Bill Johnson teaches that the strength of your prayer is the place that you pray from. Learning to live and pray from a heavenly perspective positions you to pray with authority as you pray from God’s heart. You will always reflect the nature of the world you are most aware of. Through Biblical meditation and remembering the testimonies of all that God has done, you become aware of God’s heart and His goodness and it gives you perspective for your current situation. If you stay aware of God’s heart you will always be encouraged and strengthened in your prayer life. Bill’s message follows a time of ministry. 0:00 Introduction 0:50 Jokes 4:44 Words of Knowledge for Healing 11:25 Prayer for Healing 21:04 Testimonies 31:26 The Strength of Your Prayer Is the Place You Pray From Subscribe for weekly videos: https://bit.ly/bjmYoutube
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Scripture References: Luke 18 Colossians 3 Ephesians 1: 17 Psalm 14: 1 Psalms 90: 12 Psalm 127: 2 1 John 3: 2 Revelation 1 1 John 4: 17 Originally shared at Bethel Church, Redding California, on April 14, 2019. Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. He is senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is passionate about seeing Revival and God’s Kingdom established and revealed in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Bill’s teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, hosting the Presence, and the renewed mind has helped thousands around the world to step into their true identity in Christ, God given purpose, and walk in a supernatural lifestyle displaying both purity and power. #BillJohnson #BethelChurch #Prayer
Jesus said you always ought to pray but
you’ve got to think about what he’s like
who he is you’ve got to keep your heart
exposed to the nature of God because you
will never fatigue in prayer if you see
his heart for people it’s from that
place that we pray and we serve and it’s
hard work to do it without
that good
evening well I love you too thank you
thank you just I so much love in this
room I one of these days I’m going to
try to pull off a group
hug see see if we can manage that
without killing anyone you
know two blonde girls were
working
now please don’t be offended if you’re
blonde my wife is
blonde my B my daughter sometimes
blonde changes every few
weeks if I remember right it’s red right
now but it’s naturally blonde so just
adjust
two two blonde girls were working for
the city public works
department one would dig a hole the
other would would follow behind her and
fill the hole
in they worked up one side of the street
down the other moved on to the next
street working furiously all day without
rest one girl digging a hole the other
filling it
in an onlooker was amazed at their hard
work but couldn’t understand what they
were doing so he asked the whole Digger
I’m impressed by the effort you two are
putting into your work but I don’t get
it why do you dig a hole only to have
your partner follow behind and fill it
up again the whole Digger wiped her brow
inside she said well I suppose it
probably looks odd because we normally
are a three-person team but today the
girl who plants the trees called him
[Laughter]
[Applause]
sick
I I have a blonde guy one
too you want you want equal
time you just don’t want blonde ones at
all all
right A friend told told a blonde man
Christmas is on Friday this year the
blonde man respond responded well well
let’s hope it’s not on the
[Laughter]
13th two blonde men find three grenades
they decide to take them to the police
station one asked what if one explodes
before we get there the other says we’ll
lie and just say we only found
[Laughter]
[Applause]
two
a blonde man is in the bathroom his wife
shouts did you find the shampoo he
answers yes but I’m not sure what to do
it’s for dry hair and I just wet
mine
[Applause]
oh uh just one more there’s many but
just I can’t handle them anymore
a blonde man spies a letter lying on his
doormat on the envelope it says do not
Bend he spends the next two hours trying
to figure out how to pick it
[Laughter]
up oh sorry
sorry
how many of you have ever been in an
accident this is not a joke now jokes
are over I know you’re expecting a
punchline but how many of you have ever
been in any kind of an accident could be
automobile could be maybe a sport injury
uh fall off a ladder doesn’t matter and
no matter how long ago it was you
actually still have effects from from
that accient oh my goodness stand
up
wow how many of you those those
effects if you were healed right now you
would know
it
for how many of you it’s a pain issue
put a hand up for how many of you it’s a
mobility issue put a hand up for how
many of you it’s both put a hand
up all right and there’s other uh ways
to be able to tell well here’s what
we’re going to do we’re going to pray
for these
folks um we had a a period of time where
uh I would pursue accident victims being
healed um like every weak somewhere and
this is probably 15 years ago I quit
counting at I think it was 26 or 2800
people had been healed and that’s 15
years ago and so we see it constantly
since then so it’s literally several
thousand
people here’s what we
found we found that sometimes now please
catch the word sometimes
sometimes an accident the effects of an
accident is sustained by a spirit of
affliction
in other words our bodies were designed
to heal themselves God created us that
way and there are times where there’s
actually um the either the trauma of the
accident or the ongoing pain people
unintentionally learn to live with
pain and the enemy sees that as an
opportunity to move in and sustain it uh
what I don’t want to do is freak people
out and I’m not trying to I’m not trying
to overemphasize the Demonic I’m just
saying there are some of you that all
it’s going to be is we’re going to
rebuke that thing and it’ll be gone
tonight because uh you’ve just been
given permission to get
well an ongoing Affliction is not his
design for you not his design and the
spirit of infirmity I just call velcro
demons you just pull them
off others of you actually need like a
creative miracle
and it doesn’t matter what it is uh he’s
not only capable it’s his heart to do so
so we’re going to pray for you I’m going
to add uh one more how many of you uh in
this room have had any sort of head
trauma in uh could be some of you that
are standing but um any sort of head
trauma and it has affected either uh
perhaps like migraines headaches that
sort of thing or I’ve seen it affect
facial features um eyesight a
hearing uh I’ve seen uh head trauma
