Bill Johnson - How to Enter Your Promised Land and Leave Behind the Wilderness
Israel wandered for 40 years around the same mountain because they just couldn’t learn the lesson of abandonment and trust. Some people have gone without for their entire lives, and all the Lord is trying to do is teach trust. Once trust is established, you can be entrusted with the Promised Land. I have a couple of funny signs: «I don’t need a valentine, I need $8 million and a fast metabolism.» I don’t want to brag or make anyone jealous, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school. I love this one: things I ask my mom—"Where’s my phone? Where’s the remote? What’s for dinner?"—and things I ask my dad—"Where’s mom?» That one’s just too true. One more: recent studies found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it. Yes, amen! All growth is rewarded with pruning; all death is rewarded with resurrection. To follow Him is the entrance into a lifestyle that He’s in charge of; it’s a crosswalk into resurrection, a crosswalk into breakthrough.
Israel traveled from Egypt, which symbolizes sin—so forgive me if you’re from Egypt; it’s just a one-time illustration—through the wilderness into the Promised Land. The wilderness experience was one of great difficulty and challenge; they had to trust God every day for manna on the ground. Sometimes they were thirsty for days with nothing, but when a rock was struck, water came out of it. One time there was a whole supply of quail that didn’t turn out so well, but they had meat once. There was this ongoing miracle that God trained them with in the wilderness, yet the daily provision of manna was not the Promised Land; it was the training for the Promised Land.
There are times when our perspective of faith is somewhat immature; it’s just not developed, and that’s probably true for all of us in some measure. We tend to think that the person who believes God for daily provision has greater faith than the person who works and has an income, but that’s not true. I remember a friend of mine, now home with the Lord, who was a businessman. He was quite wealthy and had a large business affecting the Denver West area. I remember we’d have early morning prayer meetings in Weaverville, and he would come early, kneeling and praying. In conversation with him sometime after he began to come to these meetings, he shared that he was praying for his employees, hoping to prosper enough to keep them employed so they could put their kids through college.
We have this ugly thing in our nation where jealousy is exalted as a virtue, where people look at someone who has more than they do and assume they did something wrong to get it. Jealousy is often given a virtuous name, referred to as discernment. Anytime you give a virtuous name to dysfunction, you not only allow it to stay but give it room to set down roots until it actually affects our personality. The Lord wants to expose some of this not out there, but in here, so we know how to properly celebrate another person’s breakthrough. What’s important is when you’ve been praying for something, and someone else gets your breakthrough—it can be an invitation for personal breakthrough, believe it or not.
It’s actually the mercy of God exposing what could go wrong in the heart so that when your breakthrough comes, it lands in a safe place. Character is the container that the blessing rests in, and it doesn’t leak out. Character is what holds and contains the blessings that the Lord would like to put in our lives. What I don’t want to do is create the impression that blessing means mansions and material things. Sometimes it does include that, but if that’s our focus, we’re in trouble. What’s vital for us to learn on this journey is how to deal with what He’s dealing with inside of us because He’s always preparing us for greater breakthroughs.
I’ve said it before and will declare it again: God disciplines us so His blessings don’t kill us. He longs to pour out blessings. Many in the church are afraid or opposed to financial wealth, which I understand. I don’t agree, but I understand the reasoning. The problem is that they don’t have the same fear over increased anointing, and both can lead to pride. To think that because I’m pursuing something overtly spiritual, I’m safe—is far from the truth. High recognition is an issue too. Can we navigate that?
Jesus walked with an anointing where everyone sent to Him was healed. What would happen if that same measure of breakthrough was put on just one individual in this room? It would be cool for a very short time, but your name would be a household name within 30 days across the country. Let’s say that you couldn’t be bought—like you have dealt with a money issue; you couldn’t be lured into compromise for money. You still have a problem because there would be 50 private jets filled with money trying to persuade you to come and pray for their dying loved ones. The point is that increased anointing gives us as much access, if not more, to pride, arrogance, and independence—all things that are dangerous for us, just like wealth.
When I talk about wealth or favor, let’s use the word blessing. When I talk about the blessing of the Lord increasing in our lives, it can look like promotions at work, finding that spouse you’ve been waiting for all these years, or suddenly becoming pregnant with twins after struggling to conceive. Favor comes in many different ways. Sometimes it’s just that people prefer you at work—there’s no explanation; you don’t hold the highest position, but people are drawn to you. Maybe they confide their personal issues because they trust you. That’s favor. That’s wealth in this Kingdom.
