The Hidden Wisdom of God: the Pathway to Glory
Prophet Elisee Yao / 13 Oct 2019
Paul tells us that there is a mystery hidden from the knowledge of man. Many are discouraged and frustrated because they don’t understand the mysteries within the Word; they have been taught to confess the Word, and meditate on it, yet they don’t see the tangible fruits of their confessions. How many quote the scripture ‘by His stripes I am healed!’ yet carry disease all their life? It is a mystery! But Paul breaks down this mystery for us: if we want to receive what God has given us, we need to understand the hidden wisdom of God, concealed in His Word, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16, New International Version
6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—10these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16for,“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
What is the hidden wisdom of God? It is the way God presents His truth while also concealing it from the understanding of mankind and even Satan. The ways of God are mysterious, and not everyone understands them. Paul tells us that ‘no eye has seen…no ear has heard, and…no human mind has conceived’ (v9). These mysteries have to be revealed to us by the Spirit for us to understand His ways. The ‘revelator’ of the mysteries of God is the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Speaks in Parables
Matthew 13:10-11, New International Version
10The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”1 1He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Jesus purposely wrapped the truth up into parables, so that the true meaning was concealed. When Jesus said to His disciples that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:53-66, NIV), many of Jesus’ disciples left Him. They didn’t understand the wisdom hidden in this specific teaching. It is very frustrating to know the letters without understanding their meaning, and this is why so many of God’s people are disappointed. Like a hungry man staring through the glass of a bakery store window at the food within without the means to purchase the food, God has prepared many great things for His people, but we can’t all access them. Just like the hungry man looking in, it’s not the food but the means to get the food that’s the problem. The food is already supplied but unless you pay, you won’t be able to eat. Similarly, it is possible that God supplies but you can’t access it. The provisional grace of God needs to be accessed, otherwise you will live your entire life unfulfilled and dissatisfied. The Bible tells us that “[They] know nothing, they understand nothing…you are all sons of the Most High, but you will die like mere mortals” because of a lack of understanding of God’s ways (Psalm 82:5-6). There are many, many mysteries that need to be decoded and unfolded to empower God’s people.
Some Examples of the Mysterious Ways of God
Joseph
When God wanted to send Joseph to Egypt, He did not send him directly, God sent Joseph to Egypt in a mysterious way. By the understanding of man, Joseph was cursed, and yet that was God’s way of getting him where He wanted Him to be.
Jesus Comes to Earth in the Form of a Baby
God, in His wisdom, decided to come to earth in a way that people would not recognize him. Wisdom was hidden in the body of a little child, and it was so profound that when Mary held him, she was holding the very source of her own life at the same time. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, nobody in town knew that he had been born. It took the people of the East, called wise men, people with genuine wisdom and understanding, to know what was really happening. A star in the sky became brighter, and since the wise men studied the stars, they understood the message inscribed in the star, and followed it to Jesus. However, they fell short. When they came to Jerusalem, they followed the required protocol and went directly to Herod, as the highest authority in that area, seeking insight. They decided to follow protocol instead of the star. The King was surely supposed to know about the birth of the King of the Jews? Yet, as Herod sat on his throne, he remained ignorant, not knowing anything about it.
Some have come so far with God, yet they have taken their eyes off of the star (what God is showing them) to follow earthly protocol. This will kill the revelations within you. The wise men left Herod’s presence realizing that they had the key all along: to look into heaven. The key is upward and not on the horizon. This is the hidden wisdom of God: if God hadn’t hid the message in the stars, Herod would have killed Jesus. So the wise men followed the star, which came to a standstill over the place where Jesus was born.
The glory of God is revealed from faith to faith.
The glory of God is revealed from faith to faith. It was the wisdom of God to come to earth in the form of a baby, and then to mature and grow into His true Kingship. As Jesus grew, He had the opportunity to acquire knowledge and acquaint Himself with His surroundings; to grow and learn. It’s all about the process of growth. To pray for spiritual growth is not a reasonable prayer unless you are willing to do what is required to grow. Spiritual growth is not all about prayer, but also action.
A Voice from Heaven and the Cross
John 12:27-32 (New International Version)
27“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
The people here were following Jesus, but they lacked understanding. The mystery was hidden from them, so they were left guessing: some said it was thunder; others said it was an angel. But Jesus tells them that “this voice [is] for your benefit, not mine”, and He goes on to explain to them what the Voice said (v31). Jesus had to decode things for them because they had no clue. Jesus then explains that His glorification will be the result of his crucifixion (v32). The Bible tells us, “For had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8). If they only knew!
