Bill Johnson - The Devil's Tactics
All right, well, good morning! Good to see you all. I just wanted to show off my mask; it’s my second one. The last one I could tell what I had been eating over the last week—there was a barbecue smell in there, all kinds of stuff. I could tell it was defeating the purpose; it was no longer a healthy mask. So anyway, good morning to you! It’s so good to be home. Benny and I were in North Carolina last week with Mahesh and Bonnie Shapta, such wonderful friends of ours. It was just a real blessing to be there. It’s usually a packed house, but with social distancing, it reduced down to maybe 150 or 200 people in the room. It was still very fun to be there.
I don’t ever want to make fun of a virus, but I will make fun of you and me. They said a mask and gloves were enough to go to the grocery store; they lied! Everyone else had clothes on. I think it’s funny. Maybe third-grade humor is my problem, but I think that’s funny. I love this one: whoever’s supposed to go to Nineveh, just go already! This story is about one of my grandkids, Cruz, whose brain works in a way that is very entertaining for the rest of our family. He’s the one who told his school teacher that his house burned down. When Leah picked him up from school, she asked, «Cruz, did you tell your teacher that our house burned down?» He replied, «Yeah.» She asked, «Why did you do that?» He said, «Mom, she loves a good story.» I don’t know; he figured it was a testimony, even though it wasn’t true. So, we’re working on that part.
After school was canceled, on the first day of no school, Cruz set up an office in their piano room, called Cruz’s Office of Mental Issues. Leah writes, «I just had my first appointment with him.» After asking me what my mental issue was and me saying «stress,» he gave me a list of all the things I need to do to help, one of which was not to watch Diego play baseball since that caused stress. I then told him, «But I love watching you guys play!» He then said, «No, I just mean don’t watch Diego’s games; you can watch me because you know I’m going to win.» We have our hands full with that one. That’s so fun!
Well, I just look forward to, you know, we regularly have eight meetings a weekend, and now it’s reduced down to one. We have the privilege of rotating as we always do, but when you rotate one, it’s different than rotating eight. So, I’ve got to grab my moment here, and I am very thankful I get a chance to talk to you. I actually had something that I was going to bring today that I feel is going to be key for us for the next probable 10 years—it’s a specific thing that I believe the Lord is speaking into our lives. But I’ll do that another time because I really felt strongly yesterday that I was to talk to you about the devil’s strategies. The devil is not one I talk about much, and generally only long enough to put my crosshairs on him and pull the trigger. He doesn’t fascinate me at all; I don’t study him or his thoughts or ideas. But Paul did say, speaking of the devil, «I don’t want you to be unaware of him. I don’t want you to be ignorant of his devices.» So, I think it’s wisdom for us just to consider these devices.
The cool thing about this hour we’re in is it’s weird, chaotic, and all of the above. But if you remember that the devil’s strong suit is sitting in the back row of the church—his last card, if you will, is to expose himself—and right now he’s fully exposed. It’s not his best card; it’s his last card. Remembering that will help us. We know that the way the enemy dealt with Adam and Eve—yes, the temptation was to partake of forbidden fruit, but the real temptation came before that, which was to question what God said. He started the conversation with «Has God said?» Then, the way he worked with Jesus in the wilderness during his temptation—the devil came to Him and said, «If you’re the Son of God.» So, the first thing was to cause people to question what God has said, and the second was to cause people to question their identity. If the enemy can get us weakened in either of those things, all the other tactics and tricks that he uses become very vulnerable for us.
Now, Christ in us is more than sufficient to withstand any opposition, persecution, temptation, anything. But when we draw on strength other than Christ, then we make ourselves an open target and vulnerable. It’s the reason the Apostle Paul actually exhorted what I think is probably the strongest New Testament church in the Bible, the church at Ephesus. He warns them in chapter four, «Don’t give place to the devil.» He’s saying this to the most mature, the most insightful and discerning. Their record in revival and their impact on culture surpasses every other church recorded in scripture, and to them he says, «Don’t give the devil an opportunity. Don’t give him a place. Don’t open a door, because he will take possession of that which you open the door to.»
