Bill Johnson - What God Wants to Speak Through You
Yeah. Hey, go ahead and sit down. Today we are all guests. We are all guests. Finally, we get to have some people in the room. It’s so good to see you. And for those of you who are joining us online, we’re glad that you’re with us as well. You know, it’s been an unusual season. This is perhaps the greatest understatement of our lifetime; however, it’s been pretty amazing, too. There are several things that I feel the Lord has been wanting to teach us. I certainly don’t have a handle on it all, but a couple of things stand out to me strongly.
Number one, the government of God rests on the two or three gathered in His name. We’ve been forced to learn that at a level that we’ve not seen before. I pray that that truth expands and explodes in every person’s heart. The second thing is from the passage in Psalms 107:20, which says, «And he sent His word and healed him.» What we’ve been seeing so incredibly is the power of a declared word over Zoom, YouTube, Bethel TV, FaceTime, phone calls, etc. I actually know of two resurrections from the dead that have taken place. One occurred after a death certificate was signed by a doctor in a hospital for a woman of another faith. The nurse was so grieved; she just said, «God, this one didn’t have a chance to know You,» and prayed. I think it was two to three hours later that she was raised from the dead and shared the gospel; of course, she received Christ. So that’s good. But our dear friend Jean Luke in Switzerland has experienced that as well, in fact, two times. Another instance was a suicide, and the Lord, in His mercy, raised that one from the dead.
We’ve also had our healing rooms functioning online, and there have been great numbers of people healed, including some who have come out of comas. We’ve had, of course, COVID-related healings; all the symptoms have just disappeared. So Jesus is still at work, even though we haven’t been here in person as much as any of us would like. I felt, especially this morning, during the worship time and then kind of the ceiling touch, about the house of healing, and I wanted to make a decree. I sense that the Lord is healing someone who has muscle damage down the right leg. There’s some sort of affliction or injury there on the right leg, and the Lord is healing and restoring it. There are also others; that’s why I don’t have an exact number, but it’s between ten and fifteen years since there was trauma from an accident, and debilitating migraines from the back of the head are being healed right now.
The third thing I want to mention is there’s some sort of deterioration of the bones of the inner ear, and the Lord is breaking that cycle and restoring it; it’s a creative miracle. So if you’re online or in the room and this applies to you, grab hold of it, because it’s a wonderful work of grace. Here’s the amazing thing: He said He sent His word and healed him. He told the centurion, «Your servant is well.» He just made the announcement, and when he got home, he could see exactly what Jesus said had happened at the hour He spoke it. I believe that this season, as much as I dislike it and would much rather that all of us be together and pack this place as a family many times a day, it’s a privilege to see how effective and how powerful a declared word is.
It’s not make-believe; it’s not a truth that belongs to one stream in the body of Christ. It is something that has been assigned to each of us. The very fact that God spoke the worlds into being should bring conviction to our hearts about our responsibility over our speech. We have the opportunity to speak life or death. It all comes from our mouths. I know that people use the tool for personal gain; I get that, but it doesn’t negate the power of the tool. The tool is effective. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. I’m actually going to talk to you about it today, so open your Bibles to Isaiah 56. It’s going to take me a little while to build a case, I guess. But let’s go ahead and just start with verse three:
Isaiah 56, verse three: «Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, 'The Lord has utterly separated me from His people.' Nor let the eunuch say, 'Here I am, a dry tree.' For thus says the Lord: 'To the eunuch who keeps My Sabbaths, chooses what pleases Me, and holds fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.' Also, the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, and who love the name of the Lord to be His servants, to everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast My covenant, even them I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.»
Verse eight: «The Lord God who gathers the outcasts of Israel says, 'Yet I will gather to Him others besides those who are gathered.'» This is a fascinating portion of scripture to me. Probably a month or two ago, as I was going through Isaiah in my daily reading, these verses really leapt out at me for several reasons. I want you to take note that in verse three, it says not to let someone say this, and it then says, «Don’t let the foreigner say I’m outside of God’s plan,» and «Don’t let the eunuch, who cannot reproduce, say of himself, 'I am fruitless; I cannot bear fruit.'» It’s interesting that we’ve actually been given a responsibility to protect the speech of another.
