The Secret Place
A Sermon Preached by Smith Wigglesworth in 1921
Public Domain - Copy Freely
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91
The crown of life is for the overcomer. It is not for those at ease in Zion. We must be in the place where God can depend upon us to keep going until we see victory, never giving in and knowing no defeat, always making our stand by a living faith and gaining the victory. Faith is the victory.
This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:29
England once had a war with France. Some prisoners were taken; among them, a drummer boy. Napoleon ordered him to sound a retreat. He said "No!" He had never learned one.
God never wants you to retreat before the enemy, but to learn the song of victory and overcome! Praise the Lord!
There are two kinds of shouts: a shout that is made, and a shout that makes you. There are men of God, but there are also men who are God's men. There is a place where you take hold of God, but there is a better place where God takes hold of you.
Psalm 91:1 says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. " Do YOU know the presence of the Almighty? It is wonderful. It is a surety, with no wavering, no unbelief, no unrest there. It is perfect!
Fear the Lord
My great desire is to see men become strong in the Lord by dwelling in the secret place, which is known to all who fear Him.
Now, there are two kinds of fear. One fear involves being afraid of God. I hope you are not there. Unbelievers are there. But the believer should desire, rather, to die than to grieve God by fearing Him in this way.
Fellowship with God, peace, and power -- this is God's will for us, so don't fear that it isn't. No price is too great to pay to have it. It is our inheritance. Christ purchased it for us. Through Him we have the covering of the presence of the Almighty. What a covering the unfolding of His will is!
The secret place of the Lord is with those who fear Him in the second way: with respect and honor. Moses knew something about it. He feared God and said to Him, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence" (Exodus 33:15 ).
Oh, to dwell in the secret place, His presence! What will this presence do? It will dare us to believe all God says; assisting us to lay hold of the promises. We will have God so indwelling us that we will become a force, a power of God's abiding, until the time death is swallowed up in victory!
We have a great salvation filled with inspiration. It has no limitations; it makes known the immeasurable wonders of God.
If you are in the experience of verse 1, here is an added substance of faith for you. (It is a fact. And you need to have facts, inward facts, instead of "fearings" or feelings, because you will be beyond anyone's argument when you have them.) There are those who proclaim, "I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust" (Psalm 91:2 ). Who will say it? He that abideth! He who abides in the Lord knows he can trust in the Lord to protect him from harm.
Free From The Law of Sin and Death
There is no "kick" in the secret place -- no evil temper, no irritability. All is swept away while one is dwelling in the presence of the Almighty; in the covering of God. Even the best of humanity, when from the devil, is not good, and cannot remain in God's presence. Jesus was manifested to destroy ALL the works of the devil (I John 3:8 ).
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Romans 8:3
God sent forth Jesus in the mightiness of His power. In flesh and in the midst of flesh, He condemned it. The law of the Spirit of life was destroying all that must be destroyed. Dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, we then are above all in Him: He that is above all and through all and in you all.
This is a fact, not in human nature, but in God. It is the gift of God from heaven. We belong to the new creation, and we are in a wonderful place in life. It is a life free from the law of sin and death.
Can we keep ourselves there? GOD can keep us there.
He never forgets to keep me,
He never forgets to keep me
My Father has many dear children;
But He never forgets to keep me.
Has He forgotten to keep you? Nay! He cannot forget. God has much in store for you; you are far from being out of His thoughts.
God's Word: Antidote to Evil
There was a time when the children of Israel hung their harps on the willows in defeat. Sometimes the believer does the same. The song of joy leaves his heart. It doesn't have to happen. I have seen thousands delivered from evil powers.
You must be aware that there is a great weakness in the land: It is a lack of knowledge. People hew out cisterns that can hold no water, instead of filling themselves with the Word of God.
Concerning the healing Christ secured for us in redemption, some ask, "Does it last? Does the healing stand good?" Yes! What God does, He does to last forever!
Many years ago, God healed me when all my teeth were decayed and weak. God healed them when I was sixty-two. I am as fresh as a boy! Now, devil, take THAT! Such healing is God's plan, which is better than any other plan!
Some turn from God's plan because of fear. Others throw over God's wonderful plan because of a feeling. The Bible has so many precious promises, with wealth beyond all price, that God has planned for us to have. Seek after God's plan. Don't be unbelieving, for the waverer gets nothing. Real faith is established, never changing, and with it you'll get all God has for you.
Established Faith
"How can I get established faith?" you ask.
Abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Don't change your position, but always have the presence of God, the glory of God. Pay any price to abide under that covering, for the secret of victory is to abide where the Victor abides.
Higher, higher, nothing dreading
Never, never let me stop;
In thy footsteps keep my treading
Give me strength to reach the top.
Jesus has become the Author and the Finisher of your faith. Through faith in Him, you came to the Father, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation: (Romans 10:10 ). Your life is hid with Christ in God. You have no limitation when the holy breath blows an inward cry after Him.
Oh, do you know His Name? If you do, God will set you on high (Psalm 91:14 ). And you can ask what you will -- communion with Jesus, fellowship divine -- and it shall be given to you! It comes through knowledge of Jesus' Name, not just by whispering it now and then.
Call upon the lord, and he will answer you (Psalm 91:15). Feed upon His Word. To those who do, God hath said, "With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation" (Psalm 91:16). Amen.
(Published originally in August 1921, now Public Domain, Copy Freely)
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