I was speaking at a meeting recently about the Sons of Oil from Zechariah 4 and how that links to the word we have for our destiny calling and the plans we are making derived from that word. After I sat down, I had a profound encounter and revelation.
I saw myself as a speaker at a meeting asking people: "What plan?"
I then held up a £10 note and asked people who had a plan for £10? By that I meant a plan that was ready, prepared, was not for personal needs but for a Kingdom purpose. Like Zerubbabel and his word to build the Temple. In the crowd, someone responded that they wanted to pay someone's taxi, so I gave them the £10.
I then held up £100 and asked the same question. Someone responded that they were praying for that amount to support a ministry of some kind and I gave them the £100. I then held up £1000 and said: "who has a plan for £1000?" Someone immediately responded that they were praying for £1000 for some ministry equipment needed and I gave them the £1000.
The excitement in the crowd was becoming tangible in my vision - like an auction that is getting to historic numbers. What minister or speaker hands out cash! Getting serious, I then held up £10,000 cash and asked: "Who has a plan prepared requiring £10,000?" There was a pause and someone said that there was a fund-raising drive for a new ministry vehicle and so I gave them the £10,000.
I then held up £100,000 and asked again: "Who has a plan ready they can show me requiring £100,000?" There was silence then the first person said something like: "Oh, God has spoken to me about doing x and if I did it I would need that money." I asked for their plan but it was not ready, nothing had been set up, there was no business plan and there was no account to receive funds. There were several other people who really wanted the £100,000 but had nothing ready other than words and prophecies they had not acted upon. I then realised that I was the only person in the room with a plan ready to go requiring that amount as we are raising funds for a transformational
Kingdom finance innovation.
I then held up a cheque for £1,000,000 and asked: "Who has a plan ready to go they can show me requiring £1,000,000?" This sparked a bit of a frenzy as people jockeyed to share vision, ideas, thoughts and inspirations. "With £1,000,000 I could then do x or y or what I have always wanted to do." "With that I could quit my job, pay off my mortgage and do what God wanted me to do." "It would be worth it if I had the £1,000,000." Sadly, again, I was the only one that had a plan with Kingdom purpose ready to go for £1,000,000.
The vision continued: I held up a cashiers cheque for £10m pounds. Now the crowd was energised - they were witnessing something like a live lottery win. They knew that I was not just a speaker but someone like a Gates or a Musk. After all who can give away £10m! After holding up the cheque and asking the same question, there were more expressions of visions and aspirations. "I have always had a heart for missions said one." "With that money I could feed the hungry said another." "I could house the homeless said another," and it flowed fast and furious. It was as if the money inspired vision, but no one had a plan, prepared, ready to go that required £10m. Only me again as we have a funding round requiring £10m.
Again, in the vision I held up a cheque for £100m and asked: "Who has a plan for £100m they can show me?" The excitement was palpable and there were more ernest pleading to fund people's visions and ideas. However, again there were no concrete written plans needing the money. It then came to me that I did have a detailed plan to raise over half that amount, but not £100m. However, I did have plans around The 7000 that were to raise up and incubate projects and launch 7000 radical giving potential billionaires. I felt this was good, but would actually need to be more developed.
Lastly, I held up a £1Billion cheque and it was the same as above. I felt that The 7000 would qualify but needed a lot more development to be funding ready! I felt that the biggest vision in the room stopped at £10,000.
Why was this revelation so impactful? It was because it highlighted some of the key problems in the church and Christian business today. First, that vision was lacking - if we really believed that we were to radically transform culture, where were the visions? We speak about the wealth of the wicked coming into the hands of the righteous, but where were the plans? If we were to be the restorers of Is 61, where were the Kingdom plans? If there are no plans there is no belief and it is all puffery and religious posturing. Clearly we need to raise the temperature of the church and Christian business to care about what God cares about (Ez 9:4; Is 61).
Personally, it was also a call to get ready for release. We are not the funder, we have a King far more powerful than the likes of a Gates or a Musk. He owns all the cattle on the hills as well as the silver and the gold. For us Sons of Oil, we must prepare the word we have been given and get ready for the funds which are assured. Any mountains or obstacles in the way of our word will be flattened! Why? Because we have been freed to serve and we have a word of destiny from God that we can have faith in.
For who are you, O great mountain [of human obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel ... you shall become a plain [a mere [a]molehill]! Zech 4:7
Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. Mark 11:23
I also saw the visions and callings that people had. They were really good and interesting but had not been acted upon. So many of us have heard the word, but have stopped there. The church was unprepared and unfocussed. They were not ready for the time of their visitation. Their plans did not rise above the level of their needs and what they could envisage in normal life. Like a revolving door, their open door moment came and I was there with money in hand to be given, but they did not really have a plan. A vision, thought, inspiration, or prophetic word is not a plan. A plan is built on the word but also needs to be developed.
And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Hab 2:2-3 ESV
Zerubbabel laid the foundations - there was a plan to build from:
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Zech 4:8-9
We see with our vision limited to circumstances. Many seem to have lost the revelation that the anointed in a cave can plan decorations for palaces - ask David; or that slaves in Egypt can plan how to govern a nation. Here is the question: would God describe us as "good spies" or "evil spies"? If we tell the truth based on what we see, then, in the Kingdom, that is evil. We must tell the truth based on God's word for our situation and our calling.
Planning is to be done based on the word we have received not the size of our bank account, our earning potential, our education, or even the richest person we know. Mountains and all obstacles must bow to the power of the word in our lives. Not our might and power but the by the power of His Spirit.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zech 4:6
Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed...A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Prov. 16:3;9
Christian business and many in the church operate based on normal worldly principles. I plan to make and earn $£x and then I will give to all these good causes. Possession of money allows us to plan our businesses, ministry, and giving goals. That seems so logical but it is not the Kingdom way. God showed me this so clearly. I had a number of investments, businesses, and projects that I was working on. My plan was that when they bore fruit that could go into a radical giving programme to bless all the things that needed funding. Notice the focus: my eyes were on the projects. I was praying for success with these initiatives when God spoke to me clearly that He provides seed to the sower!
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10 (ESV)
My focus was wrong. I was facing the wrong way. I needed to be focussed on the Word of God for my life in the Kingdom things he wanted me to do. I needed to build the foundation of sowing. What plan? That started the process for me of seeding callings with gold, silver, or memorable gifts. Now we can clearly point to the foundation we have laid as there is a plan in place and we have sown memorable seeds.
Are you a sower to your destiny calling or are you waiting for your ship to come in to begin to look at what you can do then? God provides seed to the sower and we sow by hearing what God wants us to do, making a plan and sowing into it. If it is to build a Kingdom business or similar then, like Zerubbabel there should be a plan and a foundation as well as the continued flow of the oil of the word that destroys obstacles. The oil of the word comes out of our mouths and we call mountains to be removed in faith. If the word is to sow or give to something, then are you a sower? God provides seed to the sower so get busy.
Let us shake off the worldly mindset that holds us back and see with fresh Kingdom vision. Now is the time of breakthrough and visitation. The Lord is in the house ready to fund vision and He is asking: "What plan?"
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