The Secret Things

It is natural to have questions- to want to seek deeper and know everything there is to know about God- but some answers to our questions are not to be known. Moses asserts this point in his last book, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

God reserves the right to hold the mysteries of the universe. For “My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

Some things can simply not be comprehended – but when God reveals something to us- we must hold onto it- for it is a gift. A gift from above!

In fact, scripture teaches us to write down revelations from God. “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets.” (Habakkuk 2:1) Revelations are the things revealed through God and by God- to show us his truth.

But sometimes we have to wait receive his revelation, knowing full well that God will reveal in his timing, not mine.

Nevertheless, I believe the ability to receive revelation- requires a certain posture- to lean into God.

Our hearts should be positioned to receive his revelation.

Our thoughts and our ways do not often align with God’s thoughts and ways. Therefore, my fleshly desires do not align with God’s thoughts and ways.

In turn, there is a deep inner spiritual battle in which the flesh tries to overcome the spiritual. The carnal nature wants to destroy our spiritual selves because they were never meant to coexist!

Paul describes this inner battle best by saying, “

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14-24)

As is evidenced in this passage, Paul is a man conflicted and tortured by the desires of the flesh and the spiritual desires that were planted through his salvation. And isn’t this true of us all? The flesh is the sinful nature- discussed in Genesis 3- struggling to overhaul the spiritual.

To position ourselves to receive God’s revelation means allowing God’s desires to become our desires. God is our heavenly father and he knows what is best. He sets boundaries and parameters to protect us- not ensnare us. His ways are not my ways!

Psalm 37 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37: 4-7a)

He changes our desires when we lean into him with full knowledge that we don’t know best!

Allowing God to change our desires is a process because he doesn’t force us to do anything! He knows the battle between the carnal and spiritual nature is real. He even equips us for the fight. And yet, he waits for us to fall into his arms and desire him FIRST, above all.

If we want to know secret kingdom knowledge and understand hidden truths, then we must align our desires with God’s desires.

1 Corinthians says, “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory… but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned… But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

Secret spiritual things can only be comprehended by those who have the mind of Christ. To everyone else, they are considered foolishness. They may even seem illogical or irrational to the world. But we cannot use worldly knowledge or understanding to comprehend things of the Spirit. We need the mind of Christ.

Paul continues this discussion, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3a)

God want to give us meat- the hearty truths of the spiritual world; but some of us are only ready to receive milk. Mere infants in Christ.

What is it going to take for us to be able to digest meat? What do I need to give up or sacrifice today to align my desires with the Spirit?

The posture to receive is self-sacrificial- and is reflected in the Palms up/Palms down spiritual discipline. With our palms down, we turn over our burdens or desires and we release them into his hands.

With our palms up, we receive from the Lord, the gifts he has in store- to teach us, show us, reveal to us- his truth.

As has been lovingly said, “The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.”

This is us- we are living sacrifices. But our fleshly desires prevent us from receiving in full.

If we want a greater measure of the Holy Spirit, then sacrifice is required!

I want to be privy to God’s secret knowledge. But first, I must posture my heart to receive truth by dying to my flesh daily.