Shut the door.

It’s simple.

One of the most common problems among disciples I meet is this: we don’t shut the door enough. If people would just go into the secret place and shut the door, new worlds of experience would become possible. Every session behind the shut door is like a bite-sized Sabbath. When we enter into his rest, we then come out and move in his power.

It keeps me from the temptation of hypocrisy.

It guards me from complexity and distraction.

It leads me to my Father. He sees in secret. (What’s up with that line?!) There is some experiential reality that happens in the secret place – behind the shut door – that will not take place anywhere else on earth.

Much of our work is dull and slow because we never got our rest. The shut door experience is to the soul what sleep is to the body. Restoration. Refreshing. Recalibration.

Shut the door!

There is a word that I hesitate to throw down, but I can’t resist because it comes straight from Jesus. Rewards. Father is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. There are gifts. Results. Peace. Joy. Presence. Less striving. If you are going to work toward something, spend your best energy to get into his presence – and then stay there! The gifts and rewards of the secret place far exceed all the toil in getting there.

Today.

Shut the door.

Get in his presence.

And don’t leave until you’re done.

There’s nothing like a long devotion in the same direction.