I’ve heard it said about many men that they had “two separate lives.” It’s typically not a good thing.
One family here—and another overt here. Or maybe he was one version of himself at work and another with his friends and another with his family.
The thing about these men is that they’re hiding one life from the other—or escaping one life so they could enjoy the other.
It all eventually comes crashing down somehow—and a lot of people get hurt.
When we look at the life ofJesus, he didn’t have two different lives—but it does seem like he was constantly getting away.
Jesus had a hidden life.
He didn’t hide one life from the other. No, these lives were intimately integrated.
One life empowered the other. One life propelled the other. One life gave guidance, direction, answers, strength, and much more to the other.
Jesus lived from the Secret Place.
I love that the Bible gives us a “behind the scenes” look into many of these private momentsJesus had with his Father.
They are beautiful glimpses into the private life ofJesus. We see how he approached his Father. We see how he talked with Him. We see the Father and Son interacting!
These moments also give us a framework from which we get to live today. It is a powerful part of the “way” Jesus set up for us.
You see, almost every time he went to the Secret Place, it quickly resulted in a miracle, a powerful teaching, a move of God.
Yes, almost every time he came down from the mountain or walked out from deep in a garden, something big happened right after.
His disciples eventually asked him, “teach us to pray.” In essence: “teach us what you do and what goes on when you disappear—because whatever it is, when you return, something wild always happens.”
This short book is about how a hidden life of private encounters with God empowers our public experience with people.
If we’re not careful, we are so shaped by our Christian culture to be constantly doing things—disciplines to grow, strategies to stay consistent with them, going to weekly services, checking off another day of a Bible reading plan—all in an attempt to connect with God or help others connect with Him.
Disclaimer: I am NOT the guy who will bash the things we do to walk with God. These examples are all very, very good and healthy things.
They are disciplines we see in Scripture. They are disciplines I (rather aggressively) implement into my life.
The issue is when we “put the cart before the horse.”Or, in more modern terms, picture an inflatable banana boat being in front of the ski boat. That’s dangerous. It’s not the design. But when the ski boat is in front of the inflatable banana boat, that’s a blast and it’s exactly how it’s supposed to be used.
Yes, there are times in our lives when we implement consistent spiritual disciplines from a James 4:8 pursuit of “drawing near to God and he will draw near to you.” We must recognize the verses just before this about how gracious God is and how we are to submit ourselves to His heart.
True discipline really does flow from a heart of delight.
I don’t know about you, but often in my life I was disciplined to make myself feel productive in my faith—instead of just walking in intimacy with the Father.
I did believe that if I was executing on disciplines and staying consistent, then God would meet me, bless me, speak to me, grow me, and give me influence.
I ended up pretty toasted—a tired shell of the man I was meant to be.
You see, without a humble and contrite spirit, doing disciplines to get God’s approval is essentially just treating God like a vending machine. It is legalism. It is the exact thing Jesus was against. (i.e. read the numerous moments in Matthew when Jesus spoke to any Pharisee.)
We are designed for intimacy with God. Disciplines follow this. They flow out of this. So—
Are your disciplines just leading to more discipline?
Or are they leading to intimacy, to heart to heart integration with God?
Do you make time and space to just get away?
Do you ever just sit with Him—being in His presence?
Do you go to the Secret Place consistently?
Do you flow into any and every moment of your day taking the Secret Place with you?
The Secret Place is:
Part 1 of this short book unpacks the physical environment of the Secret Place.
Part 2 expounds on the inner framework and operating system of the Secret Place.
Part 3 shows us how to lead others to the Secret Place so they can replicate it and show others how to replicate—and so on.
The life of Jesus was marked by consistently getting away and then bringing whatever happened there to the people in his path that day.
I want mine to be marked by this, too.
May it be said of me at the end of my life:
“He had no special gifts or talents…just a life of walking with God in the Secret Place.”
I was 5 years old when my Dad gave me my first BB gun.
When he handed it over to me on Christmas morning, he looked me in the eyes and said, “Taylor, the#1 rule with this BB gun is that you’re not allowed to use it without me.”
It’s one of my favorite presents of all time—because it was a gift that required his presence. Dad had to be there to be able to use it.
In our relationship with our Heavenly Father, this is the essence of the Secret Place.
And I believe it is the key to life, love, and leadership that matters and lasts.
Left to my own devices, I created problems with that gift. Yep, a few years later I was home alone and shot out the giant sliding glass door that led to the back patio.
I didn’t listen to his original boundaries. I wanted what I thought was my own version of freedom and autonomy. But looking back, I can see now that using that gift with my Dad was what created the most fun in my life.
