Supernatural #11: Soaking In The Secret Place Series

SUPERNATURAL #11: SOAKING IN THE SECRET PLACE

OPENING TEXT:

• Intro to the story = Cornelius had a vision of an angel and the Lord told him to call for Peter. Cornelius sent a soldier and two servants to go find Peter.

“The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant… ” (Acts 10:9-16).

• There are many lessons that can be drawn out of this story in Acts 10.

• I want to focus on one: Peter went up on the housetop to pray – the secret place!

• In his personal prayer time with Jesus, Peter saw an open Heaven and a vision.

• The Lord communicated His plans and purposes with His friend Peter.

• As a result of this God encounter, Peter went to Cornelius’ house and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles, a hinge point in history. All because He heard from the Lord!

THE BIG IDEA: Prayer is more than just going to God with your wish list and saying, “My name’s Jimmy, so gimme, gimme, gimme!” It’s about having intimate fellowship with Jesus where He communicates the Father’s loving heart and divine purposes for our lives.

KEY TEXT: Bible memory verse for this week.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6).

• God is calling us to seek his face in the secret place of prayer.

• He wants us to shut the door to all of the distractions in our lives.

• There is a magnet on the inside of us that is longing to connect with our Creator. When people turn to drugs, alcohol, or sexual relationships, they are trying to find satisfaction and fulfillment. However, this can only be found when we draw near to Jesus!

• The whole story of the Bible is God longing for a personal relationship with human beings. From the first words that God spoke to Adam and Eve in Genesis when they sinned, “Where are you?” to the words of Jesus to the church in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” God wants our hearts!

• When we pray, we are spending time with our loving Heavenly Father.

• The more time we spend in the secret place, the more we learn to hear His voice.

• “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27).

PROPHETIC WORD: “Awake” from my personal prayer time two weeks ago.

God is calling us to “Wake up O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light!”

He’s calling us to return to our first love, to the secret place of prayer.

SOAKING IN THE SECRET PLACE:

“A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1).

“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring.” (Isaiah 44:3).

• What is soaking? Definition: to lie in and become saturated or permeated with water or some other liquid. If we aren’t soaking in His love, we become cracked and dry.

• So soaking in the secret place means to come into your prayer closet with no agenda but let Jesus pour out His love on you.

• “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5).