It all leads up to one profound conclusion: that the house of God is a house of prayer. It’s a house on a mountain. We have the picture in the Old Testament of Mount Zion and David’s tabernacle. It’s a place of continuous worship. That profound picture is the nature of the house of God. But this passage says, «My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.» I think the only thing I ever heard this described as was a place where we pray for the nations. And that’s not what’s being said; that’s not the decree at all. I mean, we do that, but that’s not the decree. The amazing revelation of this verse is that every nation has reserved seating in the house of God. Every nation has a place of priority seating to be in this place to make a difference.
This word prayer is fascinating because it doesn’t just mean petitioning. It’s a word that actually means to intervene. You hear of an intervention; somebody’s doing an intervention. Perhaps there’s someone you know who is horribly addicted to drugs and just can’t break that cycle. Maybe they’re in a marriage with horrible abuse. Whatever it might be, there’s an intervention. Groups of people will come together, stand right in the middle of the problem, and say, «We’re not going to let you destroy your life with this drug anymore. We’re not going to let you abuse your wife any longer.» We step in and actually intervene.
And the house of prayer is being described here, which is also known in the previous statement as a house of joy in prayer. Yes, Benny, you got it right: the joyful intercessor. Yes, indeed, you nailed it; you did good. This whole house of prayer consists of people who care enough to intervene, to step right in the middle of where the conflict is going, and in prayer take that posture that says, «Not on my watch.» There’s an intervention going on. We will bring two or three in agreement together. Once again, the government of God rests and is displayed upon two or three that are in agreement. The presence of God, the government of God, is released with unity in the heart of God.
So, we have this very fascinating portion of scripture. I want to back up to verse three and read through it again: «Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, 'The Lord has utterly separated me from His people.'» Stop right there. Under Old Testament law, the Jews had access to God; the Gentiles didn’t. I mean, there was a way they could come in, but the point was that the people of God were the nation of Israel. And yet the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, is interjecting that a season change is coming.
With this season change, don’t speak the language of the old season. Amen? Don’t let the foreigner, who uses logic and reason and even biblical principles that were right for that season but not right for this one, say it. The foreigner is the one who just wasn’t born into the right family line. Some of you have no Christian history at all in your family line; you’re the first. In fact, how many of you are first-generation believers? No? A first-generation believer does not have the right anymore, not in grace, to say, «I just don’t have the momentum of believers in my history.» It’s illegal. Why? Because you’re in a season of inheritance, and in inheritance, you actually obtain by grace the momentum of prior generations.
Verse three continues: «Nor let the eunuch say, 'Here I am, a dry tree, ' for thus says the Lord to the eunuch who keeps My Sabbaths, etc. I will give them a name, a name in My house better than the names of sons and daughters.» What’s the point? The eunuch was either born that way, due to a physical problem at birth, or generally they were made that way by a ruling king who wanted perhaps eunuchs to guard the queen’s household or something. It was done that way. Most of the time, almost always, it was either an unfortunate thing that happened at birth or something was done to them.
And the one who feels disqualified because of something done to them—don’t let them say it. Don’t let them say it because God is able to do something in this moment that makes them more fruitful than the sons and daughters who have the logical and correct inheritance of having children who have children who have children. It reminds me a lot of the passage just a couple of chapters earlier where the prophet admonishes a woman, really Israel, but a woman, to shout for joy, «Barren one, you who have borne no child, because the sons of the desolate woman will become more numerous than the sons of the married woman.» Shout for joy!
Here’s a woman who cannot have children—shout for joy! Why? Because you’re going to move from a natural ability to reproduce into a supernatural ability. And in that supernatural capacity, you will surpass those who had a head start; you will surpass those who had everything going for them that you weren’t born with. Don’t let them talk themselves into being locked into an old season. Verse six says, «The sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love His name, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast My covenant, even them I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer.»
Make them joyful in My house of prayer. How about we make it our ambition to be known for joy? Now, it’s available. It’s not like we have to fake it. It’s a stream that’s flowing all the time. You just have to step into what’s already there. «Make them joyful in My house of intervention. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.» Every nation has reserved seating in this house.
