Observations and Ponderings For 2010

Observations and Ponderings For 2010
By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

I love to ponder the possibilities and creative ways we can please God and serve others. I love to reflect on how things are, and “what if” we changed them. How can we further align ourselves toward His Most Excellent Ways. We only know in part, so it is always good to check what we think that we know often.

These are observations and ponderings can be purposeful to challenge existing paradigms, while firming up Kingdom foundations. Many of these are happening all around us, but what if they were not just the exception, but were consistently happening. What will Father do as His children grow up in becoming more like Him? My prayers are to continually stimulate possibility thoughts towards ways that bring forth His Kingdom through our lives.

Here are my Observations and Ponderings as we move into 2010:

Pray for our leaders rather than complain about who we have or don’t have in office.

God is on the throne and will have His way, regardless of who is in office and we are called to pray for His will and for His purposes to be accomplished for our nation.

Give to Caesar (government) what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is His, which are our very lives.

Jesus was consumed with His Father’s Kingdom being brought to the earth, we must focus on that rather than political processes, and give that burden to Him. Do what you are called to do, and leave the rest to Him.

Governmental systems have many elements behind the scenes that control what laws are passed, and even influence and control leaders. May God's people be aware so they do not look to government for answers but ask God on how they may lead and help others in societies future.

May the Lord begin to raise up new leaders who will stand for righteousness in the realms of government. For the Daniels and the Josephs to be raised up and take their place in leading nations with Fathers influence, presence, and wisdom in governmental offices.

Father is shaking all foundations that are not built upon the Rock of Himself. How are we responding to the shaking all around us?

Be active in using what we do have, and quit wasting time worrying about what we don’t have.

We will not fear any longer, we will not fear life or death, because we are in His hands.

“Stop it, just stop it” in our negative thought patterns. “Stop it, just Stop it”, thinking that way, in Jesus name!

We must understand and activate true repentance in every area of our lives, truly turn away instead of just feeling sorry for our patterns of sin.

We must forgive every wrong committed against us in the past and more swiftly in the days ahead.

We will allow His presence to eradicate bitterness from the depths of our souls.

We must understand and apply His freedom from every deliberate and unintentional wounds from our past.

Choose to never live as victim again, because the revelation of Christ and His grace suffices daily for us. Live as a victor and flee from the victim mindset.

Forgive ourselves, and move on past the shame simply because Jesus has forgiven us, and His work in forgiveness is complete.

We will accept and believe with all of our heart, soul, and mind that Jesus loves us, accepts us, and is for us, every moment of every day.

HE ACCEPTS US AS WE ARE to the point that it overwhelms the fact that we do not accept ourselves sometimes. You are growing but you are also complete in Him NOW.

We will live the way of the cross, knowing persecution and trials will come. We will die more to self, because it is the narrow way He asked us to follow.

As we die to self more, Christ lives through us more, and every single need will be met as our joy is made complete in Him.

Rest in who we are in Christ, rather than running around doing activities He never called us to do. Being rather than doing!

God loves us, and it has nothing to do with our past, or our future performances. Rest in Him daily!

Pastors and leadership teams around the world need to train and release every member of their church into the ministry the Lord has called them to. This training and release goes beyond the four walls of organized church.

We need to pick up our mats and walk in obedience after the Lord’s deliverance, rather than come back for prayer and healing for the same things week after week.

God’s true leaders will seek to always serve beyond ever having to be served.

Leaders will train and lead others in the vision God has for them as individuals, and trust the Holy Spirit to move on them to support community or corporate vision. Manipulation and control must go, while faith arises in leaders.

Leaders must not respond to the fear of rejection and failure. Growth is not about numbers. They must trust the Lord for any perceived growth in numbers they expect to see, or better yet, consider to not look at numbers at all. Look to God, He will do what only He can do for their community.

Citywide transformation can begin to take place when each individual realizes his or her purpose and calling, and are released to fulfill it in every day life.

Church pastors must seek relationship with the other pastors of the community to fulfill a citywide vision beyond their own ministries. They must know that the vision for the city WILL NOT be realized without partnering with others. These concepts of futility must not continue to be perpetuated in our cities.

The Lord owns everything we have and asks us to steward everything He has given us. We must ask Him how much to give and to where, always willing to give 100% if He were to ask that of us.

The orphan spirit in many are looking for fathers who will love them, and disciple them to their Heavenly Father. The Father’s heart will rise up, and we will begin to see kingly & priestly fathers in the order of Melchizedek, in the ways of Christ.

Children of God must understand and operate more fully in the authority that Jesus Christ sacrificed for them to have. It is He that performs it through their lives.

Kingdomized people will continue to bring godly influence and leadership to all the gates of the city. Kings and priests of God need to lead by serving in His wisdom and strength in government, business, healthcare, media, law, and educational jurisdictions of our cities.

Every believer must not settle in how they view themselves, while ever seeking the Father to know the full potential of what He sees in them.

We must accept others and the blessing that they are, rather than being offended by them in their differences.

Choose to see the good in people, pray for the rest in them, and love them regardless if they change in the ways we think they should. Believe for the best in others.

Mammon and control must continue to be exposed and deposed in godly leadership systems. The release of Father’s saints upon the earth will increase as the chains that bind are removed. Accountability through relationship, and the righteous fear of God is far more impactful than ungodly control and manipulation.

We must be willing to serve in every phase of our lives rather than being served.

Every believer must understand the eternal process they are in, and walk without judgment beside those not as far along in the process.

We look at many things as realities that are not. As more exposure comes to false realities, the more we can live in the reality of His eternal Kingdom.

Choose to have an un-offendable heart. When offenses come, let go of them quickly.

Forgive in every situation and not only because the Father said He would not forgive you unless you forgive, but because it is in your heart to love in that way.

Be excited about the uniqueness of each other’s differences, and the value of each expression of God's people.

Spiritual Fathers should have a heart of giving to their spiritual sons that surpass any thoughts of what they would receive in return.

Shepherds, (pastors), must be willing to run after the few of the flock that have been hurt, isolated and in need of life giving expressions of our Saviors love.

God's people should pray and communicate intimately with the Father on a daily basis.

Daily people are gathering both missionally, and relationally in homes, coffee shops, and businesses.

Believers need to be concerned with their own end time, which could end at any moment. If we are more concerned with our own end time rather than THE end times, it will become more productive.

We must live each days as it is our last day, and continue to build each day for a better tomorrow for future generations.

The perceived rapture could be a long ways off, or not come at all in the timing and ways that some may think. We must not consume ourselves with such thought and seize the day for God and doing His business of establishing His Kingdom upon the earth.

Do not fear dying. In fact, in living for Him, choose to die to self daily. As you do, you will truly live in and through Him in powerful ways.

Live and move and have your being in the Holy Spirit, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week. Oh what a standard to move towards.

Receive every word or deed with the Father's eyes and with His heart. Then Father can also engage you in a response to life and bring forth words and deeds that bring life to others, and bring Him glory.

Authentic servant leaders will rather have a towel (servant), than a title in leading others. We do not need titles, we need obedience to serve and give as He directs.

We must seek to trash every idol in our life to be free in serving effectively in the army of our Lord.

The greatest idol that we battle is the idol called "self", continue to lay down self and become selfless in our pursuit of Christ and His Kingdom.

Believers must realize that their obedience to all that they do each day is ministry to God and His kingdom.

Housewives’ and mothers are in a valuable full time ministry in keeping the home, and raising the next generation in the pursuit of the will of God.

People of God need to see more fully the ministry the Lord is doing through His daughters. There is a need for further freedom from limited mindsets regarding the Father’s potential and ministry in women. Women have no limits in what the Lord may call them to do, and people must not get in the way of God’s desire for them.

The Kingdom of God is beyond race, gender, or age, but is a diversity of expression in His glorious Kingdom. In the Kingdom male, female, Greek, and Jew can work together in the fullness and likeness of Christ.

Business owners and all workers must realize that in Christ, they are full time ministers in their calling.

For the business owner, people are their greatest resource and they can be an effective pastor for their businesses.

Those in business should look at co-workers, vendors, and customers, as potentially part of their household of faith, or sphere of godly influence.

