“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

Did you know that God has riches hidden in secret places? And these are riches He is eager for you to possess. Am I saying that God wants you rich? I don’t know what God wants for you with respect to tangible riches. I don’t know your character, your calling or your capabilities. What I do know is that there are great riches hidden in secret places and the kind of riches I am speaking of cannot be seen with the eye.

Take for example the rainforest. People with limited vision see only with their natural eye and cut it down to obtain temporal, tangible riches. They sell the timber and create pasture land for cows. But people with great vision who have spent time in the secret place of God know that God made the systems that make the rainforest the most productive and fruitful system on the planet producing tremendous abundance out of relative scarcity.

In spending time with the Father, they learn the systems. They discover the ways of God. They obtain great wealth of wisdom as they inherit His heart for the created order and in the process they can be trusted with the power that wisdom gives them. It is the unseen riches that produce the visible riches. Most folks chase the visible, corruptible, temporal riches. Wise ones chase the unseen eternal riches and in apprehending them, have everything else they need.

And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:3)

Things are changing fast. Our paper dollar is sinking and gold is floating high. Real estate values turned out to not be not so real and their values are plummeting. They are predicting another 20% drop in home prices in SW Florida this year! But yet, if you have eyes to see and with a little planning, there are fortunes to be made. They are to be found hidden in the secret places. They are wrapped in darkness, even gloom.

While our current economy is tanking and the personal wealth of millions is evaporating before our eyes, there are some who saw this coming and are beginning to step into the gloom, the darkness, and see what others do not. They see opportunity and are poised to take advantage of the times.

You don’t have to have cash to take advantage of the changing times. You must have vision however. And courage. Cash helps, but vision — when it is clear — attracts an abundance of cash from those who don’t see as clearly as you. Get really clear on your vision. Begin to see what God sees and learn to communicate that. It will attract everything that is needed to get it done.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

As we begin this year, I want us all to be on the lookout for those things, those opportunities, those ideas, those riches God has hidden in secret places and which He is quite willing to reveal to those who carry His heart. It seems to me that it is paramount that we discover and carry God’s heart before we begin looking for His riches. In fact, finding His heart and carrying it is perhaps the greatest treasure of all and it prepares us with the wisdom to carry greater responsibility. If we were to find His riches without finding Him we have gained nothing and risked everything.

Jesus said “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Think of it is this way, when you find His kingdom, discover His ways and lay hold of His righteousness, you will have the keys to everything that pertains to life and godliness. When we grasp the laws of the kingdom and operate within them, “all these things shall be added to us.” So the first treasure to be sought is the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He will lead us into everything else we need that is directly tied to our calling. If you are called to business, get ready to learn witty inventions. Get ready to innovate. Get ready to see that which you have previously missed. Get ready to hear the whisper of God.

Some years ago my wife and I were having lunch and the Holy Spirit directed me to immediately go and make a particular investment. Without knowing the current price, the past history or the projected future, we followed the Lord’s leading. The person we dealt with asked if we were “in the know” because the price had just begun to move off its low where it had been for awhile. I just smiled. Smiled more later when it increased by over 350% in an environment where other investments were failing all around. Get ready folks… Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

Okay. Here it is early in the New Year and I’ve been expecting to find some treasures in darkness and hidden riches in secret places. I found one that we expect will dramatically impact the endowment we are raising for the Christian Business School some of you know I am heavily involved with. Although the endowment grew by tens of millions of dollars in the last two quarters of 2007, we expect that to pale in comparison to 2008. If I told you the goal for 2008 you would not believe it, but that’s not important. We do.

We need the endowment to launch the school and we intend to eventually take it internationally to help lesser privileged people groups have access to first world, kingdom class business training. Naturally, to raise hundreds of millions of dollars takes a combination of God’s favor (without which we would be nowhere), diligent work, tremendous vision and insightful strategies. One of those strategies opened up to us as the New Year began and I really want to share it with you so you can apply it. Here goes…

Remember the Parable of the Sower? Besides the intended message, it also teaches us something about High Probability Selling. When it was all said and done, less than 20% of the seed in that story produced over 80% of the return. As 2007 came to a close, we evaluated what the profile of our high returning opportunities were and in 2008 we are able to filter out the hard ground, the stony ground and the thorny ground opportunities, despite the fact that they contain millions of dollars of potential revenue for us. By knowing what the good ground looks like and directing our efforts exclusively in that field we can now increase our result by a factor of 5 in the coming year. (God willing)

