Enjoying God Means Enjoying Yourself

The Secret Place

In Isaiah 45:3, God states that He will give His anointed one the hidden riches of the secret place. The Lord has been showing me more and more that He is the one who hides treasure within you, and He is the one who unlocks treasure within you. He placed hidden potential within you that can only be found as He unearths the secret things He buried within your heart.

This is not about finding value hidden in a gift or a talent, it is about finding value in myself. I'm not worth something because of what I can do, I am worth something simply because I am. Human tendency seems to be to constantly fall into finding our value in what we do. But what you do is not hidden, it is in plain sight. God calls what is hidden within the heart riches of the secret place. Frankly, what you do is a terrible measure of success, since what you do can be taken away in a moment. It's not that I'm gifted, it's that I'm valuable. What is hidden is the inner essence of my life. And God has looked upon that and called it a treasure.

The revelation of the love of God carries with it a corresponding revelation of the unworthiness of man. We tend to realize in God's great choice that we don't deserve the choice. The element of His love that undoes us is the fact that he looks beyond our unworthiness and chooses anyway. We can discredit ourselves a thousand different ways each day but that would never negate the choice God makes of us.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1

The point of spiritual maturity is not a state in which all your problems go away. It is to realize that in the midst of our failures, God still draws us. Often, our attempts to convince ourselves that sin is not present are our feeble attempts to convince ourselves that God should love us. But John’s point is that admitting that we have sin does not distance us from God, but rather provides the opportunity to throw ourselves upon a loving Father.

In the picture of 1 John 2:1, Jesus is right there cheering your name before the Father. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals to us a good Father that delights in rewarding his children. In Luke 12:32, Jesus reveals that the Father delights in giving His kingdom to his children. So, in 1 John 2:1 we see the picture of an advocate in Jesus reminding a good Father just how lovely you are. To me, it seems that John’s point is something like this, “How could you possible question God’s motive towards you? Don’t you know you have a good Gather, and that His Son is in love with you? Sin could never define you or be the barrier between you and Him, because He has done everything possible to eradicate your distance from Him.”

John drives the point home in the previous chapter.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

John does not say “will cleanse” or “has cleansed,” but “cleanses.” The tense of the Greek verb is present. As we are in Him, communing with Him we are cleansed through ongoing communion. The Lord said to me recently,

“Your gifts are not your increase, My Spirit is your increase.”

It is God working in us and through us that effects every aspect of life. It is not any great gift that grants you value, it is the very Spirit of God coursing through your spirit. And that is something you can take to the bank.

The coming months

The next three months will see trips to Edmonton, Ontario, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Brunswick. God is on the move and we are anticipating great things within Wind Ministries. Please continue to pray for us and this ministry. I’ve just spent some time in British Columbia visiting old friends and churches. This was the first time I had been back since moving to the east coast of Canada. It was good to see old friends and connect with new friends.

We know the Lord looks kindly upon your generous gifts. As we are blessed by your support, you are blessed in return. We can say that with confidence as the Lord loves a cheerful giver. And it is our joy to walk out this call with each and every one of you. For tax deductible donations to Wind Ministries, visit our Donation Page.

Our prayer for you is that the presence of God would visit you in unique ways, and that you would be interruptible when He comes. May boldness come upon you to do great exploits for Him.

It is an honor to serve the Lord with you. 

Blessings,

Joshua Hoffert

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