May 02, 2010
subscribe, view past issues and Get Releasing Kings
The
feeling
– Every son and daughter loves to hear their father’s
praise. My own father didn’t go out of his way to be complimentary, but
he did
work hard to teach me how to help out on the ranch when I was young.
When he
saw those new skills doing a good job, he said so. Even seeing a
difficult task
completed, or done well, left me with the feeling of his approval.
Sometimes it
was just a look or a smile. Nothing gave me more pleasure than pleasing
him. When
we get saved, there is something very special
about hearing “well done” from our heavenly father. He is not only
pleased with
us, but He delights in His people. It goes even farther… He delights in
blessing
us abundantly and prospering us… “Delights in the prosperity of his
servant.” The
Lord your God is with
you, he is mighty to save. He will take
great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he
will rejoice over
you with singing. Zeph 3:17 NIV Let
them shout for joy and
rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The
Lord
be magnified, Who delights in the
prosperity of His servant." Ps 35:27 NASU Remember
me, O Lord, in Your favor
toward Your people;
Visit me
with Your salvation, That I may see the
prosperity of Your chosen ones… Ps 106:4-5
NASU The
reason cups overflow
– We are not typically born with a
prosperous mentality. Most of us have to dig ourselves out of the
attitudes and
actions that produce poverty. Fortunately, he “leads out the prisoners
into
prosperity” in every area. God
makes a home for the
lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity… Ps
68:6 NASU Why
does God sponsor prosperity? That’s a good
question. Many people don’t assume that God wants to favor us. They
don’t come
close to a belief that God might want to prosper us financially. We
need to
understand why our Father wants us to operate from cups that overflow.
Here’s the
reason: All
ministry comes from abundance: an overflow of our
hearts and our finances. I want to suggest that believers are generous.
We enjoy
giving and blessing others with whatever we have. The reality is that
most have
not yet learned to multiply finances so that we can bless people
financially. I
learned another thing from my pastoral days – even spiritual ministry
costs
money. In
this hour there is another lie of poverty
circulating: “abundance is bad.” The favorite complaint of politicians
and the
media is the greed of wealthy businessmen or corporate executives who
make lots
of money. I’m not defending corruption or dishonesty. However, I’m
boldly
declaring that ministry flows through finances. Kings with money can
convert it
to ministry! Kings
in the business marketplace know how to multiply
finances. Do I need to point out that this skill of multiplication is
totally
absent from government bureaucracies and from the Church? Church
-
I know there are ministries that claim God can miraculously provide
finances.
He does do miracles on occasion. However, if you show me a ministry or
a
business that depends on miracles for their provision, and you will
also find
an “offering mentality” instead of an abundance mentality. Government
-
Similarly, governments don’t know how to multiply finances either.
Bureaucrats know
how to print it, borrow it, and tax it, but have no clue how to
multiply wealth.
Can you see the anomaly with state welfare as a solution to poverty? An
entity
with no talent for multipling finances is using other people’s money to
lead
prisoners into prosperity. You can’t impart what you don’t have. That’s
why
welfare tends to produce poverty. I know there are exceptions, and I’m
not
advocating abandoning support programs. We just need to sharpen our
focus and
do what works best. People in need are not primarily looking for a
hand-out;
they are looking for an opportunity… usually in the form of a job or
the things
that lead to a job: vocational skills or more education. A hand-out,
absent an opportunity,
kills self-respect. Will
God favor me?
– More specifically, can you believe that
God’s favor can include finances? Am I willing to do the things that
multiply
finances? Am I willing to work hard, seek out wisdom, and take risks in
order
to pursue my dream? Our answer has roots in the Father’s blessing. All
of my
confidence as a young man stemmed from my natural father teaching me
how to
work, and extending his blessing through his teaching, the fellowship
of
working together, and the satisfaction of accomplishment. It was a
natural step
to leave home and know that I could be successful in other areas. My
Dad told
me numerous times, when I asked about careers, “Johnny, you can do
anything you
decide to do.” Father
God is saying the same thing. You can do
anything you decide to do. You have the Father’s blessing. It’s not
magic or
miraculous. It’s the confidence that allows us to come out of our shell
and try
new things with enough persistence and wisdom and anointing to be
successful,
and to do whatever we set our hand to do. Our inheritance and
prosperity begins
when we set our hands to the task of doing – it’s called work, but it’s
in the
area of our heart’s desire and it reflects the will of God in our
calling. It’s
fun and it causes finances to multiply. Our will and God’s will are
both
engaged… blessing follows! Can you see the theme of personal initiative
and
responsibility? There,
in the presence of
the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in
everything you have put your hand to,
because the Lord your God has blessed you. Deut 12:7 NIV …and
you are to rejoice
before the Lord your God in everything you
put your hand to. Deut 12:18-19 NIV Give
generously to him and
do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God
will bless you in all your work and in
everything you put your hand to. Deut 15:10 NIV You
may charge a foreigner
interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand
to in the land you are entering to possess. Deut 23:20 NIV The
Lord will send a
blessing on your barns and on everything
you put your hand to. Deut 28:8 NIV How
much overflow?
What level of prosperity should I expect
from putting my hand to the task? Abundant prosperity: the kind that
overflows
your cup and allows you to bless others. It’s a level of abundance that
exceeds
our expectations, “far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or
think.” But
the humble will
inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Ps
37:11 ASU Now
to Him who is able to
do far more abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think, according to
the power
that works within us… Eph 3:20 NASU Hear
this in your heart. This level of abundance can
solve poverty. It can pay off the debt of nations. It can “bless the
nations.”
That’s the creative, entrepreneurial level that Kings are called to. It
starts
at home with you and me. It’s our land.
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
|