Bill Johnson · Bethel Church · Published July 24, 2026
0:00 There's a tipping point in prayer in which the answer is released. But to get to that place where things shift sometimes takes persistence. Prayerlessness allows the absence of breakthrough to become the norm. The absence of an answer falls under the category that we call the sovereignty of God. And yet Jesus is saying persistence would have got the breakthrough.
0:23 Sometimes I think people avoid... Times of prayer. because they think it will take hours. And, you know, sometimes I've been in moments of prayer where you just lose track of time. Those are glorious, glorious moments. but history has been shaped by people who prayed simple prayers, but they were all in all in the history of our nation. We're celebrating independence weekend. History of our nation has been shaped by the prayers of a general in an army where it looked like they would certainly lose.
1:19 And they just took the knee and they prayed a simple prayer and everything changed. Simple prayer. A president, a governor, different ones who just simply take the knee and pray, acknowledge the almighty God. This is something that we have the privilege of doing throughout the day. It's not just the two hour block of time. is the five minutes of surrender here. It's the 10 minutes of praise and exalting him there. It's that riddled throughout my day, I never want to escape the fact I carry his name and I carry it for a reason. I'm here to make a difference. And in the abiding presence of God, I've been finding that the prayer meeting never stops. It never stops.
2:13 it started while I was sleeping I found myself praying if my people were called by my name I would wake up praying that prayer I'd get up in the morning I would grab my Bible sit out on my deck it would continue it would continue throughout the day it just it doesn't stop because the abiding presence of the Almighty God is upon me as a testimony to me that you hear son to make a difference learn to pray out of abiding learn to pray out of the presence learn to touch to tap into the heart of god express that in prayer and decree and let's do what we're supposed to do make a difference in the earth this is what we are assigned to do this is who we are we're people that have been given his name This will seem very elementary to you as it is, but this next statement is one that I think is forgotten often and it's this we battle not against flesh and blood We battle not against flesh and blood. That's not our problem.
4:01 and to fight effectively in the war we were born into. requires a strength that is found only on our knees. It's only on our knees. I'm going to assume that you've been experiencing this as I have. I would have been embarrassed to admit it, but it feels like... more and more. I am being delivered from the prayer life
4:58 that wants to convince God of doing what I want him to do. I never would have thought that that would ever be a desire of mine, but I can tell sometimes that the frustration in prayer comes from that. And the whole issue about effective prayer is it begins in surrender. It's not that great things aren't supposed to happen. We're designed to make a difference in the course of history. We're shaped for that. Thank you. I made a statement here some years ago that you can't find your significance until you have found your insignificance. And sometimes it's just that place of going low and surrender where you are not confident of your strength.
5:53 I don't need self-confidence. I need God confidence. And I don't want to speak bad about being self-confident, but I've had it. It's disappointing. It's disappointing. Self-confidence is no greater than self. And it's very unimpressive. prayer is engaging with the unlimited strength and the unlimited heart of compassion of a perfect father it's that countenance of a father that says son now now pray this now do this Now call this person. Now give this away. Now do that. It's that it comes out of this, the countenance of a father who can guide you with his eyes.
6:49 He looks at you in a certain way and you just know this is now my responsibility. It's the abandonment to the heart of God. It's the abandonment to the will of God. Then suddenly we find ourselves praying simplest prayers that move heaven and earth because they come out of abiding. They come out of surrender. They come out of the acknowledgement that God is with me. God is with me. Not just as a theological statement. I sense the might, the beauty, the wonder of the almighty God who is now resting upon me because he has assigned me to do something. I remind you, Jesus stood in Luke 4 before he had done any miracles. and he said, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me. and then he declared why the spirit of the Lord God is upon me Prayer is so important that the Messiah didn't even come.
7:54 But do you know the return of Christ even comes in response to prayer? Because the Bible says, and the Spirit and the bride say, come. Our partnership with the Lord is so vital that there are things happening all over the world that he would love to put his hand into. but until there is, I know this will sound strange to you, but permission given. Let me back up, put it this way. If I own a home in town that I'm renting and you're renting from me and you are renting my home, I have the master key, I have the title deed. In fact, since this is my talk, that house is paid for.
8:38 You know, and it's a big house too. I just want you to know. with. Since I'm doing the illustration, this is my house. It's a big house, and I own it outright. And you're renting from me. I can't go into that house anytime I want, even though I own it, and I have the master key. I can only enter legally at your invitation. The scripture says, the earth was made for man, the heavens for God. He put humanity in charge, and then he made a covenant with us. You pray, and I respond. You give me the invitation, and I will enter. sometimes it's not praying more sometimes it's praying differently sometimes we've been asking God to do something he told us to do and we finally realize actually I need to speak to the mountain myself instead of God asking God to remove the mountain sometimes it's taking ownership responsibility to our assignment considering carefully Thank you.
