The Power of the Secret Place | Girls Gone Bible

Summary

Podcast Summary: Girls Gone Bible – The Power of the Secret Place

Episode Overview Girls Gone Bible is a faith-based podcast hosted by Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma, where they delve into all things related to Jesus and life. In the episode titled "The Power of the Secret Place," released on July 12, 2025, Ang and Ari explore the profound impact of cultivating a deeply personal and intimate relationship with God through what they term the "secret place." This episode is a rich tapestry of personal testimonies, biblical insights, and practical advice aimed at helping listeners deepen their spiritual walk.

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1. Introduction to the Secret Place

The episode begins with Ang and Ari defining the "secret place" as a dedicated space and time where one engages in intimate communion with God. This practice involves communication, listening, fellowship, and integrating God into every aspect of daily life.

Notable Quote:

• Ang (02:11): "The secret place is a place where you have a deeply personal, intimate, and private meeting time with God."

2. Personal Testimonies and Experiences

Both hosts share heartfelt personal experiences that highlight the transformative power of the secret place. Ang recounts a pivotal moment before a Tampa ministry show where she felt Jesus's presence intensely, leading her to wash His feet with her tears. Ari shares a profound encounter during a time of extreme exhaustion and grief, where she found immediate peace and rest after fervent prayer.

Notable Quotes:

• Ang (14:03): "I was sitting in front of the fireplace and, you know, spending time with Jesus... I saw Jesus's feet with the holes in his feet come up, like, right in front of me."
• Ari (18:00): "I was back home in Boston... I started running down the street... I fell to my knees and I went, please help me."

3. Establishing and Maintaining a Secret Place

Ang and Ari discuss the practical aspects of setting up a secret place. They emphasize that it doesn't have to be a specific location; it can be anywhere where one can meet with God privately. For instance, Ang prefers her living room, while Angel describes creating a sacred space with candles and incense in her room.

Notable Quotes:

• Angel (22:06): "Mine is in my living room. I love going to my living room."
• Ang (22:40): "Set us up. Your secret place. How is it?"

4. Overcoming Distractions

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the challenges of maintaining focus during private time with God, particularly the temptation of digital distractions like social media and phone usage. They highlight the importance of resisting these distractions to fully engage in the secret place.

Notable Quotes:

• Angel (24:48): "If my mind goes somewhere else, I'm already at a deficit and going to have such a hard time trying to connect with Jesus."
• Ang (38:31): "We've had a couple of those recently. So it's been really beautiful."

5. Seasons and Changes in Spiritual Practice

The hosts acknowledge that one's approach to the secret place can evolve over time, influenced by different life seasons such as singleness, dating, marriage, and parenthood. They share insights from John’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law about how parents integrate the secret place into their busy lives.

Notable Quotes:

• Ang (30:09): "There are different seasons for the secret place."
• Angel (44:55): "The secret place is a sacrifice."

6. Biblical Insights and References

Ang and Ari enrich their discussion with numerous biblical references that underscore the importance and power of the secret place. They cite Psalms, Exodus 33-34, Isaiah 45:3, and Matthew 26:40-45 to illustrate how biblical figures engaged in private communion with God and the resulting spiritual growth.

Notable Quotes:

• Angel (49:36): "Isaiah 45:3 says, 'I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord.'"
• Ang (73:15): "Philip Mitchell said, if you're too busy, you're too busy."

7. The Transformative Power of the Secret Place

The episode delves deep into how the secret place fosters emotional healing, humility, and a more profound relationship with God. Ang emphasizes that honesty and vulnerability in prayer lead to inner transformation and the breaking down of emotional barriers.

Notable Quotes:

• Ang (55:30): "It's just relationship, and so just realizing like you can trust him more than you trust anyone else in this world."
• Angel (56:26): "He's the Holy Spirit's job is to... make us like Him."

8. Practical Tips and Encouragement

Ang and Ari conclude with practical advice for listeners on how to cultivate their secret place, including setting aside dedicated time each day, using Scripture in prayer, and shifting focus from requests to serving God. They encourage listeners to view the secret place not just as a routine but as a vital, life-transforming practice.

Notable Quotes:

• Ang (64:32): "The Psalms will fill me. There's no way you can go to the Psalms and not relate or get filled."
• Angel (78:20): "Run to Jesus. Get into the secret place."

Conclusion and Final Blessings

The hosts wrap up the episode by reinforcing the significance of the secret place in providing peace, protection, and a deeper understanding of God's nature. They urge listeners to prioritize their time with God, regardless of life's busyness, and affirm that the secret place is a sanctuary that sustains and transforms.

Notable Quotes:

• Ang (75:30): "The secret place literally saved my life. It's kept me from feeling isolated in the moments where I felt alone."
• Angel (78:37): "Shalom."

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Key Takeaways:

• The "secret place" is an essential, personal time and space for intimate communion with God.
• Establishing a consistent and distraction-free environment enhances spiritual growth and emotional healing.
• Spiritual practices may evolve with life seasons, requiring flexibility and grace.
• Biblical scriptures and personal testimonies provide a framework for understanding and embracing the secret place.
• Prioritizing time with God leads to profound transformation, protection, and a deeper relationship with Him.

Encouragement for Listeners: Ang and Ari encourage every listener to make the secret place a non-negotiable part of their daily routine. They emphasize that amidst life's challenges, dedicating time to commune with God is not only possible but transformative, offering peace, guidance, and a fortified spirit.

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Final Blessing: Angel (78:37): "We love you guys so much. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his face towards you and give you peace."

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Connect with Girls Gone Bible:

• Instagram: @angelahalili | @ariellereitsma
• Website: GirlsGoneBible.com

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This summary captures the essence of the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't had the chance to listen. For a deeper dive into cultivating your secret place with God, listen to the full episode of Girls Gone Bible. Shalom!

Transcript

[Ari]

Do the funniest sides you have. That was crazy. I can't do it like you do it, sweetie. What? You can tell me to do it and then make fun of me after. That's so rude.

[Angel]

This last week, the button was popping. And this one tries to keep popping too.

[Ang]

My lip gloss is popping. My lip gloss is cool.

[Ari]

Justin, I'm so sorry. He said he doesn't care.

[Ang]

My lip glasses.

[Ari]

Popping.

[Ang]

My lip glasses.

[Ari]

Cool. Is that how it goes? I don't know who sing that song.

[Angel]

We listen to Ashante on the way here.

[Ang]

Should you tell everyone that you listen to country a little bit?

[Angel]

Yeah, I listen to country every once in a while. If I'm with somebody, I'll listen to country every once in a while. No, you know, you want to know what I'm really on?

[Ang]

Oh, she's into Christian rap.

[Angel]

I really don't listen to anything except rap. I love Forest Frank. I just got on the whole Forest Frank train. I am obsessed with Christian rap.

[Ang]

Can you.

[Angel]

Jon can't stand it. He's like, for the love of God.

[Ang]

Like, I hated it to end.

[Ari]

I know.

[Angel]

Could you try?

[Ari]

It gets you kind of hyped, though.

[Ang]

Do you think you could do a little Christian ramp for us? Come on, we need to have a little fun every episode.

[Angel]

Okay. Yo, yo.

[Ang]

Oh, wait, I took a look.

[Angel]

Yo, yo, yo. Okay, maybe a little less, a little quieter.

[Ari]

Sorry, I couldn't focus.

[Angel]

Be. My name is. I love Yeshua.

[Ari]

His name is Yahweh Shua yelua kadua. Sorry, I should find something that rhymes.

[Angel]

Okay, we got to get into this.

[Ari]

What are we doing?

[Angel]

Why are we being awkward?

[Ang]

Okay, let's go.

