A Spirit of Revelation
How much do you want to see?
A prayer that has captured my heart and is prayed almost daily comes from the words of Paul in Ephesians. He asked that the “God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Eph. 1:17). That is a profound request that I hope will consume your prayers. The word revelation (apokalupsis) is really a triple compound word. The root word (kalupsis) means to conceal or to hide, but the prefix to this word actually means to steal. This word is translated as “veil” in the New Testament and it refers to how the enemy steals or blinds the minds of unbelievers (see 2 Cor. 4:3-4). Satan desires to keep God’s people in spiritual darkness; to blind their eyes to the truth of the gospel. Revelation means to remove the veil and to expose the truth. Without divine illumination we would remain blind and ignorant to spiritual things and the word of the cross would sound foolish to us (see 1 Cor. 1:18).
Revelation is what enabled the apostle Paul to preach the gospel with boldness. He received the gospel not from a human being, but through revelation (see Gal. 1:12). That’s why he didn’t need to consult with flesh and blood about his calling; he had his eyes opened to spiritual truths through an encounter with the Holy Spirit and as a result, he was impervious to what people thought (see Gal. 1:16). Through revelation spiritual mysteries were made known to Paul (see Eph. 3:3), and he wrote to the Corinthians stating that their eyes, ears, and hearts hadn’t grasped what God had in store for them, but through revelation the Spirit was going to make those blessings known to them (see 1 Cor. 2:9-10). Revelation is one of the functions of the Spirit according to Jesus. He said, “When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Imagine that! The Holy Spirit, through His guidance and revelation, will lead us into all truth. Jesus went on to say that the Spirit will take everything that belongs to the Father and “disclose” it to us (see John 16:14-15). Little wonder then that Jesus said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 13:11). Jesus concluded by stating that we would see and hear things that many prophets of old never had the privilege of receiving because they were not able to be filled with the Spirit like we are. This is one of the blessings of a spirit of revelation in the new covenant.
I believe that revelation is ongoing throughout our lifetime if we’ll remain in the Spirit. I’ve had people tell me that truth is truth, and once we know God’s truth there is no expansion of that truth. I don’t believe that, and it doesn’t make sense either. Our understanding of truth can increase; moreover, truth is layered like lasagna and the Spirit knows when we’re ready to carry greater revelation. Jesus indicated that when He said to His disciples, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). In other words, they didn’t have the spiritual fortitude and stamina to carry a greater revelation at that moment, but once they were cleansed and filled with the Spirit, greater revelations would come. Let me suggest a few obvious things that will increase revelation in our lives. First, stay in the Spirit (see Gal. 5:25). Revelation is a blessing of a Spirit-filled life, so remain in the Spirit if you desire greater revelation. Second, immerse yourself in the Word of God. The scriptures were inspired, literally “breathed to life,” by the Spirit (see 2 Tim. 3:16). By constantly immersing ourselves in the Bible we will become saturated with a spirit of revelation. Third, pray prayers that are led and influenced by the Spirit (see Eph. 6:18). Prayer is communion with God; it’s the essence of worship. To truly worship God we must forget about ourselves; and to pray effectively, we must focus completely on Him. Jesus focused prayer/worship keeps us exposed to the Spirit and that keeps our minds attuned to revelation. Paul wrote, “Whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:16). When we turn to the Lord, literally, when we worship or focus on Him, He removes the cover from our eyes. Revelation always occurs in His presence. Fourth and finally, Paul wrote, “set your mind the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). Learn to live with a kingdom conscience and not a worldly conscience; seek first His kingdom in everything you do, and refuse to live with fear and anxiety believing that God will provide for you (see Matt. 6:33).
When Jesus came into the world He came as a light of revelation (see Luke 2:32). Among other things, He desired to open our eyes; to expose our eyes to the light of the gospel. God desires that we not merely see clearer, but that we hear, speak, think, and live differently. We are kingdom citizens sent as ambassadors of Christ to reconcile a world to God (see Phil. 3:20 and 2 Cor. 5:20). But we will not fulfill our assignments without a spirit of revelation. We will not live with a heavenly perspective if revelation is not increasing in our lives. Additionally, I believe that there are songs to be written, messages to be preached, pictures to be painted, music to be orchestrated, poems to be pinned, books to be printed, art to be sculpted, dances to be choreographed and God-given dreams waiting to come to fruition, but all of these things are the result of the inspiration and revelation of the Holy Spirit. So my encouragement to you is to do what is necessary to increase a spirit of revelation in your life.
Let’s pray
Father we pray that you would give to us a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Open our eyes to deeper spiritual truths, and expose our minds to kingdom realities. Let us live with a constant increase of spiritual truths and a consistent exposure to divine insights. We declare this to be so in Jesus’ name, amen.