It’s interesting; we’re going to look at Nehemiah. If you turn to Nehemiah chapter 4, we’ll start there. We’re going to read quite a few scriptures today, so just keep it open because I’m going to teach as we read. It’s interesting in the story of Nehemiah; there’s a time towards the end of this incredible story. Let me give you some context: Ezra was all about rebuilding the temple; Nehemiah is all about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Israel had been taken captive, and the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed. They are now rebuilding under Nehemiah’s leadership. The name Nehemiah means «comforter,» so he’s a tremendous picture of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into restoration. They had been trying something for 70 years and failed, but in 52 days or something like that, under the Holy Spirit’s leadership, he brought them into wholeness. This is a very profound thing.
One of the points of failure that the priesthood in Israel had was, at one point towards the end of Nehemiah, there was a room where they kept all the sacrifices, and they emptied that room out. They actually let one of the primary enemies of Israel live in that room. Where did the enemy want to live? Where there used to be sacrifice. Anytime there is an absence of sacrifice, there is an invitation for the enemy to occupy. We look at these things through scripture, and we find insights. I don’t need to be devil-conscious, but I do need to be God-conscious and remember the things that He values. He values sacrifice. He needs nothing that I have to offer Him. He doesn’t need my skills; He can do everything better than I can. He doesn’t need my money, my time, or anything else I have to offer, except my heart. He wants that tremendously, but out of that surrender to Christ, there is suddenly the discovery of purpose.
There’s this interesting passage I just read this week that impacted me while I was reading in Proverbs chapter 24. It says this: «Where there is wisdom, there is a perception of the end of things, the outcome.» Where there’s wisdom, there is perception of outcome, and when you have those ingredients, you have hope. Now, fear masquerades as wisdom, but what is the fruit of fear? It is not hope for the future. The reason the prophets of the New Testament were exhorted in Romans 12 to prophesy according to their faith is that many destructive prophetic words have been released because of the smallness of faith. I don’t mean to throw stones; I’m just saying let’s draw a line here of understanding so we can see with greater clarity of thought and heart and mind what actually is coming from the Lord and what isn’t.
Let’s go to Nehemiah; we’re going to read out of two chapters that I haven’t taught on for quite a while, but I used to do so every once in a while just because I love some of the Old Testament stories, like David and Goliath. In these stories, they’re so clear; they just help me. By the way, I read something from Babylon Bee this week that said Goliath actually died from the coronavirus, but I don’t think it’s true. He got nauseated, fell over, and David cut his head off. But I don’t think that was true. Sorry, that’s a bad time for that joke.
Okay, see if we can recover. So here we are; we’re going to read from chapter four and chapter six, and these two chapters actually expose the devil’s hand as clearly as any place I can find in scripture. I don’t know any story that more clearly unveils the cards the enemy is holding. All right, so let’s quit talking and get into this.
In chapter four, we’re going to go right towards the end, and it says here in verse 15, «It happened when our enemies heard that it was known to us that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.» Previous to this, Nehemiah had given them an exhortation to fight. The enemy was threatening to block them from building and to tear down what they had built. At the beginning of this chapter, they mocked the people of God by saying, «Even if a fox jumps on that wall, it’ll crumble down.» So this thing of intimidation through mockery is an ongoing tool. If we become overly self-conscious, we become overly sensitive to that mocking spirit because we will concern ourselves with how we appear to someone else and what we’re building. «If a fox should jump on it, it’ll crumble down.»
So Nehemiah gets the people together, and he tells them, «Station yourselves on the wall.» He gives them this wise advice: «Fight for your families.» In other words, what is the one thing a person would be willing to take a bullet for, so to speak? It’s that natural instinct: «I’ve got to lay my life down for the sake of my wife, my children, my grandchildren. I’ve got to lay my life on the line for this.» And so that’s what he did. It says they returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
Verse 16: «So it was from that time on that half of my servants worked at construction while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and wore armor. The leaders were behind the house of Judah.» So the leadership was all in agreement to put these people—half of them held spears and watched and waited to prevent any assault, while the other half worked. He goes on and says, «Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.» So here’s another picture: there’s a picture of half the group, one with swords, spears, and shields, and the other with working tools. The next picture is all the builders had swords at their sides while they worked.
What is that? I believe it’s a unique picture of praying without ceasing. It’s not kneeling in a chapel somewhere, as much as I love that; that is the crème de la crème, the ultimate time to just have that face-to-face time with the Lord before Him on my knees—nothing better. But the instruction to pray without ceasing is not that, because that’s not possible. It is to keep that lifestyle of continual connection to the Spirit of God, where the sword is always ready.