[Angel]

We're being awkward.

[Ang]

Hi, I'm Ari.

[Angel]

Hi, I'm Angel. I didn't look at them. Hi, I'm Ang. And this is Girls Gone Bible. We're a faith based podcast where we talk all things spirituality, mental health, relationships, sex.

[Ari]

No. Okay, okay, let's try one more time. I was going to say spirituality. We do talk about sex.

[Angel]

Okay, sure. So we talk about when not to have sex. And yeah, we always say, come as you are, just don't stay that way. We love Jesus so much here. He's our best friend. He saved our lives, and we love to have conversations about what we're going through in our lives. And so hopefully it can help you with whatever you're going through in your life.

[Ang]

I have to say, I really do love the nails. Show everybody your fourth of July nails. I actually love them.

[Angel]

I put on that voice.

[Ang]

No, I love them. I thought you. She said she was gonna get American flags.

[Angel]

Well, okay. Because John's mom, her name is.

[Ang]

They're all in June, right?

[Ari]

Shut up. Okay, okay. Shut up. Okay, okay.

[Angel]

Jerry. John's mom is my world, my best friend. Love her more than anything. And she texted me and said, we're doing Fourth of July nails. I said, jerry, you know me, and I know you guys know me. You guys know what happens when I do anything out of routine, okay? I eat the same things, I wear the same type of clothes from the same place, and I get my nails the same every time. Funny bunny. I love these with the French tip. But this time I did. I hate my hands.

[Ang]

They look so good.

[Angel]

Do you like your hands?

[Ang]

No, I hate my hands.

[Angel]

I hate my hands.

[Ang]

They're like. They look like my new, new hands.

[Angel]

Okay, you know what? And we're going to replace that lie with the truth.

[Ari]

Okay?

[Ang]

I have fearfully wonder. I fearfully. I love wonderfully made hands.

[Ari]

Dude, that feels good. Yeah. Wait, I kind of like my hand.

[Ang]

I allow.

[Angel]

I kind of actually like mine, too. Actually, they do look pretty. Anyways, I got stars. Because Jerry wanted us to all do Fourth of July. Jer, these are for you. Only for you. Cause I love you and I'm not panicking that bad. But I do struggle to do anything outside of my normal routine.

[Ang]

I do, too. With the nails, I only get clear or pink. No, I don't do pink.

[Angel]

Is that clear?

[Ang]

I do clear every time.

[Angel]

It looks a little pink, though. She gets, like, princess nails because her.

[Ari]

Name is Princess Ari. When you get on your toes, you want to see my toes? You want to see my toes? No. And then you wonder why you have so many men in your DMs. Like, what the heck? Oh, man. Can I see your toes anyways? No. Remember? Nevermind. I asked one time.

[Angel]

Ari and I were in, like, a.

[Ari]

Little bit of a tussle.

[Ang]

We were fighting. Yeah.

[Angel]

And I. And we. And we, like, had resolution. And then I asked, resolution? Yeah. Like, is that. Did I use that wrong resolution?

[Ang]

Like, we had resolution.

[Angel]

Resolved the issue.

[Ari]

Yeah. Like, we made up. Okay.

[Angel]

And then I asked if we could wash each other's feet, like, being so serious. And I did. And honestly, this was kind of a hurtful moment for me because sometimes I get a little bit of psoriasis and I have a little bit on, like, one of, you know, a little bit on foot.

[Ari]

And. And I said, no, no, you said. So I said, do you want to.

[Angel]

Wash each other's feet as A symbolic thing of, like, we're, like, you know, honoring each other, and you go with the eczema.

[Ari]

Excuse me.

[Angel]

That is so mean and so rude.

[Ari]

I apologize. Yeah.

[Ang]

Thank you.

[Ari]

I've been waiting for that. I never knew what it was.

[Angel]

It's just a little psoriasis.

[Ari]

It's not that big of a deal. Can you guys pray for me? Who's on every toe? Excuse me? No, it's not on every toe. We're done. We're done. But you taught me, actually, because you would soak the feet in cream, and then you'd put it in the certain sock, and I was like, okay. What? You are lying. I put psoriasis cream and then put one sock on. Yes. I'm not soaking the foot. She'll always be like, are you soaking the foot?

[Angel]

And I'm like, no, I'm not soaking the foot. And stop saying weird stuff.

[Ari]

Stop saying weird stuff. And I'm not.

[Ang]

Anyways, my toes curl over, so don't worry about it. All my toes are the same size.

[Ari]

I just. Like, Freddy. She has a flat foot. Like, her toes are flat completely. The big toe and every other toe is the same way. And my toenails come off all the time, and her toes curl over the nails.

[Angel]

And I have, like, abnormally long toes.

[Ari]

And everyone says I have hands for feet. And I. And I'm so mean. And everybody makes fun of me and asks me to pick stuff up with my toes is so me. Sometimes the old lady can't even find my toe to paint it. Cause it crawls over so hard. Exactly. Well, every single day you tell me your toe nail fell off, and it's just. Do you guys toenails fall off randomly? It's not okay.

[Angel]

No, but I could literally play the.

[Ari]

Piano with my toes. I'm telling you.

[Angel]

Like, I'm not even a size eight and a half foot. I'm really a size eight. Like, seven and a half. It's just the toe. No, I'm an eight and a half. But the toes are. Don't make fun.

[Ari]

Okay, well, it's okay.

[Ang]

Don't worry. Why?

[Ari]

Go ahead. So deprecate. Ari does this thing. If you tell Ari that, like, you.

[Angel]

Feel bad about something about yourself, she.

[Ari]

Goes, she'll find something in herself that has nothing to do with it. But say something, like, a hundred times.

[Angel]

Worse, you'll be like, I don't really like my toes. She's like, well, I'm literally like.

[Ang]

I'm, like, mentally ill. Don't even worry about it. Like.

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[Angel]

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[Unknown]

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[Angel]

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[Unknown]

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[Angel]

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[Angel]

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[Unknown]

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[Angel]

First system so today we're going to talk about the secret place. And you guys, you guys know it. We talk to you every single time about the secret place. Go to the secret place. Go spend time with Jesus. And basically the secret place is a place. The place where you meet with God. The secret place is a basically a place where you have a deeply personal, intimate and private meeting time with God. And it's a space, the space every single day, you know, primarily, usually in the morning, but it can be multiple times throughout the day. Where you commune with God. And to commune with God means to cultivate, like, a very, very personal, loving, human to human type of relationship with God, which includes communication, talking to him, listening to him talk to you, fellowship, which is spending time together, doing things together, bringing him along when you go somewhere, inviting him into everything you do, and like, shared experience. So it's. Communing with God means that, like, you're living a life that. Where you're never alone. Like, you're always with God and it's not just in the secret place. You're with God in every moment of your life, in every situation, in every relationship, and you just talk to him all day when you're making decisions, when you're going through things, when you're joyful, when you're sad, when you need him and. Or when your heart is just randomly, like, bursting with love for Him. And that's communing with God. And I think that's what's been really pivotal for my life the past year, is I've truly learned how to commune with God. And I think probably in a year I'll look back and be like, wow, I knew nothing. But from where I stand right now, I finally understand what it means to, like, just invite him into everything and to pray. Like, I breathe, like, literally all day long, have a conversation. I had a moment the other day where I was at the beach, and this is so stupid, but I was at the beach and I go to the bathroom. You know, like, the beach has a public bathroom. And I go into the bathroom and it was like, not good. Like, bad bathroom.

[Ang]

Not good.

[Ari]

Like, I don't, like, just not cute.

[Angel]

Not good. Hated it. So, you know, you're like, holding your nose, absolutely miserable. I run out of the bathroom finally, and I catch my breath and I go, whoa, Jesus, that was disgusting.