Then look at verse eight: «The Lord God who gathers the outcasts of Israel says, 'Yes, I will gather to Him others besides those who are gathered.'» This word outcast means banished. A citizen of Israel was banished and rejected from society because of sin. We have the eunuch, who had something done to him, and the banished ones, who were punished for what they did. It reminds me a lot of what the Lord said: «The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,» when he talked about releasing prisoners and releasing captives. Prisoners are in prison because of what they did, and captives are in prison because of what others have done to them.
We have the same concept here in prayer. So now the Lord is announcing: I’m not only going to gather the foreigner; I’m not only going to gather the eunuch, but I’m also going to gather the banished ones—the ones who have been rejected, who have been put outside the camp because of their sins. I’m going to restore them too because everyone has reserved seating in this house of prayer. Everybody has a place of favor to intervene and affect the course of world history. Now, that’s a lofty statement that I say a lot, and we say a lot, but it couldn’t be more true than it is in this moment where the people of God actually take a stand in Christ and pray.
And if you’re not getting answers to prayer, change your prayers. Find out what He’s doing. Honestly, every believer deserves the momentum created by answers to prayer. And if you’re not getting them, find out how to pray and pray accordingly because there is such a sense of identity, purpose, and faith that grows in the momentum of answers to prayer. Coming in with no agenda. We all have our lists, and those lists aren’t wrong at all. You’re supposed to seek first the kingdom, and these other things will be added. Sometimes I want what’s added first, and then I’ll seek the kingdom, and He’s saying, «Seek first the kingdom, and then let’s talk about these things.»
There’s one more passage I want you to look at, and it’s from Isaiah 35. Isaiah 56 talks about what you don’t want to let others say, but Isaiah 35 has a very interesting twist on this. I love prophetic language. I don’t know if you know, but when it talks about water in the Bible—like springs, rain, rivers, you know, pools—all that language, almost always, I did a study once and looked up every single reference in the Old Testament to water. Just about every time, I could find, was a reference to the Holy Spirit in some way. So whether it’s rain or it’s a river or a spring, something is going on; God is at work.
I love that little book, «The Cure for All Ills,» which basically says, «Listen, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is really the answer for everything.» I’m kind of in that school right now; just more of Him is really all we need. I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know I need more of Him. And I know we need more of Him, and so that’s been the cry. Here we have this kind of prophetic language.
In verse one, it says, «In the wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them. The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to her, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God.» My goodness, what an incredible phrase: «They shall see the glory of God.» Mark my words; this next season is about the glory. It is about the glory. It is about the manifested presence of Jesus being discovered and realized. We will behold and experience things for which we have no language. And it’s about time we become speechless. It’s about time we lose our sense of knowing what’s going on.
I really have that sense that that is brewing right now as I speak. «They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God.» I don’t know what your translation says, but my favorite is this one right now: «The glory, the excellency of our God.» But here’s the verse I wanted: «Strengthen the weak hands. Make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful, 'Be strong, do not fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.'»
Verse four: «Say to those…» Isaiah 56 is about what you don’t want to let others say around you, but Isaiah 35 is about what we’re supposed to speak to those who are in crisis or need. Notice it’s not rebuke; it’s not scolding; it’s not shame. It is words that mark an individual for an invasion of God. You mark them when you say to a person what God is saying, and you’ve marked them with a bullseye that attracts the hand of God into that situation.
Yes. Amen, Bill; that was very powerful. Verse three: «Strengthen the weak hands. Make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong. Do not fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With the recompense of God, He will come and save you.'» Verse five: «Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. The lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will sing. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.»
These last eleven months have probably been the longest season of speech with very little boundaries that I have ever heard in my life. And I’m not talking about CBS and NBC; I’m talking about our uncontrolled decrees. It’s wrong to say uncontrolled. We are at the end of a very interesting season, and the Lord is giving us an invitation, an opportunity: Grab hold of your speech, and whatever has happened, get over it. Yes, that’s right.
Look for those who are discounting and discrediting who they are in God. Don’t let the eunuch say, «I can’t be fruitful.» Don’t let the person who has had everything work against them throughout their life say that. Don’t allow them to speak that way. It’s not a rebuke; it’s not a correction; you’re lifting them up to let them see their life the way you see it. Nothing is impossible with God. Don’t allow them to speak that way. In fact, go beyond that and say to those who are fearful. Say to those who are weak in the knees. Say to those, «God is about to take vengeance for you. He’s about to do something on your behalf that is absolutely extraordinary.»