Christian business owners can look at their businesses as an impact for the community. Churches, homes, businesses, are redeemed and moving in God’s glory throughout the community.

There should be synergy and acceptability in viewing the spirituality of organized church pastors and those who may pastor their homes, businesses, and others in the community.

God speaks in relevance for today beyond the written word in alignment of the written word. In other words, many services and ways that the Father has given us stewardship over is beyond biblical context, but will be in alignment with the Word of God contextualized for today.

So many are operating in the prophetic, as we are a prophetic people. But we are people that can be subjective. Therefore we must find godly ways to enhance prophetic accountability.

When a prophetic people can apologize when they have spoken amiss, God’s glory is revealed. It is okay to make a mistake; it is not okay to cover it up. We must acknowledge equally what we have gotten right and what me may have gotten wrong. This encourages others, and creates an audience that is more willing to listen.

We will worship the foundation of all orders, all systems, all expressions of faith, (Christ Himself), beyond the order or perceived order of things that man has built.

We must have fellowship and connections with others during the week instead of relying on one Sunday Service, which was never designed to meet our ”one anothering” needs.

The earth continues to be filled with the glory of the Lord and He is just waiting for more of us to get involved.

True wealth is measured in what you give away, and not what you keep.

Love as He loves, speak as He speaks, and do what He does, and we can change the world.

Your opinions are okay, because they are your opinions. It would be nice to be loved regardless of how different we all perceive life.

Appreciate the different cultures and expressions in God’s Kingdom, regardless if you understand them, or fancy them.

Understand the commandment to love. Choose to love, even if you do not feel the return of love from others.

Our prayer is that many of these become realities in people's lives, enabling them go out and make a bigger kingdom difference.


Come share on our blog your Ponderings for this year http://vision2advance.blogspot.com

Kings - Learning To Fly In 2010

Kings - Learning To Fly In 2010

Leaving the nest – The implication of learning to fly is “leaving the nest.” Some of us birds do it naturally, others wait until the nest is “thorned” by mother, and a few just get thrown out by God himself! I’m suggesting that maturity is a process and what was once warm and pastoral and loving and comfortable can become somewhat perverse if we don’t graduate. What was once good and healing and from the heart of God can be turned into an idol!

He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) 2 Kings 18:4

Imagine a child who nurses until the age of ten; a teenager who never moves out of the house; a college graduate who never gets a job.

What it feels like - The emotion of moving into marketplace ministry and the accompanying “Kingly” mentality is an “out of the boat” experience for all of us. Here is what it feels like… from a good friend in another state in response to the last newsletter, From Spiritual Covering to Practical Mentoring.

"Yes, I think this is where we have now settled our hearts, after a frustrating time of wondering why our pastor didn't even acknowledge what we were trying to do in the "marketplace ministry." It is still disappointing, though, to feel a total lack of "pastoring" in our church, no matter what we do for a living. But, yeah, we have ceased struggling for affirmation or understanding within the church. Does that sound like sour grapes?"

We could try to portray these feelings in terms of the shortcomings of the pastor involved, but I think we would be missing the real point.

I wouldn't assume the pastor has done anything wrong. He may well be feeling abandoned himself because his paradigm may be that the church is the only mountain. Pastors will value Kings functioning in a different mountain more in the future as we recognize the role of marketplace ministry in the Kingdom.

We shouldn't impose expectations on our pastor that Jesus wants to fulfill Himself. You see the goal for all of us is to eventually mature from the healthy incubator of first love discipleship to relating directly to the Lord for ourselves… taking initiative, becoming entrepreneurial, stepping into new levels of creativity and ministry… moving from milk to meat (Heb 5:13-14) is a good thing! Seeing the flock mature is really the goal of every pastor. It’s a very natural progression after we’ve been faithful in that which is another man’s to be given that which is our own. It's more responsibility and it "feels" more alone... out on a limb. God simply won't allow us to make pastors choose our destiny. We have to make that decision ourselves.

Choosing your destiny - It’s much easier to stay within the vision of a local church, play a role in building that church, and stay under the pastor’s covering. It’s even healthy… unless you’ve been equipped and called into a different mountain …and the Holy Spirit is personally driving you crazy. Pastors, apostles, prophets and churches are very good things until you begin to hold them in a role Jesus wants to occupy himself. All the complaining about authority issues really resides right between our ears… some are just being invited into a place of “growing up.” You can turn the invitation down and stay where you are. There is nothing wrong with building a local church. Equipping the saints is a very legitimate calling close to God's heart. Some will be perfectly happy; others called to a different mountain may have a sense of forfeiting some of their personal destiny.

Owning the challenge - Can you see that it’s not necessarily a problem in the church? …Leaving one church for another, changing the church, or abandoning the church is not necessarily a solution? Sometimes in the course of growing up, we long for the wrong thing and the ajustment needed is in the mirror.

The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end? Jer 5:31

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4:3 NIV

The Kingdom is within you – Becoming a King and extending the Kingdom of God into all seven mountains and changing the world is exciting stuff. It’s scary, but having tasted what it’s like to be out of the boat, I don’t want to go back. This "way" is too much fun, too fruitful, too rewarding, too prosperous and too exciting. It's closer to Jesus!

The highlight of 2009 for me was meeting David Tinney and Poul Dalgaard and seeing the great things God is doing in Ukraine. It is only exceeded by what is in store for 2010.

I want to suggest that the Lord is knocking on your door and inviting you into the next level. I agree, it’s scary and risky. But see if you can’t hear that invitation from Jesus himself. And after having heard it from Him, see if the risk doesn’t melt away. See if you can believe that God values the desire of your heart. Your dream can come true - if you will take the initiative to make it happen.

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Josh 1:5 NIV

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut 31:6 KJV

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isa 41:9-13 NIV

Need practical encouragement? The best source is another King in the same mountain. Here's a recipe for starting a small group with other Kingdom builders. God's doing the same thing in many and you'll find they already speak your language. Start Your Own Group. Take your dream with you and get some help with it... Write Your Business Plan.

Learn to fly in 2010...
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isa 40:29 NIV

who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Ps 103:5 NIV

We're Dancing



John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

Why the Sky is Not Falling (Pt 2)

Why the Sky is Not Falling (Pt 2)

Eschatology - One of my personal passions is discovering why Kings succeed and why Kings sabotage their own dream. In this newsletter I want to suggest that our mindset regarding the future can instill courage and wisdom or fear and failure. Eschatology is the study of future events from a Biblical perspective. The first newsletter on this topic from six months back is Why the Sky is Not Falling.

When I was in college in the 70's I was newly saved and discussions of the rapture were much more prevalent than now. I didn't expect to get out of school before Jesus came back. After I graduated and got a job, I didn't sign up for the pension or savings plan because I was sure the rapture would be soon. After a few decades and a host of failed prophetic events, I decided to look into eschatology and study the Bible for myself in that area. What I found out shocked me. Everything I had been taught and learned from books I read on my own came from one narrow and very flawed stream of theology. Briefly, I had mistakenly assumed that all the prophetic events in Daniel, Ezekiel, Mt 24, Mk 13, Lu 21 and Revelation were in the future. That was what I had been taught as part of my "rapture" foundation.

Rather than try to explain the scriptural choices and solution, I'm just going to point out the simple consequences of the two basic belief systems in this newsletter. Let me refer you to a book Harold Eberle wrote that does a great job of dealing with specific issues on a sound Biblical basis - Victorious Eschatology. Releasing Kings Chapter 9 also has a good summary. You can also order a PDF copy of these materials and receive the books electronically.

Your choices - Let's start with two simple facts. 1) Most believers my age were raised under a rapture theology even though it's not emphasized to the same degree now. 2) Beliefs about eschatology have consequences... a rapture mentality is like a poverty mentality; a major source of self-sabotage.

Pre-millennial - A rapture theology puts most prophetic events in the future and requires a long string of disasters to occurs before Jesus comes back... false prophets, floods, earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, plagues, famines, the wrath of God, persecutions. Basically we end up running for the hills being chased by the antichrist just before we're rescued by the rapture followed by a 1000 year reign of relative tranquility...somewhere.

