A good friend found this quote, “People buy 4 things and 4 things only. Ever. Those 4 things are time, money, sex, and approval/peace of mind. If you try selling something other than those 4 things, you will fail.” This secular summary is what makes copy and products sell; they cater to carnal appetites. Most of us have dreamed about being famous, sexy, millionaires who don’t need to work. A slightly more sophisticated list of the same four things is:
- The pace of life (time for priorities)
- Create value (contribution with cashflow)
- Relational intimacy (Including marital sex)
- Approval from others (results, recognition, and reputation)
The most remarkable and enduring thing about knowing God is finding the next level of what we want. Father is not above providing those four things. We could even put a Bible verse next to each of them! However, there are even bigger fish to fry.
The bigger fish for God’s sons and daughters is life purpose. We are each chosen or called to a specific purpose on earth. Life is much bigger than the Christmas list of things that make me happy! The litmus test of purpose is that we can answer the question, “I was chosen by God to ____________.”
We each have a book (a destiny) that matches the desire Father already wrote in our hearts. That purpose is a life story that is fun for us to help write and then “do.” It also fits what our Father is doing. Our highest satisfaction motivationally is knowing that we’re doing what Father is doing and working with Him. Once we’re in that vein of our book, there are three subsets of life purpose that are thrilling:
- Fruit – What we do bears fruit. Our lives work, create value, bless people, and produce cash flow.
- Our book – Our purpose pleases our Father in Heaven. You can tell His blessing is on our lives. There are open doors, divine appointments, and a trail of interventions. His wind is in our sails. Even in warfare, when everything is going wrong, we still have the sense of having done the right things. We’re free from condemnation and glad to be in the fight instead of on the sidelines!
- Reformation – What we do fits inside the context of Father’s Reformation of people, businesses, and Nations. We can connect the dots from what we do to what Father is doing around the world.
Believers often translate Christianity as a loving relationship with God who freely gives us all things (time, money, sex, and approval). Our faith can be fire insurance for Heaven and a party on earth. It usually doesn’t work, and even if it did, we would still feel empty.
Most of us are in the business of helping other people find their motivation for life and spirituality. The frosting of life is knowing your purpose and experiencing Father’s grace to make it happen on earth. We are in the early stages of a reformation that starts with becoming sons and frequenting Father’s Council. The purpose behind everything we do is seen in Heaven first and manifested on earth second. Co-laboring with our Father is the biggest thrill of all.
I can’t honestly say repentance meant that I had to give certain things up. I did, but what I traded to receive was so much better and so much more in my heart that it felt more like promotion than sacrifice. Kingdom is inviting others to the same banquet. Am I willing to trade my sorrows for the joy of the Lord? … and go to work with Father to rebuild? “Yes!”
Isa 61:1-4 – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; NIV
The motivation to enlist in a nation’s army or God’s army is the same. It’s far beyond self-interest and personal happiness. To a Bedouin or a Jew, you don’t plant a tamarisk for yourself, you plant it for the generations to come. From the Abraham story, they took the idea that I am planting this tree to say, “for generations to come, my family is going to be here. This shade is for the generations to come. I’ll never get to use it.” (reference)
Gen 21:33-34 – Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. NIV
God has prepared a generation of sons who can hear their Father’s call and want to build His Kingdom. We are in a shift of the ages, times, and seasons. Leaders are pointing to deeper motivations. Sons want to redeem nations, displace ruling principalities, and expose their lying strongholds. We are bringing Nations to the feet of our Father as an act of worship, even if our grandchildren have to finish the work after we are gone. We are enjoying the journey of doing what our Father is doing. Yet, we know the satisfaction of hearing, “Well done.” We can finish the course and know that our story will end well.
Resources – The purpose of Heaven for each of us is already written in your heart and can be seen and heard in the Council. Your business can shift from a Christian business full of obedient servants to a Kingdom business full of creative and industrious sons who make a difference. We help people and businesses get their prophetic purpose in writing and then make it happen on earth. Taste and see! Tools to get started are here:
- Intentional Reformation Intro (A free diagnostic you will enjoy along with our purpose & Values)
- Nail your Purpose Field Guide (A place to start clarifying your heart’s desires)
- OnlineHeartPlan.com (Our website and online Courses)
- USA Book (proof we can get our arms around the books of people, businesses, and nations
Other books by John S Garfield are available on Amazon:
- Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace (2004)
- Desire to Destiny – Seven Keys to Your Marketplace Ministry (2007)
- Seers and Doers: Sons Bringing Heaven to Earth (2018)
- Intentional Reformation – A Roadmap to Change Yourself and the World (2020)
- Intentional Reformation Primer – 5-Step Roadmap to Make Your Dream Come True (2020)
- Healing for Warriors: Connecting Your Purpose and Your Health (2020)
- Lead Your Tribe Field Guide (2021)
- Let’s Build a Kingdom Business (2022)
- Find our free blog at ReleasingKings.com; Courses at www.OnlineHeartPlan.com
