> 00:09:06.206
you want to just spend time with him.

00:09:06.326 --> 00:09:10.146
So let's go and see what we have in store for today.

00:09:10.426 --> 00:09:21.326
There is something sacred about hidden worship, not the kind of worship that is its compliments.

00:09:21.726 --> 00:09:26.126
I'm talking about the worship that begins when you are alone with God,

00:09:26.326 --> 00:09:33.326
when there is no audience to impress, no image to protect, and no reputation to maintain.

00:09:33.606 --> 00:09:38.246
This is a place where God doesn't just bless you, he builds you.

00:09:38.406 --> 00:09:44.066
Because in public, you can fake it, but in private, you either have them or you don't.

00:09:44.246 --> 00:09:48.266
And if you've ever wondered why some people carry a quiet strength,

00:09:48.666 --> 00:09:53.726
a deep peace, and an unshakable faith, even when their lives aren't perfect.

00:09:53.906 --> 00:09:57.786
It's because they learned something that this generation is forgetting.

00:09:58.206 --> 00:10:05.086
Hidden worship still wins. Jesus says something that should stop every believer in their tracks.

00:10:05.246 --> 00:10:09.506
He says, but thou, when thou prayest, this verse assumes something,

00:10:09.806 --> 00:10:13.046
that prayer is not optional, Intimacy is not occasional.

00:10:13.426 --> 00:10:19.006
And worship is not a performance. Then he commands, enter into thy closet.

00:10:19.226 --> 00:10:22.506
He didn't ask you. He just says, enter into thy closet.

00:10:22.686 --> 00:10:27.426
That means enter into the secret place. A place where nobody sees you.

00:10:27.726 --> 00:10:32.446
Nobody validates you. Nobody applauds you. Nobody knows what you're battling.

00:10:32.686 --> 00:10:34.666
But God meets you anyway.

00:10:34.966 --> 00:10:40.106
Then Jesus said, and shut the door. This is not just physical, but...

00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:45.959
That is spiritual. Shut the door to distractions, to noise, to scrolling,

00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:51.539
to comparison, opinions, pressure, and performance, because some doors must

00:10:51.539 --> 00:10:54.179
be shut if God is going to speak clearly.

00:10:54.619 --> 00:11:00.579
And then comes the promise, thy father with seeds in secret should reward thee openly.

00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:05.859
So the reward is not only for what you do publicly, but the reward is what you

00:11:05.859 --> 00:11:08.719
do privately. And this aligns with Psalms 91.

00:11:09.199 --> 00:11:13.939
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High. Psalms 91.1.

00:11:14.470 --> 00:11:21.230
To dwell is to remain, not to visit, not to drop in, not to check in when you're in trouble.

00:11:21.650 --> 00:11:27.690
Dwell, meaning this is where you live. So why is the secret place so powerful?

00:11:27.950 --> 00:11:31.990
The secret place is powerful because it removes all substitutes.

00:11:32.130 --> 00:11:35.790
When you're alone with God, you can't perform, you can't pretend,

00:11:36.150 --> 00:11:40.030
you can't hide behind gifting, you can't hide behind titles,

00:11:40.310 --> 00:11:45.350
you can't hide behind what people think about you. The secret place reveals what's real.

00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:48.290
And here is what makes us so holy.

00:11:48.510 --> 00:11:54.350
God doesn't meet you there to chain you. He meets you there in a secret place to strengthen you.

00:11:54.530 --> 00:11:59.650
And this is where burdens are lift, clarity comes, hunger returns,

00:12:00.070 --> 00:12:05.130
wounds are healed, deliverance begins, and worship becomes pure again.

00:12:05.330 --> 00:12:08.370
When nobody is watching, real time.

00:12:08.590 --> 00:12:12.650
People talk about wanting to be powerful, but they don't want to be private.

00:12:13.110 --> 00:12:16.690
They want a platform, but not prayer. Attention, but not surrender.

00:12:17.130 --> 00:12:18.870
Applause, but not obedience.

00:12:19.390 --> 00:12:26.470
Elevation, but not consecration. But the truth is, public power is always built in private.

00:12:26.730 --> 00:12:32.490
That's why believers look strong online, but collapse offline.