[Ari]

And then I literally go, that was so cute.

[Angel]

I. That's communing with God. Like, he had nothing to do with that situation. But I spoke to him as if he was right here next to me. And I realized in that moment, like, this is a natural communing, you know, and fellowship with Jesus with the Holy Spirit.

[Ang]

I have a question because somebody asked, what is. What is your favorite. What is one of your favorite, like, secret place moments like, that I've ever had?

[Angel]

Or like, a favorite thing to do in the secret place?

[Ang]

No, like, your favorite moments. It could be, like, recently or can you tell me.

[Angel]

What's yours?

[Ang]

I don't know.

[Angel]

I've had a few really good ones recently. Well, I think one of the most significant moments. Are you sure you don't want to go first?

[Ang]

No, I just thought of it when you were telling me one of the.

[Angel]

Most significant moments I've ever had. This is really. It's, like, really intense. But it was right before our Tampa show. It was the week before our Tampa, and I was so nervous because it was my hometown. John and his family were coming. It was John's first time ever seeing us do ministry. My whole family and everybody I've ever known was going to be there. And so I was just, like, freaking out the week before. Like, I was struggling. I. Yeah, super dependent. Like, I was in a place where I don't think I've ever been there before, and I was living at my old house, and I was sitting in front of the fireplace and, you know, spending time with Jesus. I was in worship. And I'll never forget. I was, like, about done. Like, I felt like I was done and I was gonna get up and go to leave and, like, go start my day and finish. And then I think I stood up and then sat back down. Like, something compelled me. Like, I felt God be like, I have more. I sit down, I'm on my knees. I start getting touched by God so, so intensely. I start, like, quietly crying, tears going down my face. There wasn't, like, a bunch of music playing. Like, it was really quiet. It was really just, like, tender and soft. I'm crying, and then I kind of. Like, I was on my knees, so I kind of, like, bent over a little bit, and I knew that my tears were hitting the ground. And as my eyes were closed, I saw Jesus's feet with the holes in his feet come up, like, right in front of me. And my eyes were closed, so I didn't actually see it, but it truly felt in the spirit. Like, he was there, and it was his feet that were right in front of me. The holes were there, and my tears were, like, falling on his feet. And I started wash. I, like, took my hands and I started washing his feet with my tears. And it was like, wait, this is after the show. This was before. The week before. I was. I was just at home. Yeah. And it was so. And it was birthed out of raw dependence of, like, I need you so badly. And so. And I remember I was bawling my eyes out. I stayed there for so long because I thought he was in the room with me.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

Like, maybe his physical body wasn't there, but, like, his feet were there. Like, those were his feet. He walked into my house, and I was washing his feet with my tears, and I went and I sat on the couch after, and I couldn't recover for a while. I called John. It was, like, pretty early on in dating, and I was, like. I was bawling my eyes out, and I, like, couldn't leave the state that I was in, and I just needed to tell somebody. And it was, like one of the first, like, really intimate moments that John and I had where I was like, I know this sounds so crazy, but Jesus was just in my house, and I saw his feet with the holes, and I was washing his feet, and John is crying on the other side of the phone. And it was like, so. It was really sweet. Oh, my God. Crazy.

[Ang]

That's one of my favorite stories, too.

[Angel]

Have I told you that?

[Ang]

I don't think you told me that story. Yeah, that's beautiful.

[Angel]

There's. I think I was probably thinking about the Mary in the Bible, in the Gospels, when she's washing Jesus's hair with the perfume.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

Or washing Jesus's feet with the perfume, but washes. Wipes it with her hair. And I. Yeah, I love the other.

[Ang]

One of you, too, when you, like, were uncontrollably laughing.

[Ari]

Yeah, that happens a lot. Which time?

[Ang]

When you were like, I don't know, I need you. And then all of a sudden you went to go leave, and you started uncontrollably laughing and crying probably.

[Ari]

Yeah, that's happened.

[Angel]

It happens all the time. I don't know which time you're talking about specifically. What about you?

[Ang]

The first one I can think of was I, like, couldn't. I hadn't slept in days, and I was back home in Boston. I was sleeping at my friend Courtney's house, and, oh, my heart was so full of grief. I could not. I couldn't stand it anymore. And I was like, day six of not eating and sleeping. Like, I would get a couple hours in. So I had, like, gotten a couple hours, and I woke up, and you know when you're just crawling out of your skin, and I was, like, groaning, and I look over and I'm like, ugh. And Courtney was like, it's okay. R. It's okay. Go back to sleep. And she had all her kids there, so I just was like. I just, like. I didn't know what to do. And I get up and I just. I go out of the house and I start running and I start running down the street, like, literally, like a mad woman. I start running. I get to the end of the street and there's a beach, a private beach. And I fall to my knees, I start rocking back and forth and I go, please help me. And I'm like, please. I haven't slept. I haven't eaten. Like, please help me. All of a sudden, boom. I completely go into a state of sleeping. Probably woke up two hours later. And I look up and it was like, like, like golden, bright light just on my face, on my body. And I was in the most euphoric state of, like, ever. And I was in complete peace. And I felt so rested. And I'm just laying there in the sand and I just was like, I will never forget that moment.

[Ari]

That is so crazy.

[Ang]

And I think about it all the time.

[Angel]

And you didn't even know.

[Ang]

And I didn't even know. I mean, I. I had found Jesus, but I still was in so much pain.

[Angel]

Totally. But you didn't know what it meant to, like, meet him in a moment. It's the best. It's so sweet how he meets us when we don't even know who he is really, or what he is or how, like, what it means to have a relationship with him. And then you think back to all the moments where it was so obviously him. Like, he was so there. He made that miracle happen. He gave you peace in that moment. He protected you through those days. Like, it's just so crazy when you.

[Ang]

Think about how prevalent pain is, how it's like, you're like, wow, really rejoice in your suffering. Because it's only through the. Not only, but it's mostly through the suffering where you, Your. Your. Your intimate relationship is birthed in that secret place of crying out and being dependent and being hungry and leaning on him day in and day out. And that's how you see him, as healer and as a father. It's so beautiful.

[Angel]

That's how you know him. You're going to know him through the secret place. You're going to find him in the secret place. You're going to cultivate a relationship with him in the secret place. And so we have so many questions that you guys asked, and I. We have some scriptures to read as well. I think what's important to begin with about the secret place, because we've had an episode on the secret place, but I think both Ari and I have even evolved since then in our secret place. And like, the knowledge of the secret place. First, of course, you have to Establish a place. Like, you have to establish a place, and it doesn't have to be the same place. Your secret place can be anywhere, but it's like a place where. And I'm not saying that your secret place can't be in your bed, but oftentimes, just waking up and spending time with Jesus in bed might not be the most wise thing to do because it's almost like you have to treat your quiet time in your secret place like a meeting with God that cannot be missed. And it's a meeting. You usually don't meet people, like, in bed. I think it'd be helpful to just talk about what our. Yeah, secret places are like. For me. Mine is in my living room. I love going to my living room.

[Ang]

Yeah. Give us a description of everything. You could go, oh, no, you're gonna go, thank you. Which give us a. Angela has, like, the Holy House. It's. I think Allie said it, but like crucifixes. And you actually taught me about the secret place because every morning. Oh, my God, I have chill bumps. I think about it. Oh, I have to tell you about when I moved. Fully moved out yesterday. But, yeah, she taught me, like, you would set up the secret place for us. Every morning she has her little Frank. What is a frankincense?

[Angel]

Frankincense.

[Ang]

Frankincense. And she put it on. She goes, okay, we put this on. She goes, okay, okay.

[Angel]

So.

