April 10, 2010
subscribe, view past issues and Get Releasing Kings
God
is the boss
– One of my favorite verses is the foundation
for new believers. Mary encountered the angel, Gabriel, who explained
her
future pregnancy. She asked one technical question about the absence of
a man
and then her response was, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” That
attitude
of letting Jesus be the Lord brings a rest into our hearts that has no
comparison. We feel the Father’s embrace. Our
Christian lives are typically built on a revelation
/ obedience dynamic where we get guidance from the Lord and simply do
what we
are told. That is the premise for most of the messages in our church
equipping
process and it’s healthy, scriptural and foundational. As
we mature in the Lord, guidance sometimes feels like
it tails off. It felt like the Lord frequently spoke to us about what
to do when
we first got saved. But now, years later, we make decisions at work or
in
business and we’re not getting black and white answers. Is something
wrong? I
want to suggest it’s a normal occurrence as the Lord switches us over
to a
better balance between revelation and wisdom. I keep asking
that the God
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit
of
wisdom and
revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray
also that the
eyes of your heart may be enlightened…
Eph 1:17-18 NIV What’s
after obedience?
– I experienced a maturing process with my
own father that sticks with me to this day. Here’s the sequence: 1st
stage “He told me how”
– Working with my father on the ranch
as a kid was fun. At 6 to 10, I had didn’t have much of a clue what we
were
doing or why. He just told me what to do and I did it. I was prone to
be “absent-minded”
and made some silly mistakes. The more he corrected me, the more I
developed a
rationale for why I did thinks, so I could explain myself if something
went
wrong. When
I was about 14 my dad
moved me up from running the tractor with the rake to the hay bailer.
It was a
promotion that I didn’t particularly enjoy. It was 3 weeks of sitting
on a slow
moving tractor in a hot dusty environment and I got bored and allowed
my mind
to wander a million miles. One day my dad noticed my lack of enthusiasm
and
came over and stopped me for a pep talk. He said, “Now Johnny, we’ve
got this
hay to put up and you need to get excited and get this bailing done.
You don’t
have to stay in first gear.” The confrontation took me back a little
because I thought
I was being obedient and hiding my rebellion well; I didn’t know it was
OK to
go in 2nd or
3rd
gear. Going faster made the days speed by and I began to take pride in
my
bailing assignment. I felt like part of Dad’s team… which was more fun.
My
heart began to engage. 2nd
stage “He told me what and let me figure out how”
–
As I matured, Dad would send me off to do things on my own without
telling me
exactly how. He wanted me to figure that out. So when it was time to
move the
cows to a different pasture he would just say, “Johnny, go get your
horse and
move the cows.” That left room for a million little decisions about how. 3rd
stage “he told me why and let me figure out what and how”
-
At this stage when I was out riding he would ask me if the grass was
short and
it was time to move. The reason we moved the cows was to put them on
better
grass. I would check various parts of the pasture for the condition of
the
grass and tell him if it was time to move. At this stage I was engaged
in the
thinking process and shared his vision for the ranch and the work we
had to do.
It was a lot more fun than just being told what to do all the time.
Teenagers
resist that anyway and my father was wise enough to understand the
independence
teenagers naturally seek... that lasts all our lives. Is
your heart engaged?
– We are designed by God to have our hearts
and minds engaged in what we do. The Old Testament is seemly filled
with admonitions
for obedience. Yet God favored David because he was “a man after my own
heart.”
What set David apart was his willingness to take initiatives because he
and God
were on the same page. David could obey God, but he also came up with
huge, new
ideas like building a temple. But
now your kingdom will
not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and
appointed him
leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command." 1
Sam
13:14 NIV After removing
Saul, he
made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David
son of
Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to
do.' Acts
13:22 NIV Notice
that Saul and David both made some real blunders.
The difference was in relationship; David understood the big picture
and knew
how to repent and get back on track. David saw himself as a player in a
bigger
scheme. Saul only saw himself. From
obedience to creativity
– The creative process God intends
for all of us is not well explained by the revelation / obedience
model. Moving
from an obedient servant to a creative King is a significant step in
our
spiritual maturity. Here is fact of human nature: servants trying to
obey,
whose hearts and minds are not engaged, are ultimately less obedient
and less
motivated. You already know that from experience! It’s
God’s purpose to show us the bigger picture.
Maturity is seeing what the Father is doing in the larger scheme and
taking
initiatives in our area of responsibility. When we say “yes” to taking
that
responsibility, instead of waiting for detailed directions, creativity
is the
result… the Father will give you whatever you ask! You
are my friends if you
do what I command. 15 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 15:14-16 NIV The
Lord confides in those who fear
him; he makes his covenant known to
them. Ps
25:14 NIV Surely
the Sovereign Lord
does nothing without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 NIV He
replied, "The knowledge of the secrets
of the kingdom
of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Matt 13:11-12 NIV However,
as it is written:
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has
prepared for those who love him"— 10 but God
has revealed it to us by his Spirit. 1 Cor 2:9-10 NIV And he made known
to us
the mystery of his will according to his good
pleasure… Eph 1:9 NIV What
drives creativity?
– Creativity starts when you give yourself
permission to think. Servants value obedience over creative thought and
personal initiative. Creativity for them is God showing them something
new. It
doesn’t work that way (although that is the only language many
Christians have
to explain their initiative). A
Kingly relationship with God is simply understanding
the big picture and knowing that you’re not going to get detailed
instructions
on what to do. We see the big picture by revelation but we implement a
plan of
action through wisdom and personal initiative. When Kings don’t know
what to
do, they are willing to do their homework and make a wise decision,
instead of
waiting for God to make it for them. It is the
glory of God to
conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Prov
25:2 NIV Creating
wealth
– Creativity applies to business as well. God isn’t
going to tell you what stocks to pick or exactly how to run your
business. You’ll
have to develop a skill through a mentor and use wisdom to make
decisions. If
revelation and obedience to God is your only model, you will naturally
skip the
mentoring, make foolish instead of wise decisions, and fail. We see
this scenario
in the body of Christ all too often. Can you see the roots in faulty
theology? There
is an open door in the Spirit right now to learn
to multiply finances. It doesn’t happen through prophetic revelation or
impartation. It comes through learning wisdom from a relational mentor,
having
a plan and working the plan. You’re invited! If
you enjoyed this
newsletter, you might also enjoy some related past issues: And
last week’s newsletter
Kings
– Serving Without Being a Servant
Desire to Destiny is available now at our store along with reviews. Not sure what your dream is? This book will help you pull the curtain back on your future. Newsletter - If your newsletter comes incomplete (filtered), you can always catch the latest version in our archive along with 200 others. 1800+ people from around the world get Kingly encouragement from our weekly newsletter. Invite a friend to subscribe - they will be blessed. How to Start a Small Group - Kings are increasingly getting involved in Bible study or mentoring groups to facilitate their "Release." Here are some helpful suggestions www.Releasing-Kings.com/Starting-a-Group.html. We've also updated our Vision Brochure with graphics to show how to become a King and how you can help Release Kings. Lastly we've created a guideline to help you take your dream to the next level by considering the elements of a business plan. See Write Your Business Plan. French Translation - Releasing Kings is now available in French thanks to the efforts of Cees Bakker and Support Ministries in the Netherlands. In France, copies can be obtained from Editions Menor or Librairie Chretienne CLC. The Title in French is “Libération des Rois pour le ministère dans le monde du travail”. Cees is also the guy who made the Dutch translation possible - available through his website. He can be contacted for Releasing Kings conferences in France and throughout Europe. Facebook - I'm posting more information on Face book at http://www.facebook.com/john.garfield1
|