The video is here.
There is a huge season of transition to Kingdom right now. God’s people are being equipped to impact nations and cultures in terms of a reformation. We’re not letting go of the ingredients of revival, the miraculous presence of God. Revival and reformation go together. It’s just that we have very few role models and leaders to show us how. The traditional focus of the church has been limited to revival. Making disciples of nations by including all 7 mountains in the Kingdom is something the Father is doing right now.
We’re having dreams and seeing the desires of our hearts shift toward those mountains. There is a “divine discontent” in the saints to contend for their inheritance in their mountain. The practical ramifications of realizing we were equipped in the church to minister in our culture is huge. It means starting businesses, running for office, involvement in education and the arts. Sadie Robertson and Duck Dynasty is a great example of a Christian family impacting the entertainment industry with a message of Jesus. Many entertainers are getting saved or willing to admit they are already because of this influence. There are 100’s more examples like this in every mountain. You and I are being invited to join the party and build the Kingdom in our mountain.
From dream to plan – The Father is leading us to 1) dream and, 2) plan – put those dreams in writing. To be very honest, there are strong religious traditions opposing both of those activities that we discussed in Releasing Kings. At first, it doesn’t feel right to explore the desires of your own heart. Then it feels presumptions to build a plan around those dreams. In reality that same level of initiative to dream and plan define spiritual maturity. That’s how God is building the Kingdom… through people with a different spirit like Joshua and Caleb who are willing to fight for their land and pursue the desire God wrote in their hearts.
To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue… Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov 16:1-3 NIV
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Prov 16:9 NIV
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Prov 19:21 NIV
We’ve watched and coached some of the first fruits going through this process enough times to find some really helpful tools to unwrap the dream, translate it into a plan, and put it to work. We’ve had the privilege of helping people find the desires God wrote in their hearts and translate them into a prosperous business. Guess what? It not that hard! I’d like to share those resources in this newsletter. Here’s the roadmap.
Heart Plan – It all starts with feeling the Fathers approval on the desires of your own heart. Getting that dream into words and goals is a very prophetic journey that involves hearing God’s voice and defeating the enemy’s voice. We all have enough defeats in our past that our hearts have translated into reasons to stay safe and not move forward. Your heart plan is discovery tool to identify what God has written in your heart and why it’s safe to pursue it. The next step is translating that plan into a business model you can actually run with.
Business Model Canvas – The pace of change in this information age is so fast that static business plans are being replaced by a dynamic model of the business approach that can be used to identify and adjust the business model. The Business Model Canvas is a poster that your partners can put sticky notes on to build up the business model and explore different ideas. It’s a perfect tool to facilitate a mastermind session, brain storm new approaches or engage a board or outside expertise to develop your business model. It includes all the aspects of a normal business plan. It assumes people have already gotten in touch with their hearts and are exploring the right path. It’s strictly how to best implement an idea for a business, not discover the desires God put in your heart. Here are a few links to get you started.
- 2 minute intro http://businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas/bmc
- An example of refining and testing the model around customer feedback, product evaluation and cash flow (testing before creating a business plan)
- Example (15 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS6fHW9pRek
- 6 video explanation (15 min) http://fromideatobusiness.strategyzer.com/
- Value proposition (5 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN36EcTE54Q and explanation http://www.expressiveproductdesign.com/value-proposition-canvas/
- The Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas can be down loaded for free… http://businessmodelgeneration.com/downloads/business_model_canvas_poster.pdfhttp://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/downloads/value_proposition_canvas.pdf
The specific issue the Business Model Canvas powerfully solves is the entrepreneur falling in love with his first idea and developing an Ox-Like business model that doesn’t work… because he hasn’t talked to (heard) anyone else… customers, team members, etc. And, because he hasn’t engaged anyone else’s heart or added the value of their creativity (Lion). An approach that meets my need or bias doesn’t necessarily work for anyone else. Translating a heart plan to a business model is a transition from revelation to wisdom. All business models include the safety of a multitude of counselors because those are the people that add the wisdom to make it work.
Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory. Prov 11:14 NASU
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Prov 15:22 NIV
Think Productive – A friend from Rotterdam (Marcel van den Berg) connected me with a franchise he runs in the Netherlands and Belgium to enhance business productivity, ThinkProductive.nl. It fits our theme to have fun, make money, love people and build the Kingdom. The founder, Graham Allcott, wrote How to be a Productivity Ninja which gives very practical steps to worry less, achieve more, and love what you do. They provide workshops and coaching to improve productivity and create time and perspective to enjoy your work and get results.
To Summarize – It’s very spiritual and Kingdom in this season to take these three steps: get in touch with your heart, wrestle your business model to the floor, and make your dream fruitful and fun. The Father is inviting you. One more practical tip. I’ve summarized my business model and heart plan in a mind map. It puts my whole calling on a one sheet that I continually update as the Lord speaks and new opportunities and friends show themselves. My own example is here and the software can be downloaded for free here.
