Our Releasing Kings business conferences in Warsaw and Gdansk exceeded our expectations in many ways. We got to stay in homes and re-connect with people we met in Warsaw in November. We also saw the progress of business men and women who were saved at the last conference or since. The Sunday service in Gdansk was recorded so that you can hear the sound of our message being translated. The slides are available on our conference page.
In some ways I experience these conferences as a spectator, because the Lord always ministers to me as well… like taking notes on how God moves and what he says. Here’s what I saw and heard this time.
Hearts – Our hearts have led us, and keep us, in exactly the station of life where we are currently. We may think we can change by changing our minds or attitude, but 90% of what we do comes right out of our hearts and is very resistant to change. We have all seen examples of people doing great things, whose minds and hearts seem aligned in a way that facilitates excellence with ease. Einstein, Edison, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett come to mind. Their lives seem to flow, while ours seem to struggle and require a lot of effort.
The reality is that all of us were created by God to achieve a remarkable measure of greatness in the area of our calling. Getting there (“I will make your name great” Gen 12:3) and enjoying the process (walking in the Spirit) is the challenge of getting our hearts and minds on the same page so that we don’t sabotage our own efforts from being double-minded and unstable (James 1:6-8). Life starts to work when the intention of our minds, the direction of our heart / subconscious, and the mind of God’s Spirit are all pointed in the same direction.
Where am I now? – Well, to be honest, most of us are stuck at the current level of our hearts. Taking my business or my personal life or my marriage or my investments to the next level requires a heart change that I don’t know how to navigate. We have all been through some negative circumstances or relationships that have been wounding. Typically we make a vow never to let that happen again. The boundary represented by that vow is the ceiling that holds us back from the next level. In other words, our hearts have a very good reason not to let us succeed or change. The boundaries guarded by our hearts are intended to protect us, but they also imprison us.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring (boundaries) of life. Prov 4:23 NIV
Healing our hearts – Our hearts will let go of the safety of the “old” for the risk of the “new” but we have to have a good reason. We let go of our brokenness and forgive when we really understand that we can “trade up” for our destiny and break out of the cycle of being stuck at our current level. The concept of inner healing used to be just about letting go and forgiveness. Now we understand that our hearts need to be lovingly invited into our Kingdom destiny. That’s a good reason to let go of the status quo and take the risk of change.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 NASU
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled Heb 12:15 NASU
Change as a lifestyle – Even though we’re admitting that change is difficult, our lives periodically do face changes, and the Spirit of God is always moving. We have been created by God for success, but life has programmed our hearts with limitations and failure. We need the software in our hearts updated to the latest release. Finding the new reasons for our hearts to update and let go of the old reasons for safety is a reality of walking with God and receiving our inheritance. We all have cycles from our past where we go around the mountain, the Lord offers us change and promotion, our hearts say, “no thanks” and we take another lap around the mountain until our next offer. It’s time to learn how to say “yes Lord” and make the change in our hearts and receive the good things God has for us.
Specifics – I use a heart exercise to sit quietly before the Lord and think about what I want to change, how the failure cycles feel, and discern the heart attitude behind it all. I write it all down in longhand as it comes. Then I write down the new actions, feelings and heart attitude that I’m adopting. The process can be done individually or in a counseling format. A good counselor with a little prophetic instinct can help us discern our hearts. One insightful comment was, “When you pointed out when things came out of my mind and when they came out of my heart, I could see the difference.” Although I’m neither a pastor nor a counselor, I love people and helped several through this process in Poland, seeing some amazing changes. I’ve also seen it work in my own life to the degree that other people can easily see the difference in me and the difference in my ability to connect with others at a heart level.
I have always been surprised by the level of emotions that come out in a business conference where we’re trying to release Kings. Now I understand the dynamic. Hearts are letting go of the old, in exchange for the new. Destinies are being embraced and bitterness is being loosed and captives are being set free. It feels good to receive an invitation into our Kingdom purpose. The result:
- Our hearts and minds are aligned with Kingdom purposes that give our lives new meaning.
- We start having fun doing what we were created to do. We are more creative and entrepreneurial.
- We can listen beyond what people say and hear what’s really in their hearts, because we are in touch with our own hearts. We lay down our judgments and simply love people through the same jail break we’ve experienced.
- We operate in a zone (in the spirit) that attracts divine appointments, finances, love and fruitfulness. We are way more productive with much less work. We don’t work for money; money works for us.
- We feel the wind in our sails; the favor of God. Life works, and things come together. We see pullbacks as a normal part of life and we no longer condemn ourselves for failures. We just find the silver lining and move on to the next victory, the next level of success.
- We’re free to sincerely ask others: 1) What’s your heart’s desire? and 2) How can I help you take the next step?
- We have fun, make money, and love people.