00:12:32.730 --> 00:12:37.370
Because the social media can hold your image, but it cannot hold your soul.

00:12:37.550 --> 00:12:42.990
If you want stability, real maturity, real peace, and real spiritual authority,

00:12:43.110 --> 00:12:48.310
you must return to the secret place because hidden worship still wins.

00:12:48.490 --> 00:12:51.290
The secret place where God restores the worship.

00:12:51.704 --> 00:12:56.824
That distraction stole. And that's something you go into your secret place and

00:12:56.824 --> 00:12:58.364
we should have a secret place.

00:12:58.504 --> 00:13:00.744
We should have God already on the schedule.

00:13:00.944 --> 00:13:06.024
And when you leave there, things might still look the same, but you don't feel the same.

00:13:06.304 --> 00:13:11.724
The Bible says that we are more than a conqueror for those who are in Christ Jesus.

00:13:12.084 --> 00:13:16.964
I mean, when we enter into our secret place, we enter into a place just reserved

00:13:16.964 --> 00:13:19.684
for us so that Jesus can meet us there.

00:13:19.844 --> 00:13:23.784
And if you have a regular prayer life, you understand what I'm talking about,

00:13:24.044 --> 00:13:28.984
that the world can shape, but you like, if I die today, like Esther says,

00:13:29.044 --> 00:13:33.224
if I die, I die because I know that I'm secure in Jesus.

00:13:33.504 --> 00:13:39.464
But this secret place is so important because it restores what distraction took away from you.

00:13:39.624 --> 00:13:43.964
And so I say, if you can scroll for an hour, I guarantee you,

00:13:44.104 --> 00:13:46.944
you can pray for an hour. Let's do a heart check.

00:13:47.144 --> 00:13:50.384
Do you have a secret place or a public faith?

00:13:50.644 --> 00:13:53.584
Do I pray when nobody benefits but me?

00:13:53.964 --> 00:13:58.704
In my worship, is my worship more consistent online than it is in private?

00:13:58.984 --> 00:14:03.264
Have I been more focused on looking spiritual than being spiritually strong?

00:14:03.544 --> 00:14:09.324
What distracts me most when I try to sit with God? So how do we get this back?

00:14:09.604 --> 00:14:13.504
I like this question. What distracts me most when I sit with God?

00:14:13.764 --> 00:14:17.204
For me, sometimes sitting still can cause me to be a little anxious.

00:14:17.304 --> 00:14:19.584
I can be doing something. I can be productive.

00:14:19.804 --> 00:14:24.984
But then I'm realizing that my productivity needs to cease, like rest,

00:14:25.204 --> 00:14:29.784
and just enjoy the presence of God to be restored.

00:14:30.404 --> 00:14:33.824
I love that. How do we build a secret place?

00:14:33.984 --> 00:14:38.544
Now, you hear me talk a lot that I have a secret time that I spend with God.

00:14:38.544 --> 00:14:41.564
I like it in the mornings and then sometime in the evenings.

00:14:41.704 --> 00:14:46.344
But I try to do it in the evenings and I fall asleep because I've had a long, exhausting day.

00:14:46.564 --> 00:14:49.964
That's why I like to give him the first fruit the first time in the morning.

00:14:50.570 --> 00:14:54.470
So that I know that I'm full of energy and vibrant. By four o'clock in the afternoon,

00:14:54.630 --> 00:14:56.030
I'm just ready to go sit down somewhere.

00:14:56.290 --> 00:14:59.950
Number one, decide that intimacy is non-negotiable.

00:15:00.290 --> 00:15:04.910
Your secret place is not extra, it's essential. So it's just part of what you

00:15:04.910 --> 00:15:07.410
do. It's like everything else has to go around that.

00:15:07.690 --> 00:15:10.650
You know, I get up in the morning, I'm not married, so I don't have no one,

00:15:10.850 --> 00:15:12.390
you know, I have to wake up.

00:15:12.770 --> 00:15:17.890
No one not waking up if I get up too early. And so realizing that that's part of what I do.

00:15:18.050 --> 00:15:23.110
It's not extra, it's essential. Create a place, excuse me, create a place and protect it.

00:15:23.410 --> 00:15:27.050
Pick a time, pick a place. It could be early morning, late night,

00:15:27.210 --> 00:15:30.050
lunch break, sitting in your car, a quiet corner.

