INto The Secret Place...

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore."  Psalms 16:11

"Did you know that there is actually a place you can go where your inadequacies will totally melt away, where your sorrows are turned into joy, and that is the only place where you can find out what you were put on this earth to do?  This 'wonder-filled' place is the presence of God." - Keith

The following verse in Psalms gives us one of the most profound instructions in all of the Bible concerning the importance of pursuing and living in the presence of God. “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1)

In order to better understand what this means, let’s take a moment and break this scripture down. The first statement, “He that dwells in the secret place of the most high” means the one who makes his home, or lives in the presence of God. The second part, "shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” means to live our lives in the place where God protects, heals, provides, teaches, frees, changes, and so much more. In God’s presence, and only IN God's presence, will we reap and enjoy the benefits that come with Him and being in relationship with Him.

It is crucial at this point to note that our entrance INto The Secret Place is a result of diligently seeking God with our whole heart, for the secret place is reserved for those who love Him and are thankful to Him for Who He is more than for what He does, or can do, for us. We must "abide" or "live IN" God!

Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abides in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.” (John 15:4-8)

The primary reason there are so many disillusioned people in our churches today is simply because they practice "periodic visitation" much more than they do "permanent residency." Everything God does is for the purpose of establishing ongoing relationships, having one-ness, with each one of us - a Father/son or Father/daughter relationship.

When we allow ourselves to become more focused on God's miracles or His deeds than on God Himself, we have allowed ourselves to be separated or severed from our source of life; and we will wither and die as Jesus teaches us. Paul, in his letter to the Romans addressed that very thing when he said, “They worshipped and served the creature more than The Creator.” (Romans 1:25) This is in fact the birthplace of idol worship and dead religion. This is where style becomes preferred and sought after more than substance, where more attention and effort is placed on seeking signs and wonders, or on doing things a particular group’s way, than on pursuing God Himself.

Herein lies the root cause of the Church’s declining effectiveness in our communities! Paul, dealing with this same problem in Corinth said, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18) We are to be separate from everything and everyone that would keep us from being separate unto God. Never forget, sin is anything that separates us from God! This includes miracles. God does not intend for miracles to distract us from Him.

Never before have so many kinds of distractions, including miracles, made it so difficult to stay focused on the Lord. Deceptive armies of anxious spirits are laying siege to the minds of anyone who succumbs to their temptations, and their major objective is our complete and total separation from our loving Father.

Whether through the media, those closest to us, substance abuse, trying to do too much too fast, the love of money, being bound by the chains of indebtedness, striving for material possessions, or just the hustle and bustle of everyday routines, the battles to steal, kill, and destroy our relationship with our God and King have never raged hotter. Jesus Himself said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10) Satan knows full well that his days are numbered and that anyone who presses their way INto The Secret Place will be one less notch that he can carve into his gun stock. Satan hates anything and anyone who brings pleasure to God, and will spare no expense in doing whatever it takes to separate us from Him. If we are going to develop and maintain the ability to live our lives in the presence of God, we are going to have to master the art of "staying focused on Him" as a lifestyle.

There is a little saying that goes, “Pursuit is the proof of desire.” Luke put it this way, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34)  In other words, what you truly want, you will pursue. My Dad used to say, “Keith, isn’t it amazing how people, no matter how poor or busy, seem to always find the money and/or the time they don't have to do what they really want to do.” It’s just a fact – without the “want to” we will never find our way INto The Secret Place. At any and all cost, we must stay focused on God. Paul addressed this when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  Contrary to popular belief, this is possible!

Always remember, there is nobody or nothing worth your relationship with God! Peter admonishes us “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7)  We must be clear-minded and self-controlled so that our communication with God is never interrupted! Failing to reach the secret place is only caused by allowing our focus on God to be broken. We must stay focused!