[Ang]

So set us up. Your secret place. How is it?

[Angel]

It's just like, I go into my living room, I make a coffee. I try so hard to spend time with Jesus before I do anything else. That's not always the case. Sometimes I make the grave mistake of having Instagram open on my phone. I delete and re add Instagram every day, five times a day. I'm like, oh, I'm tired of being on it. So I delete it. Um, and I oftentimes, if I go to sleep with Instagram on my phone, I will reactively open my phone and open Instagram, not even thinking about it. And I've been on Instagram before spending time with Jesus, and it's not like a religious thing. It's not like you can't. It's not like it's sinful for me personally, and I'm sure for almost everybody, the second my mind goes somewhere else, I'm already at a deficit and going to have such a hard time trying to connect with Jesus because the gears are going like, I'm already ready. Sometimes I'll accidentally answer emails. I'll look at my text messages. I'll just, like, start doing things around the house. Every time that I do that again, it's not sinful. It's not bad. It's just not. It just doesn't make things easier for you, for sure. And so for me, my goal, right. In an ideal world, I would not even look at my messages before going to spend time with Jesus. And that's hard. And so I will try not to do anything on my phone. I'll try not to look at anything. I definitely don't talk on the phone before I spend time with Jesus. There are times where, like, I might talk to my mom or I might talk to John, and it's like it's over, you know, or that's what it feels like.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

So I'll go make a cup of coffee, go into the living room. I love lighting candles. I love lighting incense. And I was just having a conversation with Ali about this, actually, where I want everybody to know that this is how I've. What I've realized recently is you have to go where the grace is. You have to go in your secret, secret place. I think God will oftentimes put a grace on a certain type of practice or worship or studying, or he puts the grace on something, and then he might even take it away so that you go do something else so that you don't worship, like, a practice or a way of being, and you worship the person.

[Ang]

Explain better.

[Angel]

So basically, for a long time, I would just study scripture in the secret place. And that was good. And that was a great first season.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

And then. And I would get touched by God. I would, like, have, like, you know, spiritual encounters. Like, I felt so good and so connected, and then it felt like God was calling me to something else. Like, he didn't want me to spend an hour just in the Bible. And then I felt like he called me into a season of, like, just worshiping, like, putting music on the tv, putting a worship set on the tv, and just, like, worshiping my heart out, stomping around my house, marching, praying in tongues, just, like, really, really worshiping Jesus. And then I would get really touched doing that. And then it felt like, okay, maybe he moved somewhere else because I'm not getting that touched anymore. And I feel like striving often times comes up for us when we're trying so hard to get to Jesus doing something that, like, maybe he wants something else.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

You know, like, worship is about Jesus, so it's about finding out what he wants. Lord, do you want to Speak to me through scripture today. Do you want to. To speak to me through marching around and praying and interceding, or do you want to speak to me in complete silence? Wow. And so that's what I mean by going where the grace is. So if you're doing something and you're like, I just feel dry. Switch it up. Do not feel like you need to keep doing the same thing. I'm just going to give some examples. There's walking around, marching, praying, interceding. There's. Obviously, there's so many different types of worship, but there's like, studying Scripture and just being in the Word. There's putting music on and just worshiping with words. They're soaking. You put on a little instrumental and you just soak. And that's where I'm at right now. Like, I just feel the Lord bringing me into a place of just, like, really quietly. And it just, like, stillness and being like, just, I love you. Continuing to just, like, minister to him, loving him. And then something that's been really sweet that we're doing recently, even this morning, I wake up, I'm spending time with Jesus. I'm singing, I'm walking around, I'm worshiping. I'm not really, like, I don't know. It's just not. My heart's not moving. And that's how you know something good is happening when you feel your heart moving, when you're not trying to worship anymore, you're just worshiping. And so I could tell my heart wasn't moving. I was thinking about, like, if we put a barbecue outside. I was thinking about, like, all these different things. And then so I get down, I start studying the Bible. I start reading. And that's great, right? He's in that. But I still felt like, I don't know, he want. I could tell he wanted something different. I turn off the tv. No instrumental. I start singing. Just my own voice, a little hymn.

[Ang]

You have a pretty good voice.

[Ari]

No, I don't. Come on.

[Ang]

Can we get the hymn?

[Angel]

I love you, Lord. And I live my voice, like, literally so quietly and so, like. And I literally. It felt in the spirit. Like, I saw the Father's smile, like, literally go like this. And I felt him be like, I wanted your voice. Oh, like, I love your voice so much. It's the greatest sound. And it was, like, the cutest. And my heart moved, so I knew his move. Like, yeah. It was just really, really sweet. And so I just want to encourage people to give the Lord your song. Like, give him your song. No other music sounds just like, sing to him a little worship song and see how much he loves it. Like. Yeah. And so that's what I'm doing right now. And that's like different types of worship. And that's what my secret place looks like. It's a variation of things. And however I wake up that day, I just like go where the grace is. I'm like, it's not moving me right now and that. And if it's not moving my heart, it's not moving his heart, you know.

[Ang]

Wow, that's good to know actually for me even.

[Angel]

Yeah. You get stuck in striving when you're like, why am I not feeling anything? And. Right. You don't always have to feel something. Sometimes I don't. Don't feel things.

[Ang]

It's not always. It's not supposed to be the honeymoon all the time.

[Angel]

It's not. It's not. And sometimes I. If you're con. If you know, like you're dry and God doesn't feel near and like you feel something's wrong, that's one thing. I've been in a season for a little while. I'm not weeping before God like I have in the past. I probably have more stress now than I have and it, you know, and so I feel like he's coming in different ways. And so it ebbs and it flows and it transforms and changes. But how do you feel here?

[Ang]

Yeah, I love, I love what you say. There's seasons for the secret place. Like there's different seasons.

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[Ang]

I think about when I didn't even know what the secret place was and how I would just sit there and people thought I was so insane. But I cultivated this relationship with him and it was only because I had such a hunger to keep seeking and to keep asking and to keep learning. And I don't know, I'm just so incredibly thankful for the pain that I went through because it kept me so hungry to keep going to him. Because it wasn't a safety that like my friends provided or my family provided. It was like that. This protection.

[Angel]

Yes.

[Ang]

And that's what the secret place is, right? It's like you're coming into the throne room before. Tell us before your dad. And it's like this protection. And so when I was a new, when I first met Jesus, I would just go into this church because that's where I found him. So that was my secret place. I would just. And then I would go there or I would be in this park and then, you know, even in my singleness, when my grief was too deep to even know what to cry out or what to even say and I had no words and I Would just sit there on the floor of my living room. And just when all I could say was Jesus. And that sometimes was. Was the only thing I need to. Needed to say. And he was there and he didn't rush me to heal and he didn't judge and he just sid. Sat there with me in my ache and just loved me. And so that's been my season of singleness, of my secret place, of just being on my living room floor and just crying out in grief with him. And I just recently moved and now I've really wanted to create a space that just is so sacred and so holy. And I have this window in my room and I have this chair and I open up the window and I always light a candle too. And I like to light my little incense and I make my coffee. And sometimes I have a really racing mind and just like you, I like to go on my phone in the morning and all these things and taints it a little bit. He wants to distract us with calls and check your emails. And so I think, like, what do I do when I'm distracted? I think that's what the devil wants. He wants to keep us really busy and he wants to keep us so distracted and he wants us to keep checking our phone. Why, when I'm in the secret place, is my mind racing more than ever? So it's like fighting those distractions and just keep being like, no, I. Enough. Like, I'm not. I don't. I. Wow. I'm not submitting to the distractions and just fighting the temptation of being on my phone. I think that's been my biggest thing. I don't know why, but my phone is my biggest battle. And so just being like, I'm leaving my phone in another room. I love worship music. I have been experiencing an immense amount of burnout, just like you. He's called me into a season of just so being in his presence. And really I have not put any pressure on having crazy encounters or I just. Just need to feel loved by Jesus. And so I will just put on my worship music and I will close my eyes and I'll let. I don't really. I try not to let the distractions bother me so much. I let the thoughts come in and then I let the thoughts come out. And yeah, I just like to. I love to listen to nice worship and I sing and I. If a scripture comes up in my head, I like to go to the scripture and I like to meditate on the scripture. Scripture.

