To subscribe or add a friend click Here     Kings and the Quick Fix   It human nature to yearn for a better life. We make two mistakes; setting our expectations too high or too low.   The never again crowd - People that have gotten burned by putting their faith in something that didn’t work often vow never to “expect” again. Sometimes we actually need an inner healing before God can take us to the next level. This philosophy of pessimism has resigned itself to a theology without breakthroughs.   The quick fix crowd – the rest of us fall off the other side of the horse expecting an angel called PANACEA to miraculously move us from the wilderness to the promised land with something approximating a "gimmick." Historically, Christians have been a little prone to fall for quick fixes (partly because we can see God's promises). Here are a few examples of legitimate truths that have been over-promised as a "quick fix" that didn't produce the results advertised. The Rapture – Any minute all your problems will be solved and we’ll be in heaven on streets of gold. Don’t bother with things like retirement, inheritance, and education – we won’t be here that long.  Popular in the 60’s and 70’s. Deliverance – Demons are causing all your problems.  You’re one deliverance session away from freedom. Popular from in the 70’s and 80’s. Deliverance is a real piece of the puzzle – just not the answer for everything. The Prophetic – this movement began in the 80’s as a legitimate gift was restored to the church. The imbalance comes when we view prophetic promises as a commitment from God to provide a panacea with no action on our part. This precious gift, in its imbalanced form, causes us to wait for God to do it instead of working with Him. Church growth – Our church will grow from 75 to 5000 and we’ll plant more that do the same to reach the world. Pastors and people that are really excited about their church are subject to this one. "Church growth" was popular in the 80’s, and has fallen on hard times since it hasn’t worked. This quick fix views "the church" as everything God is doing when in reality it’s simply God’s instrument to equip the saints. This quick fix turns the saints into “professional students” that never graduate. Renewal and Revival – God himself will sweep the earth with Toronto and Brownsville style sovereign moves to touch the whole earth. This one is was very popular in the 90’s and still holds an influence. Revival fever puts the responsibility on God and has roots in an imbalanced view of God’s sovereignty versus our responsibility. One if these days we will realize that we have the power of God to start a revival - where ever and when ever we realize what God has given us. City transformation – This movement has been popular in the last 10 years. It's the cousin of renewal. We just have to unite the pastors and pray and our cities will be converted. One city in the United States (Elk River, MN) has really been touched in the marketplace. The testimonies usually omit that about 10 years of prayer and work preceded the progress - it wasn't magic! Finding your heart's desire - We thought we'd throw in our own favorite breakthrough theology as well. It is possible to connect with your heart's desire. However there is enough warfare along the path and the process is slow enough that some may get discouraged and content themselves with the treadmill at work followed by the pension (resignation to a life of spiritual and financial poverty). All seven of these are legitimate emphasis that may have been sources of discouragement because they didn't deliver relative to our expectations. The result can be discouragement and we may even adopt a theology where breakthroughs are no longer possible.   I want  to suggest that breakthroughs are possible "and" that we need understand how to deal with the discouragement that comes with delays, setbacks, failures, and warfare. A friend sent me the following article - I thought it was very timely and prophetic in light of the level of warfare many Kings are experiencing.     Discouragement Is a Part of the Game by Dennis Peacocke "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself." (2 Corinthians 1:8) Admit you get discouraged - it's OK - Thank God for your honesty Paul, that even you got thoroughly disgusted with the cards you were playing at times. Imagine history's greatest Christian example saying, "Hey, enough is enough." I rejoice in the candor of St. Paul and the courage of the scriptures' translators to let it all hang out. Sometimes discouragement is the only human response that seems possible. Christians and non-Christians alike experience it. Sadly, too many Christian leaders don't admit it.   