I remember a guy teaching us years ago—because, 40-some years ago, he was teaching us about how this is back in the 70s. He lived on the second story of a home, and it took forever in the morning for his shower to get hot water from their heater. So the night before, he would turn the hot water on just a little bit, and it would drip all night long. Now, we wouldn’t do that today because we’re much more conscious about waste—some of you aren’t, but some of you are. That wouldn’t be applauded today, but he would just keep it on so that when he got up in the morning, he could turn it on, and it was always instant. What does «instant» mean? It means you continuously keep that affectionate attachment to the Spirit of God, because you don’t know when the hot water is needed. You don’t know when the enemy sneaks through that hole in the wall you are working on presently—areas that are destroyed or damaged because of life. We’ve all got those blind spots.
So we keep the sword at our side, and I believe we do that through continuous worship and praying in the Spirit. I think it is one of the most brilliant ways. So I want to encourage you with that. It says every one of the builders had the sword girded at his side. Go down to verse 22: «At the same time I said, 'Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and working by day.'» The next verse says they didn’t even take their clothes off at night. The point was, for a season, how many know you can’t work 18-hour days as a lifestyle? But in an emergency, I can do it for a short period of time. The problem is when we see that as productivity; the failure of many ministries is they see the productivity of those 18-hour days, and they make it a lifestyle, and they burn out and crash.
You know the illustration I like to use is that I’ve heard of wheat farmers, who have their kids and everyone working to bring in the harvest. When that harvest is ready, you have to bring it in within a certain period of time. They may have two weeks where they’re working 18-hour days, and the whole family does that. But if you do that as a lifestyle, you destroy your family, your health, and everything. You have to know when to unstring your bow so that it’s not taut anymore. Unstring it, relax, and make up in the next season for the time you missed in this season.
We’re in one of those seasons where the sword has to be at our side. We cannot afford to be found sleeping because there are too many demons dressed up like people. Amen? That was a good word right there! Yes, indeed!
All right, jump over to chapter six. There are the enemies of Israel—Tobiah, Sambalat, Geshem, and others—who said, «Come.» Verse two says, «Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.» They thought to do me harm, so I sent messengers to them saying, «I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?» They sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Here’s the deal: one of the first things the enemy does for every one of us is distract us from our assignment. It’s happened throughout history where somebody will come into this incredible place of breakthrough and then they’ll start looking for something else to do, to add to their ministry, and they start functioning outside of their anointing and their gift. Many ministries have ended on a downslope because they changed their focus from their assignment to what they wanted. Where you are anointed, where God has called you, and where He has assigned you—regardless of the applause of people—that assignment is your sweet spot. That’s where a sound is released into the earth that echoes the reality of heaven. It’s like hitting that tuning fork; a sound is released because you’re in your element, and in that element, you actually release presence and power.
Everything you do cannot be measured through immediate results; we’re an immediate culture. Everything is quick. We just can’t measure ministry that way—we have to think in terms of what kind of fruit am I going to get ten years from now, because I’m living a lifestyle that will earn me a place of influence to bring transformation within the system. Finding that sweet spot is vital for every person because we were all born with unique purpose and unique gifting. I personally think wisdom for life comes from understanding His nature, understanding His promises, and discovering His purpose. Those three things help form in us the heart of wisdom.
So that we do what scripture says, «Teach us to number our days so we can present to You a heart of wisdom.» Teach us to put a limit on how much time we have so we know we have to use it well. We’ve got to discover the reason why we’re alive—God’s purpose in and through us. For all of us, it goes back to Genesis 1 where He says, «Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.» All of it has some sort of transformational influence.
So he says four times, «Why does the enemy come repeatedly?» Because he’s hoping to change your confession. There becomes fatigue over time where we shift our focus from our assignment. Does this make sense to you? There is repeated temptation—"Come meet with us, come meet with us, come meet with us"—over and over again. The first time, what comes? He says, «I’m doing a great work. Why should this stop while I come down and talk to you?» Tremendous. I love that so much: «What I’m doing is awesome. I don’t have the time to talk to you.» And he just keeps it up and keeps it up, hoping to diminish the effect of his declaration.
I’m not sure that came across quite as significant as it is. When the Bible says, «Let the weak say, I am strong,» He’s instructing us to declare into our own soul and into the atmosphere the opposite of what we perceive. If the repeated assault of the enemy shapes in some measure our perception, then it’s going to weaken our decree.