affect things like memory uh we actually
saw a guy up in Oregon uh with complete
Amnesia restored we’ve also seen partial
Amnesia uh learning
disorders um maybe not even caused from
a traumatic experience maybe it just was
something that you discovered in early
childhood doesn’t matter what it is if
it has to do with any kind of head
trauma who who is affected by that put
your hand up okay all right now just let
me see the hands of those just that are
still
sitting how many of you that are sitting
down this affects you all right all
right I I want those to stand
too we’re going to pray for these two
areas tonight and I feel like to be
honest with you I feel like the Lord has
given us so many years of experiencing
this that we have
ownership I me so many years of miracles
in this area that it’s just become
normal and common so what I’m going to
ask you to do is those of you that are
sitting down you are now the ministry
team and uh I don’t know the percentage
I would guess probably about 95% of the
Miracles we see happen actually happen
when the people of God get in to do the
pray and I I believe in Ministry teams
and all that we we work hard to train
folks but in this context it’s generally
the people of God so all of you that are
standing I’m going to need everyone to
help me with this all of you who are
standing in a moment I’m going to have
you raise your hand those of you that
are sitting down you need to go someone
with their hand up that has a hand up
pull it down for them so they don’t
stand there with their hand up and and
then but I don’t want you to talk to
them or pray do you hear me I don’t want
you to talk or pray till I tell you to
the reason is there’s so many people
standing I want to make sure that
everyone who is standing has somebody
ready to minister to them this includes
those who are watching on bethl TV I
want to make sure that you have an
opportunity at home to receive your
Miracle all right all of you that are
standing put a hand up all of you that
are sitting please find someone and uh
and just have them put the hand down and
I’ll give you instruction in a
moment good
job almost everyone is covered we still
have a few more hands up look look
around you we still have hands okay if
the person you’re about to pray for
still has her hand up please pull it
down for
them all right I think that’s the first
miracle of the night right there I think
we cover wave your hand at me if we miss
you honestly I I don’t want anyone to
sometimes people get discouraged because
they get overlooked I don’t want that
going on I want to make sure that we
serve everyone here here’s what I need
you to do just a second
here right I’m better now this is what I
need you to do we’ve got to find out
what’s wrong is it a head issue a
learning disorder uh migraines that sort
of thing if it’s uh another part of your
body that was injured in an accident and
it’s uh and it has stayed uh a problem
let them know where it’s at please don’t
talk a long time keep it very just all
you need to do is say I was in a car
wreck I hurt my shoulder it’s all they
need to know they don’t need to know the
color of the truck all
right all right so here I want to pray
over you and then I’m going to Turn You
Loose find out the issue and we’re going
to pray all right so father we ask right
now that the Wonderful Name of Jesus
would be exalted through Miracles
through signs wonders Holy Spirit we
invite you to come now with power and
display the Wonder of the miracle
working power of Jesus in people’s
bodies in Jesus name now as you pray
find out how to pray as you pray rebuke
Affliction um lay hands on her head
watch uh headache pain leave and uh
right now find out how to how to
minister to that
person thank you
okay should be praying by
now speak to the
condition
those of you that are praying for head
trauma I want you to pretend there’s a
steel band around their head and I want
you to lift it off carefully and declare
over them This Ends Tonight I want you
to be very
specific we lift that off of you we
declare this ends tonight in the mighty
name of Jesus learning disorders healed
now dislexia
goes bipolar goes now in Jesus
name epilepsy goes now in Jesus
name if there was a broken bone that
didn’t heal correctly if it’s a proper
place to put your hand lay your hand on
that
bone speak to it command it to reset
correctly we’ve had many many many bones
reset
increase this anointing for breakthrough
Lord okay you’ve got about 30
seconds okay you’ve got about 10
seconds
amen amen all right you did good stay
with the person please don’t leave them
sh don’t don’t leave the person all
right now most of you obviously you know
you know what to do but we always have
new people come in so I want to walk you
through the Simplicity of
this everyone that receive prayer right
now I want you to examine yourself about
half the people we see healed feel it
happen which means there’s another half
that don’t even know what happened until
they examine themselves maybe it’s
trying to do something you couldn’t do
maybe it’s uh examining to see if that
bone uh is still out of place whatever
it might be examine yourself now as soon
as you see that you’re at least 80%
better I want you to wave both hands
over your head like this till your arms
crossed yeah do that right
now
wow that’s wonderful thank you
Lord
beautiful all give me
attention
sh just give me attention obviously when
you’re on your own you take as much time
to do this but because we’re working
corporately we have other things to do I
want I want to ask you let’s just work
in tandem as a team how many of you
Jesus just healed your body put a hand
up right now I want to see how many you
are is that wonderful look at that
now so let me ask another question
how many of you couldn’t say he has
healed you yet but you can tell he’s at
work put your hand up all right all
right
good how many of you you couldn’t even
tell he was at work but you’re still you
still want to be healed but your hands
up that should cover everyone all right
here’s what I’m going to ask you to
do Jesus ministered to a blind man twice
before he could see perfectly in that
particular case it it was a progressive
healing first his blind eyes were open
but he just saw uh figures shapes he
said I see men as trees walking in other
words I I can’t tell the difference
between the two but I can see shape and
so Jesus ministered again and it was
clear if Jesus had to do that only one
time be ready always to do that all
right we want to make sure that uh
though everybody gets what Jesus is
