The Good Things the Happen In Your Hidden Season
Galatians 1:11, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zeal...
The Good Things the Happen In Your Hidden Season
Galatians 1:11, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 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. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.
In this text the Apostle Paul described something that I will call his “hidden season.” A hidden season is a period of time where God draws you close to Himself to do a work inside of you.
It is a hidden season, not because you are hidden and withdrawn from people. It is a hidden season because God is doing something inside of you that no one can see and that no one might know about.
It is very important to understand this: Do not make the mistake of trying to copy what God did with Paul or others. If you withdrew from others for three years, it would not be a “hidden season,” it would be season ending with no return.
Notice this statement, Galatians 1:11, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
This is very unique kind of grace reserved for apostles or other servants of God who are willing to be consecrated to God in an unusual ways. Most of the time we gain knowledge by instruction from others. “Revelation” is an accurate instruction or insights given by God to His servants. Because we have the Scriptures today, we don’t need revelation on Kingdom truth.
However, we do still receive revelation on God’s purposes for our lives. Another caution is to beware of people who say “God told me” but their lives don’t line up with the Scriptures.
Revelation is not something you have to seek, it is something that God does. Revelation comes to people who serve and seek Him.
In Proverbs 8:17 we read, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
John the Baptist blazed the trail for Jesus:
Luke 3:2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
...15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[b] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
...21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
Notice that the text said the Jesus was 30 years old when he began his ministry. From time he was a child to this day, we know nothing about Jesus’ life.
We only know this about Jesus first hidden season: Luke 2:52, And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Jesus had a second hidden season in the wilderness.
Luke 4:1, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Notice that Paul’s hidden season was also in a wilderness
Looking the Jesus’ and Paul’s hidden seasons, let’s learn about some of the good things that came out of those seasons:
In a hidden season:
1. You see things you could not see any other way.
2. You experience internal growth
3. You grow in wisdom and stature
4. You learn to trust trust God’s timing and become less restless
5. You learn patience
6. You learn to refocus on an audience of one, God
7. You gain the endorsement of God and no longer need the endorsement of man, “This is my Son”
8. You learn to rest in God’s endorsement, and you become less sensitive
Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
