Ultimate Security: Finding a Refuge in Difficult Times by Derek Prince Page B
Authors: Derek Prince
Ads: Link
will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4)
Notice again these key words: “…your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” This is not a truth merely for the next world. It is true right now! To be hidden with Christ in God is to dwell in the secret place.
Paul said, “You died….” That is the cross. The secret is that, when Jesus died, He did not die only for Himself. He died for us as our Representative. He took our guilt and our condemnation by paying our penalty and dying our death. When we understand this reality and, by faith, receive what Scripture says, we realize that when Jesus died, we died with Him . Paul reiterated this truth in Galatians, where he said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
Paul was saying to the Colossians, and to us, “You died….” When you died with Christ, you passed through death—through the death of Jesus on the cross—into a new realm. Again, this realm is not in the natural world. It is a realm that the senses cannot discern—a realm that we as natural creatures do not perceive. The secret place is a realm in Christ where we are hidden with Christ in God.
The secret place is found in the spiritual realm,
not in the natural realm.
“Hidden with Christ in God”
Pause for a moment to consider the total security that is represented by our being “hidden with Christ in God.” In this place of hiddenness, you have, as it were, a double protection: You are in Christ, and you are in God. Therefore, nothing in the entire universe can reach you unless it first comes through God and through Christ.
Our true life is not in this visible world. We are here in the flesh, but we have another kind of life—a different life from a different Source. Our body is just a clay vessel that this life currently inhabits. Paul said our clay vessel may go through many difficulties and pressures; there is no guarantee that we will not face them. But, in that clay vessel is an eternal life—an incorruptible, indestructible life that is so totally identified with God and with Jesus Christ that nothing can ever happen to us unless it is in the will of God and of Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 4:7–10, 16–18.)
This is total security. It is security in the midst of war, famine, pestilence, or earthquake. No matter what comes, we are in Christ—in that secret place of the Most High. We are protected from all harm and all danger. And the door to that secret place of protection, safety, and security is the cross.
18
PROTECTION AGAINST FEAR AND WORRY
We turn now to another area of security that we all need but, alas, do not all experience— emotional security . Mental and emotional pressures are increasing due to our contemporary lifestyle. I once read an estimate that, in a normal lifetime, one out of every four persons in the United States will need some kind of psychiatric help. That is a staggering figure. The result is that most psychiatric hospitals today are filled to overflowing.
When a person comes to need psychiatric help, that person has succumbed in some way to mental or emotional pressures. It is estimated that for every person who actually recognizes his need and seeks psychiatric help, there are probably twice as many people who do not recognize their need or seek help, even though, to some degree, they have the same type of problem.
The Remedy
The remedy for mental and emotional pressures could be summed up in one word: peace . I refer to peace not in the connotation of the absence of war, but in the sense of personal fulfillment, completeness, and rest.
There are two primary enemies of peace: fear and worry . Each of them comes in many different forms. For example, we may fear or worry about sickness, or other people’s opinions, or a financial downturn. Fear is like a dagger that is thrust into us, while worry is like a little nagging worm that eats away at us. Yet, in the end, each of these
Notice again these key words: “…your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” This is not a truth merely for the next world. It is true right now! To be hidden with Christ in God is to dwell in the secret place.
Paul said, “You died….” That is the cross. The secret is that, when Jesus died, He did not die only for Himself. He died for us as our Representative. He took our guilt and our condemnation by paying our penalty and dying our death. When we understand this reality and, by faith, receive what Scripture says, we realize that when Jesus died, we died with Him . Paul reiterated this truth in Galatians, where he said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
Paul was saying to the Colossians, and to us, “You died….” When you died with Christ, you passed through death—through the death of Jesus on the cross—into a new realm. Again, this realm is not in the natural world. It is a realm that the senses cannot discern—a realm that we as natural creatures do not perceive. The secret place is a realm in Christ where we are hidden with Christ in God.
The secret place is found in the spiritual realm,
not in the natural realm.
“Hidden with Christ in God”
Pause for a moment to consider the total security that is represented by our being “hidden with Christ in God.” In this place of hiddenness, you have, as it were, a double protection: You are in Christ, and you are in God. Therefore, nothing in the entire universe can reach you unless it first comes through God and through Christ.
Our true life is not in this visible world. We are here in the flesh, but we have another kind of life—a different life from a different Source. Our body is just a clay vessel that this life currently inhabits. Paul said our clay vessel may go through many difficulties and pressures; there is no guarantee that we will not face them. But, in that clay vessel is an eternal life—an incorruptible, indestructible life that is so totally identified with God and with Jesus Christ that nothing can ever happen to us unless it is in the will of God and of Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 4:7–10, 16–18.)
This is total security. It is security in the midst of war, famine, pestilence, or earthquake. No matter what comes, we are in Christ—in that secret place of the Most High. We are protected from all harm and all danger. And the door to that secret place of protection, safety, and security is the cross.
18
PROTECTION AGAINST FEAR AND WORRY
We turn now to another area of security that we all need but, alas, do not all experience— emotional security . Mental and emotional pressures are increasing due to our contemporary lifestyle. I once read an estimate that, in a normal lifetime, one out of every four persons in the United States will need some kind of psychiatric help. That is a staggering figure. The result is that most psychiatric hospitals today are filled to overflowing.
When a person comes to need psychiatric help, that person has succumbed in some way to mental or emotional pressures. It is estimated that for every person who actually recognizes his need and seeks psychiatric help, there are probably twice as many people who do not recognize their need or seek help, even though, to some degree, they have the same type of problem.
The Remedy
The remedy for mental and emotional pressures could be summed up in one word: peace . I refer to peace not in the connotation of the absence of war, but in the sense of personal fulfillment, completeness, and rest.
There are two primary enemies of peace: fear and worry . Each of them comes in many different forms. For example, we may fear or worry about sickness, or other people’s opinions, or a financial downturn. Fear is like a dagger that is thrust into us, while worry is like a little nagging worm that eats away at us. Yet, in the end, each of these
Similar Books