Discouragement is a reality check - The issue is not that we get discouraged. The issue is how we handle it. When we are in the discouragement we should have three major goals. Firstly, we must recognize when we are in it and not necessarily believe everything we think we see or hear. When discouraged, our eyes and ears usually see and hear things multiple times darker and worse than they really are. Disillusionment is a gift because it means we have the opportunity to actually get free of illusions. Remember, the closer we get to reality, the closer we get to God. Reality can be tough stuff until we appropriately adjust to it. Keep mouth shut - Secondly, we need to guard our big mouths. Since our words tend to set our course, what we say when we are down should be tempered with lots of self-conscious reservations. The Scripture says that we see light when we walk in the light (reality), Psalm 36:9. When it's dark, our words tend to become dark which doesn't help anyone and may actually spin future ditches for us to fall into. Blessed are they who keep their mouths shut and measure their words, knowing they will eat them soon enough. A "timeout" for change - Thirdly, we need to look for the necessary changes that will get rid of the smelly stuff we're walking through. Redemptive change often wears a brown coat. The issue is really "interruption". God uses interruptions first to club us, then re-direct us. If things go "south," then a direction change is probably coming. The real issue is to get "interrupted" enough to actually change our paradigms, strategies, and behaviors so that when the sun is shining we don't revert back to what got us in the stuff we just got out of! Sometimes real dark is better than just kind of dark. It makes the interruption deeper, clearer and more permanent. Hear God in discouragement - Those who don't get discouraged are either playing games with themselves or living in periodic coma. Being discouraged has lots of spiritual warfare around it to be sure, but if we see it for what it can bring to us, we come neither to fear it nor to seek it. So have a good discouragement on me and get something good out of it, and that is... THE BOTTOM LINE Originally appeared in The Bottom Line, April 2005. Reprinted with permission from Strategic Christian Services www.gostrategic.org Our bottom line...        Don't give up on your dream. God does give breakthroughs.  They come to people that: know He rewards those who diligently seek Him "and" breakthroughs come to people that "work" toward them. (Heb 11) sp; 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 40:31   Blessings,   John & Harold   PS: if you enjoyed this article your might also like "Six Ways to Find Your Heart's Desire."  The full story in in our book Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace.     PS: we get lots of interesting feedback on these newsletters at "You Wrote Back" http://www.releasing-kings.com/you-wrote-back.html        _____________________________________________________________________ A note from Steve Brown http://www.thenetwrk.com   We are fast approaching bringing “The Network” on line.  Groups of corporate leaders on both sides of the country are partnering with “The Network” management team and saying to go for it.  They have backed their mandate with pledges of financial support. This is the business executive mandate we have been waiting for.    It is time to wrap up this first phase and move forward with enlisting a coach for local communities that want a “The Network” group in their area.  This is an important next step because we must begin training meetings with coaches before we can recruit students.  The first on-line meeting with coaches is planned to take place on the internet before the end of the month   You and your newsletter readers will also be interested to know about an unusually powerful website development service I found while researching marketing opportunities for “The Network”.  It is something that those, who want a world class website that is low cost and easily maintained, need to know about right now.    Please help me get the word out that there is now a better solution for website development.  Encourage your readers to call me to learn about this dynamic website development solution.   Every business person should consider this solution before pursuing any other option…it’s that powerful!   Stephan Brown "The Network" 509.922.1275     Progress - Kingly Bio's are Up We've completed the first round of interviews with Kings.  These are real people that have been blessed by God in the Market Place and have hearts for ministry.  Check it out at http://www.releasing-kings.com/Interviewing-Kings.html.  If you have a success story, we'd like to post it by giving you a web page on our site.     Progress - A Teacher's Guide We've completed the first version of a study guide that targets those teaching the material in Releasing Kings.  It includes a page of notes on each chapter, all the graphics suitable to make overheads, and a PDF file of the book with the key points highlighted that includes marginal notes, comments, and questions.  This material is available for purchase on the teacher's guide page of the web. john@releasing-kings.com 509-308-6873     Friends Tell Friends Harold and I have both been hesitant to "market" this book... sounds self-serving.  Here's the "grassroots" reality.  God has given us a great tool to communicate a message that sets people free in an amazing, contagious, life-changing way.  If you haven't read it - get it.  If you have read it - give it.  http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html   We've gotten a ton of positive feedback on the newsletter too... get it, give it.  Reloading Seniors was powerful.  Pass the link on. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Newsletter.html   PS: don't forget to look at the free reports - show your pastor the article on marketplace ministry from the pastor's perspective.  You can simply email him this link or print a copy to give him. http://releasing-kings.com/pastors-perspective.html     ____________________________________________________________________ You can get your copy of Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace at 1-800-308-5837 (or) http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html