The inspiration to write this blog came via a friend in business who is currently walking the gang plank at the point of a prophetic gun he is imposing on himself, trying to do the right thing. I wrote this blog around intercession in the Courts and Council for him. It felt timely, as in preventive medicine, to articulate healthy boundaries between the prophetic and business.
Snapshots – Charismatic promptings and prophecy are real. They are snapshots of revelation from the Spirit of Truth active on earth. Businesspeople can be tempted to set business direction on these snapshots with mixed results whether it’s prophetic input from someone else or personal promptings. Results are mixed because it’s not the full story or conversation and it’s often a thrilling experience from the past. We are not discounting prophetic experiences, we are just saying there is more in the Kingdom, a fuller picture, and a deeper conversation.
God’s Council is not new, but it is new to many of us. Sons are ascending and accessing Father’s presence with Jesus and the 7 Spirits. They are getting a much fuller picture of Father’s purpose. Each of the 7 Spirits are part of conversations that unveil Father’s heart and strategy. I take notes on what I get, type them up and share them with others in my circle to bless them and balance me. I always invite comments.
Contrasting Old and New – Trying to run a business on prophetic snapshots from others or my own personal promptings can be a trainwreck for well-intentioned believers. The incomplete story leaves us with two choices to fill in the missing pieces:
- We just fill in the blanks with our human wisdom (guessing), or
- We take a leap of faith and expect God to miraculously fulfill the snapshot from someone else.
(feels like screwing up our blind faith and walking a gang plank at the point of a prophetic gun)
Historical Christianity places a theological premium on servants who surrender and obey. This includes charismatic streams. Sonship in the Kingdom is very different. Obedience and submission don’t describe the relationship. Sons are part of God’s family, present in His Council, and volunteering with enthusiasm to take His purpose to earth.
Sons take responsibility and initiative and carry anointing and authority to implement Father’s purpose. They do this within ongoing Council conversations and mid-course corrections. Each of the 7 Spirits offers a unique perspective on Father’s heart. This opens our eyes to how we implement it all on earth. Sons certainly don’t despise prophecy. The Council is a well spring of prophetic insight about Father’s purpose. There is a lot of room for entrepreneurial creativity, spiritual gifts, and initiative (work) in implementing purpose. Co-laboring includes the miraculous (Father’s contribution) and it also includes our contribution. It’s a fun process! Our work begins to feel like worship. We can feel Father’s wind in our business sails.
Prophetic Manipulation – Father is exposing corruption in the prophetic. Prophetic ministries that earn a living sharing snapshots of revelation are always near the temptation to speak out of their soul to improve their position. There is a familiar pattern in the compromise:
- It’s a something for nothing windfall of money or blessing that doesn’t factor in our role to create value in business.
- It’s the promise of a just-around-the-corner breakthrough or revival that never quite gets here, nor does it address our responsibility as sons to make it happen via co-laboring.
- It often represents God’s sovereign intervention to reach a glorious end state, and usually skips the “work” of sons to see it in heaven as priests and manifest it on earth as kings.
It’s not the end of the world, or even too surprising, when we look in the rearview mirror and see something we were sure was God turned out to be a dead, fruitless, waste of time and energy. We’ve all been there. Our ability to contrast the real and the counterfeit grows with maturity. As sons we can know God, see what He’s doing, hear what He is saying, and do it with Him. It really is glorious. We discover truth when we consistently do it and live it! Then the contrast between dark and light is black and white. Sons in business don’t just preach and prophecy truth, they do it. Their business is a platform for Ecclesia, doing what Father does, and Reformation.
Heb 5:14 – But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Jn 8:29 – The one who sent me is with me… for I always do what pleases him.”
31) “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32) Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The Council plays an integral role for sons and daughters in this Kingdom age. All those promptings and prophecy are really the Holy Spirit saying, “Come up Here.” Sons have a DNA strand that always wants to do what Father is doing. Kingdom business has a healthy collaboration between the Council and the Boardroom (see graphic PDF with live links).
They have moved from snapshots and promptings to the Council; From Crumbs to Conversations.
Bottom Line – Running a business based on promptings and prophecy risks shipwreck. Even unsaved people can feel the absence of the Spirit of Wisdom! God wants a conversation with Kingdom CEOs. There are no grandsons in the Kingdom, only sons. Strategic thinking to align a Kingdom business with its purpose and role in Reformation cannot be delegated to charismatic prophets and intercessors. Those ministries are important and useful, until we use them to hear from God for us. Then the snapshots and promptings get counterproductive. Even personal promptings from Holy Spirit are really glimpses of a bigger story that draw us into a fuller conversation.