Amillennial or post-millennial - Your other choice is placing Biblical prophecy in historical context and realizing we're not waiting for the Kingdom to come; it's here now. The door is open to rule and reign with Jesus right now! We can bless the nations and fill the earth with His glory right now! What about all those "disasters?" Nearly all of them are scripturally and historically behind us.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Luke 11:20 NIV

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. Luke 16:16-17 NIV

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves... Col 1:13 NIV

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken... Heb 12:28 NIV

Rapture Consequences - If my heart is set on rapture eschatology there are some serious consequences that we can see all around us. These believers are still going to heaven. They are good people - albeit slightly mis-informed. Here is how they are programmed to believe and act... how "I" used to believe and act.

1.

I believe the impending disasters coming to the earth are the will of God; perhaps even His judgment on a wicked generation. I expect and have faith for bad things and rejoice a little bit when they happen!
2.

I'm prone to believe in conspiracy theories and I'm prone to suspect the worst in people. Only a remnant will make it through; many or most will be deceived and backslide! I expect the dollar to fail, the United States to crumble, and an evil, one-world government to establish itself. In my heart I've given up trying to make a difference. Even if I become prosperous, I expect the devil to steal it.
3.

Prophecy takes on the tone of predicting the will of the devil and its primary fruit is fear. It does ring true (I'm agreeing that their are conspiracies "and" I'm agreeing that we can have insight into the plans of the enemy). However, the "doomsayer" quality on the prophetic tends to ignore the goodness and greatness of God's plan.
4.

Which leads me to my last point... every good and noble thing God wants to do through Kings to establish the Kingdom and bless the nations is missing from this perspective and the prophetic "anointing" that goes with it.

Kingdom Consequences - Although I'm aware of the schemes of the enemy, I'm most focused on the grandest conspiracy of them all. It's one being orchestrated behind the scenes by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The easiest way to tap into that spirit is to "prophesy" the future of the United States. Here's what it sounds like... I'm inviting you to be the judge and discern how close I am to the "will of God" for this particular nation.

1.

The US has a missions and prophetic call that the Lord is going to re-establish. Our national destiny is to lead the world out of the current recession and demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit that will make every social, medical and economical problem "bow" before Jesus' majesty. By our example we are called to lead other nations to be entrepreneurial, creative, industrious, prosperous, confident, and bold in the name of Jesus.
2.

A level of creativity and faith is coming into this nation that not only solves medical coverage but we will find a way to "suddenly" pay off the national debt and lead the world in even higher levels of generosity. Poverty will "bow" before the majesty of Jesus and captives will be set free to dance in the streets at the goodness of God. The lost will not only be saved but their cultures will be transformed.
3.

The church will unite under a Kingly mandate to equip the saints for the work of ministry in the marketplace. The walls will come down and Kings will release a new level of creativity, innovation, and prosperity that will break the yoke off millions. Every mountain will be occupied.
4.

As the light of God grows brighter and brighter, the wheat and tares will be distinguished. The camp of the enemy will grown darker... and weaker at the same time. We will "succeed" in filling the earth with His Glory and establishing His Kingdom... and then He will return to a spotless bride. PS - it won't be tomorrow!

For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." Rev 15:4 NIV

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Rev 21:22-24 NIV

How will it happen - Very simple. Kings will see the vision and own the opportunity to possess their inheritance. Dreams will come true. Great exploits will be the norm. And, we'll have fun doing it.

We already are possessing our inheritance, dreams are coming true, exploits are becoming the norm... and we're having a huge party.... the Kingdom has indeed come upon us and we're dancing!

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Prov 25:2 NIV

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. Ps 2:8 NIV


PS: Can I still have a rapture? Answer: Of course you can. Right after we're done making disciples of all nations! It will seem a little anti-climactic and it will occupy the same level of importance in our minds that it has in scripture.




We're Dancing



John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

After Your Heart is Released...

After Your Heart is Released...

The Lights Come On - One of my personal delights is observing the process of seeing hearts released into a Kingly realm. During the conference in Ukraine we saw God's people grasp permission from the Father to dream. For the first time, they looked into their own heart's desire to find the will of God. They gave themselves permission to make the decisions and take the initiative that will cause their dream to come true. They caught a glimpse of the prosperity, the ministry, and the adventure of being a King. They saw how much fun it could be.

Our books and newsletter also release hearts. Most weeks I get several phone calls from strangers who treat me like their closest confidant - their hearts are leaping because someone understands what's happening with them. God was stirring their heart and they found words in our materials to express the process and felt like they moved from an island to a revival.

So what's the next step? Kings who find a release for their hearts through conferences or materials don't really need another conference or a new book. They want to get on with their dream. I want to suggest two very specific steps that we can take at this stage. The first is a business plan and the second is finding your support group.

#1 Write Your Business Plan - Dreams come true with wisdom, planning, initiative, and work. It's important to continue your dream process at the next level. What decisions do I need to make to implement this dream? We've created a separate web page with more detail about the topics to consider at a new site called Write Your Business Plan. It's filled with an outline and links to additional resources and coaching possibilities. Go there now and take a look. Even if your dream is not clear yet, you can begin to think of your own life as business. Write a few sentences down in each category and set up a monthly cash flow for your personal finances. It's a great starting place to learn to dream bigger and to see the importance of your personal decisions in reaching your destiny.

#2 Find Your Support Group - Releasing Kings is in a pioneering phase. Find the people around you that God is touching in a similar way and help one another with your dreams. We've created another site with details about a format for that group (Start Your Own Group) based on my own experience with friends who love me and share my dream to Release Kings. We all help one another with everything from practical ideas to prayer. It's very encouraging and it will help you find your peers, mentors, and the network to take the next step.

What not to do

a. Don't ignore 1 and 2 - take those actions seriously. Waiting passively for God to do everything is a dream killer. Hope that is delayed can make your heart sick. Our goal is to guard the desires of our hearts... to discern them and nurture them into a destiny that builds the Kingdom of God.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Prov 13:12 NIV

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Prov 4:23 NIV

b. Let Your pastor be a pastor - We get excited about the concept of releasing Kings. It's natural to want to run back to our churches and pastors and try to impose it on them... bad idea. Here's why - Moving from servant to King requires a significant level of spiritual maturity "and" a decision to pursue your destiny even if it involves some risk (stepping out of the boat). Not everyone is at that place. Pastors need to be allowed to shepherd their flock at the pace of the slowest lambs. They can't just drop everything and switch to an emphasis of Releasing Kings - not everyone is ready. As a pastor, I was really surprised when I preached marketplace ministry. Half my congregation jumped all over it and half kind of yawned and wished I would move on to something else. Bottom line - Releasing Kings is a dynamic that moves hearts and ministry outside the church into six other mountains. There are some things a pastor can do and we've created a web site with those ideas (Releasing Kings in My Church). It's written from a pastor's perspective. Put your energy in your mountain and avoid piling expectations on your pastor.




