Ever had an idea, path, goal, or relationship that seemed really good, but ended really bad? The way we make decisions and the level of discernment we have isn’t really rooted in our minds. We all have spiritual influences that flow through our hearts. Our minds justify the settled direction of our hearts, more than making purely objective decisions based on facts.
The Story of Hearing – I recently had a great conversation helping a brother clarify his purpose. We were allowing ourselves 25 tries to narrow on a purpose statement that had juice on it, that had Father’s fingerprints on it. He had come up with one that suggested his business might get off the ground to support the thousand-year reign during the millennium. That theological tidbit has roots in a dispensational rapture theory… that originated with the Scofield reference bible… that turned out not only to be junk hermeneutics… but appears to have been planted to intentionally deceive the church into cultural pacificism for 100 years while we waited for Jesus to come back and fix everything.
I hesitated on my response, then suggested his purpose statement might be stronger without that phrase because it was a red flag for a growing number of people, like me! I also tried to make a learning experience out of it by suggesting it didn’t come from Father speaking to him. It was part of his religious indoctrination from whatever background he came from. He didn’t have to adopt my position, but he did need to make a distinction between Living Words and his intellectual baggage. He grasped the point and agreed to remove the phrase, but the gears were still turning.
Later in the conversation about getting Living Words in the Council he asked if the throne room and the Council were the same thing. I thought about it and told him if I answered it would be from my own intellectual baggage because God hadn’t really said anything specific to me about that topic. Now, he got it and said he wasn’t quite as far along distinguishing between God’s voice and his own opinion. That’s exactly what all of us sons and daughters are learning to do, discern flesh and spirit.
Education or Indoctrination? – Our culture has a high regard for education, training, degrees, resumes, performance, experience, etc. Goal setting in business is typically no deeper than what should I do, to get what I want. Management is an extension of the same, what should you do to get what I want. How to hear God and put the Kingdom first practically in a business is brand new.
The choices are about as simple as eat the apple or don’t:
- Follow the Lamb (Rev 14:4). I have one job and one goal, Follow the Lamb!
- Hear Living words from Father (Mt 4:4)
- Being able to discern flesh and Spirit (Gal 5:16-21)
- Intellectual maturity is being child-like enough to follow (Mt 18:3-4)
- Or Follow Your intellect (what someone else told you or taught you)
- Prior education and indoctrination (the accepted script)
- Opinions of minions (the peer pressure what everyone else thinks)
- What you believe and want (fleshly desires, Rom 8:5)
Awakening to Sonship – We all went through an independent stage as teenagers, learning to make our own decisions. Most of us have taken that into our relationship with God. We use Biblical principles or prophetic inputs from others to independently make decisions with our minds. We don’t actually hear from God ourselves because we’ve never been taught how! We’re still allowing other people or our own head knowledge to lead us and occasionally deceive us. That level of deafness is giving way to an awakening of sonship and Kingdom in business. Kingdom Business starts with sons and daughters hearing their Father’s voice and doing their Father’s works.
Discipleship or mentoring don’t go away. We all learn from the wisdom and experience of others. Education does have value. However, our current culture doesn’t produce sons and daughters who think for themselves or hear from God themselves. Everything is built to instill obedience in servants.
Sonship starts when we can tell the difference between Father’s voice and our intellectual bias. It starts by asking where the idea or opinion came from. Every one of us show up with a pretty blank slate at birth. God can write on our hearts, but so can parents, teachers, and the history of past experiences in our story – the school of hard knocks!
Living Words from our Father are the source of Life for Sons and Daughters in Kingdom business. Living, current, prophetic conversations in the Council spawn innovation and initiative in Business:
- Living people who are engaged, enthusiastic (In-Theo); because they have purpose.
- Living works, deeds, fruit that remains (vs wood, hay, and stubble that burns, 1Cor 3:13).
- Storing treasures in Heaven (Investing sonship in those around us)
Be the Lead Follower – The garden temptation is built around independence from God. The apple just changed the source of our inspiration from God to the world system. So, we must intentionally redeem it back through Jesus. Here are a few practical suggestions:
#1). In the Spirit, trade your independence for Jesus’ hearing aids; allow Him to heal deafness.
#2). Be a regular in the Council; conversations with Father, Jesus, and the 7 spirits of God.
#3). Don’t follow human, intellectual Wisdom (vain philosophy)
#4). Intentionally and actively seek God, expect living words and the Spirit of wisdom
to build an umbrella of purpose that ignites your creativity and initiative.
#5). Live by every word that proceeds from Father (Mt 4:4), do what you hear
#6). Letting Father play His role, put’s the Kingdom first
#7). Your strategy is allowing Father to speak
Putting his living purpose to work (co-laboring)
Not substituting your intellectual presumption
The inspiration for this blog came from two Council sessions with additional insight on this topic:
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 a free copy of Intentional Reformation or the Lead Your Tribe Field Guide.
- Get on John’s calendar for a Zoom conversation.
- 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.
- We’re partnering with Larry Nault at BuildingaKingdomCompany.com
Cutting Room Floor
Revolution or Reformation – The deception in rebellion and revolutions is a belief they are original. It’s really a script that started in Genesis and the aftermath of destruction is the devil’s playground. Liberalism is really a destroy America umbrella in both parties targeting:
- The economy and infrastructure
- Faith and family
- Our cultural values and history
Sons love sharing Father’s purpose and creating ways to implement it. The aftermath is Reformation of People, Businesses, Cities, and Nations; exactly what Father is doing. The slogan being Trumpeted to Make America Great Again originated in the Heart of God to confront the destroy America agenda that originated with Satan.
Choice comes down to choosing your Father and allowing Him to choose us.
Who you become and what you do flows from that decision because your heart belongs to one of two Fathers whom your heart wants to please.
Jn 8:38 – I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence,
and you are doing what you have heard from your father.
Jn 8:44 – You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Lu 4:18 – He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Lu 11:1 – Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”
2) And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
1Cor 6:19 – Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
20) you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Col 2:13 – For He rescued us from the domain of darkness,
and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