[Angel]

And what does that mean, meditate on the scripture.

[Ang]

Well, for instance, I love Psalm 23, and that's a scripture I always like to go to. I find new revelations in Psalm 23, and so I'll read Psalm 23 and it will be like, he makes me lie down in green pastures. What does that mean? Like, when my mind is distracted. What does that mean? He makes me lie down in green pastures. So I will soak in that. I will picture myself of Jesus lying being down in like a beautiful green pasture field. When the world is so chaotic, when my mind is filled with anxiety, when I have so much going on, when I'm so tired, I lie down in those green pastures and it's like Jesus is. I always have this one picture of me lying down and then it's Jesus and my head is on his legs and he's just letting me rest. And so that's something that I always, like, meditate on. And yeah, lately I've just, I. I think I've. I've really been in a season of just soak, soaking in worship, not reading too much in the morning, like breaking down scriptures and meditating on them. I was like, in a season where I was trying to read the whole Bible and I would be exhausted. I'm like, this is too much. I need to pick a section and stick with it and meditate on it for like three or four.

[Angel]

Yeah.

[Ang]

Oftentimes, like, I rush. Like, I'm a rusher. And so I try not to speak too much lately. And I try to sit and listen more. So good. And I try not to leave too early. And sometimes I have a busy day, but I really try to just sit and. Because when you stay that extra. Whatever time it is, it doesn't have to be two hours.

[Angel]

Yeah.

[Ang]

But I feel like he really does meet you there. And every time, like, I've wanted to listen to the voices of get up, you need to check your phone. But I haven't. And I've actually sat back and really went against that. He's met me and he's touched me. And so I've had a couple of those recently. So it's been really beautiful.

[Angel]

So good. Can I go back to what you said? Okay. Two things I don't want to forget you said about distractions. I literally woke up this morning and I had it so heavy on my heart to be like, I want everyone to know that you not like, what we have to realize is that distractions, it's not just like, we're just a little distracted. It's not like this little, oh, we just have this desire to be on our phone. Oh, we just have this desire to get the day started. We actually have an enemy, an adversary who hates us and who hates us being in the secret place. And so you have to understand when your mind is racing and you're all distracted, it's not just actually like this little thing. Like, yes, it's normal, but it's really, you have to understand why it's happening. Because the devil does not want you in the secret place. And he's going to do everything in his power to get you out. So every moment. And it's even helpful for me to remember when there is so much resistance in the secret place, I sit down and I don't want to be there. Or I sit down and I feel like I have so much to do and I feel like I don't have time. I don't take that resistance lightly. I don't take that resistance as like, oh, it's just, it's normal. No, Satan is actually so mad that I'm here.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

And what does that do to you? That should make you be like, I'm going to stay here 10 times longer because of that. If that's how good being in the secret place is for me. If I. If I receive something so sacred, so significant in the secret place that Satan is doing everything in his power to get me out of here, you better believe I'm going to stay for as long as I can.

[Ang]

That's right.

[Angel]

You better believe I'm going to literally, like, karate chop every distraction that comes my way. You know what I mean? Like, it is so urgent because when.

[Ang]

When you think about. When you really dwell in that place, dwell in the secret place in the morning, there is a power, there is a peace, there is a joy, there is a comfort that it's like heaven comes down. It's like the armor of God. That's what it is. It's the armor of God. There is a protection, a peace. You go through your day so much lighter, you feel different. I feel like the devil is not threatened by a Christian, that prayers occasionally. Right. But when you are dwelling in the secret place, hell cannot withstand you because there is a protection and a peace that you have when you dwell in the secret place. And I always like when I see. I remember when I used to just wake up, go, go, go. My mind was spinning. I look back at myself before Jesus and I'm like, no wonder why I was like in the pits of hell all day. Because you're going on your own Strength. We were never meant to do that, so.

[Angel]

And we're supposed to get filled. Like, if you're wondering, okay, you're in the secret place, you spend time with Jesus, right? That's what I like to call it. I spend time with Jesus. It's. He's a person and we're spending time together. He talks, I talk. It's a relationship and we're spending time. And like, what do you get in the secret place? What is the. What do you get? Right? You get filled. You get everything. Jesus pours into you in the secret place. Jesus is going to pour into you all day because that's who he is. God is amazing and he's sovereign and he catches us and he pursues us and he's always coming after us. But if you imagine you're like a cup and you're trying water to get water poured into this cup, but the cup keeps moving this much and he's over here, but now he's over here. Now he's over here and just won't be still. It's really hard to fill up that cup. Cup. But giving God that time in the morning where you are still. Oh, yeah. And you stay and you're not a moving target, but you just position yourself to receive because that's what it is in the secret place. You receive. You open your hands and say, give me everything. I know it's your desire to fill me. I know it's your desire to pour into me. That's who he is. That's what he created us for, is so that he could. Could fill us. And so actually positioning yourself to receive, like, that's what happens in the secret place. Jesus pours into you and he gives you peace. He gives you joy. He gives you love. The fruit of the spirit are produced in the secret place. Jesus knows what you need for the day. Jesus knows what you need to parent. He knows what you need to deal with the conflict at work. He knows what you need in order to have a healthy marriage. Like, he knows what we need every single day. So he will deposit. I always say, lord, deposit in me whatever I need. I don't even know what I need. I think I know, but I don't. Yeah, so I'm not even gonna. I'll ask you. Sure. And then what do you think I need? And then give it to me, you know?

[Ang]

And I'm thinking about Jesus when He fed the 5,000 and he's exhausted and he has nothing left in him. Did he go to his friends and say, hey, I Need to talk to you. No, he went up to the mountain. He withdrew. He went up to the mountain to the father and he got filled up. So if he needed to get filled up, he was the perfect example of what he did when he was exhausted and burnt out and he got filled up. So how much more if he does that, we need to do that. And as I say that, I just think about you moms especially who are so busy. It's probably, I don't know because we're not moms. But I can only imagine, because I watch my friends how hard it is is to be a mom.

[Angel]

Yeah.

[Ang]

And you're like running on empty every day. You're never thinking about yourself. You're always thinking about your children and so you have no time. And I think we got a question too. Of what? Like, I am a mom. I don't have any time. Like I only have time to worship in the car. And that, that's beautiful. And sometimes we, we are so busy and we don't have two hours to spend. But I think the secret place is a sacrifice.

[Angel]

Totally.

[Ang]

And I think that we always can make time. And I, I don't want to offend moms because I'm not one, but there's like a sacrifice. Like even you're like, I know, but I need my sleep. But even waking up super early, like he will fill you and he will empower you when you dwell in the secret place. And then you'll end up being like, wait a minute, I don't even need sleep like that. It's like fasting when you fast and you're so hungry, but then you get past that point because Jesus sustains you and then you're like, I don't even need food. Like that.

[Angel]

Exactly.

[Ang]

So I think thank you for saying that. It's a sacrifice.

