“What” – Life has a purpose – The most fundamental question we ask in life is, “What’s my purpose?” Even if you don’t ask it overtly, your heart is searching for the reason in subconscious ways. I’ve heard believers say that it’s to glorify God. I’m not sure what that actually means. I’ve also heard things like loving God, serving God, and worshiping God. That list is often distilled down to going to church on Sunday. The more advanced version is inviting others to do the same (evangelism). And, perhaps the highest version of this formula is to start a church. So the purpose of life is going to church, inviting others to church or starting a church. OK, I’m not excited either!
I want to suggest two principles that will enable your personal life purpose to show itself.
- Dreams do come true.
- It happens by flowing with the desires of your heart. God wrote them there.
Most of us come from a tradition wherein the only worthwhile purpose in life is God’s will, and that the way we relate to God’s will is to find out what it is and obey it. But purpose, passion, and spiritual maturity are never defined by obedience alone. Servants don’t have a purpose; they just satisfy the desires of another. Kings, on the other hand, look for their life’s purpose in the desires of their own heart. They find the overlap between their heart’s desires and the desires of God’s heart. They position themselves with God and over their circumstances. Servants position themselves under God and under their circumstances.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. John 15:15-17 NIV
…the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. Deut 28:1 NIV
and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus Eph 2:6 NIV
Why? – People in general, and Christians in particular, have a huge resistance to believing that their “dreams can come true.” The reason is too much internal focus – The kingdom is built by people willing to dream, work toward their goals and receive promotion and prosperity. We are ambassadors of the King and doing exploits that bless nations, cultures, cities and people is “normal.” We, and our business initiatives add “value” at many levels. God wants to make your name great! (Gen 12:2-3)
Servants pride themselves in being void of purpose and initiative. To change that dynamic, our hearts need a reason why life or God or we would want our dreams to come true. It just sounds too good to be true, yet it is exactly the recipe for building the Kingdom. Here’s why:
God wrote His desires in your heart. They show up in terms of your passion and dreams. He designed you specifically for a great purpose in the Kingdom. This is “good news.” In fact, it’s so good that your heart won’t believe it until it understands the “why.” It’s because that’s how God chose to relate to us in maturity. He can be your school master and you can be the servant until you mature, but He wants you to accept his request for friendship as a King. He wants your heart to work with Him, not for Him. He wants you to dream and create and initiate. He’s not afraid of a few mistakes.
So now that you know the “why,” give your heart permission to dare and dream and desire and create and have a ball. That’s just the way the Kingdom works. It’s fun!
How – OK, I got the general idea: find the desires of my heart, get a confirmation with the Father’s heart and go for it. But, I’m not sure what that is. “How” is all about having your mind, your heart and God’s heart on the same page… aligned, integrated, holistic, single-minded. It’s getting that dream defined and working on it and seeing fruit from it. It’s building a bridge between your dream, your mind, your heart, your vocation and your cash flow. Everything gets connected and directed toward your and God’s personal dream. That when His power starts to work… in us… to make dreams come true… immeasurably beyond all we can ask or imagine. It’s amazing!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Eph 3:20 NIV
I’ve written, taught, shared, taped and preached this concept for a decade now. Here’s what I’ve learned.
- Not everyone is ready, so we just work with people who want to pursue their dream. It’s OK to be a servant until you’re ripe. I stopped trying to pick unripe fruit. There’s way too much ripe fruit and willing hearts anyway.
- Discipleship has always been relational. We all need someone to take us by the hand and show us how. Sermons have never been enough to effect change in hearts or behavior or dreams. Yes, we can “ask whatsoever” to make dreams come true, but the same passage suggests we love each other for a reason (Jn 15:15-17). We all need the help and encouragement at a heart level.
- We have the information base covered in Releasing Kings, Desire to Destiny, our conferences, and in the 400 newsletters. All that stuff is good. But, the final ingredient that we all need is a friend to show us how… how to dream, how good it feels when the dream comes true, how much fun the whole process is, and how to prosper.
- Lastly, every dream is a stretch. It’s always a step of faith; a calculated risk. Instead of letting fear control and defeat us, we let it motivate us to discern our path forward. We are “disciplined” to count the cost with wisdom, to seek the counsel of others, and to consider the options. But, in the end, it’s just God and me and deciding to go for it with the encouragement of those who love me. Give yourself permission to define your dream and make a wise decision. Others can encourage you and show you the what, why and how. No one else can do it for you.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7 NIV
So here’s my suggestion – Get your dream in writing and start making it happen. How? We’ve developed a heart plan and a network of coaches to help. You are welcome to “self-help” through this process. I’ve just found it to be much more effective and faster with a coach who is practical and prophetic. If you can articulate your dream, the rest of us can help you make it happen.