9:41 I watch often as people abort answers to prayer. Answers are released the moment a prayer is prayed, but it's in its infancy. It's embryonic in nature and size. And then somebody will speak against the very thing they prayed for.
10:02 I've heard people pray for, you know, maybe a backslidden child, just not walking with the Lord. and they'll pray and have that sense of God's promise. And the very next moment, they say, oh, he's just so filled with rebellion. I don't know how this could ever happen. What did they just do? They just fueled the enemy's assault on that child. People will pray for a miracle in their body. Listen, I get this. This is a challenging journey. But what I don't want you to do is abort the miracle. Something was released in that anointed prayer. and oftentimes I'll pray for somebody and really, really sense breakthrough. Sometimes I, you know, I'm just doing my best always. Just praying, but I really sense that breakthrough and as soon as I'm done praying, they'll say, well, I know God can do it.
10:52 Well, what you just told me was, you know, he hasn't done it. what you've told me was, as I heard somebody say recently, that you know he hasn't done it. I'm not asking anybody to pretend, but let's be honest here. Does Jesus need to return to the cross to deal with any future sins? No, it's done. Well, does he need to return to the cross to deal with any present or future illnesses. No, it was settled then and there. So the question isn't his will. The question is, will we co-labor to find how to pray in a given situation to see his breakthrough come? Sometimes it's not more prayer that's needed. Sometimes addressing a situation is needed. Sometimes speaking the heart of God, the will of God. When Jesus taught on this incredible subject of faith in Mark 11, where he talks about have faith in God or actually have the faith of God in a given situation. He goes on and he says, you speak to the mountain and you command it to be removed. You address the mountain, command it removed. There's a responsibility that I have. I I can't I can't make anything happen outside of his authority.
12:24 But I need to make everything happen that's possible inside that authority. And you do that by being a surrendered, yielded vessel in a given situation. He says, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven. Stop asking God to bind the devil.
12:47 He told you to bind him. And we bind him to the word of God, the covenant that God has given us in his word, in his scripture. that you will trample on powers of darkness. What I'm hoping and praying for in these next 12 months is that every one of us will see levels and realms and measures of answers to prayer we've never seen before. I keep coming back to this feeling like it's time, it's time, it's time. I don't know, I feel kind of like the pit bull. I'm gonna lock my jaws on this one and just not let go because there are things that are supposed to happen. listen I'm thankful I've seen more than I could ever than I ever deserved and I he doesn't ever have to do another thing for me and I will have a burning heart for him forever because whatever what I've already seen but I also know he's left me here for a reason he's left you here for a reason and there is a measure of breakthrough listen answers to prayer manifest glory Thank you.
13:48 answers to prayer manifest glory. You're giving me that look. Let me just read this to you. Jesus turns the water to wine, which is an amazing story. He turns the water to wine. The very next verse says, the beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed. Answers to prayer literally release glory into the atmosphere. How do you think the glory of the Lord is supposed to cover the earth? It's not because of a military invasion. I believe in the return of Christ. I absolutely believe Jesus is coming back.
14:50 He said he's coming back. I believe he's coming back. I don't know how. I don't know when. I just know it'll be the shock of a lifetime. I know that much. But I do believe he's coming back for a glorious church. I do believe. I believe he's coming back. Many people have greater faith in the return of Christ than they do in the power of the gospel. and it's not that we must diminish the expectation and hunger for the return of Christ. We just have to elevate the faith and the power of the gospel. If it can change a life, it can change a family. If it can change a family, it can change a city. If it can change a city, it can change a state and a nation. It's a greater faith in the power of the gospel, and this power of the gospel is demonstrated, quite frankly, through answers to prayer.
16:03 Right now we have visitations of God in what's called the 1040 window, the Islamic part of the world. Why? For I think 40 years, missions groups have been targeting that part of the world. And they've been praying that people outside of faith in Christ would experience God's love. and day after day after day people will have dreams of a man in white they'll see visions of a man in white and they actually come to Jesus because of these encounters these vegetations, these dreams that I know of that wasn't happening a hundred years ago when did it start happening? when people decided to start praying in that direction what happens if we choose to reject a segment of society and not pray for their salvation Thank you.
17:00 What happens when we do? I'd like to suggest to you that the angelic activity is intensified over the groups of people, the individuals, the situations where we have given ourselves in prayer. It's not the token prayer. It's stepping into a moment. It may be five minutes, it may be five hours, but it's the intensity of joining with his heart. How many of you have been in a prayer gathering? In fact, let me illustrate. Let's say we've got five or six people here together. We're going to pray together in a group. And let's say we have one person who has a real burden for homelessness. We have another who has a real burden for children's ministry. Another for single adults. Another for, you know, for whatever, for world missions or whatever. So we've all got six people. Each have a burden for one thing.
