The first four paragraphs of this blog are an edited transcript of the first two minutes of a video by Erwin McManus that lit me up. I have not heard a better explanation.

What Does God’s Voice Sound Like?
At our business conference, the Arena, I aim to create an inclusive environment for people who may feel far from faith. Yet, a question often arises that stirs discomfort in the room. It’s a question at the heart of faith, and it came up on the last day of the Arena when a man asked, “What is God’s frequency?” This question struck me, as I had pondered it long before it was asked.

Conversations with the Universe vs. Conversations with God
One of the challenges is that many people are not in a conversation with the living God; rather, they communicate with the “universe.” Shifting from a conversation with the universe to a conversation with God is difficult because the universe typically reflects back our own desires, simply echoing what we want to hear.

In contrast, God does not always tell us what we want; instead, God tells us what we need. This difference is crucial, as we all have a filter that tends to hear only what we desire and filters out what we truly need. We end up being suckers for temptations and scams, and blind to blessing and grace. We have some financial and relational tragedies in our story to prove it.
The Dissonance Between What We Want and What We Need

This tension between wanting and needing is where many experience a disconnect, even those with a conscious faith and a relationship with Jesus. The struggle to hear God telling us what we need, rather than what we want, is a very human challenge. Often, even within faith, we wrestle with wanting God’s words to align with our own wishes.

The Danger of Spiritual Narcissism
When God seems to say exactly what we want to hear, clarity feels immediate—we’re sure of God’s direction because it aligns perfectly with our own desires. But this can be a dangerous space, leading to spiritual narcissism, where we assume that whatever we desire is automatically aligned with God’s will. We become the god in this skewed relationship, and Father God becomes our servant, a genie in a bottle. Like spiritual toddlers, we filter out everything but what I want. Spiritual maturity is to seek and desire what God wants for us, even when it differs from our own wishes.

Am I a Servant or A Son
The next question is “doesn’t obeying God degenerate my identity to a cosmic servant? What fun is that? What about my dreams?” A relationship with God is Father/son or daughter, not master/servant. The natural sweet spot for our happiness and prosperity isn’t in narcissism, it’s in voluntarily sharing our Father’s purpose; creating the value and making the contribution we we are designed to champion. Blessing people and growing a business scale when, 1) we’re on the same page with God (righteousness), and 2) we’re co-laboring with His power and authority (anointing). That’s when life is really fun and really fruitful.

Think about it, what if your independent dreams all came true? Where would that leave you at the end of your life apart from your Father? Self-indulgence isn’t anyone’s happy place. Throwing in a little philanthropy to satisfy the religious spirit doesn’t help either. It smells like self-righteousness. The revelation is that I am not my own purpose, it’s not all about me. Only Father has the reason for living.

Three phases of Spiritual Identity
Doing your own thing might seem tempting at first, but over a lifetime it leads to introversion, introspection, loneliness, and desolation. The deepest level of loneliness is the orphan’s life of independence, no conversations with our Father. The second stop is the spirit of religion (Trying to be a good servant of God, living by the rules). The third level is being a son or daughter with a healthy, conversational relationship with my Father. The sweet spot is that after we have conversations with our Father, he shows us where His dream and our dream overlap. When we have that awareness:
1) Father gives us the desires of our heart (Ps 37:4).
2) When we’re on the same page as sons and daughters we represent our Father’s family and we can ask whatever, in Jesus Name (Jn 14:13, 15:7, 16, 16:23).
3) We learn to see the purpose in other people’s hearts and pull them into their living water.
4) We’re not afraid to lose our precious lifestyle and follow Jesus (Mt 16:24-25)
5) We’re not afraid of the promotion that comes through death and resurrection (Jn 12:24:25)

Reread this passage from Mt 16:
16:15-17 – Jesus reveals himself as God’s son
16:18-19 – He give us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; power to bind and loose
16:21-23 – Jesus reveals his path and Peter rebukes Jesus out of self-will
16:24-25 – Jesus reveals the nature of discipleship; saving vs losing your life

Mt 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me,
he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
25) For whoever wants to save his life will lose it;
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

This blog was inspired by one of John’s Council sessions that is worth reading. It’s an example of what you can do also, with some links that will be helpful in your journey toward hearing what Father is saying to you. The most important question isn’t, What does God’s voice sound like? The real question is, what is He saying?… and What is He Doing? Can I get it in writing? Roadmap below.• 2024-11-07 Council – It’s Not About Me

Our Offer – We help Kingdom Businesses find and fulfill their unique purpose while producing value and cash flow via coaching and courses. We integrate Father’s Courts, Council, Purpose and Passion for Business leaders in a 1-on-1 format.

Axiom – Have fun, create value, love people, and build the Kingdom!

• Get on our mailing list with a free copy of Intentional Reformation or the Lead Your Tribe Field Guide.
• Get on John’s calendar for a Zoom conversation.
  1. We start with a Purpose Profile to get your Kingdom purpose in writing.
  2. Have DIY options and a fleet of coaches with different specialties to choose from.
  3. We’re partnering with Larry Nault at BuildingaKingdomCompany.com.

This is the Facebook live discussion on this topic: https://youtu.be/Itnte099fwc

 

 

Cutting Room Floor

As a man thinks in His Heart
One of the common abuses in the self-help industry is the quoting Pro 23:6-7 out of context. The misquote is, As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. This phrase is used to justify training your mind to get what you want. It gets combined with the law of attraction, positive thinking, and affirmations in a witch’s brew of deception and control over people who wear the narcissism lens. Wealth is not determined solely by how we think. We don’t manipulate the universe to get what we want. It’s a patented lie from the enemy exactly analogous to the temptations the devil used on Jesus, unsuccessfully.

Pro 23:6 – Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies,
7) for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

• God does grant the desires of our heart (Ps 37:4), when we are aligned with His heart
• We can ask whatsoever (originates in Father’s heart) in Jesus’ Name (Jn 14:13, 15:7, 16, 16:23)

Another commonly misquoted verse is that God gives us the power to produce wealth and get rich,

Duet 8:17 – You may say to yourself,
“My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”
18) But remember the LORD your God,
for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,

(Chayil H2428 – valor, to be valiant)
and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

The real intent is that God gives the ability to produce value and make a difference in our culture (greater works). Money is part of that equation, but not the first part, or the main part. The real message in this verse is that God is our provider, the source of our anointing. My favorite verse that points to God’s Council for sons translates Chayil as strength:

Ps 84:7 – They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.