You have to be willing to let some opportunities go to others while you focus on High Probability Targets. Remember, time is of the essence. We are told to redeem the time and make the most of every opportunity. Moses told us in Psalm 90 to number our days that we might apply a heart of wisdom. One way to do that is to recognize that time is ticking and ask the Lord to show us the High Probability Targets for developing the vision He has given us to bring to fruition.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

Did you know God has secrets? He does. In fact, “the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him and He will show them His covenant.” (Ps 25:14) He also has secret places which He invites us into. When you find Him in the secret place, you have also found the hidden riches He stores in secret places. The beauty of it is this… the secret place is not accessible to all. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” The only people who find their way into the secret place with God and have access to the hidden riches, have purified their motives and been cleansed from all unrighteousness.

The treasures of God including the tangible riches He owns without end, are guarded by virtue and purity and wisdom. When we approach the living God and become transformed by the renewing of our mind. When we have discovered the heart of God towards all of His creation, we are on the path to becoming excellent stewards of every resource He has. I believe God is interested in putting men and women who carry His heart for others in control of the hidden riches of secret places. These riches will lay dormant until we as His children have been trained by the things we suffer. Then we will not be enamored with riches nor deceived by them. They will be a tool for accomplishing a higher purpose.

I am on that journey of pursuing Him, to have a heart that pulses with His love, to have a mind that thinks the thoughts of God, to have a soul through which courage courses every day. I want to apprehend the thing for which I have been apprehended and for me that lays in the marketplace. It is my honor to walk with you my dear brothers and sisters and to share with you such as I find that you too may enter into all that He has for you through the gate of ‘08 and beyond!

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

We stand at the gate looking at 2008 and wondering what it will hold. I believe there are many treasures hidden in darkness waiting for you and me to discover. They are not lying on the path but rather in the hidden places, requiring light and diligence to find. The treasures are not dark in and of themselves, but are hidden in darkness until someone brings them to light. Furthermore, we are not speaking of a single treasure, though that would be blessing enough, but treasures, expressing an incalculable amount, more than can be expended.

Two things I will solemnly tell you this year. The first is that there is great treasure lying undiscovered all around us, hidden in darkness, waiting for the light to come and reveal it. Will you be the light? It could be something like the great diamond find in Canada that rivals Africa. It could be an invention, a cure for cancer, alternative fuels, a software product, a book, a song or a new way of doing an old thing. I promise you this year, they will be found. That is beyond contestation. The question is… Will you be one who finds it?

That brings me to my second solemn point… I believe God wants to entrust those treasures to His children. But we have to be seekers, searching early for wisdom, watching daily at His gates. As we grow in Him and in His wisdom, we can be trusted with the treasures and they will be used to bless the world, not merely fill our bank account. Are you ready this year to receive the treasures of darkness? Then seek Him first and foremost. Pursue Him diligently. You will find along the way the treasures hidden in darkness reserved for such a time as this.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

To the sons (mature ones) I write. The Lord has great treasures of darkness waiting for you to have eyes that you may see them. What are these treasures buried in the dark places? While it is true that Cyrus found literal treasure hidden in dark places, there surely is a spiritual application. In fact, there are many… The first one that comes to mind is the great treasure that I have gained in my darkest hours. My first born child was born with Down syndrome when I was such a young man. Those first few days were dark for me, but then the light exploded upon the scene and I saw such treasure. I realized that I was more fortunate than my friends. I grew much in wisdom and the ways of God.

Eighteen months later she died, less than a week before Christmas. Darkness came calling again. It envelops you, wants to rob you of any hope for ever seeing the light again. But in that darkness I once again found great treasure — not the tangible kind that decays, but incorruptible treasure that gives life to this day. And those are just the dark places I am willing to write about. There have been others where the darkness is not only void of light, but somehow thick with oppression. But even in that, I learned to see and God brought me out of that place into the glorious light of His dear Son.

