How to Trust God As You Pray for Breakthrough - Bill Johnson Sermon | Bethel Church

0:00 There are some of you that have been praying for the breakthrough represented in an oak tree and God gave you an acorn and you don't yet see the potential in the acorn. But the Lord is wanting to release revelatory insight to your circumstance for you to realize that in the acorn is the very thing you've cried out for. And the proper stewardship of the measure of answer he's given you is what will take you into the abundant future that he has promised. We're going to read quite a few verses, so I do encourage you to get your Bible out. I want you to see it in your own owner's manual, Daniel chapter 3. And we're going to read, I don't know, maybe 10, 12 verses, something in that area, simply because there's one phrase. But I want you to see the context. I love what Eric shared this morning.

0:54 everything he shared was wonderful but there's one point i want to spin off from it's that moment in your life where you drive a stake in the ground and you say this is non-negotiable it's vital that we have things that are absolute doesn't mean we understand everything about it it just means i'll take a bullet for this it means i'm i'm not willing to deviate from this this i have received from the lord paul said that over the lord's supper he said this i have received from the Lord. And there has to be those moments in our life where we know that the Lord has spoken. He's given us non-negotiables. And we have several of those. We actually did it in our reading tonight. The goodness of God, the fact that Jesus accomplished everything at Calvary. Help me with the rest. My mind went blank. Nothing's impossible. And the fourth one. the significance of the individual that's right the goodness of god the significance of the individual the fact that jesus accomplished everything at calvary and that nothing is impossible and those are those are four absolute kind of cornerstones that stakes that we've driven into the ground saying these are non-negotiables. And as, when you embark on the risky lifestyle of contending for miracles in every situation, you experience such incredible highs and such incredible lows. And one of the subjects that I have talked about a lot in the last 10, 12 years is the whole thing of facing disappointment. I don't necessarily want to go down that road tonight, although I've done it a number of times. There is the reality that all of us are in process.

2:50 For example, if you believe that God causes sickness and your great prayer of faith is thy will be done, then I don't want you praying for me if I'm sick. leave me alone leave me alone i don't want you to contaminate my faith i i just i'm not interested in a thy will be done prayer jesus only prayed it once and it was when he knew the father's will the rest of the life of jesus he demonstrated the father's will and he healed everyone who came to him he brought deliverance to everyone who who sought him out he demonstrated the heart of the Father. You and I are in process of learning what that looks like. So when there's poverty, in every case, I believe for prosperity. I believe for provision. When there's sickness, in every case, I believe for healing. When there's a loss, in every case, I pray for gain and increase. When there's torment, in every case, I believe for breakthrough and deliverance. When somebody doesn't know the Lord, and they are someone you're praying for, a neighbor, a friend, a relative, doesn't matter who it is in every case i'm expecting a miracle and there are no exceptions and i won't create a theology for the exception i i caused a real stir well i didn't mean to is it's just a gift I was asked in front of a group significantly larger than this about my theology of suffering and I said I refuse to have a theology for something that shouldn't exist and if you're talking about the suffering of discipleship and some of the difficulties that we face as believers that's a different deal but uh just don't just don't make sickness righteous that's all that's you know i'm i'm i'm willing to say we don't always get the breakthrough immediately but but i won't create a theology for it that's just the whole point so as strange as

4:57 it seems we're going to daniel to find an answer for this we're going to daniel daniel's not known as a book of signs and wonders as it pertains to healing, but it sure is a book of signs and wonders. My goodness gracious. One of my favorite stories of all time we're going to read, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And I'll tell you what, I'm not sure which video I would choose, but this would be near the top of any DVD video I could choose.

5:29 I want to see what happened. and so when I get to heaven I'm going to go to the library and I want to watch this one because this is one of the stories I want to see how it happened and if I could get an advanced copy that would be really really cool I'd even share it with you this is an outrageous story Nebuchadnezzar is the most powerful king depending on how you look at it through the prophetic imagery that is in the book of Daniel, he is the golden head symbolizing perhaps the most powerful king in all of human history. I'm not sure if more powerful than Solomon because he was pretty powerful, but as ungodly kings go, we would say that Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest. He was an egomaniac. He longed to be worshipped. He created an image, an idol in his own image and he would kill people that wouldn't worship it that's you have certain issues when You got problems, I tell you, you got problems when you kill people that don't worship the image of you.

