Bill Johnson - Finding God in Tough Times
Every word, every thought, every action, and every ambition either comes out of love or comes out of fear. Everything is governed by one of those two influences. Open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 14. I love Old Testament teachings; I really do. I remember in Weaverville, there were periods when I would only teach from the Old Testament because I love it so much. I think it’s so obvious, like David killing Goliath—the little guy defeats the big guy. It’s an easy lesson. Then there’s Daniel in the lion’s den, and all these stories are very visual and story-oriented, which helps me immensely.
What we’re going to read about today is Israel leaving Egypt and entering the Promised Land. It is a prophetic picture of the people of God leaving sin—not just entering salvation, but stepping into the reality of the Kingdom of God. The Promised Land symbolizes that God always leads us into fulfilled purpose and promise. That’s where He guides every born-again believer—everyone who says yes. He takes them to a place of fulfilled purpose and destiny. That’s the lesson at stake here today.
We’re going to look into the subject of fear a little bit—what comes out of our mouths, the issue of conversation. Let me just start by saying this: Every word, every thought, every action, and every ambition either stems from love or from fear. Everything is influenced by one of those two powers. Learning to live from a place of love is essential. By the way, there’s this careless notion that love just accepts and accommodates everything. It’s simply not true. You actually can’t love well if you don’t also hate well. What you hate is crucial. Mike Bickle sums it up nicely by saying, «God’s anger is always aimed at whatever interferes with love.» There must be a hatred for sin if there is a love for God; there must be a resolution to do everything that brings Him glory.
Those who see and behold Him function differently from everyone else. Most people operate out of theory or philosophy, but those who arrive at a place where they behold Him live from a different perspective. This leads to great victories. The issue of fear deserves attention. The command to not fear is the most frequently repeated command in the Bible. Why? Because fear leads to unbelief. Complaining is the language of unbelief and only arises from a heart that has a lordship challenge, where the lordship of Jesus is being compromised. Complaining becomes evidence of that issue.
Now, this story with Moses and Pharaoh is straightforward. The roles are clear, leading to an evident conclusion. In moments like these, it’s best to simplify and read the story, as we will do now. Keep your Bibles open; we’ve got much to read. Let’s start with Exodus chapter 14. Did I tell you where? Only five of you heard that. All right, Exodus chapter 14, verse 4: «Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.» If that bothers you, repent. We might as well start strong; He doesn’t work for me; I work for Him. He never owes me an explanation. What I know should never cancel out what I need to know. What I know is that every decision He makes is motivated by love. I may not be able to explain this, but I can see the end result.
«I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.» What you see with Pharaoh is someone who continuously hardens his heart against the Lord, until the Lord finally says, «All right, I will freeze your will in this position, and I will now use your rebellion to illustrate My glory, My authority, and My lordship.» I will use you as a chess piece on a chessboard and display My glory through you. Some Christians sin, thinking they will just be able to repent afterward. Repentance is a gift; you can’t depend on a gift. You’re looking at me with a confused look. I’m not saying He won’t forgive you; I’m just saying don’t be stupid. Don’t be careless with your life. Don’t do foolish things, assuming that God will attend to every need. It’s not how the Kingdom works. There is a King, and that King is Lord over all.
Well, that went over well. Let’s see if we can go a little farther this time. «Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them, and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.» Some of you are facing problems in your life right now because the Lord wants to demonstrate His lordship to your enemies—those who oppose you or are causing you heartache. It’s not about you; sometimes we just have to get over ourselves. It’s not always about us. Sometimes there’s a larger picture, and in it, God wants to display His lordship, possibly to an entire family line, neighborhood, city, or place of business. God desires to demonstrate His authority over the situations you’re facing. Amen?
Verse 10: «When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.» Here’s what’s happening: Israel is leaving Egypt, and Pharaoh and his army are pursuing them. They turn around and see Egypt chasing them, and it says they are very afraid. The wrong kind of fear drives you away from the lordship of Jesus. The right kind of fear endears you to Him. Complaining is the language of fear and unbelief. Nobody complains who sees God’s role in the middle of their situation. Complaints arise only when we lose sight of who He is and where He is.
There are some fears that are natural; can I say responsible fears? For example, putting your hand on a hot stove—don’t tempt God; that’s foolish. Or walking barefoot on broken glass—it’s not smart. Voting for socialism—that’s just not wise. Just making sure you’re awake.
Verse 13: Moses said to the people, «Do not be afraid.» Sorry, I don’t have enough time to take many detours, so I’ll take just one. I read this post that said if you have a conflict with your wife, just tell her she’s overreacting, and that will calm everything down. That’s kind of what I thought of here: Moses comes to terrified Israel and says, «Don’t be afraid.» Oh, okay, great idea—I’ll just not be afraid. Then he follows with the word of the Lord: «Don’t be afraid; stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.»