Have you ever given any thought to why the Scriptures would say, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4a)?  As I was praying about that, the Holy Spirit whispered something to me that I hadn't thought of before.  What I saw was that, in order for the people to understand what Jesus would be saying concerning the Kingdom of God, Kingdom protocols, etc. there must first be a point in time when kingdoms were established in the earth.  So, when Jesus came preaching of the Kingdom of God, the people were able to understand what He was saying.  Before we can dwell with God, we must learn this most important Kingdom protocol by which God designed the Kingdom of Heaven to operate.  God’s Word is clear when He directs us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Any deviation from this crucial Kingdom protocol, will result in our stopping short of a close, loving relationship with God and, as Jesus prayed in the garden, oneness with our Heavenly Father – us in Him and Him in us.

Now, are you ready to make your pledge to enter "INto The Secret Place"?  Print the declaration below, sign it, and put a copy in your wallet or purse, on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and everywhere you look, to help keep you constantly reminded to stay focused on your Destination.

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God gives Keith a GLIMPSE into HELL

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"The truth of the matter is this:

Hell begins on the Earth in the hearts of those who do not want to have anything to do with their Creator.  When people turn their back on the Truth and open themselves up to unclean spirits, they are offering themselves to be used by those spirits to advance satan's vindictive agenda.  And, trust me, as soon as he is finished using your body and talents, he will throw you away like last week's garbage."  Keith Shealy

Satan and his minions are frauds.  Although satan presents himself as being great and powerful, he can do nothing beyond what his Creator allows him to do.  This also applies to all of the fallen angelic host.  They will eventually be imprisoned in Hell, along with those who have rejected The Truth - eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord - and followed the ways of death yielded to the sin that stole from them the years for which God had so many wonderful things planned.  The very desire they pursued is the very instrument of their ruination.  All of the horrible things that they are a part of, are simply the early stages of the eternal torment such people will experience, when they finally get their wish to be completely separated from God.  And, though they get their wish, they will never be satisfied, as Hell is not a place of satisfaction.  There will be NO party.

So, if Hell is not the party that so many are being convinced that it is, then what is it really like?  I had been hearing so many people down through the years say something to the effect that, "Hell will be a big party and all of my friends will be there!"  Though I was very aware that they were saying this in jest, each time I heard it, my heart would ache because, in many of those cases, it was obvious they were making that statement as a way to brush off their need to face the reality of the sin in their life.  In short, satan had convinced them to remain deceived in their dead-end lifestyle, which is no life at all.

While in prayer early one morning, I asked the Lord to show me what Hell is really like.  You might wonder why I would even ask for that!  Well, I asked so that I could better warn those who have been deceived, or lulled to sleep, concerning the reality of Hell and its horrors.  I will try my best to describe to you what I saw, but, before I start please understand that human language and understanding are not enough to even begin to describe the sheer horror and never-ending torment that awaits those who are sentenced to Hell!

So, about 4:00 AM on May 30th, 2007, this is what I saw.  If you have ever smelled the sickening stench of the charred remains of someone who has died in a fire, multiply that by the countless number of bodies in that putrid condition, and you have but a minute example of the state of those who are in Hell.  They are not simply scorched to death, but they are trapped in a state where their flesh is literally burned all the way down to their bones, leaving only charred pieces of muscle tissue, skin, and singed hair fused to their skeleton, making them totally unidentifiable for even the most skilled forensic scientist.

Now imagine that that person is you, and that instead of mercifully dying of shock shortly after you are exposed to the fire, you continue to be aware and awake, completely conscious that every single cell in your body is burning at a temperature that can only be compared to that of the surface of the sun.  Within mere seconds of arriving in Hell, you would feel pain so excruciating that you would uncontrollably chew your tongue to shreds; and you would ceaselessly grind your teeth while, at the same time, letting out bloodcurdling screams begging for just a second's worth of relief that never comes.

It was apparent, in just the first glimpse that I had, that Hell is a massive place with different things going on everywhere I looked.  The one huge cave or cavern-like area that I saw was filled with countless small pits, each about four feet by four feet across and about five feet deep.  Each of these crudely-hewn pits contained a person, having the appearance of a charred skeleton with a pale greenish-colored glow emanating from inside the rib cage.  It was obvious that the pale glow was the person's tormented soul, which can never be extinguished or annihilated.