Why say that if God’s just going to do it anyway? Because I’m not sure He’s just going to do it anyway. Some things have to be spoken for them to take place. If our obedience isn’t involved in the unfolding of God’s plan, then what’s the purpose of obedience? People say, «Well, He’s just going to do what He’s going to do.» I’m not sure that’s true. The will of God in the New Testament is represented by two different Greek words. One is absolute; God’s going to do it, and you can vote yes or no. It doesn’t matter; your opinion is not taken into consideration in the outcome of this situation.
But there’s another word that talks about the desire, the dream of God. God is not willing that any should perish. That’s not the word there, but there’s that concept involved in that word that God has certain desires that actually require participation from His people. Sometimes it’s radical obedience; sometimes it’s giving; sometimes it’s preaching; sometimes it’s praying for the sick. In this case, it’s declaring the right word: say to the fearful, «Be strong.»
Why should I say, «Be strong»? Because in your words is strength. If your words originate in the heart of God, the same creative force that created the world is now imparting something through your words to any person who is halfway open to receiving something from God. It must be spoken for it to happen. I don’t want to put us in charge; I’m not saying we’re in charge of stuff. I’m just saying when you discover the heart of God, you cannot keep quiet.
When you discover the heart of God for another person, you’re not going to allow their self-image to control how you see them. Faith sees; it’s the nature of faith. Faith sees. They need someone to believe in them at their worst hour, at their worst moment. They need someone who will stand up and say, «You know what? God’s about to vindicate you!» Yeah, well, it doesn’t look that way to me. You need to stand where I’m standing, because if you could see what I see, you’d be the most encouraged person on the planet because God is about to vindicate you.
And the scripture says, «Then the eyes of the blind will be opened.» You say what you’re supposed to say, and then God says, «And I’ll do what I’m supposed to do.» Amen. I’m pretty much done; that’s all I wanted to say. Let me talk to the TV for a moment. I know there are people watching; we’ve had so many people come to Christ on YouTube and Bethel TV. To me, it’s one of the most extraordinary things we’ve had. People have literally stumbled into a YouTube video, not looking for a Bethel service or knowing anything about Bethel, but stumbled in and heard the gospel and surrendered their lives to Jesus.
What we’re noticing is that the same presence, the power of the Spirit of God that falls on people in this kind of environment, has time and time again come, rested, if you will, upon an individual as they sit in their home or their office watching on their phone. The same heavenly atmosphere that brings healing and deliverance in this room is not confined to this room. Amen. It actually touches people right where they are.
There are some of you watching online who don’t know what it is to be born again. You don’t know what it is to be adopted into the family of God, to turn literally from a life of pleasing yourself. All of our heartaches happen because we tried to fulfill our lives without God at the center and turned from that to become true disciples of Jesus Christ. That is the invitation for anybody watching. I would just encourage you; the Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord—His name is not any number of a thousand false gods. His name is Jesus. His name is Jesus.
I heard this week some famous person saying there are many ways to God. If there aren’t many ways to God, then the crucifixion of Jesus was a worthless, foolish act. Worthless and foolish. But it wasn’t. He died for you and he died for me. I want to encourage you to turn your heart toward Him, even right now, and just pray and ask Him to forgive you of your sin. Get in the chat room; we have a lot of people who serve in that capacity to pray with you and talk with you. I want to encourage you in your coming to faith today. This changes the rest of your life.
You can say over your own life, «I am no longer the foreigner outside of God’s plan. I’m at the center of what God is saying, what God is doing. I’m no longer the one who has had things happen to me. I am now the person that God has poured out His grace and favor upon.» I encourage you to do that right now. The rest of you, why don’t you stand in this room? Let me pray over you, and then Chris, you’re coming up.
Okay, Father, I’m asking that this season would make it hard to miss. It would be hard for us to miss what You’re saying in any given moment, that it would be like remedial reading; You just make it easy for us to hear what You’re saying so that we can speak with courage that which changes the direction of how people do life. I pray that for our own city; we would speak life into this city, into this nation, and for the nations represented. We pray for that. Let the grace for prophetic decrees be upon us now in Jesus' name. Amen.