How to help people awaken – The biggest mistake we make is trying to play Holy Spirit and beat people up with bible verses trying to make an intellectual case for a change of mind. It doesn’t work.

What does work is to prophetically see the captivity in their heart and bring healing, so they can choose the love and the story Father has for them as a son. Then you bring a refreshing experience in the spirit, instead of withering intellectual blow to their opinions.

Even knowing the prophetic root of their captivity may not be enough. The warfare may really be in the court session on their behalf prior to the conversation that takes that accusation and root to the cross. The point is, don’t trust your eloquence, empathy, or your power of persuasion. You’re not the Holy Spirit!

As sons, we’re learning how to let Father play his role and add what only He can add to every conversation and every greater work we undertake in co-laboring with Him.

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Tell the stories of the trades you made to awaken.

Lots of things don’t work when we try to awaken others. But one tool you have is the story of your own experience. We’re all prone to tell the heroic stories of our rags to riches accomplishments via our hard work and personal genius. But the stories that are helpful are the ones that unveil what Father has done to redeem us.

• Those  redemptive experiences are trades in the spirit you made to put the Kingdom first (let go of the old to adopt the new).
• We all have stories of how we put “self” first and got in trouble… How Father redeemed our compromise completes the story.
• We built these transition stories into the 7 Spirit Profile, and we discover them in the Council.
• Awakening is intentional… many prefer to remain asleep (Ex 20:18-20), afraid of what they might lose? …Or what Father might reveal?
• Your stories can help heal hearts, impart the courage to intentionally make a trade in the spirit to redeem their own story.

These three story categories came from a Council conversation (2025-06-12 Council – How Awakening Works). The paragraphs are some of my own examples.

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#1).  Share the lies you let go of, and Why? How did it feel?

This first one is part of my system origin Story in our offer. Until 2012, I believed the primary avenue to the will of God and the Kingdom was through our heart’s desire, wealth creation, and my ministry. Then Sue and I went through a near-bankruptcy and all my dreams and desires crashed. It was through that trial the Lord spoke to me about the desires in his heart for Sonship, Ascension, and Reformation. It was also my introduction to the Courts and Council and how those experiences relate to sonship. Losing the $2M was depressing and very confusing, but when I see it all in hindsight I’m thankful to God he trusted me to make it through. It was totally worth $2M!

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#2).  What dead works did you abandon?
What replaced them? How did Father reveal it?

I got saved and spirit filled as a senior in high school. After a multitude of bible studies and conferences in college I found a bible-based charismatic church that we were part of for 16 years. They had a big vision to plant churches, so I embraced all the training and engaged in all the ministries. I believed that everything God did would happen through the church… revivals that would spread around the world. We went to the Toronto Airport revival in the mid-nineties and brought that movement to the church we planted. It was a fun 13 years of planting two churches when Sue and I both ran out of gas, not instantly but gradually over several years the anointing lifted. I felt like a failure, but the Lord asked me, “John, what would you like to do.” That concept had never entered my mind. I always thought we were called to obey God’s leading even if we didn’t like it… and that the church was everything He was doing. So, after prayer, I choose the business mountain. Now I see business as the perfect place for Ecclesia to flourish. I don’t see church as bad. My eyes are now open to see what Father is doing in all 7 Mountains. And I see the bigger picture of Reformation in Nations; how Father is redeeming individual hearts, Businesses, Cities, and Nations. Redeeming entire cultures and bringing Heaven to Earth through His Sons and Daughters.

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#3).  Tell the stories of how you received Living words in the Council?
Contrast those living words with your prior vain philosophies?

One of the big theological shifts as a prior paster was that I thought the foundation for guidance and theology was an intellectual approach to the Bible. I put a lot of weight on my Bible College degrees and my wealth of Biblical knowledge. Then, through the Council sessions, I slowly awakened to Jesus as the word of God  (Jn 1:1, 12) and conversations in the Council as the spring of Living Words that flow from the throne (Rev 22:1); the living water that originates from the throne and flows out of our hearts to prophetically bless others (Jn 7:38). The Holy Spirit still prompts me (as in the writing of these paragraphs), but it’s always a leading to get the full conversation in the Council (the content of these paragraphs). We’re not abandoning the written word (the Bible) for the Living Word (Jesus), they are seamless and complimentary expressions of Spirit and Truth. Two practical points:

#1).  Guidance via Conversations in the Council can always be confirmed by principles in the Bible,
#2).  But Bible principles intellectually translated to values are more human opinion than guidance.
#1 is Living Words from Heaven; #2 is religion from the minds of men.

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These Trade Stories are a fundamental part of conversations with Father, Jesus, and the 7 Spirits in the Council. There are at least 9 topical categories and 9 compelling reasons to have conversations around your story (see graphic). Part of our Kingdom Business Coaching is a 7-Spirit profile to hear Father’s side of the stories and get them in writing. See John’s Example and the graphic below to get a handle on nine conversations Father takes his sons and daughters through. We help businesspeople pull the curtain back on their own stories. Much more in 7 Compelling Reasons.

Once you know some of your own redemptive stories, the question becomes; can you help another son or daughter redeem their history, His-Story.

• Can you help them see the stories of Father’s leadings and dealings that led to our choices.
• Can you help them heal enough to volunteer for that redemption?
• Can you give them faith for the future redemptions their story still needs?

 

Progression to Sonship – Your Kingdom Purpose and your Redemptive stories all form the basis for your personal identity and your business offer. Becoming your authentic self is the biggest practical key to fruit in business and life. We can help you get there, flowing with your Father (co-laboring) instead of fighting circumstances and resistance on your own. Click for Live links to PDF for examples.