[Angel]

So I know Ari and I are obviously aren't parents and we're both not married. And so our secret place looks drastically different to a parent's secret place. And like I asked John's sister in law and John's brother because they have two small children and I asked them to voice memo me some of their thoughts of what they do, of what, how it's been for them. And basically, basically they said that your secret time when you're single versus when you're even dating first, when you're married first, when you have small children versus when you have older children, like it's all different. Every season varies and is different. And Brit, Brittany, John's sister in law, basically told me like, she. Worship just looks different for her. Like, worship looks like doing the laundry. Worship looks like doing the dishes. Yeah, worship and spending time with Jesus might just be five or 10 minutes in the morning for her. She said her and Jacob, her husband John's brother, like, there. There's so much grace in the evenings for them to spend time with God. God to worship together, to read the Bible. And so it changes. And again, you, like, you look for the grace. And. And of course, for Ari and I, we have the liberty, we have the freedom to spend hours with Jesus. If you're single or dating, you have the freedom. You can spend a lot of time with Jesus. When you get married, it changes. And still Jesus comes actually before anything else. And you should still be getting in your secret place. Even when you're married. It's hard for us to talk about having kids because we're not there yet. But there's just so much grace for moms and dads and parents. But if you're single, if you're not waking up throughout the night to breastfeed and take care of your children, you know what I mean? The secret place is number one top priority more than anything we have. Psalm 91. He who dwells in the. In the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Ari talked about this. The secret place is a place of protection. You find protection, you find divine intervention. Like the secret places where the Lord solves my problems. You guys don't know how often I pray and I say, jesus, you are my high priest, priest, and according to Romans, like, you pray to the Father on my behalf. Like Jesus intercedes for us. And so whenever I think of Psalm 91 and like dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty, I. I always think about the fact that, like, when I'm in the secret place and I'm communing with the Holy Spirit, I'm one with Jesus. I ask him to pray on my behalf. How much more protected can you be than having Jesus, God himself interceding on your behalf, like Jesus praying to the Father, praying for us. That's so beautiful. Like, that makes me feel so safe that Jesus. I'm telling you guys, if you're someone who. You feel like you don't have a lot of people praying for you, or you don't know who to ask to pray for you first. Ask for community, ask for godly people in your life that God will send you to pray for you. And you ask Jesus himself to intercede on your behalf. I already Touched on this, but Matthew 6. 6. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret will reward you. So Jesus literally, like, told us exactly what to do. Go into your room, go into a place, an established place, shut the door, make sure that it's private, and pray to your Father who sees you in secret because nobody else knows, like, the secret place. Church is not the secret place. Like, youth group is not your secret place. Even praying with your friends isn't the secret place. Like, the secret place is when you're in your metaphorical room, the door is shut, and it's just you two.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

Because whatever conversation you guys have in private, in secret, that's what will, like, be manifested in your life in public.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

I love this one so much. Isaiah 45, verse 3. It says, I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord. One more time. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord. And I love this so much because basically, in the secret place, God, it's like his desire to tell us, us mysteries and to tell us the hidden things. And, like, in the secret place, we receive hidden treasures and spiritual treasures and, like, spiritual mysteries. And I got a prophetic word one time from a man that I really trust. And he told me that I was created, Literally, I was created, all of us were created to spend time with Jesus. But, like, there's a call of God on my life where I met, meant to ponder the things of God. Like, I meant to think about Jesus a lot. I meant to spend a lot of time with him, asking him questions, thinking about Him. Because God wants to reveal to me, like, the mysteries of God. And right. This prophetic word was like, God trusts you with mysteries. Like, he's going to tell you mysteries. And he told me you're going to catch some. Because he said he was like, your personality, you run so fast, you're all over the place. He's like, and you'll catch some. Because God is good and he wants you to know, he wants to feed you. And he's like, but when you'll truly catch revelation, wisdom, spiritual treasure is when you stop and when you're still and you position yourself to receive. And so, like, this is a verse that I love so much because it's just, I want the mysteries of God. I want, I will give you the treasures of Darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you may know that I am the Lord. So he gives us, like, treasure that points us to him, that reveals deeper knowledge of the person of Jesus and who God is. And, like, that's what you get in the secret place. You get wisdom, you learn who he is. You literally, you develop, like, an understanding of the person of Jesus, his character. And everyone asks, every question that we got into is, how do you hear God's voice? You literally sit in the secret place, you read the Word, you worship, and you ask him questions like it's just a conversation. You tell him what's on your heart, you tell him what's on your mind, and you might not hear the audible voice of God. Guess what? I know people have been Christians their whole lives, really profoundly spiritual people who have never heard the audible voice of God. You don't have to feel bad if crazy spiritual stuff doesn't happen to you. You, it's okay. And it's not a measure. We're not going to measure our relationship or our intimacy with Jesus based on the crazy, manifest things that happen, which is a blessing and it's beautiful. But, like, if you never hear the audible voice of God and you never have anything crazy happen to you, that's okay. But you can trust that Jesus is speaking when you're having that. Do you understand what I mean by having that communication? Am I explaining that right?

[Ang]

Are you kidding me? Yeah. Yes. I was thinking of the treasures. Like, you find the treasures in him, and I think one of the treasures in him, well, first in the secret place, he reveals the assignments he has for us. We no longer have to go through life aimlessly. When we go in the secret place, he really does reveal the assignments he has for us. And then, you know what treasure he's really revealed to me in this season? He has revealed to me how raw I can be with him. I love that because in a world of Christianity where I felt that I could not be open and lay everything out, he has shown me, you can tell me anything. This has been such a. A season of humbleness for me. I think the biggest treasure in this season for me has been, tell me everything. Let me work on your heart. Yes, My kindness leads to repentance. That has been my season. It's been, like, so good.

[Ari]

My secret place has been every five.

[Ang]

Minutes, like, repenting, Jesus, help me work on my heart. But I remember, like, when I first started my walk, not feeling like I can be so open. And it's been a season of really search My heart because I have so many sins and so much ugliness and I. And like I have just felt this safety like that for me, like that that's been so beautiful in my secret place, being so raw and open to him. Being like I feel so ugly in my heart, Lord help me. And I, I was just thinking of a moment I had actually of, of sin, you know, and I just felt like I'm just, I just felt so bad in my heart. And I remember I opened up the Bible and like this is how he'll speak to you if you will open up your heart with honesty. Literally as I opened it says as far as the east to the west. So aren't your sins. So like that's who he is. And these are the treasures that you will discover in the secret place. If you open up your heart and you are honest and you don't have buttoned up prayers.

[Angel]

Yes.

[Ang]

It's just, it really is relationship and so just realizing like you can trust him more than you trust anyone else in this world. And the moment you start to really open up in that secret place, you will want to go to that secret place every five minutes because you will notice that he really starts changing your heart and working on your heart. And every time you go to him and bring it to his feet, a prayer of honesty and like true honesty, true honesty, true honesty, honesty. Like I just did. Like you don't hide anything back and you don't care. You have no buttoned up praise. You don't care. How you say, it's like you're talking to the one you trust the most. You like want to run into that secret place so good because it changes you from the inside and out. I can't believe the way he's changing me from the inside and out. It's like he's my therapist.

[Ari]

He's. No, he's such a good therapist, right? Yeah.

[Ang]

It's like when you let that shame out when you just, it holds no power and it's like you can breathe and he starts working on your heart and transforming you. And I think that's one of the most beautiful things about the secret place.

[Angel]

Oh, it's so good. I. Just a second that like the emotional healing that takes place in the secret place, that's for me, that's what I've been on a journey on is literally like sitting and being like, okay, well this is how I feel and this is why I think I feel it. And then all of a sudden like, okay, you know what? I think I Just blame that person. And the truth is, it's not that person. Maybe it's this person. And then I'm like, no, okay, it's not them either. Maybe it's me. And, like, you know, and then he.