intended and so I want you to turn I
want you to pray uh once again lay your
hands on them if you if it’s a proper
place to put your hand let me tell you
why we lay hands we don’t lay hands as a
as a symbolic
gesture we don’t lay hands on people as
a massage
treatment it’s because the spirit of God
is in you and a point of contact is for
the release of power power so lay your
hands on them again and let’s
pray increase the anointing for
breakthrough Lord we pray right now
increase increase this anointing for
breakthrough if that person suffers with
migraines I want you to rebuke it you
don’t ever speak kindly to Affliction we
have zero reverence for sickness or
disease we value people but we don’t
show reverence for
affliction we just declare this cycle of
migraine headaches Ends Tonight in the
name of
Jesus yeah lift that thing off their
head again if that’s if if there’s still
something just literally just lift it
off I I like prophetic acts I think I
think we need to do more of them they’re
not magical but they demonstrate
something and there’s a there a point of
contact for our own
faith okay 10 more
seconds thank you Lord all right go
ahead and end your prayer stay with the
person again sh the reason I have you
stay with them is sometimes you can help
a person find out what God’s
done listen to me we don’t ever want
anyone feeling forced to pretend that
all is well if it’s not that’s that’s
important that we know honesty and truth
but sometimes if somebody for example
has an issue with hearing you can help
them to discover what’s happened maybe
there’s a frequency range you just want
to be a part of their Discovery that’s
all all of you that were pray prayed for
check yourself out One Last Time examine
yourself one last
time check yourself real
good now sh
everyone that has that is at least 80%
better the second time we pray I want
you to wave your hands over your head
like this the second time we pray okay
look that’s one right there is that
beautiful thank you Lord
God thank you
Lord wonderful go ahead and be
seated go ahead and be
seated
I I
want now first let me
say there are times where we see when I
say 80% because we’ve come to realize
that some healings actually take maybe
10 15 20 minutes sometimes they take
several hours I even know of cases where
uh like a deaf ear didn’t open for a day
or two and uh so we always want to
position oursel to anticipate God
completing what he initiated appreci it
but tonight we’re looking for those who
who are able to say I’m at least 80%
better I just want you to stand up if
you’re at least 80% better tonight just
stand
up yeah thank you Lord it’s
beautiful now
wonderful now those of you that are
standing if you got healed of more than
one thing put a hand up oh that’s
awesome look at that it’s beautiful come
on excellent excellent goad and be
seated how many of you it was an
accident uh that you were that you were
healed from an old injury how long how
long ago September
September 26 years ago 26 years somebody
else how long ago
right years 18 years ago isn’t that
amazing right there 52 52 years years
ago come on Tom run back there with a
mic I want to hear 52 years I want to
the oldest injury I know of that was
that that I’ve seen healed was 72 years
a woman was dropped at as an infant and
it caused damage on the
tailbone and it it was deformed her
entire life and it was healed in
Melbourne
Australia and uh it was in it was in the
Salvation Army uh facility where uh
Smith Wigglesworth used to preach and uh
and she was up in the balcony I’ll never
forget she was healed after 72 years of
an issue with that tailbone so what did
Jesus do for you tonight well when I was
10 I fell off a bike and landed on my
face knocked out my teeth caused
Whiplash and I lived with the pain of
that for a long time it it’s gotten
better over the years but I’ve always
had tension in my neck and lately
numbness in my hands and um my neck
feels like actual muscle instead of
tight
ropes that’s awesome how’s your
hands the hands get numb when I do
something for any length of time so I
won’t know until I start driving
tomorrow okay well normally I’d send you
in parking lot just driveing circles but
I won’t tonight that’s wonderful good
news good news somebody else I would
love to hear from a few more folks what
God did for yes right right here was
first how long ago 30 years 30 years why
don’t you stand up what happened uh from
a bicycle accident I uh hyperextended
both my knees oh goodness yeah and I’ve
had issues with bending stooping
standing what happened tonight did you
feel anything happen I didn’t actually
feel anything happened until I bent down
and I was able to stand up without pain
oh come on thank you 30 years beautiful
right right down over here’s another
one what what did yeah what did Jesus do
for you okay so I’m kind of tripping out
right now because I got something healed
that we didn’t even pray about um so I
was in an accident in September my kids
and I were in a head-on collision with
the truck and all of my left side got
affected so my mouth was all locked up
and my neck and like she said so now my
neck is it feels like a neck is supposed
to and not all locked up in tense yeah
I’ve been in physical therapy and it
hasn’t been helping at all but today I
am in absolute no pain I’ve been in
agonizing pain ever since
September which I’m like oh my gosh like
I’m tripping out about that but the
thing that’s really blowing me out of
the water is I looked around um after
they prayed for me and I realized I
could actually like make out the details
of the faces of the people in the back
of the church and I’ve had issues with
my vision for over 10 years I was a
paramedic and um was working a call and
I got um somebody’s bodily fluid in my
eyes while I was running a code on them
and it burned off a few layers of my
eyes so ever since then I couldn’t see
like the details of people unless they
were right up on me and so today like I
actually can
see that’s
amazing bless the Lord
bless the
Lord uh I want you to do I want you to
do something I want everyone to
stand um
this layers of the
eye uh Randy Clark’s son Joshua
Clark has had had uh an issue with the
layers of his eye just in the last
couple months and has actually gone
blind in one eye and the other eye is
seriously uh Afflicted uh from this it’s
a issue with the this I think there’s
six layers of of on on the eye of skin
or whatever they call it I want you to
pray for that Miracle right now I’m
going to film you praying only because I
want to send it as as a prophetic as a
