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A Call for Evangelical Ministers to Return to the Secret Place

There is a subtle danger that confronts many evangelical ministers, and it often begins quietly. The work of God becomes so demanding that time with God becomes secondary. Sermons are prepared, meetings are attended, people are counseled, yet the heart slowly drifts from deep fellowship with the Father. Ministry activity increases, but spiritual intimacy decreases. What should be an overflow begins to feel like pressure. Jesus reminds us in Luke 5:16 that He often withdrew into the wilderness to pray. If the Son of God needed consistent retreat into the secret place, then every evangelical minister must recognize this as a non-negotiable foundation.

The truth is that public ministry was never designed to replace private devotion. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus teaches that what is done in secret with the Father is what produces open reward. When this is neglected, the voice of God becomes faint, direction becomes unclear, and strength becomes limited to human capacity. The oil that sustains ministry is not found on the platform but in the place of communion. Without that oil, even the most gifted evangelical minister will begin to feel empty and stretched beyond grace.

Over time, the absence of intimacy produces visible consequences. Messages may still be delivered, but they lack fresh life. Prayer becomes mechanical instead of heartfelt. Discernment weakens, and decisions begin to rely more on experience than on the leading of the Spirit. In John 15:5, Jesus says that without Him, we can do nothing. This is not a suggestion, it is a spiritual law. An evangelical minister who becomes disconnected from Christ may still appear active, but true spiritual fruit begins to diminish.

Take a moment and reflect as an evangelical minister. Are you ministering from overflow or from exhaustion? Has your assignment replaced your relationship with God? If everything you do for God were stripped away today, would your connection with Him still remain strong and alive?

Apostle Prince Victor Matthew 
Hope Expression Values You 

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