The Lost Art of Revelation: Secrets to Spiritual Growth

Hour of God’s Power

Over the past year, I have had a radical turn around in my spiritual life. Amazingly, it came by going back to the basics of the things I believe, and finding ways to make them a daily lifestyle. Several years ago, while living in Los Angeles, I discovered that my day would flow much better if I spent 30-45 minutes a day doing a focused prayer walk and 15 minutes or so reading and meditating on the Bible. The results were so amazing that I was able to reduce my daily work hours because I knew what I needed to focus on at any given time.

When we moved to North Carolina – in a rural area with snakes, bugs, humidity and four seasons – I tried so hard to keep my “Hour of God’s Power” going, but was not able to be consistent. Eventually I sank back into the tyranny of the urgent and lost the edge I once had. It was pretty ironic that I was living in Moravian Falls, under an open Heaven environment in a cabin that was spiritually active with angelic activity, and I had trouble praying at the level I needed to in order to stay at a deep intimate level with God. It is out of relationship and intimacy with God that everything will flow. Don’t get me wrong, I still prayed and studied, but not at my fullest potential. Part of this may have been that, for me, California and the west coast is the land of my anointing. For some reason I fit best in the land of “fruits, flakes, and nuts!”

After moving back to California this year, I noticed that I began having more spiritual experiences with God and found it easy to get back into an Hour of God’s Power. I saw the changes and benefits almost immediately. While on my prayer walk, reading the Bible and taking a shower (in that order), I started to gain deep revelation about my day-to-day situations just like I had discovered several years ago while keeping this practice.  It is amazing that you know this in your head, but getting yourself to do it makes all the difference. I began making Matthew 6:33 my guiding verse:

Matthew 6:33 NIV  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The secret to spiritual growth

We can know the truth of the Bible, but if we are not actually doing it, then we are lacking a tangible revelation of the truth. Once we get a revelation of any verse or principle, it becomes alive in us and gives us a spiritual push forward. If we take the revelation a step farther, and we do something to practically use it or apply it in our life, then we begin to advance. If we do it regularly and make a habit or lifestyle from it, then momentum kicks in and we go to an entirely new level that few people are aware exists. If you take it even further and show others how to do it, you move ahead even more in your maturity, and you gain more wisdom and anointing because the more you give, the more you will receive. It really has been the secret to my success in my relationship with God and my ministry.

Some people misunderstand these Kingdom principles and push forward, making them rules instead of relational opportunities to be a conduit for God. The difference between striving and actively pursuing is that those who strive do not have the revelation and are doing it out of motivations like: “I am supposed to”; “it is good for me but I really don’t like it”; “I might get something out of it”; or  “it makes me a better Christian”, etc. When something becomes a rule, you lose intimacy with the giver of the gifts, and begin to lack grace and love for yourself and others.

The lost art of revelation

The principle of revelation is alive when God makes Himself real to us (Revelation 19:10). Those who commit their lives to Christ through a revelation of God usually experience a much more fulfilling spiritual life from those who do it out of a decision based on guilt, logic, or rules. Sometimes altar calls motivate people to come forward for the wrong reasons. When the Spirit draws us, as opposed to guilt or condemnation, then we connect with God at a much deeper level that is based on love, and we will see a greater level of change in our lives.

I have had several very deep revelations of verses from the Bible that have changed my life and now the lives of many. Most of my messages came through revelation which occurred during my Hour of God’s Power. You can go through my material or that of others and pick up principles that will change your life to some degree. But if you allow these principles to enlighten and motivate you through the Holy Spirit, then you cannot help but impact the world for God.

The Hour of God’s Power does not have to be an hour. It can be whatever you are comfortable with and feel God directing you to do. There are times for me that it is more and other times when it is less. The key is to grasp the revelation that things like reading the Bible, praying, worshipping, art, and yes, even exercising help you connect with God because you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. When you connect with God through intimacy and relationship, then you will want to spend more time with Him instead of doing it because you have to.

Ephesians 1:17-19 NIV
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.

May God bless you with eyes to see, ears that hear, and a spirit that perceives what it is He is calling you to right now!

Doug Addison

www.Dougaddison.com