prophetic act um but just uh if you
would put your hands up I want you to
pray that the Lord would restore every
skin layer uh to uh to Joshua
Clark I want you to pray right now for
Joshua Clark that the Lord would restore
the skin layers as he did for you right
there that a creative Miracle
come
the testimony of Jesus the spirit of
Prophecy we declare right now the
healing of Joshua Clark’s eyes in the
name of the
Lord we declare that healing word over
his body in Jesus name right
now thank you Lord amen amen thanks for
doing that good be
seated I’m going to want you to stand up
cuz I got to send your picture just
stand up St yeah you stand just just one
sorry all right excuse me here there we
go all
right all right I got to send that to
Randy yeah we see so many things happen
through uh through testimony so I I I’ve
been praying for Josh and uh and hearing
that testimony of the Lord restoring the
layers of the eye very very unusual
miracle and it’s perfect for them so we
decare it um H how many others have you
got healed from something you’ve had for
at least 10
years is that right look at that is is
there anyone else that would like to
give testimony I would love yeah you’re
right here all right yeah Tommy you only
thought you were done right there
yeah I like to keep Tom busy it’s one of
my goals in life is just to keep him
active hi what did Jesus do um well
first of all I was sitting there and I
had a bad migraine and my back was
hurting and before you even spoke it he
took it away yeah wow and the people
that were praying for me they kept
praying for me and I saw a a crown when
you said like lift off
the migraine I saw a gold crown and I
saw it go all the way to heaven wow wow
and you know my son I was um pregnant
with him when I was in a rollover like
20 he was born in 91 so I think I got
the how old he is wrong but don’t tell
him and um the doctor he said to me when
I was six I was six weeks pregnant he
said you know you don’t um I can take
care of this you don’t have to keep
going with this pregnancy cuz I was
having pain and issues and I said no no
I want him yes and you know what he is
the best thing in my life I can’t even
tell you thank you Lord how wonderful it
is for that child to be born amen and
thank you Jesus and thank you that’s
awesome thank you Lord well let’s just
give a shout of thanks to the Lord kenry
we do give you thanks we thanks mighty
mighty
God all right if you’d open your Bibles
to Luke
18 Luke chapter
18
this Friday is uh Good Friday
service really a big deal just get a
whole bunch of the family to go there’s
three uh service times four six and
eight and that’s such a such a privilege
I this is a one event I’m actually
absolutely locked into every year and
arrange my SK schedule around that one
event so if you’re in town this weekend
just pick one of those time slots and
show up it’s such a privilege to be in a
city where there are so many great
churches I’m thankful for what God’s
doing here but it doesn’t take long to
figure out this isn’t the only place in
town where God is working there’s some
great great churches great leaders here
and uh so it’s a wonderful time for us
to celebrate the grace of God upon a
city so show up all right Luke 18 verse1
I want to read eight
verses and then we’ll back up and
talk then he spoke a parable to them
that men always ought to pray and not
lose heart I want to read that first
verse again then he spoke a parable to
them that men always ought to pray and
not lose heart saying there was in a
certain city a judge who did not fear
God nor regard man now there was a widow
in that City she came to him saying get
Justice for me from my adversary and he
would not for a while but afterward he
said within himself though I do not fear
God nor regard man yet because this
Widow troubles me I will avenge her lest
by her continually coming she weary
me the I I met that lady
then the Lord said hear what the unjust
judge
said and shall not God avenge his own
elect who cry out day and night to him
though he Bears long with them and I
tell you that he will avenge them
speedily nevertheless when the son of
man comes will he really find faith on
the
Earth I I know that this is a pretty
well-known story and it ought to be
because it’s one of the times the Lord
talked to people about
prayer if you look at all the things the
disciples could have asked Jesus to
teach them the only thing I remember was
they asked him to
teach them how to
pray it has to be the result of them
watching him engage with the father and
coming and capable able to display
heaven on Earth as a term I’ll use they
breakthrough in this disease that
disease we find him uh retreating if you
will sending the crowds away going up on
a mountain to pray and when he came down
there was something upon him it wasn’t
that it wasn’t there before but they
must have been able to visibly see
something going on in through Jesus’s
life that would cause them to ask Jesus
please teach us this one thing that’s
one
thing Faith brings answers to
prayer but enduring Faith brings answers
with
character Faith brings answers to prayer
but enduring Faith brings answers with
character the Lord is is interested in
answering prayers but he’s also
interested in what we’re
becoming if he ever delays an answer
it’s only so that it might gain
interest it’s that it might gain
interest and that we might become the
people capable of stewarding well the
answer and not have the answer destroy
us in this Parable that Jesus gives he
starts with this statement men always
ought to pray and not lose
heart and the next thing he does is he
gives this Parable but what does he do
in the parable I understand the point of
the parable is endurance in prayer
persistence in prayer I get that and
that’s the primary lesson or I I should
say well that’s the point of the parable
but the primary lesson I think is a bit
different
Jesus says men ought to
pray and not lose
heart so here’s his will here’s the
challenge and how does he fix the
challenge he reveals a part of God’s
nature he says what you know about an
unjust judge if he would answer this
woman how much more will I as a loving
father who actually cares for you and
the process how much more will I not
answer for you what is so what does he
do he causes the people summoned to pray
continuously to live more aware of the
actual nature of
God let me put it this way the ability
to endure in prayer is fueled by our
understanding of his
nature in fact let me take it a step
further the fatigue in
prayer
reveals the consciousness of problems
above God’s