6:43 verse 6 it says whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace now verse 7 almost sounds like a worship service so at that time when all the people heard the sound of the horn flute, harp, lyre and symphony with all kinds of music all the people nations and languages fell down and worshipped the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

7:16 It was a worship service. But it would be interesting to contrast that with the dedication of the temple when there was a similar expression. But this time all the priests became silenced in the presence of his glory. Verse 8 says, Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. You, king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horde, flute, lyre, psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image. Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast in the midst of a fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon. So these are leaders now.

8:09 Because of Daniel's favor, these guys literally rode in on the coattails of Daniel to be appointed as leaders in various responsibilities in Nebuchadnezzar's government. All right? There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. they do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke saying to them, is it true Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the image which I have made good.

9:11 But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? Glad you asked. Glad you asked. You're about to meet him. Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king O Nebuchadnezzar we have no need to answer you in this manner oh Jesus Oh, just savor the taste of those words. We don't have any need to answer you. they're not going to yield to a political spirit to talk themselves out of a problem they don't have the need to answer where else do we see someone not needing to answer when they're accused Jesus as a lamb that is silent led into slaughter.

10:20 Wow. Verse 17, if that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar was very happy. filled with joy full of fury expressionless faith changed towards Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and he spoke and he commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated and he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace these men were bound in their coats, their trousers their turbans, their own and their other garments and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace therefore because the king's command was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Thank you.

11:40 Man, how hot does that have to be? these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished. He rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king. look he answered I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire and they are not hurt and the form of the fourth is like the son of God I want that video. verse 28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke saying blessed be the God that's a good idea you change your tone blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him and they have frustrated the king's words and yielded their bodies so that they should not serve nor worship any God except their own God.

13:10 This is a tremendous story. I love the children's stories because they are children's stories. They are memorable. Through the years, pastors and Sunday school teachers and the like have found the stories that are easiest to relate to, easiest to remember. and articulate them to children. How many of you heard this story of Shadrach, Meshach, when you were growing up? Even in business, you hear stories of Daniel in the lion's den. You'll hear analogies. You'll hear David and Goliath, and it'll be used in business of the small company facing the big company. And they use these biblical stories because they're so easy to remember. And quite honestly, they're so profound in their impact. But this story has one element to it that is an absolute treasure to me because it clarifies, at least for me, it clarifies for me this journey that is nonstop, unrelenting, non-negotiable into the absolute demonstration of God's love and power in every situation.

14:22 There's this one phrase, actually it's a sentence, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say to their king, God will deliver us. Period. but even if he doesn't we're not going to bow before your gods let me tell you I've got one point to the message tonight there's one thing more important than the miracle that's your faithfulness in the midst of mystery That was it. that was it being faithful is the supreme challenge and gift that God has given us because of his faithfulness we have the ability to make the bold confession of faith I like they didn't say we don't know what God's will is they said God's going to deliver us but even if he didn't I'm not bowing before your God.

15:38 I feel like I feel like it's wisdom for us not to dilute faith. I'm finding it a little difficult how to express this. Do you get the picture here? God will deliver us. The absolute confession of faith. I believe so much in that because I've seen times where nothing happens until there's that bold confession of faith. Chris has shared some great stories with us. I've seen them in my own life and praying for the sick and stuff. It hasn't been until there was a confession of faith or a bold proclamation, something in the middle of impossible odds, and yet I or somebody else in this situation made a bold proclamation, and then it changed. It shifts. I remember when Paul was in the hospital several years ago, there was just this bold proclamation made in the hospital while he was in the hospital bed. I remember situations where this young lady that was in the back of the room with this terminal systemic lupus of the brain, and there was this bold declaration after being prayed for for a little while, maybe 20 minutes.

16:49 A bold decree came, and everything changed in that moment. There are just times where that confession of faith is vital to the release of the miracle. but somehow I have to know how to maintain my absolute non-negotiable position of pursuing the miracle in every situation but also being able to say my faithfulness is not dependent on that happening. that's it my faithfulness does not depend on that I've watched through the years and I've noticed that some people unintentionally put God on trial. put him on trial in that, God, I confess that you're good. I know that you're good, but we really need this breakthrough.

