Self-improvement is the holy grail of business management, coaching, religion, and the whole personal growth industry. You’re already awash in the media propaganda for self-awareness, self-discipline, self-help, self-concept, self-care, self-love, self-actualization, self-esteem, self-control, self-fulfillment, self-discovery, self-examination, self-assessments, etc. The recipe is always the same: there is a ladder for you to climb, different levels for you to attain. You can go as high as you wish and have whatever you want, as long as you’re accountable to perform at the prescribed standard. It’s called self-righteousness, the letter that kills. Righteousness is not what you can do, it’s what God can do through you. It starts with sonship; we’re on the same page with our Father, sharing His purpose, working in His anointing, carrying His authority. The difference between sonship and self is night and day, life and death.
The problem with Jesus is that He leads all of us through seasons of death and resurrection that “self” would never volunteer for. Listen to a few comments on “self” by people you know:
- Jn 7:28 – I am not here on my own authority
- Jn 5:19 – the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing
- Jn 5:30 – By myself I can do nothing
- Rom 7:18 – For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. - Jn 14:20 – I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
- Jn 15:16 – whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
- Col 1:27 – Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Who is first? – What Jesus and Paul are saying is that everything starts with Father’s purpose. His desires are already written in our hearts, His Holy Spirit resides within us, and we have a seat in heaven with His Council. When we put Father’s purpose first, He is committed to add all these things (Mt 6:33). His purpose is the only direction that comes with an anointing to make it happen, and assurance that you can finish your course.
When we put self first, it’s eventually a shipwreck. God is not some heartless, uncaring tyrant demanding obedience and submission and threatening us with failure. You really are free to do life or business your own way, without Him. It’s just that once we get away from “the spirit,” the “letter” is all that’s left. And it leads to a death we’ve all experienced. We’ve all tried the self-improvement recipes, diets, and formulas and we’ve all felt like fools for falling for the false promises in the ad copy. Promises of wealth, and love, and self-esteem depleted our emotions, money, and motivation. We break, then a loving Father suggests His purpose, the one that has life.
Jn 12:24 – Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,
it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25)Â Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26)Â If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.
If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (see also Phil 3:9-10)
Authentic Kingdom Purpose – Affirmations, excellence, enthusiasm, accountability, self-discipline, mindset, and marketing can never substitute for a lack of purpose. They are like hamster wheels going fast and talking fast, but getting nowhere until we get off; until we trade the superficial vacuum of things we’ve promised ourselves for our authentic Kingdom purpose. Can you see the connection between your authentic purpose and your authentic, transparent self? Superficial and self-righteous are twins whose trademark is hiddenness and insecurity (Lu 12:2-3).
“I”dentity – We all ask two questions: Who am I? and Why am I here? We are God’s sons and daughters, and we’re here to bless people and nations. There are a 1000 creative variants on that theme, but we each have a unique higher purpose from our Father that is much more lucrative than anything we could come up with on our own. When we connect our hearts with Father and get on a path to sonship, our and Father’s desires are shared. It’s a relationship of love and respect, not an autocracy built on authority and submission. We love to co-labor with our Father. It thrills our hearts and it’s a perfect fit for the desires of our heart. Nothing compares or competes with it.
Where to find my purpose? – A better question is where to find my sonship. Purpose flows from a dynamic relationship with our Father because purpose moves with the cloud, it’s dynamic like your Father and like you! Sonship and Reformation are primary ingredients in this age of Reformation. Sons are Seers and Doers who, like Jesus, are on the same page with their Father. He has chosen to perfect His sons and daughters from the heart, from the inside out. They are volunteering to co-labor with Him from hearts of gratitude and love.
We’ll share experiences in the video, but this is the approximate progression most people experience with Jesus on the way to sonship. It’s pretty amazing and there isn’t much “self” in it, yet these sons are doing exploits and being celebrated in Heaven and on Earth.
This the inspiration for this blog came from one of my own council sessions: It’s an insightful example, with links to help you do the same.
We help Kingdom Businesses find and fulfill their unique purpose while producing value and cash flow. We integrate Father’s Courts, Council, Purpose and Passion for Business leaders in a 1-on-1 format.
Axiom – Have fun, make money, love people, and build the Kingdom!
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- We start with a Purpose Profile to get your Kingdom purpose in writing.
- Have DIY options and a fleet of coaches with different specialties to choose from.
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