But what didn’t they know? The people were unaware that crucifying Jesus was His glorification, because by it, we would have free access to the Holy Sprint to come. While Jesus was on earth, the Presence was limited to His body because only the presence of Jesus could be contained within the spirit of Jesus Himself. But when Jesus was crucified, He was set free from the limitations of the body. Jesus told them that His Father would give them a gift (“another advocate to help you and be with you forever”; John 14:26, NIV), that He had received this gift, and that it would be given back to them. When Jesus gave His spirit to God on the cross, that was His gift to His Father, but Jesus wanted the gift back for the earth. The people at that time did not know that the cross was a setup to bring forth each of us! All along, the devil thought he was crucifying Jesus, when in actual fact, he was birthing you. And so, the great deceiver was deceived.
The cross was your birthing process.
The crucifixion was a birthing process. The first thing that happens when a woman is about to give birth is that her water breaks. Just like “the voice of God is over the waters” (Psalm 29:3), when the water breaks it is an announcement that somebody confined inside for 9 months is about to come out. First the water, and then the blood, because no birth can take place without blood. When Jesus was crucified, and His side was pierced, both water and blood came out. So the cross was your birthing process. If the people had known what Jesus would birth at the cross, they would have left him alone. This secret of multiplication was hidden from Satan. Jesus knew that after He was killed, had risen, and returned to heaven, the Spirit would be released.
The Holy Spirit came out on the day of Pentecost. He is “the Spirit of truth…which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17, NIV). When Jesus said He would be with them He was talking about Himself, and He was implying that soon, that same Spirit would be in them. The world cannot receive because they don’t know Him. For you to receive something from God, you need to have the knowledge. Knowing both implies, and precedes, receiving.
Faith is one of the keys to receiving understanding, but there is a mystery behind faith itself that we battle to grasp. If we could decode the mystery of faith, we would be able to move mountains. When Jesus said, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move…” (Matt 17:20, NIV), He was talking about a literal mountain. We have converted this idea of mountains into ‘problems’ because it is easier for us to move problems. Yet, Jesus was talking about moving an actual mountain! There was a certain church building (exact details concealed for protection) that was going to be destroyed by the government, so the believers laid hands on the church, and they shifted the entire church to another area. The deep mysteries of God are still at work today! There is Someone in you that is greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4, NIV). If we could only awaken to the Fatherhood of God, we could be like Jesus and even greater. You yourself are a mystery.
Writings on the Wall
The writings of God’s kingdom are on the wall but how many can actually read it? (Daniel 5:25-29, see Knowing God through the Glory). There was a mystery hidden in the heavenly words written on King Belshazzar’s banquet wall. Similarly, the writing of your destiny is already on the wall, but it takes a man of the Spirit to decode it so that you can walk in your destiny. Once deciphered, each word (‘MENE’, ‘TEKEL’, and ‘UPHARSIN/PARSIN’) was a full sentence. When you speak in tongues you are speaking mysteries too (1 Cor 14:2); you could be expressing the summary of your whole life in just a few heavenly words when you speak in tongues.
But the question remains: why would God give a hidden message to the king, rather than simply sending it in his own language? Wouldn’t it be easier if God just spoke directly and plainly to King Belshazzar? This is the mystery of God: He desires to talk to us, and when He says something we need to rely on His wisdom to understand what He’s saying. In the time of Daniel and Jesus, a wise man with the Spirit of God was needed. Now, you are the wise man yourself, because the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
The Key is the Holy Spirit
The only representative of understanding in this world now, is the Holy Spirit. “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:11, NIV). You can’t understand God unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to you. He is the one who will lead you in truth and understanding, and you can only reach that truth in relationship with Him. The problem is that we often neglect the Holy Spirit.