Verse 5: «Sambalat sent his servant to me the fifth time with an open letter.» That means he posted it on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—an open letter for everyone to read. It was written, «It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. Therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall so that you may be their king. You have appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying there is a king in Judah. Now those matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, let us consult together.»
The tactics are obvious. When you’re in the middle of the pressure, they’re not so obvious, but it’s easier to read on the page. We try to think of some ways to ease the pain of this kind of activity. Accusation is one of the primary tools; it’s again to get us to weaken our posture of faith and our confession. To weaken through manipulation. Manipulation is the core basis of witchcraft. The spirit of witchcraft, manipulation, and control develop into horrible, ugly things, but it starts pretty ugly, and it’s actually used in parenting, in sales, and so much of the American culture. The political system and the religious system, both Herod’s leaven and the Pharisees' leaven, are riddled with this way of thinking—using manipulation to get you to do what I want you to do.
Years ago, we were working to cover and help restore a fallen believer. I remember one of the letters that I received. He told me who he was, his radio show, his influence, his following, and he basically said, «You need to do this, this, and this, or I will expose you as being involved in this sin.» There’s got to be some other alternative. How can you, if I don’t do what you say, conclude that I’m involved in the sin? I made a determination years ago that what I discuss in the back room one-on-one with a person I will not make public so that I look better in the eyes of the critics.
I’m not going to sacrifice the reputation of this individual who’s confided in me and with whom I’ve locked horns, perhaps rebuked, or worked on correcting. I’m not bringing that into the open so that somebody who wants this guy thrown under the bus will think better about me. I’m not going to do that. You cannot be trusted with greater things in God if you’re willing to sacrifice another person for your own appearance. It’s demonic. I’m telling you, it’s demonic! So I just told the guy, «Go for it.» I said a little bit more than that. I told him he had an inflated sense of self-importance. That felt really good to say. I’m not sure it was in the Lord, but I felt better when it was done.
As you can tell, I probably still haven’t repented. Think of yourself seriously. The tool—it happens in homes and raising kids—"If you don’t do this, I will do this.» There’s this control thing, and our approach to life has to be cleaner than that. It can’t have that attachment of manipulation. We can’t manipulate people to get the desired outcome. You know that went over well.
All right, let’s just keep going. Verse 8: «Then I sent him saying, 'No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart. They were trying to make us afraid, saying their hands will be weakened in the work and it will not be done.'» Do you hear it? Trying to make them afraid so the work will stop. Fear stops the building of the kingdom realities on planet Earth. You cannot build and embrace fear.
Jump down to verse 13. «For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin.» Psalms 37:8 says, «Don’t fret; it only leads to evil doing.» The only possible outcome of fear is sin. The only possible outcome! So fear that masquerades as wisdom has only one possible outcome, and that is sin. Genuine wisdom has another outcome: it is a hope-filled future because real wisdom has perception.
I want to be very careful here and respectful but honest, too, so let me see how I do this. There’s a verse in this story that says—I’ll just read it to you—out of chapter 4, verse 12. It says, «So it was when the Jews who dwelt near them told us ten times, 'From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.'» What’s the point? The Jews who lived close to the enemy heard it ten times over and over and over and over again—the threat the enemy had for them. Why do you live near the devil? Move!
If you have the news on all day long, you are living near the devil. And I’m not saying the news is the devil—I’m just saying sometimes the media would rather have a story than reveal truth. I have this picture I actually wanted to show you today. It shows Prince Charles, you know, one of them had his hand out like this. Let’s see if I can get it on the camera. So what does it look like? It looks like I’m flipping somebody off, but what he was really doing from another angle is holding up three fingers to let someone know a number. The way you project something creates an image. I have a friend whose picture was on the front page of the newspaper right next to a horrible story, and under the picture, they had a little disclaimer that it had to do with another story. But they were after this man to destroy his reputation, so they put him under the title of this horrible story.
I don’t want to imply that all the media is like that, but there is enough of it that we have all become jaded and hesitant to receive. So why invite that into my home day after day after day? I told you guys at the beginning of this thing four months ago, if you have more input from mainstream media than you do the Word of God, then your discouragement is self-inflicted. This thing of fear is a very serious issue—so much so that it is the number one command in scripture, repeated more often than any other. Because the Lord knew the enemy would use that continuously.