The Lord adds favor to your life in ways where people trust you. Sometimes it’s simply that you get those big breaks and deals. The point is that the Lord wants to increase every one of our lives in this realm of blessing; if we can carry it for His glory, we should hold onto everything loosely because today’s blessing might be tomorrow’s investment. I’ve been working on this theme for a while; I’m writing a book and think I have another week or so until I finish. I talk about promotion, blessing, favor, and how to navigate these concepts well.
For example, if Eric were here tonight and I were to give him a brand-new truck, he’d be quite happy, but I wouldn’t be very pleased if he gave it away. Why? Because I gave it to him out of my delight in him; I want him to enjoy what I bought him. Sometimes the Lord deposits something in our lives to see our delight. I’ve had experiences where I gave things to people who didn’t know how to manage or handle added blessings and quickly gave them away. I understand the sentiment of not wanting to accumulate material things, but there are times when our confidence in His nature as a father is revealed by how well we steward a gift given to us. Can you receive a blessing, give Him thanks, and simply delight in it?
Whenever the Lord releases a material blessing, favor, an open door, promotion at work—whatever it is—He is always trying to endear us to a world we cannot see. The problem arises when that natural blessing endears us to the visible more than the unseen, and that’s where the breakdown starts. I believe the Lord wants to fill our lives with friendships, positions, favor, and possessions—all things that testify of a Father who is perfect and takes absolute delight in us.
I want to repeat a number of statements to put some context around this evening. Some of my favorite stories in church history are when missionary couples would sit down with their children for dinner, but they had no food. They would set the table with forks and spoons, everything in place, then pray and give thanks for the food. Right about the time they finished their prayer, there would be a knock at the door, and someone had been moved by God to bring groceries to that missionary family.
I remember Benny and I used to run a street ministry called the Salt House about 4,000 years ago during the hippie era. It happened for real; we worked with many kids on the streets and lived in a particular house downtown where people would drop in for counseling, deliverance, or just to create some chaos. I remember one morning, Ben and I were praying together, looking over the bills, and I asked Ben how much we needed to cover our ministry expenses—$300, which would be about 20,000 today. After we prayed, I walked outside to check the mail, and almost by habit, I just opened the mailbox. There was an envelope in there, no stamp, just an envelope. I opened it, and there was a check for $300! I love when that stuff happens.
But here’s where I’m at in life right now: I want to be the one knocking on the door. I want to hear and respond to someone else’s need. Both are places of great blessing and honor. The disciples left everything to follow Jesus. In Mark 10, Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, «How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God.» Every one of us qualifies as the «hard one.»
Let’s keep reading: the disciples were astonished at His words, and Jesus answered again, «Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.» This time He added a description, saying those who trust in riches. Right now, we have politicians trying to figure out how much is too much money for a person to earn. The truth is, it’s not the government’s responsibility.
How much is too much money? It’s the amount that replaces trust. For one person, $1,000 in the bank is beyond their trust level, and suddenly they turn to money instead of trusting God. For others, it may be $100 million. It’s not about the amount; it’s about the condition of the heart. Jesus says, «How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom.» Then, in verse 26, they were greatly astonished, asking, «Who then can be saved?» They were asking about themselves too.
In verse 27, Jesus looked at them and said, «With men, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.» Peter began to say to Him, «See, we have left everything and followed You.» Jesus answered, «Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or land for my sake and the gospel who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands—with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life.»
I like this verse for many reasons. First, what are you going to do with a hundred mothers? You get the point. Jesus is announcing to those who left everything to follow Him that they have access to unlimited resources to accomplish all they’ve been called to do. Unlimited resources. David prayed this in Psalms 119:17, saying, «Deal bountifully with your servant that I may live and keep your word.» In other words, the only way he could possibly fulfill all that God put in his heart was for God to deal with him bountifully.
The expectation for increase often leads us to think of money, which is easy to measure. However, for many here, it’s not about money; it could be a promotion, a position change, an idea, an invention, a song, or a melody never before heard. It’s about God giving us access to His mystery realm because He longs to communicate the nature of His heart, mind, and world to us.
Peter says, «We left everything to follow You,» and Jesus responds, «That’s right. I’m going to add a hundred times as much back into your life—with persecutions.» That’s a promise I’ve never seen on anyone’s refrigerator! Israel left Egypt and went through difficulty so they could be trusted with the Promised Land. They endured the Red Sea, Paul refers to it as the baptism of Moses, moving from trial to a new body of water—this baptism is a river.
