Grammatically we have many words that are synonymous but not necessarily identical. Although many fit in a language course as opposed to a faith conversation, human language is a necessary part of interpreting spiritual utterances that may not be known to all yet necessary for the advancement of the seeker.
According to the Merriam Webster english dictionary, secrecy is defined as the condition of being hidden or concealed while confidentiality is of a subject or thing intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person, group, or class. For example, you can know information about yourself that you would prefer to keep hidden because you do not know how it would be received or interpreted if anyone was to ever find out about it. That is a secret. You can also have a piece of information that you can tell a select couple of individuals, friends or family whom you have no objection having them know but would feel betrayed or endangered if any of these select few was to ever share that with another individual you did not wish to involve. That is confidentiality.
Biblically, we see many accounts of both secrecy and confidentiality. For example, when angel Gabriel appears to Mary concerning the divine conception of the Messiah (), there was a confidential aspect to this information because Elizabeth knew as soon as she saw Mary (), Simeon and Anna knew by the spirit that this child was the Messiah yet He was only a baby (). When we look at it from the angle of men like Herod, who was a danger to this child and his family (), he only heard by word of mouth that a King had been born and he felt threatened to be dethroned and wanted to kill the child. To Herod, this otherwise confidential news exclusive to a select few, was a secret.
Of Confidentiality
But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
After Paul’s conversion, we read in scripture that he turned blind and a man by the name of Ananias was informed in a vision that he was to lay hands on Paul for him to recover his sight (). Ananias was informed in a separate revelation and at a distance from where Paul was, because God did not intend for Paul’s conversion to be a secret but to be shown publicly when he was ready to withstand the trials that would come with it. In our theme scripture, Paul says that he did not consult flesh and blood because the instruction he had just received was not given by flesh and blood and consequently could not necessarily be well interpreted or understood by the latter. Believers who are consistent and active in their life of faith will testify that oftentimes, you may receive direct instruction from God through the Holy Spirit and the moment you attempt to share it with others seeking validation, what you receive is discouragement and seeds of doubt.
I have found through personal experience and chastising of the spirit, that our need for validation from our fellow men will sometimes overpower the credibility of the supernatural. The supernatural cannot be experienced through our senses and sometimes this can lead us to doubt God and believe man instead. The danger of revealing matters that are still confidential to you and your spirit is exposing a seed that is immature enough to be killed or hindered from growth altogether.
For example, a pregnancy that ends before the generic nine months is called a mis-carriage, involving a mishap in carrying the seed to maturation. One that is birthed before time, although the seed could be alive, is called premature, meaning it has a fullness it has not attained – which could be dangerous for it. The same is with certain revelations from God, they are a seed because His Word is seed (). The more unfathomable or impossible it seems, the more it calls for confidentiality and patience for it to mature to safety, until it can be exposed without danger. Another peculiarity about Paul’s story that enables us to drive this point home is the estimated three years he spent in Damascus after his conversion. These three years were not spent secretly because he is said to have been preaching and demonstrating power to the gentiles in Damascus causing many to repent and follow Christ but Paul did not immediately expose himself to the jews in Jerusalem who had known him as a persecutor of their message.
There is wisdom in doing so because in as much as Paul had perfect knowledge () of the scriptures, he had a skewed understanding of it and needed to reconcile it to the grace Jesus gave him at the encounter on the road. He had to exercise diligence in studying this message correctly, give himself to prayer while obeying his commission and not be found at fault in all he did before he could meet the other Apostles and be tested and proven. It is therefore the responsibility of the believer, through prayer and patience to exercise diligence in discerning what needs to be shared, when it needs to be shared and to whom it must be shared to. Such a discipline preserves you from miscarrying the seeds of God, bringing them forth prematurely and living a frustrated life that always produces unfulfilled promises, resulting in resentment towards God — simply because one lacks wisdom to reconcile these truths.
Of Secrecy
“The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”
Some of the greatest scholars of scripture, notably Charles Spurgeon, have tried to put in words the depth of this scripture, because such things can only be felt to be known. But ‘the secret’ in this scripture points to a familiar intercourse, a confidential intimacy that the carnal mind can never guess or come near. In simpler terms, this verse would read the following way: ‘the friendship of the Lord is with those who fear (revere) Him, and to them he shows His graciousness and excellence’. It is possible for a believer to experience things IN GOD that human language has no vocabulary to express yet are so real to the believer who has ascended into a higher spiritual life and intimacy with God through Christ.
In the book of , the Bible talks about a path the fowl has not known pointing to the ability of eagles to see far and wide thanks to their aerial view when they fly. It is metaphorically symbolizing wisdom that one can attain by the grace of God outside of academia, philosophy or logic from the hand of the one who owns all things and knows all things. Such wisdom can cause a twenty-five year old to sit in the presence of people three times their age and teach them Godly ways of life. Such wisdom can position an undergraduate degree holder to rightfully occupy a position in the marketplace that is notorious to be attained only by masters or PhD holders. Such wisdom can enable a 99 year old woman to receive power to conceive seed, when scientifically it is impossible.
Such wisdom however, is only secret so that believers may willfully exercise themselves through faith to build intimacy with God therein attaining it. God takes pleasure in revealing it plainly to those who stay the course () because there is no carnal secret that dwells with Him with a mere intention to be hideous or to deceive.
Discerning The Times To Testify
Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
With such a teaching, some would get confused and wonder if I am telling you not to testify of the goodness of God. That is not so.
In our theme scripture, the Bible says that Job’s friends sat and kept quiet because they saw how great his suffering was. A certain minister of the Gospel once wrote about the ministry of silence especially concerning grief. In his exposee on this matter, he explained how in moments where someone is making sense of tragedies that have befallen them, the kind that man has no control over, such as death, the most compassionate thing sometimes is to tame the innate and natural urge to say something. And we can all plead guilty of such instances, where we believed being there for someone is to speak too many words, some of which consist of thoughts they are already wrestling with. The same is with the wisdom to discern when a seed planted by God should remain confidential or has matured enough to be given as a testimony.
Child of God, learn to be patient with the things of God. Historically, He has proven to be a God of the process and in every circumstance you find yourself in, learn to wait before you make any move carnally. It is also important to ascertain that you are not waiting in fear because that will only cripple you and sometimes cause you to disobey, but when your mind is stayed on Him, He keeps you in perfect peace () – consequently causing you to wait in and with peace. Such a posture cannot be attained by human effort but only by the help of the Holy Spirit who is able to make you sensitive to the appropriate times of God to testify of His goodness.
A testimony released before time is a miscarried seed. A testimony released outside of time is of no wonder to men. Take heed that you may be found responsive to the appropriate times and seasons, and carry your seeds to full term into fulfillment. [Selah]
If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, and you feel that this is the perfect time, pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I thank you because you died for my sins and you were raised for my glory. Today, I receive you as my Lord and Savior. I am born again. Amen.”