It just hit me strongly in the twin services just a few minutes ago, and I feel the same here now: There are some of you facing ongoing problems, and I feel like I’m supposed to declare over you—you will never see those Egyptians or that issue again. It ends today. That will not be a cyclical issue in your life; it ends today. But here’s the word that Moses brought to the nation of Israel: «The Egyptians trying to kill you? You will never see them again forever.»
Moving on, verse 14: «The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.» Now, verse 15 is important. «And the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry out to me? '» All right, what’s happening here? In verses 13 and 14, Moses is prophesying, «Just stand still; God’s going to deliver you. You’ll see Him work on your behalf; He’ll bring you to a place of great peace.» But in the very next verse, God asks, «Why are you crying out to me?» So apparently, after delivering the prophecy to Israel, Moses is interceding: «Oh God, do you see these people I’m leading?»
So the Lord says, «Why do you cry out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.» I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s a big difference between standing still and going forward. Moses felt the safety and provision of the Lord, and it’s possible he assumed God would act while they stood still. The Lord clarified that prophetic word: «I’m going to do it, but you have to move forward.»
Sometimes there are times to rest and other times to act. God usually isn’t looking for great, courageous leaps in movement; He’s generally looking for movement in the right direction. We had a staff member here years ago who suffered a very serious head trauma. He couldn’t play with his children anymore, couldn’t be in any room where there was even challenging conversation, and certain things on TV were beyond him. One Sunday night during a service, the Lord prompted him to bump his head against a wall. That terrified him because of his injury, so instead, he just leaned his head softly against the wall and was instantly healed. God isn’t always looking for great courageous leaps; He’s just looking for movement in the right direction. Does that make sense?
Stop trying to be a hero; just move in the right direction. The Lord then tells Moses, «Tell the children of Israel to go forward.» As we continue through the story, the Lord reveals Himself as being with the children of Israel on this journey. I like this story a lot. In verse 18, it says, «The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.»
The angel of God who had gone before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them. This is interesting—God is in front of them, showing them where to go, and protecting them from the Egyptians. The angel of God moved from leading them to guiding them from the rear. A pillar of cloud went before them, standing behind them, placing itself between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus, it was a cloud of darkness to one, and He provided light by night to the other. Two manifestations of the same revelation—a cloud in one case, and fire in another.
The same sun that melts the ice also hardens the clay. The workings and dealings of God depend greatly on our heart’s condition. Am I saying, «God, prove it to me,» or am I saying, «No matter what happens, my answer is yes»? These two positions are extremely different. It’s not a heaven or hell issue; it’s about the measure of the promised land I will experience in my lifetime. We were all born to enter the reality of God’s fulfilled promises over our lives and family lines until it brings transformation to culture itself.
Let’s move on to chapter 15 and jump to verse 22. How many of you have your Bibles? Let me see them. There we go! I like it. Also, to our online family, I love you guys so much! I miss seeing you in various places around the world.
Verse 22: «Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; they went out into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days into the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore, they called the name Mara.» The people complained against Moses. Here’s the thing about complaining: complaining is usually reasonable. There’s often a good reason for it. Just remove the promises and presence of God from the equation, and your complaints become justified.
Fear is an odd thing; it always attracts whatever information is needed to legitimize its existence. Complaining functions out of that spirit of fear. They needed water—was that a sin? No. And the people complained against Moses: «Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread to the full! You have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.»
Verse 16: «Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day that I may test them.'» Here, God has just tested them with lack, and now they will be tested with abundance. If you don’t trust God with lack, you’ll never trust Him with abundance. In this moment, they’re complaining against Moses and saying, «Oh, that we would have died in Egypt when our pots were full of meat.»
I don’t know what happened to their memory because days earlier they were complaining about their conditions. Complaining distorts your view of reality; it clouds your perspective. Unbelief leads you to prefer the safety of slavery over the responsibility of freedom. What’s happening in this generation isn’t new—it happened to Israel right here. They preferred the safety of slavery over the responsibility of freedom.
That went over well; let’s move on. Verse 7: «In the morning, you will see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your complaints.» Interesting—seeing the glory is usually seen as a reward, but not in this case. It’s an opportunity to recalibrate values. Beholding Him allows me to readjust my values. The focus of my life must be set, and without that, I live randomly, carelessly, influenced by whatever I think might be best in the moment.
So He says, «I’ve heard their complaints; I will show My glory. Why? Because in that experience, they will have an opportunity to reset their values.»
Chapter 17, verse 2: «Therefore, the people contended with Moses, saying, 'Give us water that we may drink.'» Moses responded, «Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?» Let’s say we’re part of the two million people following this guy named Moses. We’ve been walking for days with no water. The desire for water is valid, but the complaint against Moses is, biblically, called tempting God. What does it mean to tempt God? It means to appeal to Him to do evil, which He cannot do, but it’s still the wrong posture.
Psalm 78 gives an overview of this situation. It says, «You tempt the Lord by limiting the Holy One of Israel.» You tempt Him by putting a cap on His capabilities and the profound impact of His covenant with you. He doesn’t expect me to fully imagine all He’s capable of; He’s looking for baby steps in the right direction that remove the limits on what God is willing to do in my life. What we see of Him, what He reveals about His nature, should ground us in difficulty.