00:15:30.410 --> 00:15:34.990
But that make it consistent. I remember one morning, and the Lord just brought this to my attention.

00:15:35.370 --> 00:15:39.310
You know, usually I told you I sleep in on Saturdays, but I don't sleep in too

00:15:39.310 --> 00:15:42.770
much. I sleep in, if I get up at 3, I might end up waking up about 4.30.

00:15:42.950 --> 00:15:46.350
I don't sit at the alarm, let the body rest, and then I'll get up and pray.

00:15:46.350 --> 00:15:49.910
And one morning I got up and it was, I forgot what time it was,

00:15:49.990 --> 00:15:52.470
but it was probably about four in the morning.

00:15:52.750 --> 00:15:56.370
And I remember walking, I'm downstairs in my living room and I have a kind of

00:15:56.370 --> 00:15:58.610
a townhouse where I have upstairs and downstairs.

00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:02.930
So I went downstairs and I'm like, and as I entered into my secret place,

00:16:02.990 --> 00:16:04.650
I felt the presence of the Lord.

00:16:04.850 --> 00:16:09.050
He was like, I am so glad that you're here. And it was a surprise because Saturday,

00:16:09.290 --> 00:16:10.830
I'm always there Monday through Friday.

00:16:11.050 --> 00:16:13.770
Saturday, I changed up the schedule and Sunday, I changed up the schedule.

00:16:13.910 --> 00:16:18.790
So it's a little bit different. but to know that God is waiting there no matter what time I get there.

00:16:18.930 --> 00:16:21.450
And we just had a wonderful time of prayer.

00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:25.170
And so, and what does that feel like? People say, what does that feel like?

00:16:25.330 --> 00:16:30.010
You know when God is in the room. You just know. You know when he's in the car.

00:16:30.270 --> 00:16:34.210
You know when he's in your office. He makes himself known.

00:16:34.951 --> 00:16:38.751
In kind of a discreet way. But when you're sensitive to his presence,

00:16:38.971 --> 00:16:43.951
so very, just so knowledgeable that you'd be like, ah, Jesus has just walked

00:16:43.951 --> 00:16:46.571
in the room. It could be a time when you have to do a lecture.

00:16:46.791 --> 00:16:52.411
I had to do, I'd meet with my boss once a week and I had to come in there and

00:16:52.411 --> 00:16:54.731
do a presentation in front of a crew.

00:16:54.871 --> 00:16:58.991
And I was never afraid, but I always sensed like, God's like, oh, I got you.

00:16:59.371 --> 00:17:03.271
And out of my mouth wide, he just feels it. Of course, I have my notes too,

00:17:03.431 --> 00:17:07.271
but he fills it outside of notes because the boss will ask questions that there's

00:17:07.271 --> 00:17:09.151
no way you could know that, right?

00:17:09.311 --> 00:17:12.451
And so, but that's what you do. If you're consistent with God,

00:17:12.631 --> 00:17:18.451
he's just a God of surprises and he loves to surprise us with his presence, with his gifts.

00:17:18.691 --> 00:17:21.311
He says with the rewards, he just loves that.

00:17:21.571 --> 00:17:24.171
So let's go to number three. It says, shut the door.

00:17:24.491 --> 00:17:28.671
Jesus said, shut it for a reason. That means silence these distractions.

00:17:29.211 --> 00:17:34.011
Remove interruptions, disconnect from noise, and stop multitasking.

00:17:34.271 --> 00:17:37.431
Wow, that just slapped me in the face, right? If you're going to be in God's

00:17:37.431 --> 00:17:40.851
presence, don't come in there with a whole bunch of, leave your phone at the

00:17:40.851 --> 00:17:45.851
door, music, books, whatever you want to do, and just sit in his presence.

00:17:46.011 --> 00:17:48.871
I know I'm sensing that after this, this is what I'm going to do.

00:17:48.951 --> 00:17:51.511
I'm going to sit in the Lord's presence.

00:17:51.671 --> 00:17:55.771
I can feel the tug, and I'm going to do that. Number four, start simple.

00:17:56.111 --> 00:18:02.011
You don't need fancy prayer. You just need honesty. A secret place of prayer can be, Lord, I'm tired.