17:45 And my devotion to him is dependent upon that breakthrough. that doesn't work out very good very often. It's the person who lives in abandonment to the Lord that most often sees the extraordinary breakthroughs. Every breakthrough releases glory. just picture this for a moment I was walking around the room this morning I was just occasionally I'll just go in history mode and give thanks for what I've seen and I was walking through the sanctuary I get here early, early in the morning and I love it they turn the music on for me the lights are off and just a few spotlights on the stage or something and I walk, I have the whole room to myself nobody bothers me because I'll yell at them no it's not you there's nobody here so I walk around the room and so I walk by this spot I say God I thank you for the day I saw you heal colon cancer right here and I walk up here and I said God you healed esophagus cancer right here and you gave the woman a brand new esophagus and I thank you Lord for the jaw that was broke 10 years ago and she couldn't even open her jaw very far for 10 years because of excruciating pain and you healed it and Lord for the ankle that was healed over here that broke and 14 years ago and there was such torment on her life because of this and the gal that got up out of the wheelchair over here that was paralyzed from a stroke and she walked God I give you praise for that and for the MS that was healed right over here a gal that couldn't walk from here to the front row without being exhausted, was able to sprint, and was just fully restored.

19:36 And the woman that was born deaf in her 40s, it was over here that began to point at the speakers in the ceiling, and was overwhelmed by hearing. And she couldn't, we tried to talk to her, but she'd never heard words before, so she couldn't communicate. And we just walked through the room and just remembering the history of extraordinary breakthroughs with the Lord, celebrating His kindness, celebrating his goodness. I've seen too much. And if I never saw another miracle, I am responsible to be faithful because I've seen the age to come. I've seen the kindness and the goodness of God demonstrated in a way I didn't know if I'd ever get to see. I'd read about it in books. I'd cried over it for years, and I've seen it with my own eyes. and now we're driving another stake into the ground yes he's good nothing's impossible everything was accomplished at calvary and you as an individual are significant but there's another stake regardless of what we see happen we will remain faithful because he has been so perfectly faithful to us why don't you stand Ever since I was a young man, there are certain themes in worship songs, in old hymns.

21:07 There's one theme that messes me up more than any other. And that's kind of hard to say because there's so many that mess me up. but there's one that excites me consistently perhaps more than any other I should put it that way when we sing songs like great is thy faithfulness anytime we sing a Martin Smith new song that we've done the last year or so on the faithfulness of God any song to have to do with the faithfulness of God is just is paramount, is huge for me and I believe that there's if we could choose, if I could choose two attributes for the believer, if I could choose two attributes and say, boy, let's just lay hands on people and impart this grace. I know what I would choose. I would choose that every person I prayed for had a thankful heart and they lived faithfully. It'd be those two things, thankful heart and live faithfully. I would choose those two above power. I would choose those two things above impact on nations. I would choose those two things above anything else, that somehow there could be that deposit in people's lives that no matter what happens, I'm not going to hold God hostage to things happening as I think they should.

22:26 Please don't deviate in the stakes we've hammered in the ground saying we believe God for a miracle in every situation. Don't create a theology for it not happening. but at the same time, he's going to deliver me. But even if he didn't, it wouldn't change my position because I'm not bending my knee at that false god. I'm not going to bend my knee. Thank you.

22:55 And I've had this thing going through my mind the last few years. I've never said it because it makes me a little nervous to say it. And I'm still pondering. And I don't like to externally process because then I have to repent a lot. I tend to externally process when I'm driving. Some of you got that.

23:28 It's like the kid that was taken to school by his mother one morning. He turned to his mother and he said, Mommy, how come the idiots only drive when Daddy takes me to school? I got a little off track there, but I'm back. I'm back. Remember the scripture that says if you live by the sword, you die by the sword? To me, you know what that means? It means that the way you choose to live is the way you choose to die. You choose to die when you choose how you're going to live. Yeah, that's why I did mention it before.

24:31 what what's that it's it's another message i better stop yeah better pull pull back you're ready for another one all right all right all right You know, there's a spirit of revelation that the Lord is releasing.

25:00 And I feel an anointing for it even now. And this is in a different direction, but not. I feel like the Lord is opening the eyes of people to see their circumstances differently. there are some of you that have been praying for the breakthrough represented in an oak tree and god gave you an acorn and you don't yet see the potential in the acorn but the lord is wanting to release revelatory insight to your circumstance for you to realize that in the acorn is the very thing you've cried out for and the proper stewardship of the measure of answer he's given you is what will take you into the abundant, abundant future that he has promised. And I feel like the Lord is wanting to open eyes to circumstances, open eyes to relationships, open eyes to opportunities that he has given, open eyes to small measure. For example, some of you pray for $10,000, for example, and he supernaturally provides you with $20 you find on the ground, on the pavement. And there's not quite as nice an experience as it is. It's not quite the, it's not what you've been praying for. And so there's not the thankfulness.