In addition to this blog, we post tons of free content and live streams on Face Book at Partners with Purpose. Join the group, it’s fun!
- If you’re not yet a large business, we have a self-help course, The Nail Your Purpose Field Guide; Three modules, with video, narrative, and downloads, $47.
- If you are in business and want 1-on-1 help, we recommend the Purpose Profile. Typically, six 90-minute Zoom calls, Six weeks, $1000. Let’s chat first before you buy to make sure it adds value to your dream.
Cutting Room Floor for Prophets and Intercessors
The council session that inspired this blog is here. The incentive to go to the council around this topic came from a friend who is currently walking the gang plank at the point of a prophetic gun he is imposing on himself, trying to do the right thing. I wrote the blog around intercession in the Courts and Council for him. It felt timely to share it.
It could sound like I’m down on prophets and intercessors, but I am really in that camp myself. When I asked Father about the goal of prophecy and intercession, here’s what I got:
#1. Priestly Leaders – It’s not about elevation of my ministry as an intercessor or prophet. Those terms are ministry tools to bless other people more than my personal identity. In this Kingdom age, everyone is being invited to step into these priestly functions of standing in the gap and sharing Father’s purpose. Business leaders have a priestly function to be prophetic, intercessory and pastoral. They are really leading an Ecclesia built around shared Kingdom purpose in their business.
#2. Helping People Become Themselves – The goal is pulling people into their own sonship, into the scope of their own purpose (book).
#3. Prophetic Resonance – We are prophetically touching what Father is already speaking to them as confirmation that builds their courage.
#4. Prophetic Activation – We are activating their sensitivity to hear God’s voice; have perspective on the bigger prophetic picture regarding Reformation’s many facets.
#5. Invite Them – We are lovingly inviting them into the council themselves. We are proactively removing obstacles that hold them back via the Courts of Heaven; Sometimes with them, other times by proxy (intercession, standing in the gap in their behalf).
#6. In the bigger picture sons (including CEOs) are being in invited into being Priests and Kings themselves. Intercessors and prophets are instrumental in opening these doors in the Spirit.
- Priests – who ascend to heaven and get on the same page with Father’s purpose. They learn to be present in the Council (Ps 84:7) and have conversations with the 7 Spirits in a way that puts their personal devotions on steroids.
- Kings – who boldly manifest Father’s purpose in their mountain. They are creative, industrious, and fruitful in creating value in the products and services. They are ignited by their role in Reformation; impacting people, businesses, communities and nations.
#7. Agility is the KPI for sonship that prophets and intercessors can demonstrate. Father’s purpose is the journey of following the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Ex 13:21-22). It is the lifestyle of living by the Spirit plus keeping in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25).
#8. Our Identity should be as “a son or daughter putting the Kingdom first. Confusing Gifts with Purpose can be a bad trip around the mountain. When we think of our selves as prophet or intercessor it skews our assignment by not putting Kingdom purpose first. “Office of a prophet” is religious not Kingdom. When we start reserving space for our gift, our eyes get off the ball of why we’re really here. There is zero purpose in spiritual gifts. They are subordinate to a higher Kingdom purpose and used as tools to get the job done.
#9. Transformation is not a goal – We are in transition to a Kingdom age with significant ramifications that touch all of us. Coaching, Counseling, Ministry, and intercession have all been selling transformation. Without purpose it’s all just a better hamster wheel that doesn’t change anything. People don’t want to be fixed, they want to be found. They want to discover why they are here and make a difference they can be proud of. The biggest lesson learned is that once people get in touch with their real Kingdom purpose and engage the desires God wrote in their hearts, they fix themselves!!! They will do whatever is necessary to co-labor with their Father and participate in His strategy to reach a Kingdom goal. Broadly, that purpose is Reformation, not just of people, but nations. The real goal is helping people discover their purpose and then doing it (not that complicated). Prophetic discernment and intercession in the Courts and Council are very helpful in doing that.
Prov 20:5 – The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
PS – Your welcome to comment on what I’ve written or add some additional bullets. This isn’t the last word on the topic and it’s easy to update!
