Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are you hungry for God? Do you need an appetite stimulant? Either way, this book is for you!, May 5, 2006
The Lord has blessed Bob Sorge with revelatory insight into many of the dynamics of the secret place, and has equipped him to share his passion for God with us. Sorge avoids making this a formulaic tome or a "how to" handbook on intimacy with God. Instead he writes in very clear, concise, personable, non-repetitious language and is totally consistent with scripture on the joys of seeking God.
There are so many books that attempt to provide a recipe on how to have a personal relationship with God, yet the only thing accomplished by following such manuals is that we become so acclimated to pursuing a prescribed formula that we fail to pursue God. Consequently, we become cookie cutter Christians void of fire and passion, so preoccupied with adhering to a fixed set of ambiguous rules that we miss the main thing. Thus, our interaction with God becomes nothing more than a mundane ritual. However, this author, to the reader's delight, keeps the main thing, the main thing--white hot pursuit of the Holy God. "Secrets of the Secret Place" emphasizes that because we are individuals each of us has a different relationship with our Lord. God didn't create us to be mass produced worshipers having no distinctive features. Instead of pointing the reader to a blueprint, Bob Sorge invites the reader to a Person (Jesus Christ).
The author encourages the passionate pursuit of God through Prayer, Reading God's Word, Fasting, Listening, Adoration, etc. The theme of the book never deviates from the Person of Jesus Christ--He is the Star of the book and the Hero of the story. Of course, Sorge shares some of his own personal experiences, but he doesn't overdo it; his illustrations are well-placed and do not detract from the central theme. He avoids interjecting his own biases and opinions, and he is quite successful at keeping the reader's eye squarely focused on the Lord Jesus and the holy pursuit of Him. In actual fact, he wrote the book in such a way that he removes himself from the text, and all the reader hears is the voice of God. What I mean by that is the book draws you into such an awareness of Jesus that there is no evidence of the author's intrusive/overpowering presence, doctrinal opinions, or ego. Jesus is the center of attention on every page which explains why there's such an anointing on this work.
As I mentioned before, Sorge doesn't tell you "how." He invites you to "see", as his presentation of God and our Saviour enables you to visualize Him in every chapter. Then it allows God to speak to your own heart about your unique relationship with Him. One chapter passage, in particular that made me simply weep in the presence of God was: "The Secret of Being Known" in which he writes about how (paraphrasing) "at Calvary Christ was dying to love us, and His heart's desire is to know us. So, in our pursuit of Him, He delights in our lavishing Him with our love as He draws nearer and nearer to us." Having been born-again since I was a child, I was always taught that I must "know" Jesus, but "knowing" Him became a richer reality to me once I meditated on the character of His love for me which is so intense that His desire is to "know" little ol' me with greater intimacy, flawed though I may be. The entire fourth section, "Seeking A Deeper Relationship," stirred so passionate a hunger in me that I put the book aside for a day and began to weep and worship at the feet of Jesus, just basking in His glorious presence. Section IV enables the reader to behold the delight of constant surrender to Christ and how being transparent and honest before Him draws Him nearer to us in tender embrace.
I came away from this book with a fiery determination to intensify my pursuit of God with an intent to overtake Him. For me, the holy chase is on!!! If you are looking to ignite a passion for God in your soul; if you are serious about pursuing Him with all your might, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Once you get it into your hands, believe me, you will not want to put it down. This book was indeed inspired by God. In fact, Bob Sorge did not author it--God did, it's just that Bob made himself available to be used as the righteous vessel through whom God penned His message onto the page. Thank you Bob for being made meet for the Master's use.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Meat for the Hungry Heart, January 2, 2003
This book is top-grade meat for the heart hungry for Jesus. It's one of my top two favorite books after the Bible. Definitely a treasure which I'll always be reading. The chapters are short, but rich. Sorge shares practical tips from scripture (not formulas!) which if applied, will usher you into the throne room. Furthermore, Sorge's writings reveal he's been there, and he's still going. Awesome revelations!
If you want to get up-close-and-personal with God, this one's for you!
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll Come Back To It Again and Again, May 4, 2006
All of Bob Sorge's books are incredibly profound, highly insightful, lovingly targeted, and passionately revelatory, but I have been coming back to SECRETS OF THE SECRET PLACE over and over for several years now. My copy is dog-eared and worn, and I am back here to purchase another one for myself and a few friends. To say this book was a breakthrough in realizing new and intimate views of God's love for me in prayer and throughout my days is an understatement. I wish I could bottle the "Secret to Feeling Attractive to God" Chapter, because it did (and still does) make me feel so desired and loved by my God. Besides the whole book, I come back to that chapter again and again. If you haven't already looked at the chapter titles, I would highly recommend it, because you will be blessed and given insight about the book just from reading them. They will definitely pique your interest. This book comes highly recommended. It's no secret: You should buy it. : )
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