The ten virgins (Matt 25), were all the same: all slept, all woke, and all had lamps. The only difference was the oil. The lamp represents the Word, which all churches have, but what makes the difference is the oil. The amount of oil that you carry determines your success in the kingdom. God can promise you a big future but you can perish without seeing it fulfilled, just like the people of Israel who died in the desert. They could not enter the Promised Land because they couldn’t understand the ways of God. Only the Holy Spirit can explain the ways of God to us. The church has the word, but many have insufficient oil. The oil is not more important than the lamp (and vice versa) because both are needed to give light, but without oil our interpretation of the word is carnal. The reason why many people don’t see the promises of God fulfilled in their lives, is because they fail to have enough oil. When the Bridegroom was announced, their destiny had arrived. They came to the gate of destiny, but five of the virgins couldn’t enter because they neglected their relationship with the Holy Spirit. At the very moment when they were supposed to lay hold of the promises of God, they did not have enough oil. They took only a little thinking of the cost, not knowing that it was for free. The church doesn’t want to pay the price of time: sitting, meditating on the Word, and praying. If you don’t have enough oil, you will not be able to give out to others without becoming empty yourself. Others should only receive of the overflow. The substance, however, cannot be received by others. The substance is not given, it is taken, as the Word says “the kingdom of heaven is taken by force” (Matt 11:12). You reach a stage in your life where the Holy Spirit cannot be given anymore, but must rather be taken. The church will go nowhere if we just want to receive. That attitude will only take you to the gate of destiny, but the moment you need to meet with your Bridegroom, there will be no one to receive extra oil from.
The substance is not given, it is taken.
The Holy Spirit must explain mysteries to us individually (in relationship) so that we can access our destiny. God wants us to be successful, that is His heart. But He has a specific blueprint written for our success, and He wants us to follow that precise path. Some of us are praying and trusting for things that we will never get because we are not willing to serve in order to access it. Not everything is received in prayer; we need to reach a point of listening and obeying in action. There is a wisdom written in heaven about you and you need to follow the directions for God to get you where He wants you to go.
Don't Neglect the Holy Spirit
If you don’t neglect the Holy Spirit, there won’t be any surprises. Before anything can happen to you, it is first discussed in the Spirit. The reason why Revelations was shown to John was because it was already written, and John’s experience was God showing him what was written: past, present, and future. Peter, for example, was sitting with Jesus all the while not aware that his case was being discussed in the heavenlies. Jesus knew Satan’s agenda with Peter because Jesus’ ears were open to the council of heaven. The day before Job lost everything, he was a happy man; he did not know that his case was being discussed in heaven and he had no ability to tap in to hear what was being said. What is happening to each of us has already been settled in the Spiritual realm. The prophet Isaiah stood with his ears inclined to heaven, ‘eavesdropping’ on heavenly interactions, and writing the mysteries of God. If Job had the ability of Isaiah, he would have been able to intercede before tragedy struck, but instead he suffered like so many others. When you are able to hear from the Holy Spirit, you are able to avoid accidents. Accidents are not supposed to happen; they are the result of carelessness. But when we don’t incline our ears toward heaven, accidents happen even when they are not meant to. God is asking: who has an ear to hear what is being said in the heavenlies right now, and eyes to see what is happening in the Spirit? “Whom shall I send?” to which the answer should be, “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
It’s our privilege (our divine inheritance) to be in the council of God. We are not seated in heavenly places to be silent. We are seated there to be part of the mighty council of heaven, to decree, to participate in the heavenly conversation, to download the mysteries of heaven, and to tap into the secret intel of God’s wisdom. When you are part of the council of heaven, you can have your say, but if you remain silent, the majority will speak. It is time to put aside carnality, and be spiritually minded! God revealing Himself to us is not a display of grace; it’s our privilege. When you’re actively involved in the council of heaven, there are no secrets between you and God, you can even know when you are going to die.
God revealing Himself to us is not a display of grace, it’s our privilege.
If you don't spend time relating with the Holy Spirit, you will not be able to understand the times and seasons of the Spirit. God has hidden His wisdom, and the Holy Spirit is the only one who can reveal these mysteries to you. But how many people truly enter the secrets of God? When you access divine intelligence, you start to cooperate with God for the manifestation of His glory. The church must move from a place of guessing, into the ‘seat’ of knowing. Desperation comes when we don’t understand. It is your divine privilege to know the mysteries of God, you just need to take the time to ask Him. The writings are already on the wall, but we must have the eyes of the Spirit to interpret them. The moment you understand and walk according to His ways, the glory comes.
When you refuse to learn, you remain the same. We must mature past the point of expecting to just receive from others, by rather tapping into Something higher, Something bigger than ourselves. But we cannot mature without understanding, and that requires being teachable. Let us not neglect the Holy Spirit, but rather humble ourselves before the Lord, incline our ears to heaven, and ask our heavenly Father to reveal His mysterious ways to us through His Holy Spirit.
Shalom