We're Dancing



John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

Goals That "Work" For You

Goals That "Work" For You
Goals can be a delight to achieve or an intimidating mountain that taunts us. Knowing how to set them is important in making progress toward your inheritance in Christ. Many believers are totally content to operate without written goals and some are still quite successful. I want to suggest the successful ones  still have goals of the heart; they just have a theology that prevents them from admitting it. Servants with no personal goals who just do what the Lord tells them typically live out most of their Christian life getting the dial tone. God works through personal initiative and individual creativity. His will is found in the desires of our heart.
Goals of the heart - Goals cannot be set with our mind alone. They must be set around the passion of our heart and the purpose of our life. People mistakenly set goals around giving or making money. Money can't be a primary goal because it doesn't articulate a desire of our heart. However, every goal usually does require money to reach it. Here's what I learned as a pastor, "Ministry costs money!" We don't love money; it's just a tool that funds our ministry.
No Goals? - What happens if we coast through life with no sense of personal destiny or goals built around our passion? We still have to eat! So, we find a job, make some money, pay the bills and give to others that do have goals. We end up serving money with our time - a job. Serving in that which is another man's is OK for a season; just not for a life time. The goal is to identify and serve your own heart's desire - eventually.
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? Luke 16:12 KJV

"And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? Luke 16:12 NASU
Here's the real reason to have goals built around your life's passion. Those goals will go to work and make money so that you can achieve your dream. Last week we talked about Exercising your heart. If you tap into your life's calling and purpose there will be several trademarks.
1.First, we enjoy what we're doing because it expresses the desires of our own heart.
2.We sense the Father's pleasure spiritually and we feel a wind in our sails naturally.
3.New ideas and creativity and work cause wealth to flow toward us and multiply our ministry.
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. Deut 8:18
Sabotage - If we try to set goals with our mind and skip the real passion in our hearts, then our hearts simply sabotage the whole process and our goals work against us instead of for us.
For example, I'm funding our ministry through day trading. If I lose sight of the real purpose of ministry and start to focus on the money then my heart starts to sabotage my success and I violate the training of my mentors. In hindsight it looks obviously and incredibly and embarrassingly stupid. My mind can't believe it happened... neither can my mentor! But my heart understands clearly that I'm starting to wander from my purpose. (Can you see why diets don't work? They don't address the heart.)
We need coaches and mentors and training (and diets), but none of it works until our heart's desire is identified. Good mechanistic "how to" training just gets filtered until it supports a dream. Our mistake is that we start with some formula for success before we understand the dream that success will serve. That's why our goal can't be something like making money. Our real dream is connected to a tangible purpose. Money is just a tool to make a dream come true.
To set a goal around money without a connection to a higher purpose falls into a trap, "love of money." That scenario also sets the stage for moral compromise... greed, theft, lying, etc.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money , have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Tim 6:8-10 NIV

Keep your lives free from the love of money... Heb 13:5 NIV

Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it. Prov 1:19 NIV
Note: Keep in mind these verses may cause us to hear a wrong message, "God wants us poor." The real truth is that God want us wealthy enough to fund our dream with abundance through a cup that continually overflows. We've written a four part series on wealth that you may enjoy. Is Wealth God's Will?, The Reason for Wealth, Wealth is a Tool, and Moving to a Wealth Mentality.
Get Connected - To realize your full potential in Jesus, you and I have to tap into the real desires of our hearts and flow with them. That's what makes life fun... ministry multiplies, wealth flows, and fruit is the result. Set goals around your life purpose and the desires of your heart. Get to the bottom of your real heart's motivation so that your heart is rejoicing instead of working against you. "Religion" in the legalistic sense, is trying to work for God and against your heart. It doesn't work... but we already know that, don't we?
...your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass... Isa 66:14 NIV

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Prov 17:22 NIV
 
 
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John and Sue     www.Releasing-kings.com

The Way to Truth and Prosperity

The Way to Truth and Prosperity
By Gerald Chester www.strategieswork.com
You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Revelation 3:17 [NIV]

Need a new car? Does your house need to be updated? Need to pay off credit card debt? Is your company struggling to make payroll? Does your company need capital to expand, develop a new product, or to explore new opportunities? See an investment opportunity?

Since most of us believe that the answer to life’s challenges is money, we assume that the solution to all of the above is money. This causes us to focus on and be preoccupied with money.

The assumption that money is the solution to many, if not most, of life's challenges is all too common. This perspective has been around for thousands of years.

The text above was written to the Christian community at Laodicea nearly two thousand years ago. This Christian community thought the same as most of us do today. They believed that money was the answer to life’s problems and challenges.

Placing trust and confidence in physical assets was and continues to be a powerful deception. The second half of the above verse expresses the truth. When we trust in our tangible physical wealth, we are trapped, imprisoned, powerless, hopeless, and unprotected—not a good place to be. When we think money is the solution to meet our needs and solve our problems, we are living in deception.

To better understand the above verse, consider how the universe was created. A spirit being, whom we know to be God, created the tangible physical world. This means that spiritual reality is the fundamental reality and physical reality emanates from spiritual reality. Notwithstanding the apparent prosperity of the wicked (see Psalms 73), tangible wealth is therefore a physical manifestation of underlying spiritual reality. Consequently, tangible wealth is never a root issue; it is only a symptom of underlying spiritual reality.

Our true needs are fundamentally spiritual in nature and are manifested in the physical realm in various ways. For example, consider the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. They were told that obedience to God (spiritual reality) would manifest itself in family, financial, and political blessings. The reverse was also true. Disobedience (spiritual reality) would manifest itself in family, financial, and political calamity (see Deuteronomy 28).

To truly solve problems in life, therefore, we must deal with root issues, which are always spiritual in nature. We must recognize that money problems are symptoms of underlying spiritual issues.

Here is your business tip: The key to prosperity in God’s universe is spiritual alignment with Him (Matthew 6:33). This text teaches that our role is to align with God’s kingdom (His rule and reign) and to do it according to righteousness (His ways). There is provision when we do this. To quote my friend Dennis Peacocke: “God funds His will.”

Whenever you face an apparent need and don’t have the requisite money, there is an alignment issue or issues. To help you uncover the root issues, consider the following:

* Have you truly discerned the Lord’s will for yourself and/or your organization?
* Is there sin in your life and/or in your community (home, business, church, and/or nation)?
* Is this a test from God to build your faith?
* Is this a timing issue—it may be God’s will but the wrong time?

Honest assessment of the spiritual reality at work in your circumstances will enable you to discern how to pray and act in alignment with God, which will release provision to do His will. This is the way of truth that leads to blessings in God's universe.

When Kings Get Drunk

When Kings Get Drunk

Learning to drink - In 1995 Sue and I went back to Toronto to the Airport Vineyard to catch an outpouring... there were meetings six nights a week and people were there from at least 60 different nations. Our congregation was glad to see me go; and to some degree pushed me out the door. As an engineer who was raised on a ranch, I didn't naturally release my heart or my emotions in front of them. When we got to Toronto the meetings were filled with the presence of God and the speakers felt no obligation to teach a coherent message. The goal was to help people experience the Holy Spirit. Nearly every one ended up on the floor at some time. Laughter and healing were common ingredients. Waves would sweep over the congregation of a couple of thousand people - It was thrilling to see the Lord move. I wanted to be part of it all and I learned that if I was willing to surrender and allow the Lord to touch my own heart that I could laugh too. It healed something in my heart that I carry to this day and cherish very much. I've never again been ashamed to release my heart or emotions to simply share the heart of Jesus whether it's tears or laughter.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Prov 17:22

When we got home our church experienced the same thing. Waves of laughter would overtake those willing to release their hearts and enjoy His presence. We basked in His glory and enjoyed the season. I didn't think I'd changed but my closest friends and family told me I had. It was wonderful. The revival was a season in God that has passed, but my heart was changed forever.

A bike wreck - Yesterday David and Poul and I drove through the countryside of Ukraine on the way from Lutsk to L'viv. We passed horse drawn wagons and old women watching Holsteins as they grazed in unfenced meadows. As we passed through one small town a middle aged man drove the bike he was riding into a curb and fell awkwardly in slow motion. Poul pointed out that he was drunk and had probably spent his small wage in a bar on his way home to his family. It was a metaphor for us. Let me explain.

The pull on your heart - I've witnessed "live" God moving through Kings to change a nation. Paul started a gate factory that employs about 15 people. Tommy, his manager, chose to staff the factory with local men from rehab. They aren't all saved yet. The factory is two years old and they have done an amazing job of balancing the quality and production of their product in a bureaucratic culture with a staff that is not naturally entrepreneurial. The cash flow is almost positive and Paul has a vision to start 2 more factories in the future.

There are struggling church plants, new businesses in a down economy, and hundreds of worthwhile people and causes that pull on your heart. Our conference and books will play a strategic role in the Kingdom here to make missions self-supporting by Releasing Kings.

To drink or abstain - Kings with tender hearts have a huge temptation to empty their wallets and play a role in changing places like the Ukraine. Where do we draw a line and find the balance between wisdom and the party? Let me offer a simple recipe.

We're not too surprised when youthful servants empty their wallets for a good cause. There is a camp that describes it as a sacrifice that God delights in - the widow's mite. It's really a poverty mentality inspired by spiritual vodka that lives for the moment.