The Secret Place is woven throughout the story of Scripture.
A reminder from my first minibook “A Manifesto for Presence”:
The most common Hebrew term for “presence” is panim which is also translated “face,” implying a close and personal encounter with the Lord.
The presence of God is a soul place of seeing God’s face and hearing His voice—where God’s attention is on you and yours is on him.
It’s not just defined by a physical location, but by a posture of the heart.
Moses didn’t meet with God in the middle of the crowd, but in a tent set up outside the camp—away from distraction and demand. There, the Lord spoke to him “face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Exodus 33:11). The tent became a sacred rhythm—a place where presence came before power.
Before David wore a crown, he cultivated a heart of worship in wilderness hideouts, quiet caves, and near the tabernacle of God. For David, the Secret Place wasn’t about where he was—but Who he was with. It was a lifestyle of seeking God’s face, no matter the setting.
In a world trying to control him, Daniel anchored his life in prayer—three times a day, in an upstairs room with windows open toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10). His Secret Place became a quiet act of defiance, a faithful rhythm that gave him the courage to face lions. Private discipline prepared him for public courage.
Hannah found her Secret Place in a quiet corner of the temple, pouring out her soul in anguish and tears (1 Samuel 1:10). No one saw her pain the way God did—and her honest prayer moved heaven. Her Secret Place became the birthplace of a prophetic future.
Elijah, exhausted and afraid, fled to a cave on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19). There, God met him—not in the fire or the earthquake, but in a gentle whisper. The Secret Place became the space where his identity was restored and his mission renewed. Even burnout, Elijah shows us, can lead us back to the whisper that revives us.
While Martha hurried to serve, Mary simply sat. She positioned herself at the feet of Jesus—listening, unhurried, undistracted (Luke 10:39). Jesus called her choice “the one necessary thing.”
In a culture obsessed with doing, Mary reminds us that the Secret Place begins with simply being.
And of course, Jesus Himself—who regularly withdrew to desolate places to be with the Father (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16). Even in the midst of rising crowds and urgent need, He protected time for solitude and communion.
For Jesus, the Secret Place wasn’t optional each day. It was essential.
The Secret Place has everything to offer you.
The Secret Place makes you whole and hides you in Him. This is where the Father sinks deeper the truth that you have His full approval, acceptance, and affection. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that He “takes great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
The Secret Place fills the gaps in your thinking and reshapes the framework of your mind. This is where God gently realigns your thoughts with His truth and steadies your inner world. Isaiah 26:3 tells us that He “keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him.” In the Secret Place, our framework of thinking is rooted in trust.
The Secret Place anchors your confidence and teaches you to confide in Him. This is where you remember that your identity is not found in performance or religion—but in a Person. Colossians 3:3–4 says, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God… Christ, who is your life.” He is not just part of your life—He is your life.
The Secret Place makes you untouchable—by self, by the world, by the enemy. This is where you are no longer exposed or ruled by insecurity. In this place, nothing is held over your head or heart—only the banner of righteousness raised by God Himself. Psalm 27:5 declares, “In the day of trouble He will conceal me in His shelter; He will hide me in the Secret Place of His tent and lift me high upon a rock.”
The Secret Place simplifies both your theology and your lifestyle. This is where striving quiets and overthinking fades—because here, you’re simply with Him.You don’t need to prove anything, perform anything, or fix anything. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
The Secret Place offers a world of freedom. This is where the pressure to “be disciplined” dissolves—because that pressure doesn’t come from God. It often comes from yourself, the world, or even your Christian subculture. Sometimes, it’s the enemy trying to keep you busy, burdened, and confused. But in the Secret Place, you remember what’s already true: you are fully in Christ, and He is fully in you. As Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
You are perfected and protected in the Secret Place.
It is a beautiful thing to know you are already perfect inChrist—and also invited to grow with Him.
The yoke He offers—the lifestyle He leads us into—is light and easy.
If you feel heavy and burdened, it’s likely because you’ve picked up another yoke that isn’t His.
Whenever your relationship with God or others starts to feel like “I need to…” or “I should…”—you’ve drifted into legalism.
That voice isn’t conviction; it’s the whisper of condemnation.
Conviction isn’t pressure to perform. It’s the invitation to partner with heaven.
God will be doing His work anyway—wouldn’t it be a joy to join Him in it?
A great place to start—and to stay—is the Secret Place.
It’s a place you go to alone. And it’s a lifestyle that you take with you wherever you go.
Posted Apr 14, 2026
Categories: Spiritual (Browse all)
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