We were in Baltimore, MD for a conference this last weekend. There is something about live conferences with new people that is really fun. Connecting people with their hearts causes them to connect with Jesus in a whole new way. They go from servant to King. I’m using this newsletter to describe what I saw in those precious people.
Hunger for Purpose – Even if believers are still servants, their hearts are sincerely hungry to find and fulfill their life purpose. God is raising up young and old who want the real thing, who are ready to trade religion for Kingdom. Most of us accept hearing from God through the Bible, the Holy Spirit and from the wise counsel of friends or our pastoral oversight. The concept of finding the will of God already written in the desires of our hearts is new to most. God is looking for a relationship that is much deeper and conversational than obedience portrays. He’s also interested in what He’s already put in the desires of our hearts. He values our initiative, creativity and boldness.
Hearing your heart – Mental obedience to some external standard, which we carry in our mind to satisfy the expectations of others, is really a prison of sorts. When we’re first invited to come up from obedience to a relationship there are several emotions we all experience:
1) Jailbreak – There is an amazing sense of freedom that is a little scary. There is a bit of sorrow when we realize all the lost opportunities wasted while believing that obedience was the path. Servants find some comfort in obedience because someone else is responsible for the results – it’s risk avoidance that actually increases the risk of missing your mountain. God is just drawing those servants to a place of divine discontent so they will come out of it. The new is more responsibility and adventure; the old is fruitless and lifeless, and we sense that it’s far from our real purpose in the Kingdom. FYI – God has a sense of justice that causes Him to want to restore what the enemy has taken from us… wasted years, lost dollars, missed opportunities, broken relationships. Take a look at this past newsletter: The Justice of Restoration.
2) Love – Sometimes the conference is the first time anyone has related to us at a heart level. Love is the natural response of our heart. Our hearts are weary of conforming to the lifeless agenda of rules, expectations, and climbing the ladder of hierarchy. The invitation to see and pursue the desires of our own heart to get involved in the Kingdom is an amazing step of spiritual maturity. Connecting to our own hearts and the hearts of others is the deepest expression of love we have felt in a long time. You can feel waves of healing going around the room.
3) Heart Boundaries – quite often the logic used by our hearts to hold us back gets unveiled. We realize that we have to let go of some false beliefs about ourselves, other people and even God. There are two good reasons that people find the courage to let those heart boundaries change: the first is the atmosphere of love in the presence of God. It’s just Holy… I can’t describe it another way. The second reason to change is that we catch the first glimpse of the dream God wrote in the desires of our own heart. That dream has such a drawing power that it allows our hearts to lay down the old for the new. When we realize that our dream is important to God, we also realize that we are important to God as well – right back to feeling loved.
Follow up – After the conference, I usually try to coach a few people so that they can help one another in this great adventure. There is something very “Kingdom” that expresses the heart of Jesus when we extend a hand to a brother or sister and help them to attain their dream. Everyone is used to being invited to participate in my dream.
From Servant to King – in business we say that there is no better advertisement than a satisfied customer. As I’m writing this newsletter, an email came from John (who has connected the dots between his ministry, vocation and cash flow)… he expresses it well.
“So what was the final analysis of the conference? I believe that down the road there will be more and more testimonies that verify that this stuff works. I haven’t got my mind around it yet, and maybe I never will, and maybe that’s part of the problem, me trying to get my mind around things. I just don’t think it is coincidental that I go through the heart plan, even though I had read the books and had the same persuasions for years, and then all of a sudden I am launched into the great adventure that I so wanted. Like I said, I don’t understand it and don’t know how to exactly quantify it, but I do know just as I have believed for many years, THIS STUFF WORKS! I haven’t always seen it but I am banking on the final reconciliation. I think it is the best investment I have ever made.”
What are we selling? – In simple terms we are selling the idea that the desires of your heart are important in the Kingdom, that those desires overlap the desires in God’s heart. And, that you pursuing the desire of your heart will lead you right into the Kingdom of God… ministry, creativity, productivity, vocation, prosperity… We are selling you on the concept that Christ in you is the hope of glory.
The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1:26-27 NIV
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Ps 103:4-5 NIV