Kings have a store of seed that God "continually increases." They give out of the overflow of those businesses and investments. They never give away the seed that is producing the next harvest. In fact, God is calling Kings to have a hundred year vision and answer this question. How will your vision and seed pass on to the next generation so that your work will continue (and increase) after you're gone? Those business plans that cover decades and mentor our replacements are the inheritance and Kingdom legacy God is calling us to steward.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Cor 9:8-11 NIV

Wisdom - It's not spiritual for Kings to give away all their money. When they risk or give away their seed, they risk or give away their ministry now and in the future. Does it happen? Yes, Kings can get addicted to the anointing and give away their seed. Their wives feel exactly like the wife of the alcoholic who wrecked his bike and showed up at the door with vodka on his breath... with no money for food.

For Kings, giving feels so good it can be addictive. But God has His eye our our spiritual grandchildren and how we steward our message and our seed so the next generations can run with it... and exceed our own exploits. What has really opened my eyes is seeing what God is doing in 20 something's. They are golden. My heart is leaping because they will Release Kings at levels we've never imagined. Our assignment is to steward their inheritance in the message and the money and the ministry so that the baton is passed without missing a step.

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children... Prov 13:22 NIV





We're Dancing



John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

GLORIOUS FREEDOM

Glorious Freedom
Roots of Freedom - Freedom is the very nature of the Kingdom of God; bondage and slavery describe the kingdom of darkness. Wherever the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. "Religion" does have a reputation for legalism - getting people to do what they don't want to do. However, real and Biblical spirituality is learning to pursue your heart's desires and finding the will of God at the same time. We live for a purpose larger than ourselves and we live to see dreams come true. It's exciting!
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. Rom 8:18-21 NIV
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor 3:16-17 NIV
Jesus came to set the captives free. Think about that concept. Real freedom costs money. You can be totally saved, spirit-filled and on your way to Heaven. But, if you live in poverty you are really a slave to society unable to attain your dreams. We don't deny the freedom that comes with salvation, the freedom we experience in worship, and the freedom that comes from loving relationships. Those things don't cost money. I'm simply suggesting that "abundance" includes the financial flexibility to be "free" to ______. You can fill in the blank.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASU
Why some choose poverty - I've experienced the chagrin of showing people ways to multiply their finances only to have them say, "no thanks." Why? Freedom is spelled r-e-s-p-o-n-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y. The freedom to be entrepreneurial, multiply finances, take risks and pursue your dream always implies trying... with the possibility of failure. Risk is something many people won't tolerate. It feels safer to choose the path of least resistance, lay low and do what we've always done. Listen to what that attitude sounds like.
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." Num 14:2-4 NIV
The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Ex 16:3 NIV
Failure is good! - Want to know a secret? Failure can motivate us to succeed. We can learn from mistakes. Truly free societies are always predicated on free markets where some succeed and some don't. Breaking the stronghold of poverty in a culture or a nation can't be done with handouts or trying to protect people from failures. We all need to learn responsibility. If we don't, poverty is a guarantee. Dictators, communists, and socialists don't create wealth or freedom for their people. They oppress them on the edge of poverty.
Let me say it politically... the Kingdom of God uses capitalism to create the wealth that is used for ministry. Socialism pretends to have a heart for the poor, but what it really does is eliminate wealth and discourage responsibility from entire cultures and nations. People who have come out from under the tyranny of communism are often left still wanting their government (or somebody) to provide for them. Freedom from oppression doesn't automatically translate to personal initiative and responsibility. We have to embrace the responsibility that comes with freedom.
Note: Harold has two teachings on capitalism dated June 4 and 11, 2009 on his web site. They are worth listening to ~ an hour each.
Suggestion - If you're saved (and free), I can assure you that you have, are, or soon will be exposed to the trials and discouragement that go with failure. You probably know that. What you may not know is that those setbacks can be used to lay a foundation in your character for success. That's the genius of freedom. We can fail and succeed. You are guaranteed your fair share of failures - HELLO! However, all of creation is waiting with eager expectation to see you use your freedom to move beyond your failures and succeed personally... and then to use that success as leverage to help others succeed as well. It's fun and it includes finances. It's ministry!
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Rom 5:3-5 NASU
If you take a risk, encounter a few failures and stick with it, you will not be disappointed. God, Himself will promote you into things like wisdom and wealth and influence and long life for the sake of the Kingdom and because he loves you and because he loves the captives you will set free. You just have to sign up for the cost of admission. Bust a few doors down!

It was for freedom that Christ set us free... Gal 5:1 NASU



We're Dancing

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

The Morality of Business

The Morality of Business
Does business = greed? - I was talking to a good friend a few days ago and sharing about day trading. He asked a simple question, "When you make money on a trade, isn't someone else losing money?" I fumbled for an answer and suggested we were probably taking some of George Soros' money and that the US was printing plenty of extra money for us to make anyway. I vainly tried to "humor" away a legitimate response.
We addressed this question in Releasing Kings, chapter 17. There is a belief that "the resource pie is fixed." In other words, if you use too much oil, or electricity, or make too much money, someone else will have less. Although we need to be good stewards of our resources, the real truth is that God is the source of wealth and resources and He has enough for everyone. Did you know that if all the money in the world was divided by the number of people the in the world, we would each have $7M? Do you understand why you do not yet have your share?
Back to my friends question: When a company posts a job for one new employee and you get the job, that means other applications are rejected. Does that mean you should never apply for a job? Colleges have entrance exams to limit enrollment to their ability to handle a specific number of students. If you pass the exam and gain entrance, a spot is taken that someone else could have gotten. Does that mean you should never apply to college?
As I thought through this issue, I realized I was still carrying a poverty mentality in this area. Competition isn't a bad thing, neither is being entrepreneurial. In fact, you are really in a position to help others only when you succeed yourself. The concept that the resource pie is fixed and "more for me means less for you" is the primary ingredient in socialism and communism and poverty. It is always the justification for more government control. It also perpetuates poverty because welfare is one of the root causes of a "victimized" mindset. People place their expectations on government instead of exercising faith in God.
And the answer is? - There are answers to the national problems we face in every mountain. The goal of the government mountain is to release Kings; to facilitate entrepreneurial genius instead of trying to provide it. Government bureaucracies are famous world-wide for inefficiency because they are staffed with servants instead of Kings. We do have many examples of wonderful elected officials. However, they are all great for the same reason - They enabled people to provide for themselves. They set people free to meet their own needs, to create their own inventions, to own their own land, and to pursue their own vision.
The morality of business - Adding value to the lives of people by providing something they need is the crux of ministry. Wealth is the natural result of the wisdom it takes to come up with those entrepreneurial ideas. The process of gaining wisdom that produces wealth to enable ministry is simply discipleship. It's a process that the Christian community has not emphasized - we have generally not wanted to soil our hands with filthy lucre! Instead, we need to celebrate believers that "know how" to obtain wealth and convert it to ministry (wisdom). Their business models often "minister" in ways we don't consider ministry. People all over the world that receive this newsletter are blessed by Bill Gates' software - I think he deserves some wealth!
The wealth of the wise is their crown... Prov 14:24 NIV

To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. Eccl 2:26 NIV

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Prov 3:13-16 NIV
Why Jewish people prosper - They simply have a theology that supports prosperity. While theologians lived off the offerings of the masses and debated the sin of usury, Jewish businessmen were happy to open banks and loan other people money to start their businesses. They deemed the banking industry to be an honorable and moral service to their communities - a ministry. They understood that it was a curse to be the borrower and not the lender. They understood the value of interest and the wisdom of investing in other people.
He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail. Deut 28:44 NIV
While Christians considered the merits of humility and service, the Jewish people felt totally free to become famous and influential. There understood honor was the blessing of God and that it was His purpose to make their name great and their nation great. Jewish people are very popular in the entertainment field... because their theological roots free them to be that way.
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Gen 12:2-3 NIV
The emphasis on prophetic revelation and miracles in modern Christianity naturally leads to the concept of living by faith for miraculous provisions. The Jewish mindset is more balanced and more Biblical. They understand wealth is more often the result of wisdom and work. They would more naturally seek wisdom and opportunities than pray for money. Living in expectation that our financial needs will be met by a miracle (wealth transfer) is a sure formula for poverty.
Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 1 Kings 3:13-14 NIV

Note: I'm enjoying Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. The first chapter provides a great explanation of why Jewish people prosper. Fascinating - because it exposes some of the unbiblical poverty in our theology.