It symbolizes that Holy Spirit baptism introduces a way of life on the other side of the river. There is a death that takes place, but life becomes clear. The disciples left everything to follow Jesus; they had nothing, and before Jesus left, He said He would add a hundredfold back into their lives.
He wasn’t saying He would give them mansions on hilltops; He was giving them access to unlimited resources to accomplish all they were called to do. Why? Because they trusted Him. Before Jesus died, He told His disciples to get a sword. I think Peter was quite happy about this direction; he had been warming up his sword skills! When they came to take Jesus in the garden, Peter knew why Jesus would want him to have it.
However, when Peter cut off a servant’s ear, Jesus shook His head, put the ear back on, and said to put the sword away. What purpose did the sword serve? Take this with a grain of salt; it’s a personal opinion. Just as Jesus would have you get a sword you can’t use, it symbolizes an entire realm of resources available to you for all God has called you to do.
I remember, years ago, looking through a fly fishing catalog—a great joy of mine. I always look through hunting and fishing catalogs to discover the will of God for my life. I received one from a local fly shop, one of the best in the world. As I flipped through the catalog, I waited to hear from the Father. I did not hear anything specific. But I gave Him a chance, so I didn’t throw it away, just in case.
At the end of the catalog, there were items that only true devoted fly fishermen would want: a leather couch with a trout etched into the leather, crystal goblets, and more. As I saw these things, there were three flasks made of copper or stainless steel, apparently for fly fishermen who like to have something to drink in case they’re not catching anything.
I looked at the flasks and thought, «They look cool.» It took me only a couple of seconds to glance at the price. I thought to myself, «I can afford it,» but then reconsidered. «I have no use for it. I don’t take alcohol to the river.» I turned the page and put the catalog away.
A week later, Benny and I went to England for a conference, and a woman brought each of us a gift. Of course, I had Benny open hers first. I don’t remember what it was, but it was a nice, godly gift. Then I opened mine—a flask! Outwardly, I said, «That’s awesome. Thank you so much!» but inwardly I thought, «You’ve got to be kidding! Do you know how many important prayers I have that need answers? King Jesus reached to the bottom of my pile, pulled out the flask, and inspired a woman across the pond to buy it for me.
The flask is a reminder that everything’s covered, that He would inspire someone to spend their money on something I didn’t even need. It’s just a reminder that I have His attention, and my heart toward little and insignificant things is louder in heaven than my voice is on Earth.
Let’s pray. Father, I thank You for the Promised Land. I thank You for the design You have for us and the fulfillment of life itself—our lineage, family lines, friendships, and the success You set up for us at every turn. I pray that You increase our capacity for breakthrough so eternity can be marked by how we used everything You gave us for Your glory, withholding nothing for ourselves but literally keeping everything on the altar for You to breathe upon and bless.
God, I ask that in this next season You would teach us what it looks like to have the natural and supernatural perfectly partnered together.
Now, put a hand on someone next to you, and I want you to pray specifically for supernatural wisdom. Divine wisdom! Let there be dreams, ideas, solutions, medical inventions, technological advancements, and relational answers that would bring healing to households. I decree that damaged parts of the brain will be reconstructed through the prophetic declaration of a man or woman with wisdom.
We call for this for the honor of the name Jesus, that our cities would demonstrate Your likeness and Your heart. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Go ahead and put your hands down.
Let me give you a quick story from Weaverville. One of our key guys in the church was an accountant who did taxes for various businesses. One of his competitors had just opened a new office, and he was invited to the grand opening. At the end of the party, he asked the husband and wife if they could pray for them since he didn’t bring a gift. They agreed, and the three of them formed a little circle. He celebrated the goodness of God for prospering the business that everyone else would consider competitive.
He prayed for abundance and celebrated God’s goodness over this couple and their business. By the time he finished, the competitor had tears running down their faces, realizing in a way that in God’s world, it is possible for both businesses to thrive. Every time you see someone get a breakthrough you’ve been praying for, even if you have to force yourself, celebrate it. If you find jealousy creeping in, sometimes giving a gift will silence it.
Seriously, act to quiet the voice of jealousy—skip a meal, pray for them, do something! But put it into action to silence that voice because jealousy has no place in us. Amen? All right, I’m done.