nature this word um I was I was quite
surprised I I wanted to find out this
thing about losing heart what does that
mean to lose heart I mean I mean I think
we naturally can Define it would be to
be discouraged maybe I prayed for so
long nothing’s happened in this area and
we become discouraged maybe uh maybe
we’ve been offended maybe something has
happened but it’s it’s this uh loss of
passion and I think we can all uh give
good natural uh definitions of what it
means to lose heart I was surprised by
the Biblical word however the Biblical
word for losing heart is actually two
words the first word is very simple it’s
the word in or with or by but the second
word is very specific it is the word
evil or
bad what has he done here he’s described
what it looks
like to have somebody immersed in an
awareness of problems more than an
awareness of God’s
nature that is how you lose heart W
that’s it that’s the whole
point an
overriding awareness of this crisis this
problem this uh Health bad Health Report
this issue in the nation uh this uh
conflict in the family whatever being
aware of problems is not evil in and of
itself but what happens is when they are
bigger in our Consciousness in our
awareness than our awareness of God’s
nature we will live in reaction to the
problem men always ought to pray people
always ought to pray people ought to
pray
continuously without becoming in the
evil all right this going to take me a
little work are you
alive all right let me read this passage
for you out of a Colossians
3 you’re
thinking I have one person thinking this
is
scary verse one of Chapter 3 of
Colossians let me just read this to you
if you then were raised with Christ seek
those things which are above where
Christ is sitting at the right hand of
God okay now listen to the logic
involved here biblical reasoning set
your mind on things above not on things
on earth Earth for you died and your
life is hidden with Christ in God all
right now listen carefully everything
you’re instructed to do in the Bible is
intensely
practical if you over
spiritualize a principle you will put it
so far out of reach that in your mind
only the spiritual Giants can accomplish
it when instru is given to us the
ability to do the instruction is
imparted in the
instruction he enables What He commands
on so when he says set your mind on
Heavenly things not Earthly things and
then he gives a reason why the reason is
you’re
dead and your life is hidden in Christ
yes all right are you
thinking why do you want to set your
mind on Earthly things cuz wherever you
anchor your mind is where you’re going
to Anchor your affections and wherever
you anchor your affections that’s the
reality you’re going to live
in how many of you have had a problem go
on in your life and it was so disturbing
to you you just couldn’t sleep at night
you just you just laid their awake all
night long all
right how many of you never have done
that that’s no yes just Joe’s the only
one it’s awesome she sleeps no matter
what but the rest of you
how many of you
have all right so we know that you know
how to
[Laughter]
meditate now we just have to change the
subject
matter all right you still working with
me all
right let me go to the church at Ephesus
then I want to come back to this
colossian passage church at
Ephesus it um experienced what I I
believe is one of the two greatest
revivals in the Bible in Acts 19 you see
an unparalleled outpouring of the spirit
on the city of Ephesus the way they
drove the whole cultic system out of
their uh the culture of their city is
it’s extraordinary um perhaps the only
other one in the Bible uh that was equal
in presence and power would have been
that of Nineveh uh with the prophet
Jonah um extraordinary outpouring of the
spirit the transformation of a city
transformation of culture this church
was so successful that when the Apostle
Paul wrote them a letter called the
letter to the
Ephesians it’s the only epistle in which
there is not one word of
Correction every other letter he wrote
had a word of con
correction so to in my thinking when I
look at at the church at Ephesus if if
if you’re the Apostle Paul what kind of
gift are you going to give to the people
who already have
everything what my family says that I’m
hard to shop for because I need nothing
this is not true this is a lie my family
has fallen into a
deception it it’s it’s it’s to it’s
totally true I’m not looking at you
Gabe because he he doesn’t agree with me
but it’s true because I can go right now
down to the store and disciple any one
of you on how to shop for me I I I it
it’s not even hard it’s not even hard
flows
sleep they say I’m hard shop because I
don’t need anything and that’s true
that’s true what do you give to a church
that does that has
everything Ephesians 17 you find out
what he wanted to give him I pray that
God would give you a spirit of wisdom
and
Revelation but what’s the last phrase in
the knowledge of
God listen to me the know knowledge of
God is the absolute Foundation of all
knowledge you don’t want to understand
anything in life that is inconsistent
with the nature of God or it will
violate what God is performing in you
it’s the reason the Bible says it is the
fool who says in his heart there is no
God living and moving separate from a
consciousness of God actually gives
birth to Absolute foolishness
being aware of God living conscious of
God living conscious of the fact I will
give an account of my life is the actual
foundation for
wisdom in the Psalms he says teach us to
number our days that we might present to
you a heart of
wisdom are you alive still still
breathing all right so here we have have
this passage in Colossians it says set
your mind on Heavenly things not Earthly
things why because your life is hidden
there what’s the
implication you will draw from that
reality to the degree you become aware
of that
reality the opposite is also true if I
live conscious of others we’re you know
I have people tell me all the time we’re
in such and such a church in uh this
city it’s a hard City there’s so much
destruction Satan has ruled that City
for so long and it will continue that
way it won’t change it won’t change
because the people in charge to bring
the change are too impressed by the
devil’s
work for many in this room the beginning
of your breakthrough starts when you
stop being impressed with the size of
your
problem it doesn’t mean we live in
denial doesn’t mean we we we deny
something that exist if there’s a
medical report it’s a bad medical report
don’t pretend it doesn’t exist that
doesn’t help you just don’t be impressed