26:14 And I feel like what the Lord is about to do is release a revelatory insight over $20 gifts, if I can use that figuratively, over $20 gifts that we celebrate them as though they were the $10,000 provisions. Because in stewarding that moment... in stewarding those moments is the breakthrough we've contended for. You're standing next to people whose hearts ache for breakthrough. How many of you have seen God do more stuff in and around your life in the last two years than any other season of your life? All right. So we are people who have seen too much. We've seen too much to ever go back. It's like, yeah, I intentionally walked around the room. I walked around the room, and I remember a meeting.

27:12 In fact, it's a strange one. A meeting about 18 years ago of a girl that was screaming like she was being killed down here, and it was annoying as could be. It was. It was annoying. I kept thinking, man, I need to shut her up because it's horrible. It hurts my ears. It's annoying. I mean, this is when we got craziness. It was crazy town. We have crazy things going on all over the room. The party over here in the corridor tonight was all over the room. But this one was driving me nuts. And I almost went to her and said, please stop. Please. Please. I really don't feel comfortable with this, and God knows my comfort is of supreme importance. I really don't bear witness that this could be God because he has a habit of consulting with me before doing anything.

28:14 But I kept my mouth shut just in case it was God. later that evening she was actually at our house and i heard her on the phone talking with somebody on the phone and explaining to them what jesus had done in her life that night and i went oh god i almost i almost ended it too i almost i almost used a different standard for regulating what can happen in this house and it was for my comfort it wasn't for your liberty and we have shut things down through the years we have i there are just times where i felt it is appropriate but it is with it is with absolute tenderness because i fear i think in a godly sense i fear messing with what god is doing and so here's what i want to do i feel like the lord is releasing this grace number one for faithfulness but number two i feel like this revelatory release over individuals is a free gift tonight.

29:25 And the Lord is going to enable you. I use money terms just because it's measurable. It's so easy to use. Jesus did it too. He used money terms because things become measurable. But it doesn't mean that this is a money issue. It's going to include that. But I'm interested in breakthrough for you. But the Lord has done something in people's lives that is this much. and you need this much. And yet he is waiting for you to discover the potential of what he just deposited in your life.

30:00 I have you standing and I'm ready to go off and do a whole nother one here. And I'm almost sorry, but it's all right. One more comment, then we'll pray. I kind of apologize. I've been, I've been reading, I've been reading about these who invent things. if I can use the iPad since I am a diehard Apple fan as I've told you before if they made underwear I would have them Somebody yelled out once, they said it'd be called eyewear. And then I went somewhere and they actually had some maid for me. That was embarrassing.

30:54 Don't do that. Just leave my jokes alone. Don't do that. but they didn't sit down and invent an ipad they invented a whole bunch of other things for years and and as they began to increase the little insights they had about technology about computer chips about touch screens all these things in a company of people they begin to put together the parts that each person was an expert in, and they eventually developed this. But I didn't have just a dream one day and come up with this. And oftentimes we are given small parts to a very major and big dream. Small portions. But we need one another. I will intentionally sit down with people and say, I've got this idea. Tell me why it won't work. I'm not looking for people to get on the bandwagon and say yes.

31:48 I want to hear objectively what is the problem I'm facing with this idea. And I feel like there's this community expression that the Lord is about to release that is going to, I feel like I'm prophesying, to be honest. I feel like there's this release of inventions, of insights, of particular responsibilities for individual families, specifically for investment, specifically for partnerships, specifically for relationships, that the Lord is going to speak to you in the night. He's going to put together alliances, partnerships, alliances for the greater good, for the purposes of God in a city, in a region. And I feel like that anointing for some reason is in the house tonight. And it is quite frankly, it's caught me completely off guard, but it is this revelatory anointing. And so here's what I want you to do. I want you to put a hand on the shoulder of somebody and I want you to pray, God, give us the breakthrough. Give us the insight. Help us to see. Help us to see this that you're releasing to us. Help us to see the pregnancy of the moments that you've put us in, the profound nature of relationships, the partnerships, the friends that you've given to us through the years. God, we long to see heaven on earth. We long to see industry experience the full expression of heaven. We long to see government run the way you run your world.