We're Dancing

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

HIGH POSITION

High Positions

By Os Hillman www.marketplaceleaders.org


"The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position" (James 1:9).
Whenever God takes a saint to a very lowly state it is designed to accomplish something only that process can do. Job learned that "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). Job's trials allowed him to learn things about God, himself and his friends that we all needed to know as well. He assumed things about God that he had to recant: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3).
God reveals things in the dark places of circumstances that will be used to reveal something He wants you and others to know. He has sent you ahead to learn these things so that you and others will benefit from your unique experience. God views this place where you receive these truths as a high position. The world views it as a place to be despised.
"He called down a famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them - Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles; his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true" (Psalms 105:16-19). Joseph was also led to this high position. It was here he was prepared to be the most powerful man in the world as a thirty-year old. He learned many things about God during his captivity that was used later as a ruler over a nation.
So, if you find yourself in a lowly state, realize your lowly state is considered a high position by God that is preparation soil for revealing deep things from the dark places that God desires you to learn.

Breaking Poverty - Releasing Prosperity

Breaking Poverty - Releasing Prosperity
A Wealthy Soul - I believe we are in a season where doors of prosperity are opening for the sake of the Kingdom. Let's talk about why money flows toward some people and flees from others.
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 NASU
People who are already wealthy in soul and spirit tend to prosper financially as well. Money doesn't really make us wealthy. We can be rich before money begins to flow. A prosperous soul is the first ingredient for breaking poverty. There are a few simple principles for growing financially that must be added to a prosperous soul and spirit before finances begin to flow. Let's cover as many as we can and I'll give you some recommended reading at the end of this newsletter.
Why Wealth? - The first issue is motives. What would you buy if you had plenty of money? There are two common responses and I want to suggest that both are very wrong.
1) Most of us have a list of things we would like to purchase if we had a few more dollars. If we had the money, we would buy them.
2) Many believers would say, "I am basically content and I don't need to be wealthy - my needs are covered and I don't want to be encumbered worrying about how to make more money."
In response to #2 - 50,000 people die each and every day due to poverty related causes and you're telling me you don't need any more money? Can you see how selfish that attitude is? It's true, as long as you think only about yourself and your immediate family, you may not need more money.
In response to #1 - People who have wealth give to needs and make purchases for themselves out of their profits; they give and buy from the overflow of a full cup. The first thing they do differently with their "seed" is buy income generating assets. Poverty will give away seed or use it to buy liabilities; prosperity is a good steward of seed and they know how to multiply it. If you ask a prosperous person what they would like to do with their money, they will talk about their next investment or business expansion (income generating assets). Poverty will answer the same question by talking about the house, car, or computer they would like to purchase.
How to Give - One of the great tragedies in the church is that people are taught the way to prosperity is giving away your seed and believing God for a miracle. That works if you're a televangelist with your own TV show because everyone sends you money. People who are taught to give away their seed remain in poverty all their lives. We taught the church how to remain poor and stay out of marketplace ministry! Isn't that totally amazing? One more thing - there is no such thing as an end-time wealth transfer that will wash away all the sins of bad stewardship.
I'm not suggesting we stop giving. We can budget for both tithes/offerings and savings and investing. My real point is that good investments that multiply our seed are just as important as regular giving.
Money is spiritual - Each of us were created by God with unique gifts and talents that minister to other people. As Christians we naturally enjoy blessing other people including the nations (Gen 12:2-3). It's in our spiritual DNA. What we each need to realize is that the things we enjoy doing have value for others that can be converted to wealth and multiplied to create even more value. You were not designed to waste away in a job you don't enjoy just for the sake of a paycheck. You were designed to love working to see your heart's desire come to fruition. Work really is an expression of your ministry. That's the genius of being entrepreneurial. The process of finding your destiny and learning to convert your talents to wealth so they can be multiplied is one of the most spiritual things you can do.
"Ministry" - What you have to offer the world that will bless them so much that they will gladly pay for it in exchange for the benefit they receive "value"... and thus enable you to minister to even more people.
Money flows toward vision - Have a good answer to the question, "What would you do if you had more money." You see, money is just a tool that can be multiplied and converted to ministry. Make no mistake, it's very spiritual to know how to multiply finances. If, in your own heart, you know that you and God are on the same page with financial priorities, you will be entrepreneurial, take initiatives and prosper. If your priorities are fuzzy you will gravitate toward passivity and poverty.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt 6:33 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer 29:11-13 NIV

12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deut 28:12-13 NIV
Be a mentor - If you are prosperous, make it your goal to mentor others to go beyond your level. People are always the best investments. You are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. God has designed the Kingdom to bless others through you. It's important that your cup runs over; the world is waiting and so is God.
Recommended reading - My favorite books are Releasing Kings and Desire to Destiny. However, I try to read new material on marketplace ministry. Sunday Adelaja is a Pastor in Ukraine who has written an excellent book on this topic, Money Won't Make You Rich. Worth reading because it's contemporary, filled with insights, and very balanced.

We're Dancing

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

Confronting your industry culture

Confronting Your Industry Culture

By Os Hillman www.marketplaceleaders.org


"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers'" (Matt 21:12-13).
Sometimes a corporate culture dictates the way business is conducted because it was established years before. We simply inherit whatever the accepted practice is. Some of these practices violate a biblical principle. For instance, some businesses withhold payment on invoices for sixty, ninety or one hundred twenty days as a form of cash management, which places a heavy burden on suppliers. Some government custom's employees require a bribe in order to get your product into their country. One nation thinks nothing about their practice of software piracy because it has simply become a part of their culture.
God never allows for situational ethics. There are absolutes in the Kingdom of God. The Word of God does not change because of culture or accepted practice.
It was an "industry practice" to sell doves in the temple. But Jesus never accepted the practice because he knew it was turning a holy place of prayer into a commercial enterprise. It did not matter that it was an accepted practice.
God calls each of us to operate from a plumb line of righteousness in our work life, no matter the consequence. Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia (Ezra). Zerubbabel is also noted for laying the foundation of the second temple in Jerusalem the next year. He was a leader who managed with integrity and righteousness. He was a man who God and others wanted in charge. "Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel" (Zech 4:10).
Evaluate your industry practices and make sure you are not violating God's Word. Let your plumb line be measured by His precepts.

Mother Theresa

Mother Theresa

By Os Hillman www.marketplaceleaders.org


"For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me"(Matt 25:42-43).
Mother Theresa gave her life to a service to the needs of the poor in Calcutta, India. She reveals in the following what she believers every believer in Jesus is called to do:
"It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is not true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me."
It hurt Jesus to love us. We have been created in His image for greater things, to love and to be loved. We must "put on Christ" as Scripture tells us. And so, we have been created to love as He loves us. Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the unwanted one, and He says, "You did it to Me." On the last day He will say to those on His right, "whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me, and He will also say to those on His left, whatever you neglected to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for Me."
When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, "I thirst." Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst of everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us. This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts."
How might her words encourage you to do things differently?

God Can Qualify The Disqualified

God Can Qualify The Disqualified

By Joseph Prince www.josephprince.org


who [the Lord] redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Psalm 103:4
Four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. (Matthew 1:1–16) Interestingly, they are not Sarah, Rebekah, Leah or Rachel, wives of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Instead, they are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, women who had morally questionable backgrounds.

Tamar resorted to deception and prostitution to produce children through her father-in-law. Yet, it was from her line, the tribe of Judah, that the Messiah came. (Genesis 38) Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute in Jericho, who became a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Joshua 2:1–21) She also became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. (Ruth 4:13)

Ruth was morally upright. But as a Moabitess, she was a Gentile and therefore considered unclean. Yet, she became the grandmother of David (Ruth 4:13–17), whom the Jews regard as their greatest king. Bathsheba committed adultery with David. (2 Samuel 11:4) Later, she gave birth to King Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24), from whose royal line Jesus descended.