Just in that one cavern-like area, were huge demon-like figures that appeared to be, if I had to guess, members of a sort-of army of satan.  They were methodical in making their rounds, clearly assigned to do nothing but heap continual torment on the souls trapped in their pits.  Perhaps, the thing that was most unbearable was hearing all of the hopeless, screaming souls pleading their cases with the demonic soldiers, how they did not deserve to be there in Hell!  I could hear every one of their high-pitched, ear-piercing begs pleading for a second chance and their reasons why they should not be there - each plea falling on deaf ears.  And, while the countless tormented souls seemed to be desperately trying to crawl out of the pits, those huge demon-like figures continually came around and violently kicked them back down.

Something that amazed me was the type of stone in which each of the pits was dug.  I had never given it much thought, but once I had seen it, it was obvious that the rock played a big part in what was going on there.  It was very porous and had extremely sharp-edged, jagged surfaces.  Its likeness was that of a black type of coral.  It was clearly painful to stand on or to touch; but not only that, its rough, open pores also allowed white hot flames from the earth's core to shoot up through it into each of the pits, continually consuming each of the souls with sudden ongoing bursts of fire.

Almost as tormenting as the flames and the jagged stone, was the permanent state of nausea that I could see everyone there suffering through, and the indescribable stench that consumed the entire atmosphere.  It was the stench of the combined rotting souls all trapped in the confines of hell, with no fresh air ever, and for eternity.  Again, the saddest part of it all was hearing the countless souls there simultaneously begging for forgiveness, pleas that went totally unheard.  Does that sound like a party to you?

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with The Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3:7-9)

As I was leaving there, every single cell of my body was consumed with the reality that God is so close to us here on earth - He is just one prayer away.  While we have a pulse, we have a will and the privilege to choose to accept God and reject satan and eternal torment.  It became crystal clear to me that satan goes to such devious extremes to blind us from that fact.

Until our heart stops beating, we have a choice to make and a will to choose.  God has gifted us with the privilege to accept the great sacrifice that His Son Jesus Christ paid, so we could have eternity to spend with our loving, joyful, peace-filled Father in Heaven.  Only until we have glimpsed into Hell, or have had the unfathomable honor of standing in the Divine Presence of Almighty God, can we even begin to perceive the infinite enormity of what Jesus Christ has freely given of Himself, for each of us!

God has no desire that people should go to that eternal place of torment, but that every one of us be saved.  So, He has provided the Way of escape, through Jesus Christ.

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die....”  (Ezekiel 33:11a)

So, how does one escape an eternity from that most terrifying of all places? You must receive the Gift of Faith to believe the Truth of the Gospel. You must repent by turning away from your sins, and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and to be your Lord and Savior.  

You might ask, How do I do that?  It is simple; say this prayer from your heart:  "Father God, in the precious name of Jesus Christ, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your feet.  I come before You confessing that I am a sinner, and asking that You forgive me of all my sins -- those that I know that I have committed as well as those that I am not even aware of.  I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord.  I lay my life and everything in it at Your feet, and ask that You would take me now and begin the process of changing me into Your likeness.  I ask that You redeem the time that has past and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be from the foundation of the earth.  I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own.  In the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Amen."

So that you have a better understanding of why it is necessary for you to pray that prayer of commitment to God from your heart, I would like to bring to your attention this story found in the book of John.

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit . Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  The wind blows where it listeth, and thou hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and know not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  (John 3:1-16)

            You see, only God can offer us eternal life, peace and joy!  All who end up like satan will experience death and eternal suffering.  So, the next time you hear someone say that Hell is going to be a party, let them know that they have been given the wrong address.  Then tell them that the only eternal celebration that will be held will be held in God's house and God is personally inviting them to come.

Take me back to the top of this blog post.

Find this message entitled, "The Great Deception" in its entirety in Keith's book, XII Smooth Stones available on the TTM WEBSITE.

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