You have been set up for victory! No matter what situation you are facing right now, this is God’s promise to you; God is with you and for you. In this sermon clip, Bill Johnson teaches from Psalm 23, and the promises of God over our lives. His Presence is what leads us and keeps us safe through both the valleys and mountain-tops.
he places the table in the presence of
the enemy
not so the enemy can kill steal destroy
but so that there is ongoing testimony
of the nature of god and his redemptive
purpose
in fallen humanity to restore us to a
place that reminds the enemy you did not
win you only set us up for a greater
victory
he says you prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies
oh boy
you prepare a table for me did you see
it did you read it you prepare a table
before me you prepare the table and you
put it in the middle of the enemies
what is the table a table is a place of
nourishment
a place of interaction fellowship family
intimacy
it’s the it’s the table
remember mephibosheth
the old testament his legs were lame but
he was brought to the table of the king
so his lameness was covered in the table
of the lord
so here’s this table of deep fellowship
closeness tenderness with god
and god says i’m going to put it in the
middle of the enemies
what’s happened to so many believers is
all they can see is the enemies
and they define their circumstances by
the enemies they see
instead of defining their circumstances
by
the lord
who is seated across the table
with intimate interaction and fellowship
there is a place
of intimacy and fellowship with him that
actually causes all these hellish things
to dissolve and disappear
it’s not even that they’re gone it’s
just that they don’t matter
[Music]
the bible says if god before you who can
be against you
it doesn’t mean no one can be against
you it just means no one can be against
you
and be given a chance to vote
no one against you ever gets to vote
they have no ability to contribute to a
conclusion or decision that’s been
determined by the one who is the lord
the lord
he prepares a table before me in the
presence of my enemies
i think one of the most frequent
challenges that i watch
people that i love and care for and
interact with
as i as i watch them go through stuff i
see
i see that they’re so aware of the
enemies that are
that are there
and not the lord who is there
you know your darkest situation it’s a
table of fellowship
see most people don’t have a financial
problem they have a lordship problem
they don’t have a relationship problem
it’s a lordship problem
it’s not an anxiety issue it’s a
lordship issue
that it’s really it’s really at the at
the heart of so many things it’s when i
so when i try to fix the stuff myself
instead of in that place of tender
surrender
do i make a mountain out of a molehill
do i exaggerate the size and effect of
something
and so here the lord is telling us
listen
i’ve set you up for victory ahead of
time and just to prove it i’m going to
take you through a dark valley and then
i’m going to when we get there i’m going
to
put a banqueting table up and it’s going
to be you and me sitting down
and it basically means every time you
say i love you to jesus he puts it on
the devil’s intercom
he just he just makes the devil listen
to your affection and love for jesus
because he he places the table in the
presence of the enemy
not so the enemy can kill steal destroy
but so that there is ongoing testimony
of the nature of god and his redemptive
purpose
in fallen humanity to restore us to a
place that reminds the enemy you did not
win you only set us up for a greater
victory
even though i walk through the valley of
the shadow of death i will fear no evil
for you are with me
your rod and your staff they comfort me
you prepare a table performing the
presence of my enemies you anoint my
head with oil my cup overflows
anybody ever have the chocolate sundae a
moonstone
can you say will of god
yes
why why
for those of you who are not enlightened
it’s a large goblet
on a platter
plate they fill it with ice cream
and then they pour chocolate on it until
it overflows
and is filling the plate
will of god
overflows
the outcome of this is your chocolate
sundae will overflow
he says my cup overflows there’s there
is more pouring through me than i could
possibly contain
i am a fountain of resource in life for
countless numbers of people because i’ve
remained in a place of trust in the
darkest of times and what’s happened in
me is he’s created in me a fountain of
life that will feed and nourish many
it’s the result
of the lordship of jesus is he can trust
you with greater capacity greater
influence simply because
you found the presence in the darkness
and you caused that to be your feeding
place
and the result is you will have more
than you could have asked for
more than is even necessary your cup
overflows your head is anointed your
thought life is immersed in the
anointing of the spirit of god and out
of your heart flows rivers rivers rivers
of living water
he then ends up with this he says
surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life i will dwell
in the house of the lord forever
the lord goes before me i’ve got two
angels behind me goodness and mercy
they just pick up the slack they keep
going keep going
don’t don’t stop now this is no place to
stop
they pick up the things i drop but this
goodness and mercy
dwelling in the house of the lord you
were designed to live
in the manifested presence of the lord
did i did i mention uh the
i mentioned the person that got healed
came in the friday night service i’m
sorry this is my third service i forget
what i say where
hi good morning
so here a person walks into a room
[Music]
and is healed of cancer without anybody
praying for them
several years ago one of our staff guys
uh one of our internet international
staff guys was coming through customs in
san francisco
and the customs agent has him at the at
the desert he’s international he’s got a
he’s got a green card he works here
and the guy looks suddenly says uh
is
where do you work and he said bethel
church he says is that the church that
has a prayer house up there that’s open
he says yeah it is he said let me tell
you a story this is a friend of mine’s
dying of fourth stage cancer
he drove up to ready he walked into the
prayer house and was completely healed
of cancer he drove back and then he
looked at the pastor he stamped his
passport he said welcome home
what happened
somebody’s cup was overflowing
come on somebody’s couple’s overflowing
that lack mindset has got to go
lack mindset is only the product of fear
it is not true
it is not truth
i may be going through a valley of the
shadow of death but i am not a person
bound by lack
i am a person in process i like outcomes
he likes process
i like the end result the breakthrough
the miracle or whatever he likes the
journey
we think differently yes we do
i want the outcome
he says ah but you get to trust me the
whole way
and i would dwell in the house of the
lord forever
it doesn’t mean you come to church
forever
it means that we live in the presence
continuously forever that everywhere you
go
the house of the lord becomes manifest
it’s always a chance in a crowd this
size that there would be people here who
have never made
a confession of faith
in the lord jesus christ for your
salvation
for your healing for your deliverance
and jesus went to a cross with you in
mind with me in mind
and he made it possible
that every person in this room
on a moment like this
could place their faith in jesus christ
for forgiveness of sin
and for healing transformation of a
broken life
everybody in this room needs it
everyone has been brought to this point
today for this reason
jesus christ
is lord of all
and he’s inviting every person here they
may not have a personal relationship
with him he’s inviting you in to a
personal relationship with him if
there’s anybody here in that position
that would just say bill i don’t want to
leave the building till i know that i’m
at peace with god that i know what it is
to be forgiven that i know what it is to
be brought into god’s family
i want you just to put a hand up right
where you are
i don’t want to miss anybody who does
this so put your hand up i want to see
who you are there’s somebody right over
here yes wonderful
wonderful
anybody else okay
right back over here is another one
there wonderful wonderful
bless you
beautiful it’s the most beautiful thing
yeah i’m so glad that you watch this
video i do pray that it’s a great great
strength and encouragement to you and
i’ve got a verse that it really is my
cry for all of us and it’s psalms 20
it’s verse 4
may he grant you your heart’s desire and
fulfill all your plans that’s my prayer
that’s my prayers that this would be the
season of rich rich fulfillment
thanks for joining us