[Ang]

Doesn'T let you get away with it.

[Angel]

He doesn't let you get away with it. And so you're sitting there and like, this is what I. I want to do a whole episode on, like, true honesty with God. Because what I've realized so much, much like what Philip, you know, Philip Mitchell said on our episode, that Isaiah moment, the woe is me moment, where for the first time, Isaiah looks and he sees God for who he really is. And because he sees God for who he really is, for the very first time, he sees himself as he really is. And then he says, woe is me. Oh, I have so much to work on. I feel like every day in the secret place, I have a woe is me moment. And, like, I feel like people might be like, gosh, this Christian walk is, like, awful. All you do is, like, think about, no, that's life. There's suffering all around us. And for me, I want to spend my days saying, woe is me. And having God in his kindness, reveal to me, like, the things that need to change. But what I've realized more than anything is that you can even have a woe is me moment. But then go back to your old conditioning of, like, covering it up, up and letting shame. I'm working with a therapist who's talking to me about shame and the mask of shame that we wear. When you have shame covering impurity or negative emotions, you will never heal. You will never heal until you are actually honest. You let the shame go. You let the perception of whatever go. You let the mask and whatever you're doing to try and protect yourself so you don't have to feel these negative emotions and realize that you. You do have a lot to work on or this might actually be wrong with you. Until you let that go, God can. He can't get there.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

And, yeah, it's just so crazy. I'm so happy you said that because that's what I noticed the most. Just like the emotional healing that takes place in that honesty.

[Ang]

I think I'll just add on to that and say, yeah. Not only does it humble you, I feel like a lot of times people go into the. The secret place to. To ask for things.

[Angel]

Totally.

[Ang]

Lord, provide me this, Lord. Can I have this Lord? And I just. I think the deeper you go and the more Jesus works on your heart, posture and. And the more humble you get. Because so many times I have just cried out, I, please help me all these things. But I notice how much my prayers have changed. And I go from, you know, I need this to, lord, what do you.

[Angel]

Have for me today?

[Ang]

How can I serve you? Well, who can you put in my corner today that I can make you proud? And, like, you'll notice that in your journey, your prayer life really does change, and it shifts to, how can I serve you? And so that's what I love about the Secret place is he really puts you on assignments, and you'll notice that certain people he will put on your path to help. And I think that's why it's so. It's so important to have your eyes open. And I think too, like, you know, I can't hear God. I can't. I don't. I'm not having these crazy encounters. I would just encourage you to relax and to not, like, just really relax. Like, stop making it so much about you. Stop being so forceful of like, I need this, I need that. Relax. Faith is seen in the things unseen. Yeah, really just being like, how can I serve you today? And you will be amazed at how much God speaks through other people when you don't make it so much about, I need to hear you and I need to have this crazy encounter with you. You'll be amazed at when you start saying, how can I serve you? And then next thing you know, you're walking out of Walgreens and there's a person in need. And then all of a sudden you see Jesus and this person that needs help, and you go and help them, and then you start crying your eyes out because you're like, that was you, Jesus. That's the person you just put in my path.

[Angel]

Did this happen to you?

[Ang]

Yeah, it did. I mean, there's so many things that, that these people have spoke. I. I've looked at them, and I'd be like, that was Jesus. Thank you for speaking to me through that person. And so really just watching your prayer life, I. It's always good to. To go to Jesus and ask for things I do all the time. But also checking your heart posture of, really, what can I do for you today? How can I serve you? Well, what do you have on assignment for me?

[Ari]

So good.

[Angel]

It's so good when your prayers go from selfish to serving. And I think what I would add to that is like. Like what I've learned more than anything is like, I. I think I may have said this last time, but my. I had. There's a time and a place for everything. And so oftentimes, my quiet time in the morning is not when I'll be interceding for other people. I might, but it's kind of like I need. I need to be full. I need to be filled up first. So in the morning, I'm not sitting there asking for all of these. These things or to be blessed in all these ways. Like, I'm just simply, like, needing God to pour into me. And how oftentimes, like, how I get him to pour into me is by ministering to him. And what that means is simply like, adoring him, loving him, beholding his beauty, and just telling him, like, you are beautiful. I love you so much. You are the Lord. Sometimes I'll get it really practically right. This is the beautiful thing about memorizing Scripture. It lives inside of you, and then it just comes out. I'll literally just sit there. Something that's been on my mind constantly is, the Spirit is the Lord. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom. So the Holy Spirit is the Lord, he's the Lord, he is the Lord. And I'll sit there and I'll be like, the Spirit is the Lord, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom. You are the Lord, Holy Spirit, you are the Lord. Like, and I'll just, like, affirm God and who he is. And one of the most beautiful ways, because, right, we have to trust the character of God. And one of the best ways to, on a spirit level, develop faith and trust in the character of God is to affirm him in who he says he is.

[Ang]

Yeah.

[Angel]

So God says he's faithful. Tell him you're faithful, you're faithful, you're faithful. Just continue to say out loud who he says he is, and you'll see it builds your faith. And, like, you begin to believe on a spirit level. Because we can say things all the time that in our heads, like, yeah, grace abounds where sin abounds. Like, but until you actually get it in your heart, like, what does it mean? And so just, like, affirming God, like, you are faithful, you are good. Like, you make a way where there seems to be no way. And just continuing to, like, you speak to him and tell him who he is is one of the most beautiful things you can do.

[Ang]

When you're in your secret place and you don't know what to do or what to read, and you just feel kind of dry. I Don't know if you do this, but one thing that I love is I go right to those Psalms.

[Angel]

Oh, yeah.

[Ang]

Don't. Do you do that?

[Angel]

I do.

[Ang]

Yeah. They're just. They're words filled with joy, grief, anger, safety, peace. You can never get bored with the Psalms. And so anytime where I just don't really know where to go, or I just. I don't know what to read. It's like I. The Psalms will fill me. Like, they will. Like, they. There's no way you can go to the Psalms and not relate or get filled. Could I read Psalm 27?

[Angel]

And that's. Yes, read it. And so what Ari's talking. Like, the Psalms, they're vertical. They are. That's. They minister to the Lord. They literally take. Talk about God to Him, for him, from Him. And so it's just vertical worship. Like, that's the secret place.

[Ang]

And you know what? I love what you and I used to do. We haven't had time together with reading together lately, but when we first started our friendship, you would always read the Psalms to me, but you would always read them as if it was us. So, like, if it said, like, the Lord is my shepherd, she would be like. Like the Lord is our shepherd, that I would repeat after her. And I swear the healing that came from doing that, it's. It was, like, supernatural.

[Angel]

So you can read scripture as a prayer, basically. Like, you can change them to I. You know.

[Ang]

Yeah, I saw him 27. I was reading this morning. The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortune. He protecting me from danger. So why should I tremble when evil people come to devour me? When my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty arm surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek the most, is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his temple, for he will conceal me there. When troubles come, he will hide me in a sanctuary. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me at the sanctuary. I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music. And that's what he does in the secret place.

[Angel]

Sing with shouts of joy. Sorry, what were you gonna say?