00:18:02.391 --> 00:18:07.111
Lord, I need you. Lord, restore my worship. Lord, make me whole.

00:18:07.391 --> 00:18:09.451
Just have a simple conversation with them.

00:18:10.731 --> 00:18:15.811
It's not about this long and during, I prayed for God three hours, and you still the same?

00:18:16.071 --> 00:18:20.611
You should be different. But just to say, Lord, just restore me. Lord, refresh me.

00:18:20.811 --> 00:18:23.931
Lord, speak to my heart. Just before I started this podcast,

00:18:24.351 --> 00:18:30.131
I was sitting in his presence, and I had a question. So I sat quietly and I had this question and,

00:18:30.792 --> 00:18:34.972
And I was like, Lord, is this true? And how do I prove that it's not true?

00:18:35.192 --> 00:18:39.172
Because as a HOA president, I have to deal with some financial matters.

00:18:39.332 --> 00:18:43.392
Some things didn't look quite right. And I wanted to adjust,

00:18:43.632 --> 00:18:45.832
find out, like, why is that looking wrong?

00:18:46.052 --> 00:18:48.972
And he told me to go do some things, and I went and did it.

00:18:49.132 --> 00:18:53.512
Then I sat back down, and then I was like, I'm just doing a podcast for a few

00:18:53.512 --> 00:18:57.472
minutes, you know, because I love teaching the Word. because remember.

00:18:57.952 --> 00:19:00.732
It has to go through my mouth into the atmosphere.

00:19:01.032 --> 00:19:04.952
So I get more, I get a lot out of it because it's the Word of God.

00:19:05.112 --> 00:19:06.432
The Word of God is active.

00:19:06.772 --> 00:19:10.312
And so when you speak it, it's not just sitting there on a page.

00:19:10.432 --> 00:19:14.212
It becomes active in your life. And right now it's active in your life.

00:19:14.392 --> 00:19:18.972
Now, as I read those scriptures, as I speak, this devotional is active.

00:19:18.992 --> 00:19:23.772
And I know you can feel it because you were like, dang it, I need some more

00:19:23.772 --> 00:19:27.392
of the Bible study. And I tell you, I take my own medicine.

00:19:27.632 --> 00:19:32.312
I will do my podcast and I will go listen to it because I know it was good because

00:19:32.312 --> 00:19:36.892
sometimes you can have things in notes and then God will speak to you and it's

00:19:36.892 --> 00:19:41.652
not even in your notes and you have to find out what did God say because I felt that.

00:19:41.892 --> 00:19:45.192
And then I listened to it and I'm like, I don't even think I spoke that because

00:19:45.192 --> 00:19:48.192
God is in the room and he always wants to help us.

00:19:48.412 --> 00:19:53.352
Let's go to five. Number five, let God heal you in private. We talk about the

00:19:53.352 --> 00:19:58.472
people on social media who always got some drama going on, and yet they're not healing.

00:19:58.692 --> 00:20:04.452
They're just exposing their hurt, thinking that's going to help, but it doesn't help.

00:20:04.672 --> 00:20:09.232
Some healing can only happen privately. It cannot happen publicly.

00:20:09.532 --> 00:20:15.772
God will touch the parts of you that no one else sees, and this is what is restoration.

00:20:16.232 --> 00:20:21.612
So how do we get it back? We decide that intimacy is non-negotiable.

00:20:21.612 --> 00:20:24.332
We create space and protect it.

00:20:24.554 --> 00:20:29.414
We shut the door on distractions, and we start simple with, Lord,

00:20:29.594 --> 00:20:32.274
I'm tired. Lord, I need help, or just help me.

00:20:32.474 --> 00:20:34.834
And then we allow God to heal us privately.

00:20:35.134 --> 00:20:40.254
Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the secret place. Forgive me for the times I neglected it.

00:20:40.574 --> 00:20:44.354
Forgive me for allowing distractions to rob me of intimacy.

00:20:44.734 --> 00:20:49.594
Teach me how to shut the door and seek you again. Restore my hunger for prayer.

00:20:49.994 --> 00:20:53.634
Restore my love for your word. Heal me where I've been drained,

00:20:53.954 --> 00:20:55.154
wounded, or discouraged.