by it don’t be impressed by it refuse to
treat sickness and demons with
reverence don’t
whisper oh did you hear what so and so
they just got diagnosed with and there’s
a sense of reverence it just annoys me
to Pieces the enemy does not deserve
that kind of respect he does not deserve
that kind of respect don’t deal with the
devil
kindly we’re not here to massage him
into a better
place so back to the issue on
prayer Jes or Paul says in in Colossians
set your mind on things above because
your life’s hidden there and if you you
anchor your your your awareness of God
and His World his plan his purposes then
you will find yourselves living from
that reality towards the broken
conditions of this world but if you
don’t you will always have a prayer life
that begs God to invade the middle of
the problem that you find yourself in
all right that went over
well there’s a difference between being
seated in Heavenly places with Christ
Living from the heart and mind of God
towards a
problem there’s a great difference
between that and the person who is in
the middle of a problem and is begging
God to come and fix
it we all start
there but it’s tragic to serve God for
20 years and still use that as your
platform for
prayer because he’s wanting us to live
aware of who he is what he’s like and
what he has
done live from that reality towards the
issues and situations of
life if I live in a reaction to problems
let’s say let’s say it’s a it’s a let’s
say it’s a conflict it’s a relational
conflict if I live in reaction to that
if I become overwhelmed by the size of
this conflict I will live in reaction to
the devil’s
work he here’s the
problem PE people do this all time and
they they live in reaction to a problem
they call it
intercession let me have a
drink
[Applause]
if you can feel bad enough about
something you just give it a good name
that protects
[Music]
it if I live in reaction to a
problem then the author of that problem
has had an influence on my thought life
and my
behavior you say well by behavior is
rebuking that’s fine he still influenced
you the devil has
no right to influence my
agenda you never see Jesus living in
reaction to the
devil he only lived in response to the
father there’s a world of difference
between the two that’s right living in
real reaction to the devil is the nature
of
some of of parts of of of church
life I’m not saying nothing good can
ever happen I’m just saying it’s
depressing it’s
depressing because what motivates you is
the devil not the goodness of God it’s a
far
inferior motivation to see good things
happen
so here Jesus
says people ought to always be
praying but never be in evil not a part
of it in overwhelmed by the evil and the
bad that surrounds them more than they
are aware of God’s nature and then he
takes them into an understanding of the
heart of a father
who has intimate personal care for his
children and he contrast listen if you
get this kind of a reaction out of a
evil judge who has no fear of God and
doesn’t even like people and you can get
a good response how much more here’s the
contrast how much more can you get a
response from a loving father who is
moved by your heart’s
cry what did he do there he’s not just
showing a trait of God he’s revealing in
what keeps us fueled for endurance in
prayer it’s the overwhelming awareness
of God’s nature how do you cultivate
that I’m glad you
asked I I’ve talked several times now in
the last month or so about biblical
meditation so I want to run at it just
for a few minutes again and we’ll wrap
it up with this with this theme this
thought biblical Med meditation um is
different than Eastern meditation
Eastern meditation is to empty the mind
uh Western meditation is is it’s
intellectual nature only it’s the power
of
concentration Eastern meditation is
dangerous because it opens you to evil
spirits because you’re you your proper
thinking actually insulates you from
spiritual
warfare it’s it’s it’s true and you will
know the truth and the truth will set
you free what you know insulat you from
this demonic stuff that happens to
dissuade and
distruct what you know something going
on in here actually protects you some of
you you have the mind of Christ has been
so established in you that you can be in
the middle of intense spiritual warfare
and not even know it because the wall
wall around you absorb the fiery darts
the wall around you absorb the comfor
you’re living inside the wall cting
going man this is party time this is all
we got food we got family we got friends
this is great outside the enemy still on
rocks at your wall you don’t even know
it’s hitting your wall he’s shooting
arrows at it all kinds of junks going on
but you’ve become so insulated by the
mind of Christ that there’s very little
if any effect on your life that’s not
make believe that’s a reality you will
know your mind will be anchored and
shaped by the knowledge of
God and that thing will set you free and
that Liberty and freedom will insulate
you from the from the the things that
the enemy throws you
away so this biblical meditation is
different it’s a word that means to
murmur it means to mutter it means to
speak to yourself it means to repeat
repeat a verse over and over again the
illustration I used a few weeks ago um
was um out of Psalms 127 it’s a great
verse I found many many years ago when I
was uh just really praying for
breakthrough financially and I I
remember taking this phrase it’s in The
New American Standard uh version also in
the passion they both they both got it
right says in Psalms
27 and he provides for his beloved even
while they
sleep he provides for his beloved even
while they sleep so here’s biblical
meditation as you take something we’re
supposed to meditate on three basic
things all right three distinct
realities one is the word of God second
are the works of God third are the ways
of
God so I’m talking right now but the
ways uh the scripture but eventually I
want to get us into the Luke 18 where
he’s revealing the ways of God to shape
how we
think God’s ambition for you and me is
not being able to equip us to
successfully answer questions in a Bible
quiz the goal is not to give you the
right chapter and verse for a puzzling
question it’s a good start but that’s
not his ambition his ambition is for his
word to become flesh in us again in
other words that word becomes so
intertwined with our thinking our
emotions through biblical meditation our
thinking our emotions that actually
becomes an expression of our
personality and so you’re facing a
financial here’s here’s what I would do