The absolute anchor of our souls is what He has shown us about His nature and covenant. If I let go of that to embrace a fear, an accusation, resentment, or anything like that, I’m letting go of the most solid truth in my life.
You and I were designed for one primary purpose: worship. Worship is the recognition of worth. God unveils His nature and presence to a people, and the only logical response is worship. He isn’t looking for a good worship service—those are lovely, but that’s not the point. In John 4, it says the Father seeks worshipers who worship in spirit and truth. He isn’t an egotist in need of our affirmation; He’s a God of love seeking our best.
Since we become like whatever we worship, there’s nothing better for us than to worship Him. In that transforming presence, we are transformed.
Let’s come to the end. Verse 7: «So he called the name of the place Masa and Meribah because of the contention of the children of Israel and because they tempted the Lord, saying, 'Is the Lord among us or not? '» They tempted the Lord with this question. Let’s review: a pillar of fire at night, a cloud by day, and they still ask, «Is the Lord among us?» That’s what complaining does: it distorts your view of what’s already established in your life.
It’s like a dislocated joint; I used to have my knee dislocate due to playing football in high school. I remember one time it happened in Weaverville. I got up out of my chair, and my knee went out of joint. The lower part of my leg was still connected and functioning, so I had some mobility, but I couldn’t put weight on it. That’s like what complaining does; it dislocates you from your design.
You’re alive, but your goal shifts from the Promised Land to mere survival. They tempted the Lord by saying, «Is the Lord among us?» At one point, the Lord spoke to Israel, saying, «My face was in the cloud.» So here we are, following this cloud around the wilderness. It’s crucial to follow the cloud because it’s a desolate place, yet wherever He goes, there’s warmth at night, cooling during the day, and bread appearing. You want to follow Him because your clothes won’t wear out.
They learned to follow this cloud. We are designed by God to recognize His presence. The Lord told Israel, «My face was in the cloud, but I didn’t let you see any form.» Why? Because He knew they would be Idolatrous people, forming images based on what they saw. Sometimes, when the Lord withholds clarity, it’s His mercy because He knows our inclination toward idolatry.
They tempted the Lord by asking, «Is the Lord among us?»
There’s a verse in Proverbs that’s been on my mind: «A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.» I’ve been thinking about this—understanding that it’s a small key that opens a big door. Every so often, we find phrases that seem easy to overlook, but they’re connected to the reality of God in our lives.
If we could capture the power of that simple key—a man will be satisfied with good—emotionally, socially, intellectually, and spiritually nourished—it’s determined by what initially comes out of a person’s mouth. In other words, the measure of what I receive, at least in this context, is set by what comes out of my mouth.
«Life and death are in the power of the tongue.» Some things must be said. This has been part of our culture for as long as I can remember, but I still feel the need to review it. Here’s the deal: Psalm 91 states, «I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge, my strength, my God, in whom I will trust.» It says, «I will say,» not «I will think» or «I will contemplate.»
It states I will say, emphasizing that some things just need to be spoken. I’ve found that it empowers me, especially when I face rough times. My wife and I sit together on the couch and pray, declaring, «We trust you, Father. You are our refuge, our strength, our hiding place. We trust you.» Make that decree; don’t let it be passive or a mere agreement. Apparently, the things that come into my life are influenced by what I declare.
«I will say of the Lord…»
I am saying now—the Lord is my refuge, my hiding place, my strength, and in Him, I will trust. I don’t have a Plan B; there are no other options. I serve one God. The scripture teaches that what comes into our lives comes through a measure set by our declarations. The scripture says He inhabits the praises of His people. His response to my recognition of who He is—in word form—occupies the space of my praises. If God occupies my praise, who occupies my complaints?
You survived my entire message; congratulations! Why don’t you stand?
I typically lead in prayer when I finish speaking, but I feel like you need to pray on your own and simply say «Amen» to whatever He said. I’m not sure what just happened, but I want the language of the Kingdom to be my language.
Let’s repeat this together: «I will say of the Lord.» Say that with me: «He is my refuge, my fortress; in Him will I trust.» Say it again: «I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge, my fortress, my God; in Him will I trust.» This is our confession to You, Father.
We acknowledge our trust in You. Any time we gather with a crowd this size, the chances are high that some people here don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. You may not know what it means to be «born again,» which means absolute surrender to become a follower, a disciple of Jesus—turning from your life and embracing His.
If anyone here wants to make sure they leave this building knowing they’ve been forgiven of their sins and are truly part of the family of God, please raise your hand quickly. I want to ensure we take advantage of this moment for your sake. This entire day could be for this one moment—giving you a chance to experience the love of God.
Anyone at all—just raise your hand quickly. Those who are online, we also encourage you to write in the chat box; pastors will communicate with you and pray with you.
All right, I’ll assume you’re all in. Leslie, come on up. Ministry team, come to the front to assist with this next part.