So what is God saying to us here?

He is saying that He is greater than our sins — where sin abounds, His grace abounds much more. (Romans 5:20) His grace is greater than our sins, so that even when the world disqualifies us, He can qualify us to receive His blessings!

God is also saying that He is a God of many chances. These women’s stories show us that even when our troubles are of our own making, they are neither final nor fatal. When we turn to Him, He will turn our situations around until we see His glory upon us!

Finally, God is saying that He is a God of supernatural positioning. Even when all our earthly connections are gone, the moment we turn to Him, He will find ways to turn our captivity into blessings.

My friend, don’t look at your natural circumstances and be discouraged. Trust the One “who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies”. Trust Him who qualifies the disqualified!

Coaching - From God

Coaching - From God
Experiencing God - Christianity is both Spirit and Truth. We learn with our minds biblical truth, but we experience God with our hearts. For example, when we first saved, most of us felt God's forgiveness as a weight being lifting of our shoulders. When we first encountered the presence of the Holy Spirit we felt a stirring in our hearts. We don't subscribe to experience only. However, a Biblical foundation in sound doctrine actually helps us experience God. A balanced spiritual life is both understanding and relational encounters with an interactive and relational God.
They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:32 NIV

Heart's Desire - One of the key thrusts of our marketplace message is moving from servant to friend.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 15:14-17 NIV
The servant mentality can be a brother to poverty. A servants' goal is obedience and they are apt to feel guilty if financial blessing comes their way. They would certainly never feel good about pursuing financial gain. Servants are predisposed to avoid their heart's desire in favor of sacrificing themselves for what they believe is the will of God
"Friends," on the other hand, regard themselves as God's friends. They talk to God about their heart's desires on a regular basis. In fact, they find the will of God within the desires of their heart and they find the desires of their heart within the will of God. The essential difference between friends and servants is one of motivation. Servants are waiting for God to move; Friends are asking and doing and moving.
The experience - Experiencing the revelation and the power of answered prayer is another one of the landmark experiences for friends; a way of life for Kings. The Kingdom is built as friends on the same page with God ask for their heart's desires. Listen to the the way Jesus put it.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14 NIV

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:7-8 NIV

I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:23-24 NIV
Coaching - There are a couple of levels of having this experience. One is devotionally - just having the prayerful conversation with God where you explore your heart's desires. The second level is with another person (coaching). It's one thing to understand what God asked Solomon, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." It's another level of experience to hear those words from another brother or sister who is coaching you toward your heart's desires.
Many of us have never had another person encourage us through the process of pursuing our heart's desires. It's a pretty amazing feeling! In fact, it feels like God - another one of those God experiences.
Your assignment - Connect with God on the level of your heart's desire and have the conversation with Him in prayer. Move this same experience into the level of coaching and find someone who can specifically encourage you and help you connect with your destiny in God. Graduate from Pew to Purpose! - even if it costs you some money to hire a coach. After your direction has good definition and you're walking in it, then find a mentor who is already successful in the same field who can help you go to the next level. Your coach may be able to help you find a mentor.
Tara - There are lots of good examples of Christian coaches. I want to give you one great example I interviewed (and befriended) so you'll know what they look like. Tara Travis (based in Jacksonville, FL) is currently working with about 400 clients and has a specific burden for releasing Kings via other women. At the age of 29 Tara is wise beyond her years and represents the next generation in this move. She is one of those free spirits that is on fire for God and has a lot of fun releasing Kings. Women are particularly being called out by the Holy Spirit to pursue their hearts and it's often women coaches who are setting them free. Tara has tapped into that dynamic in a major way.
You can check out her Facebook page for free webinar events and you can also simply pick up the phone and call her. We call that initiative; something Kings are good at.

We're Dancing

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

Modern Day Daniel

Modern Day Daniel

By Kent Humphreys www.fcci.org


Daniel is my favorite Bible character. He was taken from his home country at about 14 years of age and went on to be one of the most influential leaders in Babylon over the next seventy years. A few weeks ago in Hong Kong I was able to spend time with a modern day Daniel who does business in the countries of Central Asia. Daniel’s father was a pastor in India back in the 1960’s, and before Daniel was born his father believed that Daniel would be a pastor in Russia. During his teenage years Daniel struggled in his faith and wandered away from his Christian heritage. About the age of 18 years he returned to walking with God. Then Daniel began to learn the Russian language in the university. But, as he got ready to graduate from college, the chaos occurred and the walls of the Soviet Union came down. In 1993 Daniel showed up in Central Asia and went to work for a large software firm as a marketing agent. He had no business training but adapted well and made many friends. For the next two or three years Daniel worked very hard and traveled twenty five days a month throughout the region of Central Asia.
Daniel was promoted three times because of his marketing and sales success. Finally in 1996, he was offered a move to Africa to head up a new office in Uganda. Daniel turned down the great financial offer because he felt called to Central Asia. For a year he worked for a financial services firm and tried to help a local church make up a fake platform for business. He spent a year on a church staff thinking that it was how he was going to serve God. Some ladies in his church began to pray and had a vision that Daniel would go into business and bring wealth to the nations. A pastor from Singapore met Daniel and told Daniel that God had called him to be a minister to the marketplace. Daniel had saved $60,000 from his earnings and started a trading business. His firm packaged and branded tea from India and grew a very successful business in just a few years. But, in 1999 the currency was devalued 50% and his savings were gone. While his inventory was devalued, he still owed his vendors over $500,000 and did not want to go bankrupt and hurt his trusted vendors. So, just as he got married, he was suddenly in deep debt for the next two years. His office was robbed, his key employee stole from him, and the KGB raided his facility. He could not even work for four months. Finally, the church in Singapore called him to come to Singapore. On a Sunday in Singapore, 12,000 members of the church gathered to lay hands on Daniel and pray for his business back in central Asia.
In 2000, Daniel started a new business in the Oil and Gas industry. He met with a firm in London and began to try to sell the 100,000 items in their CD catalog. For days Daniel called on perspective clients back in Central Asia. Finally, one night at 7:30pm he met a guy on the street who suggested that he visit an office in a basement of a certain office building. There Daniel met the key executive of a firm which would spend $4 billion on an oil and gas project over the next few years. After he saw Daniel’s CD, he asked Daniel if he really knew anything about all of these products. Daniel sadly admitted his ignorance. The man promised Daniel that if he would be a faithful supplier, that the executive would send key suppliers to Daniel to sell through Daniel as a distributor to his firm. He gave Daniel an initial order for $2,000. He had a huge project and needed distributors that he could trust. For some reason he felt Daniel could be one of those faithful distributors. This late night divine appointment changed the future of Daniel’s life and business.
Daniel’s business started with that small order and began to grow. It has doubled most years over this decade. Daniel’s oil and gas product distribution firm now has offices in fourteen nations across Central Asia employing 400 employees. In a Muslim nation where Christians are often discriminated against, Daniel has such an important business in the community and such a good reputation for service and integrity, that they can not make threats to him. He is respected by the top governmental and business leaders. Daniel’s business has started two schools and two children’s homes. By the way, the key executive that befriended Daniel back in 2000 had a heart attack a couple of years ago. Through the episode Daniel was able to lead his friend to Christ.
Daniel was named the “business person of the year” in 2006 for Kazakhstan and in 2007 began pasturing a church part time. He spends one day a week in the church besides Sunday and the rest of the time in the business. Understand that these nations are among the most unreached for Christ. Less than one percent of the population is considered evangelical. Daniel is an example of God’s grace. His story is how one man with the anointing of God on his life, the prayers of a supporting church, the provision of Divine appointments, combined with the hard work and courage to overcome continual difficulties works together to bring glory to Jesus Christ in the midst of atheistic nations. In some of the most “closed countries” to the Gospel in the world, Daniel regularly meets and does business with government and business leaders in the oil industry. He is a modern day Daniel in the secular nations of Central Asia. Check out Daniel’s company Gateway Ventures at www.gvcal.com. Daniel is a business leader doing Business as Mission for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith and Managing Risk

