The Fear of "Hidden Knowledge"

     If you listen very carefully, and keep your spiritual "antennae" up, you can see the latest direction that the devil is taking in keeping us Christians powerless.  I am seeing popular Christian websites condemn those Believers who are diving deep in the Word to find the "meat" of Scripture. They are hungry for a more intimate and connected relationship with God; to know Him more intently, genuinely, and powerfully.  Yet this hunger and pursuit of God -- this desire to truly "abide" in Him -- is scorned as "seeking hidden knowledge".
     That term is kind of becoming a buzz word in the attempt to warn off any Believer from seeking any knowledge of God beyond acceptable Church doctrine or man-made traditions.  If you are someone, like myself, who knows there is more to this great God we serve than what you've been taught so far, then you will probably be warned to be careful, you are straying into dangerous territory.  At the very worst, you can expect to be called a heretic, an apostate, or a false teacher.  Yet, what is so sad to me, is that my fellow Christians rarely want to listen to why I am considering something new, based on a revelation I have received concerning God's Word. They are unwilling to sit and have a thoughtful discussion, with our Bibles open, and our hearts willing to listen to each other.  It is automatically assumed that I am being deceived.
     So, I wanted to try to find [in Scripture] where this fear of being deceived originated, and why we are so distrusting of each other's faith.  The only place that I could find a warning against hidden knowledge, was in Acts 16:16, and only in the Amplified version of the Bible:  It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling.  Further research told me that this "spirit of divination" was understood to be a python spirit. In Greek mythology, Python the earth-dragon (serpent goddess), was associated with the oracle at Delphi.
     I believe there are those in the Body of Christ who use this one Scripture as their basis for warning all Christians from seeking after more knowledge; as if you do, it is assumed it is only coming from an evil and deceptive spirit.  BUT, I found many other Scriptures that told of the glory of God in revealing knowledge to those who are righteous and seeking Him:
     Colossians 3:1-3 ... Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Be intent [Set your mind on] the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
     Jeremiah 33:3 ... Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.
     Proverbs 2:1-5 ... My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her [wisdom] as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.
     Matthew 11:25 ... At that time Jesus said, “I praise [thank] You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants.
     These are just a few of the verses that tell me that our Father in Heaven is greatly pleased when our hearts desire more of Him, and we are willing to "keep seeking", "set our minds on" and "search for" His hidden treasures of knowledge.  I have used the following verse over and over in my writing, but it deserves to be repeated:  It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.  AND WE DON'T NEED TO BE AFRAID TO DO IT!  If we are righteously seeking to know God more, He will make sure we are not deceived.  Want to know why I believe that? If I am seeking righteousness and am obedient to God as best as I am able to in this earthly vessel, it is God revealing Himself through me; not me glorifying myself.  Now, the devil will try to get us to mistrust each other and doubt that God could renew our minds in such a way.  But isn't that what we are told to pursue throughout the New Testament?  A renewing of our minds?
     When Paul is accused of wrong thinking, or theology, what does he say in 2 Corinthians 4?  "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ ...  But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak...".
     We do not need to be afraid to listen to each other when there is a desire to share what God is showing us.  The rest of Proverbs 2 (verses 6-11) should relieve any fear we have when presented with a new understanding from a righteous Believer:

For the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Guarding the paths of justice,

And He preserves the way of His godly ones.

Then you will discern righteousness and justice

And equity and every good course.

For wisdom will enter your heart

And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will guard you,

Understanding will watch over you.

     I am not saying you have to agree with what is brought to you.  All I am saying is we shouldn't be so quick to condemn our Christian brethren of wrongdoing [or being deceived] in their search for more of God and His wisdom.  I daresay all those who are righteous have a personal view of God, and mine not be the same as yours. But I think God is big enough that He probably encompasses both our views of Him. And I believe that God will shield us from deception; all we have to do is ask.  And I think He preserves the way of the righteous and gives us discerning spirits. And above all else, I think He yearns for a people who seek understanding of Him. As for me, I don't think I will ever be satisfied with what I know of Him -- or have enough of Him -- until the day I stand face-to-face. If that means I am scorned and rejected by others of the faith, then so be it.  I will never stop praying "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give me a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17).

Psalm 14:2   "The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God".