What is Paul's Secret in Philippians 4:12?

    Some verses may seem a bit baffling.  Philippians 4:12 was a verse like that for me.   What was the secret Paul was talking about?   The background Witness Lee gives on this passage in Chapter 29 of the Life-Study of Philippians helped open up its meaning to me.

     "I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack." 

   First he points out in the chapter that Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison.  Second he points out that before Epaphroditus  brought the Philippian's gift (4:18), Paul was in material need.  He didn't just write this because it sounded good, it was his actual experience.  So what was the secret that he learned?  I appreciated these excerpts on pages 247-249:

My reason for dwelling on this matter is to point out that our circumstances are always sovereignly arranged by God.  Sometimes His sovereign arrangement puts us in a  low situation, and at other times in circumstances that are quite good….When the opportunity was available, the Philippian believers sent a gift to Paul. This supply brought him out of the humiliation, want, and abasement and set him on a high peak. But he did not know how long that would last….In verse 13 we find a basic principle related to the apostle's secret of sufficiency in Christ: I can do all things  in Him who empowers me….Have you seen the secret? Do you have this secret? Our circumstances may change. In certain circumstances we may abound, and in others we may be abased.  But whether we abound or are abased, the enjoyment of the Lord is the same (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Philippians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1981, Print). 

There have been countless times that words like this have given me insight and encouragement.  

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Philippians given in 1980 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  The commentary is excellent.

Blog Update 5/22/14:  Check out the  new free book put out by Bibles for America called A Life of Forbearance But Without Anxiety. 

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Philippians:

What is the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit in Philippians 1:19?
What Does It Mean to Magnify Christ in Philippians 1:20-23?
How Does Religion, Philosophy & Culture Relate to Philippians 3:5-6?
Have You Ever Wondered What Gaining Christ is in Philippians 3:8?
Why Does Paul Put Anxiety and Prayer Together in Philippians 4:6?
What's Paul's Secret in Philippians 4:12?
What Does It Mean to Live Christ in Philippians 1:19-21?
From the Life-Study of Philippians:  What's the Theme of the Bible?
What is the Sacrifice of Faith in Philippians 2:17?
How to Enjoy the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit in Philippians 1:19