Now, there is a real virus, so I don’t want to make light of that at all. Our leaders—we’ve got to pray for them because they are in a tough place to make really rough decisions. I do not envy any of them in the decisions they have to make. I have my own opinions, and they probably differ, so they’re not important in this discussion. What’s important is that we pray. I was reading this week in Proverbs again that ungodly counsel in the chambers of the king will impact the nation in unrighteousness; righteous counsel in the chambers of the king brings righteousness to a nation. So that’s one of our prayers: «God, remove the voice of the enemy from our leaders that you have put in place.»
Whether I voted for them or voted for someone else, these leaders—Father, we ask that You would give them divine wisdom, Your perception on stuff and fear. Fear destroys that.
He said in verse 12 of chapter six, «Then I perceived God had not sent him at all.» Back up to verse 10: there is a prophet hired to prophesy bad stuff, and he responds. Verse 11: «Should a man such as me flee?» Verse 12: «Then I perceived God had not sent him.» This is important. He sees somebody prophesying evil towards him. He responds out of his identity, not out of a word from the Lord. He did not see the situation clearly; he just saw who he was and what he was trying to do. He responded from that, and he had no clarity on the moment except who he was. He said, «Should a man like me flee?» And as soon as a word came out of his mouth, he suddenly saw the whole strategy of the enemy.
The Lord unveiled it for him to see clearly why he needed to make a decree first. What do you think Jesus did when He stood and said, «The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me»? It was before He had performed one miracle. He made the decree out of Isaiah: «The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.» He made the decree of why He was sent to planet Earth as the Son of God to redeem man and to restore the broken situations of people’s lives. He made the decree, and suddenly everything begins to open up.
The same thing happened for Nehemiah. He stands in that place; he knows his purpose, and he says, «Should a man like me flee?» Then he sees the strategy of the enemy. The Lord lifts the veil on his eyes and he sees clearly.
«Then I perceived.» Sometimes perception follows a confession of faith. Sometimes prophetic perception follows a confession of faith—a decree that God has given us. We’ve rarely been given the whole picture, but we’ve all been given enough to obey. We’ve all been given enough to do something—to make a decree, to have that sword at our side where we’re constantly wanting to hear God’s heartbeat.
I’ll tell you what, in this moment, unlike any season I’ve ever been in my life, I have to know God’s heart. I don’t want to say minute by minute because that would be an exaggeration for my own lifestyle, but I will say hour by hour I’ve got to have that touch, that connection to His pulse, to His heartbeat, or I will think out of my own perception instead of His. I cannot afford to come to conclusions about stuff out of my own experience.
It’s a part of the picture; it’s just not the whole picture. I need desperately to stay connected to the promises of God, the Word of God, His view on stuff. Wisdom will give me hope because I perceive the end. That’s the word: wisdom will give me hope because I have a perception of the outcome of His intended outcome, and it’s worth fighting for.
We know that media, whether it’s news or sitcoms or whatever, they like to constantly or deceive. Deceive means they reveal certain amounts of truths but not enough to alter your perception. The goal is to control the narrative.
Let me leave that. So, we know that lifestyles are projected in sitcoms, movies, whatever; they’re a deception of God’s intent and plan. We face it every single day, every day of our lives. While I have concerns about deception and lies and all that stuff, my biggest concern is not that. My biggest concern is they are discipling a nation to their worldview.
They are discipling a nation to their worldview. Paul says in Colossians, «Keep your mind set on things above where Christ is seated.» Then he goes on to talk about your conversion: you’ve been redeemed; you are in Christ, seated in heavenly places. What’s the point? My focus has to be on Christ, exalted above every name— including viruses, including political oppositions, all these things. If I don’t have Him at the center of my thoughts as the redemptive one, then I will take an inferior perspective on life—a perception of life. I will think separate from the one who has a redemptive answer for every broken situation.
The crazy thing is it feels spiritual because you have a burden, but the burden is called fear. The burden is not released in His presence. The burden makes you feel discerning and spiritual because, «Oh, those are troubling times.» You’re doing nothing until you pray. You’re doing nothing until you pray.
