Tell Me Your Secret

Intrigue, even mystique, surrounds the word "secret." Its power is mindboggling. 

• When a busy mom executes her responsibilities like a CEO, her friend says, “Tell me your secret.”

• When a pastor consistently preaches powerful sermons, a colleague says, “Tell me your secret.”

• When a friend's newfound energy level speaks volumes about her choice to focus on health and fitness, eyes pop out and we say, “Tell us your secret.”

• When a teacher sees her students score high on college entrance exams, academicians press, “Tell us your secret.”

This leads us to further questioning.

What about life? Is there a secret to experiencing Life with a capital L?

YES, yes there is. The answer to Life’s best secret rests within an intimate relationship with Jesus, and this supernatural relity awaits those who willingly, with intentionality, invest in the pursuit. Above the roar and clamor of life comes a clarion call from Jeremiah 30:21: “Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?” 

3 Secrets Offer Guidance for Developing this Relationship

Secret #1: Choosing to spend time alone with Jesus stands as our greatest privilege and highest priority. With the dawning of every new day, the invitation recurs, “Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17b) You and I are invited to join with “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly … and worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:22, 28)

Secret #2: However, this heavenly invitation requires an RSVP. In our routines fueled by late nights, laundry, lunches, headaches, heartaches, errands, appointments, problems, and people, the pressures rob us of the pleasure our souls so desperately need. Is this pursuit even humanly possible in our frenzied, media-dominated culture? After all, how can we be expected to silence the roar and sit still in the presence of God?

This leads us to the third secret.

Secret #3: For you and for me, the answer rests in the word choice. Morning moments are disproportionately potent. The first nanoseconds of wakefulness set the tone and trajectory for one’s entire day. This tentative, fragile, sensitive, vulnerable zone is pivotal. Mentally managing these moments contributes to the momentum.

Yes, mornings matter. There are no shortcuts or fast-fix formulas; just day after day (decade after decade) of meeting alone with Jesus to worship Him. My Bible, my journal, and my coffee accompany me to my sacred spot. And I bring my heart with me—my worshipful, aching, broken, joyful, delighted, grateful, crushed, confused, concerned heart. Whatever, the real me comes to my Jesus.

Though I believe this with every fiber of my being, I still need ongoing motivation. In the cover of my Bible, I have written for myself the words from Isaiah 50:4b: “He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.” This reminder serves to fortify my commitment to this awesome, life-changing opportunity, to send an affirmative RSVP to God Himself. 

So actually, it is not secret after all, because the Bible tells us flat out, “In Thy presence is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

What stands out to you as you consider this secret to life with a capital L?

How do you want to structure your mornings to respond to God’s rsvp for you to spend time alone with Him?

God’s Glorious Garments

A terrorist threat at Heathrow Airport cancelled our flight home, and we found ourselves in a holding pattern in London. With our organization’s summer conference in Norfolk over, the privileges of the empty nest prevailed. After all, who needed us back at home in Budapest? 

Energized by our awareness of freedom, Larry and I emphatically hit the pause button on life, donned our walking shoes, and set out like two newlyweds. An exhibition at Buckingham Palace caught our attention. 

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s eightieth birthday, the Palace offered a rare public viewing of eighty of Her Majesty’s royal gowns with accompanying accessories of her dazzling personal jewelry. Together my husband and I toured the spectacular exhibit, and then he departed for his favorite art museum. I remained behind to study the gorgeous dresses. 

Listening yet again to the audio headset, I gazed at the glitter and glamor; I reread every description of the elaborate dresses, dresses worn at state dinners, for visits with foreign dignitaries, and on official tours to other nations. As the hour for closing approached, and other tourists slowly exited, the hall became all mine. Only the security guards remained. Alone and surrounded by exquisite splendor on display, I yearned to absorb every detail to recall and savor for a lifetime. 

Suddenly, in this grand setting and without warning, God intervened with a strong sense of His presence. Amid the soft lights, quiet music, and superb representation of royalty, I heard the strains of Edward Mote’s aged hymn play out in my head: “Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne.” 

It was as if God had a customized message for me: “Debby, in Christ, your beauty supersedes all the glamor exhibited before you. Nothing compares to the magnificence of your righteousness in Christ. Nothing. Your true identity as My child is of royal status. You are adorned in My garments of salvation and arrayed in holy attire.”

Overwhelmed with wonder, I stopped amid this breathtaking encounter to absorb this sacred moment with my heavenly Father. 

In hushed reverence, my soul responded with, “Oh God, thank You. Thank You! You have gently pulled back the curtain for me to see, as never before, the majesty and privilege of being a child of the King. Indeed, no other identity compares. I commit myself to growing and living in the fullness of this reality.” 

My epiphany in Buckingham Palace solidified a conviction: Identity in Christ holds the foundation and the cornerstone for our lives. Everything spiritually, emotionally, experientially, and relationally builds upon it. 

Neil Anderson says, “Understanding your identity in Christ is essential to your success at living the Christian life. . . . Next to a knowledge of God, a knowledge of who you are is by far the most important truth you can possess.” Yet, a disconnect often exists between what we know to be true and what we experience in life. We long to be everything God created us to be, but our experience and our desire do not match.  

However, spectacular news awaits us. Royal identity and God’s Glorious Garments are our inheritance in the Beloved. With three life-changing principles, a life-giving royal identity in Christ can be realized: Believe what is true, reject what is false, choose what will last. Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

How do you relate to the idea of being royalty?

What thoughts do you have regarding the wedding feast Jesus teaches about in Matthew 22:1-14?

4 Reasons for My Devotion to Psalm 23

Psalm 23 stands as a hallmark portion of Scripture for me. Three reasons explain why:

1. Psalm 23 was the first portion of Scripture I memorized. When I was five, my mother taught me the verses for recitation in my kindergarten program. For that reason alone, it will forever be precious.

2. Another reason I love the Shepherd Psalm is that I grew up as a shepherdess; I raised hundreds of sheep. For years, my days were defined by pastures, riverbanks, barns, and feeding troughs, not to mention livestock shows and national competitions. Lessons learned among the flock year in and year out still resonate within me.

3. And now, decades later, when my grandchildren are sleeping in our home, we pray these soothing, life-giving Words at bedtime.

4. The greatest of all reasons for my devotion to Psalm 23 is the Shepherd Himself. Through 74 years of life and across more than 52 years of ministry, the Lord has provided everything I have needed mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. He has restored my soul when no human remedy could repair it, and He has made sure my cup continually overflows with blessings beyond belief. I am confident that goodness and mercy will indeed follow me all the days of my earthly life, and when this journey comes to an end, I will shout “Hallelujah!” knowing that I will dwell with Him forevermore.

So, with joy indescribable, I offer my precious mother’s reading of this beautiful Psalm.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)