00:20:55.514 --> 00:21:00.274
I choose private worship over public performance. And I choose to dwell with you.

00:21:00.474 --> 00:21:04.434
Reward my pursuit with transformation in Jesus' name.

00:21:04.654 --> 00:21:08.254
I dwell in the secret place of the Most High God.

00:21:08.554 --> 00:21:14.074
Repeat after me, hidden worship still wins in my life. I choose intimacy over distraction.

00:21:14.394 --> 00:21:17.494
I shut the door to noise and open my heart to God.

00:21:17.734 --> 00:21:25.054
My strength is being rebuilt in private. I will not perform for people I find in Christ.

00:21:25.254 --> 00:21:29.854
And God rewards my pursuits with peace, power, and clarity.

00:21:30.094 --> 00:21:38.754
And so this day, I want you to write about what keeps pulling you out of the

00:21:38.754 --> 00:21:40.614
secret place. What is it?

00:21:40.954 --> 00:21:44.914
And then I want you to answer these questions. So you're going to just write

00:21:44.914 --> 00:21:47.174
about it. What keeps pulling you out of the secret place?

00:21:47.294 --> 00:21:51.734
And number one, what door do I need to shut? What habit do I need to build?

00:21:51.914 --> 00:21:55.374
And what will dwelling look like this week?

00:21:55.574 --> 00:21:59.334
How do we dwell in the secret place? How do we do that?

00:21:59.634 --> 00:22:02.734
Now, I want you to do this. This is going to change your life.

00:22:03.214 --> 00:22:08.974
I want you to have, we call it a secret place appointment for the next seven days.

00:22:09.334 --> 00:22:14.114
Schedule 15 minutes with God daily. Treat it like a meeting you can't miss.

00:22:14.114 --> 00:22:20.094
Your Bible open, phone away, and your heart is just honest and ready to hear what he has.

00:22:20.394 --> 00:22:22.954
Ready for him to download something on the inside of you.

00:22:23.321 --> 00:22:26.421
And then you say, Lord, I thank you for meeting me in secret.

00:22:26.641 --> 00:22:30.341
So just 15 minutes. People want to start out. I'm going to do it for an hour.

00:22:30.581 --> 00:22:31.981
You can't do it for an hour if

00:22:31.981 --> 00:22:35.741
you've never done it before. So you have to distill away for 15 minutes.

00:22:35.921 --> 00:22:39.761
And I guarantee you that time will increase. I remember starting out in prayer

00:22:39.761 --> 00:22:43.441
and the Lord said, just pray for 15 minutes.

00:22:43.661 --> 00:22:48.021
And so, you know, you set your little timer and, you know, how hard that was.

00:22:48.261 --> 00:22:53.301
15 minutes. How do you pray for 15 minutes? You know, but then it became 30 minutes.

00:22:53.701 --> 00:22:58.141
Then it became an hour, then an hour and a half, and sometimes even two hours.

00:22:58.361 --> 00:23:02.601
Because once you get in the presence of the Lord, you don't want to leave.

00:23:02.761 --> 00:23:06.861
Once you have that secret place appointment, you don't want to go.

00:23:07.081 --> 00:23:10.501
And once you finish your secret place appointment, you say, Lord,

00:23:10.681 --> 00:23:12.561
thank you for meeting with me in secret.

00:23:12.841 --> 00:23:15.641
The first time you do it, it's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done.

00:23:15.761 --> 00:23:18.281
Because we're not used to going anywhere without our phone.

00:23:18.441 --> 00:23:21.101
We're not going anywhere. I don't turn on any music or anything.

00:23:21.281 --> 00:23:24.581
Just seven days. It can be night. It can be day. 15 minutes.

00:23:24.901 --> 00:23:28.241
And you'll find out that that 15 minutes, you'll be like, dang,

00:23:28.521 --> 00:23:30.661
what am I going to do for 15 minutes? You open your Bible.

00:23:30.881 --> 00:23:33.721
God might place a scripture in your heart. You might start reading a scripture

00:23:33.721 --> 00:23:36.001
you might have heard at church or at Bible school.

00:23:36.321 --> 00:23:40.141
And then allow that just to marinate. Because many times we read one scripture,

00:23:40.261 --> 00:23:42.861
but if we read the scripture before and the scripture after,

00:23:43.081 --> 00:23:44.221
it gives you the bigger picture.