33:21 We long to see these expressions, families that are filled with too much, too much so that they live to invest in others. Entire neighborhoods would be rocked by the generosity of individuals in this room. God, I pray that not only people in this room would become debt-free, but you would gift us with the ability to release others from the bondage of debt and to end that cycle of poverty and indebtedness over entire family lines. I pray the same thing for those watching online. Entire family lines. The bondage of debt would be broken. God, we pray for this in Jesus' name. We pray for the witty inventions that just help to service humanity, that help to serve communities, the inventions that make life better, like the iPad, like the things, you know, that you've anointed people to think of. God, I pray that this would be a room of creative thought, of dreams, of visions that would help us to serve our cities well, the nations that are represented.

34:29 Let there be a revelatory gift released over every household in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. Now, pray a spirit of breakthrough upon each person as it pertains to revelation. I'm going to repeat a story. a husband and wife owned a furniture refinishing business, and they didn't like using toxic materials, but the toxic materials did the best job. And so they started to research to see if they could invent a product that would be as high a quality or better, but be non-toxic.

35:26 and they searched and searched and searched, and everything they made was inferior. And they were so devoted to excellence that they didn't want to use an inferior product. The wife ended up getting pregnant. She worked with her husband at the job, and she was pregnant. She had morning sickness. She would stay home. The husband came home for lunch one day, and the wife had lunch for him and said, honey, what do these letters and numbers mean and she rattled off these letters and numbers and he said that sounds like a chemical formula and he wrote the letters and numbers down and went back to his lab and with those letters and numbers invented the perfect non-toxic furniture polish.

36:15 You won't recognize answers you're not looking for. there's a greater faith for answers in some ways outside of the church there's greater faith for answers than there is in church because we tend to think that answers like that are temporal and they have just to do with this world when we want answers for eternity but our impact and effectiveness on shaping culture often has to do with us getting answers for making this life better and if you'll ask the question you'll recognize the answer the Lord showed up and gave Solomon an option an opportunity to have anything he wanted and he chose wisdom he was the only one in the Bible given that option I think it was because he was the only one prepared to make the choice in Proverbs 4 he was trained by his dad to make that choice what I'm saying is prepare yourself now for tomorrow's options ask the questions ask the questions I used to tell my kids when they go to sleep at night I'd say, this little guy's in bed I'd say, ask God if there's anything that's impossible that he wants you to do Ask the questions.

38:14 Get specific. God, we got a crime problem. How do we fix it? Ask him. Ask him. How do I make a non-toxic furniture polish? How can I build a better bow? How can I kill more deer? No.

38:35 Man, that just slipped right out there. All right, so Father, I ask that this season now would be the season, there's going to be patents released to people in this room. If you'll ask the question, he'll give you the answer. I feel like the Lord's going to give Chris is one of the most curious individuals I've ever met in my life he's got more questions than anyone I've ever met I promise and he's not even here for me to share this but I feel like the Lord is going to give him an insight that requires a patent because of that inquiring mind we're not through yet I feel like the Lord's releasing an anointing for this.

39:29 I don't care if it's dreams about political issues, family issues, questions about inventions, how to do something better. God take the restraints the restrictions off our dream life so that we can ask questions that would attract you into a situation I pray now that this would truly be a room full of Solomons that have not yet had their choice that you'd prepare them for a day that's coming quickly to answer and to fulfill that cry of their heart thanks amen okay we pray one more thing and then we'll end it I promise I think I mostly promise We need to pray for that grace for faithfulness.

40:31 I realize that you're in rows, but somehow I want you just to step forward if it's two inches. And by doing so, you're saying, I'm in. No matter what, I'm faithful. No matter what, I'm faithful. If you can only move an eighth of an inch, move an eighth of an inch. I'm in. God caught me in. No matter what happens, I will not hold you hostage to what I think should happen in any situation. I covenant to pursue your kingdom in every situation, breakthrough always without exception, but I do not hold you hostage to that answer. And I set my heart as best I know how to live in faithfulness. now one more time just pray for each other God will release that grace for absolute faithfulness over this life and we just confess that we value faithfulness in you and therefore we value it in us so i pray for that grace over every life for the thankful heart i pray for that grace over every life for perfect faithfulness