Faith and Managing Risk
A friend sent me an email this week asking the following three questions. Since they were insightful, I'm sharing our exchange. At the heart of these questions is a balance of taking steps of faith while using Godly wisdom to manage risk. Kings learn to do both.
1.  Does God bring business opportunities which seem beyond one's reach?
Don’t assume every "opportunity" is from God. Lots of opportunities will present themselves. We consider all of them using wisdom to make the best choices.
2.  How do you evaluate to determine whether the opportunity is a divine cause?
They can all be divine – it’s your job to pick the ones the represent the best opportunity for profit, ministry, etc.
3.  Of every business opportunity that comes our way, how shall I decide which is really viable; which needs to be tackled if one has the resources?
Assess the risks. The biggest mistake people make is choosing opportunities or investments based on their potential to succeed. Some opportunities succeed while others fail - hearing from God doesn't keep you immune from problems and failures. Wisdom is choosing opportunities that won’t hurt you if they fail; or at least having a strategy in place to "resurrect" from a failure. Christians are prone to assuming that God gave the opportunity and therefore nothing will go wrong. That theology sets us up for failures.
Expectations - Most of life's wounds have roots in sincere expectations about the future that were dashed on the rocks in a storm. We've all been there. Kings must have the ability to land on their feet when things go totally wrong. First let's examine the concept of "knowing the future."
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.     Matt 7:25 NIV
As Christians we are prone to think that God has the future under control and everything is all mapped out. Knowing His will is like knowing the future and we build a set of expectations around our beliefs about what the future holds - minus the storms. The premise is that God knows the future and, if we're in tune with Him, understand the Bible, and have prophetic insight, we can know the future too. Armed with that premise we launch investments, businesses and churches with a great deal of confidence that we are safely within the will of God and nothing can go wrong.... then something goes wrong!
The only flaw in our thought process (above) is that it hasn't always worked in the past and most of us carry some level of fear that something could go wrong (like it did before "most of the time!"). So we add one thing to our little theological recipe for life. We try to prevent the pain of failure by avoiding "or ignoring" the risk of loss. We falsely label reckless plunges as "faith." Instead of taking steps to manage risk to minimize losses, we forge ahead holding God responsible for the best. So, we are generally confident in God's goodness and believe things will go right. However, having felt the personal pain of expectations unfulfilled, we are specifically inclined to fear new endeavors that represent risk. We deal with our fear of risk by pretending it's not there! We think proceeding in the face of risk is faith. It's really a form of self-sabotage. Strangely, this dynamic starts to sound like unbelief. The things we fear most start to happen to us.
What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.         Job 3:25 NIV
Where is the risk highest? It can be when Christians do business together that real risk is most often neglected under the guise of "faith." Our spirit-led promptings are usually legitimate. Guidance is general in nature because God expects us to be stewards of our assets, cash flow, and initiative. It's our job to think through the details and make wise decisions that account for the risks.... "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" is Jesus advice for marketplace ministry!
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  Matt 10:16  KJV
What Does Work? - Having a sound, Bible-based concept of God makes risk a lot simpler. God does have a plan for the future. Jesus is coming back, Heaven is real... so is Hell for that matter. Mankind will face judgment and rewards in the end. That being said, God doesn't micromanage the details of our future. In fact, he grieves with us when things go wrong. He is not an impersonal "force." Our God is dynamic, alive, and personal; He communicates, rejoices, gets angry, adjusts His course, and even changes His mind. Servants are a little more comfortable with a less personal God that doesn't show emotion or change. Friends like the interaction. We all go through a maturing process from servants that just obey, to friends that interact with God and ask for their heart's desire in fellowship with the Father (Jn 15:15). We grow in our awareness of how personal God really is. He has invited us to help plan our own future... "reason together."
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.  Isa 1:18 NIV
Although we have a destiny, our future is not completely scripted by God. We have many choices and many relational encounters with God as we face everything life brings us. Understanding the true nature of God and life brings us to this point: We are firm in our resolve and ultimate direction but we leave expectations and plans flexible regarding exactly how we'll arrive at our destination (or destiny). There is plenty of room for prayer!
Risk is Real, Accidents happen - The flaw in the thinking of many Christians is that God will protect us from risk. We take leaps of faith into the unknown and pray that nothing will go wrong. Then, when something goes south we are stuck; either blaming God or ourselves for the failure (both are bad choices). The Bible is full of stories of God's miraculous intervention. He still does miracles all the time. However, managing your risk by expecting God to provide a miracle every time a storm comes is wrong practically and theologically.
Another flawed theology is believing God sovereignly controls everything and that there are no accidents. If something Goes wrong we falsely conclude it's either God's providence for our good or his judgment on us for sin. Here's the middle of the road; God can control anything he wants to regarding the future (miracles). However, He is committed to working with kings and He leaves most of the future open for us to manage. Accidents can and do happen all the time. They don't imply God's will or judgment. They often point to our lack of foresight to manage risk.
Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! Luke 13:4-5 NIV
What if we stopped pretending there is no risk? What if we admit the future is partly open and it's our job to work with God to shape it according to His purposes? What if our family and business plans accounted for all the things that could go wrong (instead of keeping all those fears hidden in a closet)?
Before you face your next "storm," realize that you are a King working with the King of Kings. You not only share the setbacks, you chat about the options to resurrect the situation so that God is glorified and the Kingdom is built. Faith has vision and risk; wisdom adds the ability to anticipate what could go wrong and plan for it, or better yet, avoid it. If we hit a home run, God is glorified and the Kingdom is built. If we encounter problems, we implement a strategy to solve them (avoid or manage the risk) so the Kingdom is still built. Whether it's the easy way or the hard way we are still walking with Jesus (the rock) and we'll still arrive at the same destiny if we stick with it. Pretty cool isn't it?
Here's reality - We Kings live in real-world warfare but we operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual attack is magnified because of the warfare, but our fruitfulness and opportunities are magnified even more because of His power that works so mightily in us.
Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us  Eph 3:20 NASB
To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.  Col 1:29  NIV
Strong Backbones, Flexible Expectations - Right now we see Kings experiencing the highs and lows. Some are in storms or under attack while, on other fronts, there are great victories. We (and God) don't control where the enemy may strike or what decisions those around us will make. Stuff happens... things change! Our resolve is like steel but our plans and expectations are very flexible. We anticipate risk and we're not taken by surprise of something goes wrong. The reason God calls us overcomers is because there are plenty of things to overcome.
FYI: I learned (and am learning) how to manage risk day trading. That world is 5 -10 decisions a day that require a quick decision based on an evaluation of the risk of a loss. The same decision logic applies to the rest of our lives too. Special thanks to some generous mentors; Greg Dalessandri and Dan and Nathan Gaub. I also want to recommend Who is God by Harold Eberle. We summarized this book in Releasing Kings, Chapter 7. Also, Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas helped me understand how our inner healing issues can bias business decisions (most spiritual secular book I've ever read).
 
We're Dancing
 
John and Sue     www.Releasing-kings.com
 
PS: I want to recommend some follow-up reading.
Who is God by Harold Eberle provides the best explanation of a more relational view of God. It's must reading that connects our perception of God with everyday life.
Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace takes that foundation into marketplace ministry and the entrepreneurial nature of Kings. Fruit in the marketplace naturally springs out of sound doctrine.
Desire to Destiny - Takes the foundation and marketplace ministry and puts them in the context of seven practical keys or stages of growth you can apply in your own life.
You're invited into the vision to release Kings; communicate the message, make the money, and do the mission.
1.The Message - Our first goal is to get the Releasing Kings message into the hands of the messengers that will carry it... do it, preach it, teach it, example it.
2.The Money - The second goal is to help Kings break out of poverty by networking them with practical opportunities to prosper. We want to introduce them to the right people, the right opportunity, and the right financial approach.
3.The Mission - Network Kings with opportunities to mix business and missions. Accomplish the great commission through the marketplace and occupy the Seven mountains of: business, media, arts & entertainment, education and government in addition to the church.
____________________________________________________________________
You can get your copy of Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace or Desire to Destiny at
1-800-308-5837 (or)
www.releasing-kings.com