00:23:44.261 --> 00:23:48.901
If you read the whole chapter, you got the whole picture. and then allowing

00:23:48.901 --> 00:23:51.921
God to take that word that you've already put inside of you.

00:23:52.901 --> 00:23:55.821
Remember, it's active. It's alive, right?

00:23:56.021 --> 00:24:00.561
And so it's going to begin to do a work in you from the moment you do it.

00:24:00.681 --> 00:24:05.341
So we're talking day one. What happens in day two and all the way through day

00:24:05.341 --> 00:24:06.981
seven? I would love to hear.

00:24:07.567 --> 00:24:11.467
Filed it from you, how your life has changed. And you tuck it away.

00:24:12.067 --> 00:24:16.427
Maybe we'll start on a routine, maybe get up maybe 30 minutes early and spend

00:24:16.427 --> 00:24:18.707
the first 15 minutes with God.

00:24:19.247 --> 00:24:22.627
Just try to do it in the morning or maybe in the evening, whatever works for

00:24:22.627 --> 00:24:25.727
you. But I want you to try that and see how that works.

00:24:25.927 --> 00:24:31.267
We're going to next week, next day, tomorrow, the next day, it's day six.

00:24:31.267 --> 00:24:35.647
And the title that we're going to get into next podcast is How to Get It Back,

00:24:36.187 --> 00:24:38.567
Returning to Your First Love.

00:24:39.007 --> 00:24:44.827
Because you'll find out as you sit there 15 minutes that, you know how you meet

00:24:44.827 --> 00:24:46.387
someone and it's quiet, right?

00:24:46.527 --> 00:24:49.907
And you don't have nothing to say because you don't know because you just met

00:24:49.907 --> 00:24:52.567
them. And you might just be talking to Phil's space.

00:24:52.727 --> 00:24:57.407
But if you just sit in his presence quietly, God will probably begin to speak.

00:24:57.647 --> 00:25:02.407
Lord, thank you for just showing up for me. and I'm here waiting for you.

00:25:02.487 --> 00:25:05.567
I'm a little uncomfortable because I've never done it before,

00:25:05.567 --> 00:25:10.267
but I want to dwell in a secret place because I know that you are a rewarder

00:25:10.267 --> 00:25:12.127
of those that diligently seek you.

00:25:12.407 --> 00:25:17.487
Wow, you are a rewarder if I seek you with my whole heart, right?

00:25:17.587 --> 00:25:20.447
In Jeremiah 29, 11. And so I want to let you go.

00:25:20.967 --> 00:25:24.807
And this is the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

00:25:24.867 --> 00:25:28.427
Connie Morris, and I will see you on the next episode.

00:25:39.372 --> 00:25:42.512
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:25:42.772 --> 00:25:46.492
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:25:46.552 --> 00:25:48.912
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:25:49.192 --> 00:25:53.732
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

00:25:54.092 --> 00:25:58.952
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God.

00:25:59.132 --> 00:26:03.692
Because someone out there needs this reminder today.

00:26:03.972 --> 00:26:10.752
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you,

00:26:10.912 --> 00:26:14.532
declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

00:26:14.912 --> 00:26:17.192
plans to give you hope and a future.

00:26:17.432 --> 00:26:22.292
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

00:26:22.532 --> 00:26:27.752
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

00:26:27.872 --> 00:26:33.812
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

00:26:34.272 --> 00:26:40.212
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

00:26:40.412 --> 00:26:45.532
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

00:26:45.532 --> 00:26:48.332
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

00:26:48.592 --> 00:26:52.952
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

00:26:53.112 --> 00:26:56.932
When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

00:26:57.092 --> 00:27:02.412
When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

00:27:02.652 --> 00:27:04.912
remind us you are still working.

00:27:05.332 --> 00:27:10.932
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.

00:27:11.272 --> 00:27:15.372
Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart,

00:27:15.552 --> 00:27:18.612
not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.

00:27:18.832 --> 00:27:23.252
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:29.039
Even the hidden mind. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:33.819
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:40.179
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:27:40.719 --> 00:27:44.739
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

00:27:44.899 --> 00:27:47.539
and I'll see you on the next episode.