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“But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand.” (1 Corinthians 15:51, Msg) "The Christ within, who is our hope of glory is not a matter of theological debate or philosophical speculation. He is not a hobby, a part-time project, a good theme for a book, or a last resort when all human effort fails. He is our life, the most real fact about us. He is the power and wisdom of God dwelling within us.” Brennan Manning

Any who claim to fully know or understand the Message of Jesus Christ are missing one not so minor detail—personal faith (living by faith, not by sight). Apart from faith the ‘secret truths’ of the Gospel of Jesus will remain mysterious and unlocked. ‘Having believed’, ‘without faith it is impossible’ and ‘through faith’ are the tried and proven keys to unlocking this extraordinary Message of Jesus! Every moment of our walk with Jesus is boosted {driven forward or onward by means of a force that imparts motion} by our own unique gift of faith. God desires to begin a process of awakening us to who He is. He seeks for us to know how deep, how strong, how wide is His love! Revelation of God’s love is the beginning of all change. When we see the One who owns everything and spoke everything into existence knows our name personally, bore our pain personally, and loves us completely, we can grow into our design. God’s love gives us the courage to change.

“This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all.” (Ephesians 5:32a, Message) Paul, the very one entrusted with this secret or mysterious truth said this… “pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” We need the same prayer that Paul requested!

11 Faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. ² For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.

³ By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 Amplified)

What are the elements of this faith? “Don’t only practice your art (faith), but force your way into its secrets.” (Beethoven) There is a world of difference in the tension between a passive profession of Jesus and forcing your way into his secrets! “You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to Him, been well instructed in the (secret) truth precisely as we have it in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20-21, Message) To embrace the latter will always call us to force (by faith) our way into the secrets of his life! Ours is to pay careful attention as Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all the truth. He alone instructs us well and gently unveils the ‘secret truths’ of this glorious Gospel! Following are four prominent aspects of Mystery and Secret Truth.

Mystery and Secret Truth:

1. a spiritual truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand

2. profound, inexplicable, or secretive quality or character <the mystery of her smile>

3. something which baffles or perplexes apart from deep, un-relentless focus and attention

4. applies to what cannot be fully understood by reason or less strictly to whatever resists or defies explanation

The greatest mystery and/or secret truth awaiting discovery is our devotion, adoration, attachment, affection and intimacy with Jesus. But, be duly warned; our adversary’s (the evil one, religious systems, the world system and the mind of the flesh) are constantly strategizing against our devotion with Jesus.

“I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:1-3, NIV)

Embrace the following scriptures in the core of your being (the heart Jesus has given you-the sanctuary of Holy Spirit). “I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters…We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began…May God receive glory. He is able to strengthen your faith because of the good news I preach. It is the message of Jesus Christ. It is in keeping with the mystery that was hidden for a very long time…God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you. Therefore, you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message… He showed us the mystery of his plan. It was in keeping with what he wanted to do. It is what he had planned through Christ…The mystery is that people who have never heard of God, and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.”

God desires to begin a process of awakening us to who He is. He seeks for us to know how deep, how strong, how wide is His love! Revelation of God’s love is the beginning of all change. When we see the One who owns everything and spoke everything into existence knows our name personally, bore our pain personally, and loves us completely, we can grow into our design. God’s love gives us the courage to change.

If we (by faith) grasped how much God genuinely loves us, if we could see ourselves through His eyes, our lives would be dramatically different. We would know who we are and what our purpose is. I can assure you that we would live very differently, love extravagantly and pray strategically. (Jill Austin) “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things that come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34)

Mystery Solved~~We are Loved, Ron Ross