Saturday, March 6, 2010

Planning Your Breakthrough


Planning Your Breakthrough

Personal note: God has allowed me to experience a level of breakthrough that is exciting. I’m also seeing other Kings achieve amazing levels of favor in anointing, creativity, finances and opportunity for ministry. Some of those exploits are stunning. Most of us labor faithfully to see our dreams realized over the years without too many headlines. Let this newsletter be an encouragement; doors are opening wide in the Kingdom right now. Financial breakthrough and new ideas are key ingredients.

Initiative - Kings who achieve a breakthrough in their dreams and experience the favor of God have a different mentality than servants. Servants are content to do what they are told and take what they can get. They feel entitled to more and are prone to complain about their lot in life, but they will not take the initiative to change it themselves. Servants are often trapped in passive theology; believing God will sovereignly take care of them. Christians in poverty are prone to expect a miracle that never comes. The same thinking waits for revival that never comes. My favorite revivalist is Charles Finney (1792-1875). When he decided to bring revival to a city, he sent an intercessor a month ahead of time to check into a hotel and pray. When Charles arrived, they started a revival and God was with them. They didn’t wait for anything. They brought the presence of God and revival with them wherever they went.

One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the Lord at their head. Mic 2:13 NIV

Planning for something better – Kings achieve breakthroughs because they plan for them at several different levels. Here’s the progression

Theology – Kings believe that God’s favor is on their lives, and they expect doors to open and good things to happen. Even through failures, they set their hearts on the goodness of God and refuse to be discouraged or to blame others. They will learn from mistakes to redirect the future, but they will never get caught focusing on the past and becoming bitter or resentful. They leverage their setbacks into resurrections. They know God is not the author of failure, but he can work “all things for good.”

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Rom 8:28-29 NIV

Dreams – People who have the favor of God are passionate about their own dream. “Religion” is an attempt to wear passion for the perceived purpose of God (an attempt to eliminate our own will so we can do God’s will.) Real Christianity is the liberty that comes with having God’s plan written in our hearts. The things we desire are amazingly connected with God’s own heart. We’re truly excited about our own dream and role in the Kingdom. Kings are not afraid of their intellect or their will. They search for the will of God in their own heart’s desires. They can hear the Father’s intent to grant the desires of their heart; they understand that is how the Kingdom is built. They know how to celebrate victories.

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Ps 20:4-5 NIV

Kingdom Synergism – Kings see the connection between their role in the marketplace and what God is doing to build the Kingdom. We have personal desires that ride the wave of God’s larger kingdom purposes. We know God is building His Kingdom and will not fail. We also know some piece of that responsibility to build the Kingdom and bless the nations belongs to us… and we will not fail. We feel the wind of the Holy Spirit at our backs and a cloud of witnesses cheering us on. Pretty exciting!!!

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. Dan 2:44-45

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace… Isa 9:7 NASU

There is another aspect of Kingdom synergism; the larger plan is much bigger than just us. The Lord is faithful to show us other Kings working in the same vein and we often overlap assignments. The fellowship around working together on the same marketplace or Kingdom dream is particularly rich… and powerful. Our anointing is multiplied by finding these brothers and sisters.

How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up? Deut 32:30 KJV

Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. Lev 26:8 NIV

Have a plan - All of this translates to a very simple concept: Kings have a plan for their breakthrough. They dream about how to make it happen and they take the steps to implement that plan. God does do miracles; He gives revelation. But our plans are premised on wisdom and personal initiative. God can intervene and accelerate the plan whenever he desires. But we have a dream and a plan to get there that we hold in our hearts.

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. 2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov 16:1-3 NIV

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Prov 16:9 NIV

Learn to celebrate - When we achieve a milestone toward that plan, we can’t help but get excited. We can sense the applause of heaven and the Father’s smile as he says, “well done.” The sense of peace and satisfaction that wells up in our hearts brings tears of gratitude and dancing at the same time.

Specifics – “But I don’t have a plan!” So get off your ____ and make one, now! Here’s how.

1. Write down your dreams. I dream in five categories: my relationship with God, Sue, our ministry to Release Kings, our income through trading, and play. I set goals and write them down for each category in the past tense (as though I’ve already achieved them) for 2010. I read those goals out loud daily and update them as necessary. Here’s one example from each category:

a. God - I loved prayer and picking up on prophetic themes from the Holy Spirit

b. Sue - Sue and I went to Israel and Rome in March

c. Releasing Kings - I developed a network of mentors available to help grasshoppers in their area of need

d. Trading - My small group of traders averaged over 10% a week trading currency

e. Play - I helped Jim and Sam gather cattle in the mountains Oct 10-31

2. Write a simple business plan and develop a monthly cash flow for your personal finances and your business finances. See Write Your Business Plan.

3. Be part of a Kingly small group of people you respect… people who can help you and you can help them. Just meet once a month for starters. Share your dreams and pray for one another. Here’s template for the meeting: Start Your Own Group.

4. Hang around people who are already successful and find yourself a mentor who can show you how from his own success in the same field. See Relational Mentoring.

We're Dancing



John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com

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