The enemy’s greatest distraction from purpose is potential.
Our nation fell for this distraction from purpose. Potential produces overt individualism: we become enamored with “what’s in this for me?” Potential invests our passion in the pursuit of what is possible, as if that is the stuff of creativity. Potential moves us toward random, the celebration of fiction: “what if this were to happen?” Potential is the vast ocean of possibility that becomes the “anything but purpose” substitute for fulfilling our purpose.
The culture of a nation follows it passion. Values and beliefs produce behaviors. The culture of a nation reflects what is priority, and the culture of America has become overtly individualistic.
Judas represents people who live for “what’s in this for me?” as if purpose is all about the individual. The “what’s in this for me?” aspect of culture clouds the person’s passion so that a greater purpose no longer helps define personal purpose. Nothing could be more destructive than the isolation of personal purpose!
Believers Born to Purpose
When any person is born, purpose stands behind their beginning. They are the result of a “Father wants me” moment in history, played out by Jesus taking responsibility to create what Father wants. Birth says, “I have purpose because I wouldn’t exist outside God.”
When any person is born from above, he or she enters the kingdom of God. So, purpose stands behind that new beginning, that new creation. The spiritual birthing is a result of a “Father wants me so much He sent Jesus to redeem me” moment, played out by Jesus taking responsibility to redeem what Father wants. Birth says, “I have purpose because I am now part of the rule of God in the universe, in this present world.”
So, when any person becomes overtly individualistic, they pervert purpose to seek potential, seeking the “what’s in this for me?” at the expense kingdom priorities. The “seek kingdom rule and righteousness as the highest priority” becomes “seek what I can get out of this” instead. Purpose has given way to potential.
America: Purpose or Potential
We cannot remain focused upon potential and discover purpose. We must discover purpose as the pathway, constricted and increasingly narrowed to the gate to fulfilling the reason for our existence, so that we produce purpose. We find purpose so we can produce purpose.
In that, God taxes the greatest resources of potential for the priority of purpose, and we are individually fulfilled by the fullness of our obedience.
Without that, we waste our lives producing what we see as “great things” that Jesus ignores. We divorce our lives of grace flow and the creativity of spirit that comes from God. We celebrate what flesh and human wisdom can produce at the expense of what only spirit and Divine wisdom can produce. We move further and further away from “what Father wants” and further and further away from restoration.
At present, we see the disintegration of America, based solely upon the pursuit of potential. Instead of embracing a purpose for our nation and culture to which we all press for a better nation, we seek the leftovers of a dying culture, grasping for “what’s in this for me?” The issue that separates us are the issues of potential while the issues of purpose have no voice at the table at all. The politics of envy remain in place.
Instead of a Republic represented by leaders who can produce purpose to the good of all, we want representation of potential to produce benefit for on aspect of the culture with little thought to the benefit of the whole. In politics, both parties have this in mind, and one or the other seeks potential in a different way, but neither party now seeks the purpose of the nation, merely greater leveraged power for the party. This is a form of overt individualism applied to party politics. The basis of this is “getting enough votes to win” instead of building a constituency based upon principles, processes, and protocols of purpose.
The Mountain of the Lord
Into this diminishing despair comes the mountain of the Lord! The kingdom of God restores purpose to the individual life. The kingdom of God restores purpose to any nation. To the extent a person or culture seeks first God’s rule and right behavior, that person or nation returns to restoration of purpose.
The mountain of the Lord influences all other points of influence by spiritual dominion, that is, God’s mountain has more spiritual power and authority than any other influence. So little of God’s mountain is required to move the whole pile in a new direction that a Remnant can change a nation!
However, the mountain of the Lord is itself a culture. That is why Jesus says seek first rule AND righteousness. The kingdom is spiritual but it application to culture comes when we fulfill the Great Commission to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The idea that we can get everyone born anew and that would fix a nation is spurious on its face if the kingdom culture is ignored.
At present, the Remnant exists to turn America back to purpose. The challenge is not more anointing or authority, miracles, signs and wonders, or some kind of a mystic moment based upon the pursuit of spiritual potential. Seeking the higher realms and flights of paradise parades is another way of doing “what’s in this for me?” with a decidedly personal aim. The present distraction is “what more spiritual thing can I experience?” when the purse is “how shall I then represent Jesus in my lifestyle.”
The challenge is the restoration of kingdom culture. No amount of anointing will fix the pursuit of potential when the aim of believers in the kingdom is overtly individualistic. Kingdom has culture, order, foundations, leadership, and kingdom purpose. The believer becomes part of the kingdom, and the cultural purpose of the kingdom becomes his or her lifestyle.
The believer does not enter a subculture of church but a kingdom culture that brings the rule of heaven into the earth through spiritual influence. The spiritual influence is certainly individual, but the influence of Holy Spirit is always toward the purpose of God, not the “what’s in this for me?” of the individual.
So, keep in mind that Judas lived the supernatural life but failed to live the kingdom culture. Keep in mind that the sifting of all the disciples was required because in the end they all forsook Jesus. Keep in mind that producing a group of people who can possess spiritual power does not mean we have produced kingdom purpose: spiritual power has potential, but it is random, hit and run, without kingdom purpose.