this this word
meditation actually is Illustrated
you’ve seen uh the Jews at the Wailing
Wall and other believers at the Wailing
Wall rocking I’m not saying you have to
rock but it’s actually the the rocking
motion of a Jew at the Wailing Wall is a
physical act of
meditation it’s it’s a repeated action
it’s you said you provide for your
beloved even while we
sleep God I give you honor I am your
beloved I I’m the apple of your
eye I’m overwhelmed by your kindness God
that you would you would call me your
beloved I qualify for this verse because
you said I’m your beloved and you
provide for me even while I
sleep God I give you Praise You Are My
Provider even while I sleep I’ve
dedicated my work to you you but you’re
bigger than my work you release resource
to me even when I can do nothing for
myself you are the God who provides you
provide while I rest you work while I
rest and there’s this reciting of who
God is and what he has said what happens
is then you get awakened in the middle
of the night your first thought is oh
we’ve got this bill due tomorrow and the
second thought is and he provides for
his beloved even while they sleep sleep
and you find yourself literally going
back into a place of rest to sleep
because you’re resting in who God is
it’s not a mind over matter it’s not
just some intellectual exercise it’s
taking that which is eternal which is
the word of God that which he has
highlighted to you and it’s holding it
so near and so dear that you Ponder you
consider you quote you mutter you speak
you declare you confess that which God
has said to you over and over again see
that word is to become as Lance wall I
would say is to become Cellular in us
it’s actually to become a part of who we
are if I were to come to your family and
say you need to develop a culture of
generosity and
and you then go down to a Safeway and
you see someone there who’s who’s asking
for money for food and you give them $20
to help them with
food that is an act of generosity but it
is not a culture of
generosity a culture is developed with
repeated
actions a culture is developed when a
repeated action becomes our normal
reaction
you know
the that whole that whole reaction it’s
it’s like the initial thought when
there’s a need is what can I do then
it’s
culture now how we start is the Lord
exposes need to us and we say man I I
need to learn to be more generous and so
you you drive to where somebody has need
or perhaps we we present a condition of
Tracy and the milk and mosm Beek or the
tragedy that they’ve recently faced and
you put your x amount of dollars in the
envelope and and you dedicated to that
purpose that’s a brilliant way to train
yourself to live generously but what
happens is the Lord is now wanting that
action to not just be repeated in a
religious way but as as a a u uh I don’t
know if I’m going to say this
right as an effort to tap into Heaven’s
culture a a a more significant imprint
on how he thinks into how I think so
that when a problem comes my first
reaction isn’t oh but I have a bill do
this week my first reaction is God what
would you allow me to do to be a part of
the answer that’s needed in this
situation the first reaction first
reaction when that happens on the inside
it’s not being forced on the outside
don’t reject stuff that’s being forced
in the outside because that’s how we
learn somebody will say well you need to
you know as a child you need to share
your toys that’s coming from the outside
that’s not coming from the 5-year-old
child that just got a revelation from
God on sharing his toys he’s being
instructed and disciplined into a
culture of generosity and kindness are
you with me on this so we start with
external uh instruction but the ambition
is this thing becomes so deeply a part
of me so deeply a part of me that it
becomes my initial response I I don’t
have to think oh I need to choose
generosity if you if you’re in that
place that’s a good place to be just
keep it up keep it up until you don’t
have to think
anymore it’s true it’s the truth it’s
the truth so here Jesus gives a parable
and he says you need to pray
and you need to always
pray and you need to always pray aware
of who I
am so you take the ways of
God he’s faithful and he’s
true God you’re perfectly faithful I’m
serious you have to find time meditation
requires shutting down all external
distractions in the heart of biblical
meditation is this ability to be lost in
him literally
lost and so you fight for this time and
and you go home you you have you know
children and you’ll lock yourself in the
bathroom and you you just grab your
moments you tell your husband run
interference for me I’m I’m meditating
and and honestly you get before the
Lord God you are faithful and
true it’s impossible for you to lie
you are faithful because it’s your
nature it’s not even a choice you don’t
have to choose to do the right thing you
are the right thing you are faithful and
true it’s impossible for you to deceive
you are the perfect father who is
everything I need everything I will ever
need everything I long for is actually
found in your person you heal because
you’re the Healer it’s not just a
decision it’s your nature that when we
take you and put you with disease
disease has to go God this is who you
are so you you rehearse this before him
and meditate contemplate think about his
nature his ways pretty soon you find
yourself prophetically responding to
challenges and needs around you because
of what you’ve become you’ve taken care
of your inner World your inner world is
healthy because it is because it is now
founded on Revelation of the nature of
God think about this for a minute what
is there in heaven that is separate from
God what is there in heaven that is
actually separate from him it’s in
addition to
God
nothing he is the person of Heaven you
don’t want anything separate from
him there’s there’s nothing satisfying
at all let me illustrate this way uh all
right the devil does not create he can
only pervert Destro distort or defile
what God
made this envelope represents marriage
and a sexual relationship inside a
marriage the devil can’t create anything
but what he can do is distort what God
made and he would say this is how you
are designed did he create anything no
he just distorted what was
created he’s a distorter a deceiver a
perverter what you want is God’s design
everything he designed life itself was
designed by him it all flows from his
person from his nature when you engage
in biblical meditation you are engaging
everything about you to his nature to
his word his ways and his works