Are you in a dark place right now? Ask God to show you the treasure. Ask Him to bring you into the light. Let His word be a candle to your feet and a light to your path. I can say with absolute certainty there is no darkness His light cannot penetrate. There is no heaviness a spirit of praise cannot break. There is no desperation that unbridled worship cannot deliver you from. This is beyond contestation despite the wishes of others who would rather you stay in darkness. I invite you my dear brothers and sisters to the light today. Come.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings,(2) to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (3) I will go before you, and (4) make the crooked places straight: (Isa 45:1-3)

So I ask you, what makes a crooked path? I believe there are two causes of the crooked path and they both serve a purpose. The first cause of the crooked path is God Himself. It is on the crooked path that we learn to rely on Him. It is on the crooked path that we come to the end of ourselves. It is on the crooked path that we behold the beauty of the Lord and His glory. It is on the crooked path, that we must bend our will to His way. It is on the crooked path that we become entwined with Him. We injure ourselves when we try to straighten what God has made crooked. We must learn to bend with the Father and conform to His “way”. He is taking us to school along the crooked path. Learn to enjoy the scenery.

Charles Kuralt of CBS fame once said, “Interstate highways allow you to drive coast to coast, without seeing anything”. It’s the curse of the straight path. While it’s true that the shortest path between any two points is a straight line, the straight line is not always best. The devil always tells us, we deserve it now. Get rich quick. Take the shortest path. Don’t wait. Time’s a wasting! If you get on the straight path, (the interstate highway), before you have the Father’s heart built in and the old nature brought under, you may find yourself broadsided by a fast moving 18 wheeler, you didn’t see coming!

Give a young man his inheritance before he has the wisdom to steward it and you will lose both the inheritance and quite possibly your son. Before you give your child any inheritance, make sure you have passed on the inheritance of your heart. A great way to do that is on the difficult path. The crooked path. The inheritance of your heart is more “caught than taught” and the trials of life provide the perfect context to pass on the wealth of understanding God has deposited in your heart as you learned to bend to His will and His ways along the winding path.

Quick note: For an excellent teaching on what it means to pass on your wealth to the next generation, I suggest you get your hands on this. You won’t be disappointed.

Creating Wealth: Training Families to Build Dynasties
Eight Part Series. This Strategic Christian Services seminar focuses on the ultimate challenge we all face, in terms of making our lives truly count for God’s purposes in history-how, in our personal lives, families, careers, and even our nation, we pass on the inheritance of our hearts so that our values, vision, and wealth are not wasted by the next generation. For the first time, the entire Peacocke family (Dennis, Jan, Adam, Rachel, and Katherine) shares together in a conference, both individually and in a panel discussion. God is beginning to restore an understanding of generational transfer to us as a people and as a nation. Our intention is to provide you with practical tools to break the curse of single-generational living.

Here are links to the downloadable version and to the Audio CD version.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings,(2) to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (3) I will go before you, and (4) make the crooked places straight: (Isa 45:1-3)

When I was a young man selling life insurance in the fishing villages of British Columbia, I sometimes had to travel by mountainous logging roads to get from one village to the next. On one particularly memorable trip, it took me three hours of zig zagging up and down a washed out gravel mountain road just to get to my first prospect. Thirty years later, I returned with my wife to show her that same rustic fishing village. To my delight, the government had come in and made a straight path, a paved highway, and the travel time between the two towns was now only twenty minutes.

What a difference a straight path can make! That is precisely what God did for Cyrus. He made the crooked places straight. When everyone else had to fight the terrain, God promised Cyrus He would make his path straight. Would that all our paths be straight; but not all crooked paths are bad. There is much to learn in the struggle that can’t be learned on the paved highway. Think of the crooked path as training. It’s where things get worked out in you to prepare you for the responsibility of the straight path, when things can accelerate.

Jesus knew all about straight paths. He could (and did) walk through walls. I believe as we mature into sonship (not a gender statement), we will also do the seemingly impossible. We will walk through walls of resistance that were built to keep us out. Some of you reading this are running into those walls right now and Jesus stands ready to lead you right through that wall. You will find yourself on the other side and not quite know how you got there, but there you will be. Do you think Peter understood how he was able to walk on water? It was only when he began to reason, that he began to sink. Selah.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings,(2) to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (3) I will go before you…

A father’s promise to his son is that he will go before him and make a way. That’s how God led Cyrus and that’s how He wants to lead us today. A good father wants to give good gifts to his children and one of those gifts is to make his child’s path easier than his own. The father wants to open doors for his child, but there’s a catch. As genuinely as the father wants to go before the child, the son or daughter must be willing to follow the father.

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