A telephone pole can feel what’s going on, and don’t quote me on that, but it doesn’t take a spiritual giant to discern what’s happening in the world. That’s crazy! To feel the weightiness of it and to do nothing is to waste space. Why are you on planet Earth? We were given the ability to perceive that we might come on that paved pathway, paved with blood, to give me legal and free access to come before the Father, because out of wisdom, I perceive there is a redemptive solution.
I will come in hope to the one who has already promised me, «Two or three of you agree as to touching anything, it will be done for you.» He says, «Then I perceive.» There are people being paid to make you afraid and act that way, and sin. So they might have cause for an evil report that they might reproach me. We’ll end with this verse. Verse 16: «And it happened when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was done by our God.»
Did you hear what it said? They weren’t just discouraged; they were disheartened in their own eyes. Do you remember when the spies went into the promised land and they came back and said, «We appear as grasshoppers in our own eyes»? Our own perception of us is very insignificant, and they are significant. The tables just got turned because of a man guided by the Holy Spirit who led them into redemptive solution after redemptive solution, rejecting every opportunity for fear.
Something was accomplished that they had failed at for two generations, and the wall was built. And he said they were disheartened in their own eyes because they could see this work was done by our God. We need a miracle. We need a miracle for the healing of our nation, the healing of our state. It’s bigger than the things that come to mind—there are things being reported to us that are obviously big concerns, but there are going to be some exposures done in our country of some very deeply rooted things that are not on hardly anybody’s radar, but they will be. The Lord is exposing these to bring healing.
What you and I have to do is stay together; just stay together. Just stay linked; stay members of one another. The communion thing that Chris led us in earlier was absolutely perfect and right. The whole thing—communion together as family—in this next season, I want to encourage you to pray without ceasing, stay close to the heart of God, pray in the Spirit, and worship throughout the day.
I like to—whether I’m in my office, here on the grounds, or at my home—I just have these moments of inspired thought where I just realize His goodness. Just in the middle of what I’m doing, God, I give You thanks; You are so good! If your heart burns for Him, if it doesn’t, work at it until it does. Stay there until it does! Because what you want to do is have your heart burn for Him so that that fire never dies out. You never have to worry about rekindling it again. It’s hard to get a fire started; it’s not hard to keep it burning.
I love us, and I look forward to our bigger us getting together again. But until that day, I just want to talk to the Bethel family that is outside of the room and just say thank you. Some of you are meeting at home; some of you are perhaps watching at work, but whatever. Thank you! The strength of the church is the two or three gathered in His name. That is the strength of the church. The prophetic direction is set in the large corporate setting, but the strength of the church is the two or three that agree as touching anything—history is shaped by that group that carries governmental influence, kingdom influence to shape history—that’s who you are.
I bless you with renewed effort and renewed focus to see the kingdom of God come to earth. Be unwilling to be moved when the enemy comes along with another bad report, another thing to fear. Be a Nehemiah who says, «Why should the great work I’m doing stop while I pay attention to you? I don’t have the time!»
Give yourself some credit for having influenced simply because you love people. Some of you that are watching—we have our Bethel family local, we have an international Bethel family, and we have others that are just guests who may have stumbled onto this broadcast. The most important thing that could happen today is, if you are outside of a personal relationship with Jesus, this moment orchestrated just for you, you would be able to become a follower of Jesus Christ—one who receives Him.
Jesus said—or it says of Jesus in John chapter 1, «To as many as have received Him, to them He gives the right or the authority to become children of God.» So we have pastors that are on the Bethel TV program and on Zoom calls or YouTube. We have pastors that are ready to talk to any one of you that would say, «I want to know Jesus. I desire to be forgiven of sin; I want a new beginning.» Regardless of what your history is, that’s the thing I’m talking about here today—regardless of how big of a mess a person is in or a city or nation is in, God has a redemptive solution.
If I lose sight of Christ seated on the throne above every authority, I will fall into fear. You have the opportunity for Christ to be seated at the absolute throne of your life. Everything changes today.
I want you all to stand; I’m going to wrap this up in prayer, and then I will put my mask on because I’m a mask wearer.
Oh Father, I ask that You would grace every person watching this, in the room and abroad, every person—a grace, a gift for wisdom that perceives the end—that we would be hope-filled because we see Your purposes in the earth. Help us to never be distracted from what You have made clear in scripture: Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
I pray this for this church family, all of our guests. I pray that You would mark them with blessing, that our lives will be marked with Your presence. In Jesus' wonderful name, amen.