let me end with this this statement
biblical meditation is not so that we
can comprehend something it’s so that we
become exposed to
something we know that exposure to
radiation causes cancer all kinds of
illnesses if we could somehow turn that
illustration around into the incredible
positive exposure to his nature to his
being his works his person exposure it
cannot help but change who I am it
cannot
help you you know the scripture that
says when we see him we will be like him
well guess what’s also true as you see
him you become like him that’s the whole
deal as Jesus said you always ought to
pray but you’ve got to think about what
he’s like who he is you’ve got to keep
your heart exposed you’ve got to keep
yourself in the in the radiation tunnel
where you get exposed to the nature of
God because you will never fatigue in
prayer if you see his heart for people
you will never be fearful in praying for
the sick if you see his eyes of
compassion for every hurting person it’s
from that place that we pray and we
serve and it’s hard work to do it
without that it’s hard work we become we
we we in involve oursel in what he has
said and what he has done so that we
become impacted by the very nature of
God it starts to define the thoughts
that I’m willing to entertain I don’t
control my thoughts because I have some
religious quota I have to meet I control
my thoughts because I’ve learned from
his own person I don’t want to think
things that violate his nature because
it will be it will be the Distortion of
what God Said is right and true and I
don’t want a distortion I don’t want a
clone I don’t want a copy I want
everything that is that comes from the
essence of God’s person from his nature
from his heart his
mind people always ought to
pray without being overwhelmed by the
evil that surrounds us but instead live
in a place of being overwhelmed by the
surpassing greatness of his nature of
his promise in the history of his works
welcome to another reason we need to
learn biblical meditation let’s go ahead
and
stand I spoke at Cascade this morning
and um what what we’ve been doing lately
is many of you know we have three
campuses and and whoever
speaks in the 8:00 here goes over to
Twin View speaks there comes back and
does the 10:30 and the 1:00 or 10 and 1
whatever I’m I’m here I’m here when I
need to
be and when I see it’s time to start I’m
here too I’m just whatever that is I’m
here and then uh whoever’s going to
speak Sunday night also speaks in the
morning at the
Cascade I say that because this morning
when I when I was there I was uh on
Friday uh one of the guys in the church
uh came to me and said do you remember
uh back as towards the end of last year
I had prophesied and declared that there
would be a 90day period of time where
there would be unusual breakthrough how
many of you in that 90-day period of
time had unusual uh areas of
breakthrough I this guy came to me and
he said um and that’s that’s powerful
and I believe it’s for everyone because
I’m about to announce another one all
right
so so just be glad you stayed for the
whole meeting because now now you’re
going to find the truth all
right he came to me and he said um he
said you announced he says you remember
when you announced that 90 days yeah of
course he said in my
business in one month alone his business
expanded by
400% four times over what it was
initially there was that kind of it was
it was dramatic and he was doing good
before it wasn’t like he went from you
know making $2 a week to $8 a week it
was it was already succeeding what God
called him to do but the Lord opened up
the floodgates and expanded four times
here’s what I’m here’s what I’m sensing
I believe the Lord is right now
releasing
ah he’s right now releasing an
invitation with
instruction and getting the Great
greatest dimension of breakthrough and
answers to prayer that we’ve ever known
any time in our life an invitation with
instruction and I’m telling you at the
heart of the instruction is not learning
how to pray better it’s discovering who
he is Paul prayed it he says I pray God
would give you a spirit of wisdom and
Revelation in the knowledge of God why
because once you see him it changes how
you represent him it changes the Zeal
Factor the energy Factor it changes the
focus the priority all the stuff becomes
affected because I’ve seen his eyes I’ve
seen the fire in his eyes I’ve seen the
fire in his
eyes I keep saying one more thought and
this is part B of that last one more
thought John the
Beloved one of the
12
had his head on Jesus’s chest at the
Last Supper there was such a tenderness
and closeness
there and he saw Jesus of course in this
moment he saw him weeping in the garden
praying with sweat coming off his brow
that became drops of blood he saw this
one who was in anguish who finally died
on a cross the next time we see him
seeing the Beloved after that 40-day
period of time where Jesus reappeared
the next time John sees Jesus he
describes him in Revelation chapter one
1 and he says his eyes are like
fire his hair is white like wool his
feet or burnished bronze and it begins
to describe this one who is not only
Resurrected and ascended but is
glorified at the right hand of the
father and that John wrote these
words in 1 John
4:17 he
said as he
is so are we in this world he was not
describing your likeness to the one that
surrounded the table at the Last Supper
he was describing your likeness to this
one who has eyes of
fire he thinks different of you and me
than we do he expects more because of
it if we saw for a glimpse of his
eagerness to answer
prayer we would
pray you say well I have prayed I just
do I just don’t get
answers change how you pray he’s not the
problem he’s not the problem the lack
isn’t on his end of the
equation don’t do self- condemnation
don’t go there that never helped any of
us but I’m telling you if we saw a
glimpse of his eagerness to
answer we would have only one response
oh God teach me to pray put your hands
up let’s pray it teach me to pray ask
him teach me to
pray teach
me Teach
Me overwhelm me with understanding of
your nature of your
heart overwhelm me overwhelm us with a
revelation of your nature so far greater
than the UN just
judge father I’m asking in the next
three
months that together and individually we
would see the most
extraordinary measure of breakthrough in
answers to prayer that we’ve ever seen
in our
life let it fall upon us as a mantle as
a
Grace that enables us to pray with
breakthrough in mind I ask for this that
Jesus would be exalted everybody said
amen amen amen