[Ang]

No, that's. That's what he does. You meditate. When troubles come, you feel confident, you feel protected, you feel safe. You Know I was. Because I. I moved and I. It was like, you guys, I don't know if you. I don't know. My. My last place I lived in was where everything happened for me, where my life changed, where I met my best friend, where our whole spiritual journey on that floor all began. And I had such a moment. I, like, had to take five minutes because this was my little. This was my little secret place. Ange knows. Like, I didn't ever leave because I loved my little. I called it my little cottage. And I just took five minutes, and I looked down, and it was this. I would go right every morning in my living room on this floor. Me and Angela did it, our whole friendship. And I just looked down and I'm just like, this is where you healed my broken heart. This is where we came at your feet every morning and read your word and worshiped you, and you showed us true love and you healed us and you brought us together and we got to confess our sins, and you worked on our hearts. Like, this is where it all happened. You healed my heart right here. And so, yeah, it's just the secret place is so special, and it's so safe, and even though we have so many racing thoughts and life is so busy, you will rob yourself if you don't sit in that place with him and bring every single piece of your broken heart, of your sickness, of your grief, of your singleness, of your isolation. And it's in that where you find him and then you find yourself and you find freedom and comfort and you stand confident and protected.

[Angel]

Yeah, it's so good. Everything. Everything in the secret place. I have. I wanted to talk about this moment with Moses on Mount Sinai. It's Exodus 33 and 34. And this is such a beautiful depiction of. Of the secret place. And so in this. In Exodus 33 and 34, this is where basically, it's the famous moment, the iconic moment where Moses comes face to face with God. And basically, Moses goes up on this mountain to meet alone with God, right? It's the secret place. It's private, it's isolated, it's desolate. Nobody else can come. Nobody went with him. If he was meant to take people, he would have been. But he was not supposed to be with anyone else. It was just him and it was God. And Exodus 33 to 11, it's this moment where God spoke to him face to face as a friend speaks to his friend. And that's what takes place in the secret place. Like, God speaks to us as if we are his Friends. We're his friends. In the Gospels, he what does Jesus say to his disciples when he. He says, like, you are not my slaves now. You're my friends. Because a master doesn't tell secrets to his slaves. But because I tell you the secrets, the things of God, the things of the Father, you have become my friends. So in the secret place, like God wants to tell you things, he wants to give you revelation. He wants to show you himself. And then Moses says to God, show me your glory. Show me your glory. Show me your face. I want to see your face. I want to see your glory. And we have the beautiful moment where basically God hides Moses in a rock. Another secret place. It's an established place where you position yourself to receive from God, to see Jesus, right? Moses is basically with God face to face. He goes down the mountain and Moses has no idea because he doesn't have a mirror, but his face is shining. Why is his face shining? Because he was just with God. And if you talk about a Jesus glow, you want to know where you find a Jesus glow? You find it in the secret place. You will look different when you spend an extended period of time with Jesus. Matthew 26, 40, 45. It's that moment in the Gospels where Jesus is going to his disciples. He basically says, I'm gonna go and I need you guys to stay on watch for me. I need you guys to not fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Stay, pray, watch. That was his command. Jesus goes away, he comes back and he finds everybody sleeping. And he says to Peter, couldn't you watch with me even one hour? And I always think about this. Jesus asked him, them for an hour of their time, one hour. And I'm not saying that we need to take everything so literally out of the Bible, but I read the Bible and I do. It means something to me. Jesus asked them for an hour. It meant so much to Jesus that they would give him one hour of their time. And then he says, keep and watch. Pray for an hour so that you will not give into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Keep watch and pray so that you will not give into temptation. After saying, you guys can't even give me one hour of prayer and watchfulness. And so I just want to say that to everyone, like your time with Jesus should be a non negotiable. It should not be affected by meetings and. Right? And I'm saying this as somebody who sometimes lets the secret place be affected by being on vacation, by being with family, by being with friends. Like, and so I'm not saying that you can't ever write, obviously, but for all of us, we should put it into place as a non negotiable. Like, like if my day starts at 8am I have to wake up at 6 or 7, you know what I mean? And like making it in every day. No, this is how it's going to be. It's not. Hopefully I can, I have to structure my day so that I can give him an hour of my time.

[Ang]

Yeah. You know, I think Philip Mitchell said if you're too busy, you're too busy.

[Angel]

You're too. Oh, Philip, I love him.

[Ari]

It is so good.

[Ang]

But it's true. It's like you, you, you, you're, you should, should never, you're never too busy. Like you, you like that's like when somebody says, oh, I just don't have time to give you a call. I mean there, there's always time in the day where you can give someone a call.

[Angel]

Totally.

[Ang]

So you should never be too busy. That's, it's, it's, it's a lifestyle. And, and, and even after the secret place, I just love he, he who dwells. Like dwelling is a lifestyle. Dwelling is in the car you're worshiping, inviting him in. Like you said to every single conversations in your decisions, talking with him throughout the day. How could you not want to. That's our best friend. It's our dad.

[Angel]

You know, someone said, does it matter if I go into my secret place at night before I go to sleep instead of the morning? And I would personally say I actually love being in the secret place at night because one, it sets me up for a great night of sleep and I actually wake up in the morning more rest, receptive, more sensitive to the spirit. I would advise you to not switch your morning secret place for a night secret place. I think everyone should spend time with Jesus in the morning before you do absolutely anything else. Because first it's giving the first fruits of your. Just like when you tithe, you give the first 10%. I think you give the first part of your day the first few hours of your day. And we need Jesus for the day. We don't need to finish the day after wreaking havoc in our relationships and in our mental health and then go to him at night. Like I think you definitely start the day with Jesus.

[Ang]

I second that. I, I'm not about to go through that crazy day without Jesus's instruction. Protection, comfort. It's. Life is. Listen, life is too hard. Okay? Life is too Hard faith is believing the things we don't. That's what the scripture is.

[Angel]

Believing in the on things unseen. I don't know.

[Ang]

Well, all I'm gonna end it is with this. Say it because I talk about singleness, every thing. No, I just.

[Angel]

Don't waste it.

[Ang]

No, I just. The secret place literally saved my life. It's kept me from feeling isolated in the moments where I felt alone. We can self numb with so many things with other people. With the phone with scrolling on TikTok every two seconds.

[Ari]

Who said that? Who said that? Who said that?

[Angel]

What the. Hallelujah.

[Ang]

But there are just treasures and abiding in him. There is the emptiness that he truly fills with himself. There is something he sustains in your heart when you spend that time with him.

[Angel]

Yeah.

[Ang]

And so if you're someone that's in a. In a place of suffering, you're in a place of singleness. You're in a place of heartbreak. Let me tell you something. What he will do in the secret place with your heart, you are going to see miracles. The stories that I could tell you, I could go on for days on what he did in my suffering, in my heartbreak through the secret place is just. I know him as healer and I know him as my dad and I know him as the God that truly binds up your wounds and heals your broken heart. Because I abided in the secret place. And so please anyone who's listening, who is can't stop going to other vices or other people in their suffering or in a season of heartbreak. Yeah, bring it all to the feet of him and let him heal you. Because who you'll be on the other side of it with abiding in the secret place is going to just completely transform your life.

[Angel]

It's going to be transformative. It's going to change you from the inside out. The Holy Spirit's job is to one, reveal Jesus to us and then two, to make us like Him. Both of those things take place in the secret place. When you get down, you're on your knees, say Holy Spirit, reveal the Son to me. Reveal Jesus to me. Show me. And then you say, jesus, show me your face. Show me your glory. And then you say Holy Spirit, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Make me like Jesus. You guys got this. We love you, you so much. We love you. We love you. And actually like Philip Anthony Mitchell said, he said, make the secret place your vice. Make this secret place your vice. You want to go to smoking, drinking, boys, girls, whatever vice you may have why don't you run, Run, run. Run to Jesus. Get into the secret place.

[Ang]

I don't care.

[Angel]

Okay.

[Ang]

We love when he says that. I don't care.

[Angel]

We love you guys so much. May the Lord bless you. Oh, sorry. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his face towards you and give you peace. We love you.

[Ang]

Shalom.

[Angel]

Shalom.

[Ari]

Shalom.

[Angel]

Shalom.

[Ang]

Love you guys.