17:53 We're all going to lead in prayer for what we have a burden for. Is that right? Yes. but when you sense that presence of God come upon one of those areas, drop your prayer. Drop what you're praying for. You can deal with that later on your own. Drop what you're praying for. Why? Because God has just said amen on something and we gotta step into that momentum and not just repeat the same prayer. Oh God, heal so-and-so's cancer. Amen. Oh God, heal so-and-so. No, pray something different. Come at it from a different angle. Don't just repeat the same prayer because you're telling me you don't believe the last one was answered. Turn in your Bibles to the book of James, and we're going to look at just one phrase out of one verse. And the reason, the whole verse, the whole chapter, obviously, is always worth studying. But I'm wanting to take a phrase because I don't want to be distracted by the rest.
18:50 So hopefully that'll make sense to you. we could take verse 2 you lust and do chapter 4 james 4 verse 2 you lust and do not have you murder and covet and cannot contain obtain you fight and war and here it is you do not have because you do not ask say this with me you do not have because you do not ask say it with me now You do not have because you do not ask. Say it again. You do not have because you do not ask. Prayerlessness creates lack.
19:33 Prayerlessness fuels lack. Prayerlessness is what lack wants to consume. When we face a need and there's prayerlessness, it actually fuels lack instead of causes it to be solved and disappear. You have not because you ask not. So prayerlessness actually sustains need and lack. Many people walk around waiting for God to do something. And what I've been finding out, and I'm a slow, and I do mean slow learner. I've been finding out most of the time he's waiting for me to do something.
20:21 I mean, how many understand we're not talking about as you thank God for the meal. God, thank you for the meal and provide for us today. Amen. I'm not saying that prayer doesn't work. But if you've got a big need, you might want to dig in a bit. you might want to dig in a bit. Let the weightiness of what you're facing determine the weightiness of how you pray. Casual prayers get casual answers.
20:53 If you are willing to live off of token answers, then offer up token prayers. But if you want heaven to move, let your heart be moved. He'll move as far as you move. I'm not saying at all that he can't surpass anything that we do in cry out and lift up he's God he can do whatever he wants but in his effort to raise us as sons and daughters of God that can carry responsibility into the earth most of the time, he looks for earnest response in us to bring forth an earnest response from him. I hope that doesn't sound like a works thing because I don't see it that way at all. It's just, you know what?
21:45 When you're on the altar, you can pray earnestly. When you're off the altar, considering the concept of the altar, you pray timidly. I heard recently, when you're on the altar, You can pray earnestly. It's when you're off the altar, considering the concept of sacrifice. That's where we pray token prayers. Amen, Bill. That was a really good point.
22:21 It's too late. Luke chapter 18. I'm just teasing. Luke chapter 18. Luke chapter 18. Sorry. I have a gift of torment. It's just what I do. I torment people. My love language is teasing. So if I didn't tease you, you could walk out of here wondering if I loved you. But there should be no question now. Chris read this this morning in, I don't know, one of our services.
22:59 We only had 800 services this morning. He read this this morning. Start with me with verse 1. It's a longer piece. He spoke a parable to them. Men ought to pray and not lose heart. So we're talking about prayer that's not just a petition prayer, but it's persistent in its petition. He said, there was in a certain city, a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. There was a widow in that city. And she came to him saying, get justice for me from my adversary. He would not for a while, but afterwards said within himself, though I do not fear God nor regard man. Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she wear me out. The Lord said, hear what the unjust judge said, and shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out to him day and night, though he bears long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man returns, will he really find faith on the earth. This is interesting because we have, on one hand, the picture is of a widow that just keeps banging on the door of the judge. And then Jesus uses this illustration for repeated day and night prayer. And then God says, I'm going to answer speedily.
24:27 He obviously thinks of speedily different than I do. He says, I'm going to answer speedily. And I'm thinking, man, I've been banging on this door for 15 days. You know, when is this thing going to open? He says, I'm going to answer speedily. and he does there's a tipping point tipping point in prayer in which the answer is released and the answer always comes quickly but to get to that place where things shift sometimes takes persistence Prayerlessness actually allows circumstances to be... prayerlessness allows the absence of breakthrough to become the norm. And generally we come to the conclusion, well, I prayed and it just, God sovereignly did not answer.
25:29 So the absence of an answer falls under the category that we call the sovereignty of God. And yet Jesus is saying persistence would have got the breakthrough. So we're talking now not just about a prayer prayed, but a lifestyle of anchoring into something. Now I mentioned this, I've done this teaching here several years back, and I mentioned it in our conference this week. And let me give you like the two minute version. Jesus said that we're not to use vain repetition of prayer. In other words, you're not to repeat a prayer over and over again, because he knows what you have need of before you ask. in the very next chapter he says ask and continue to ask the language there is a a a verb that says you do this but you continue doing it until there's breakthrough so in two chapters back to back one says ask and don't keep on asking the other one says ask and continue asking what's the difference come back next week and i'll tell you no what's the difference when he said, don't repeatedly lift up the prayer before me for something. He said, for your father, father knows what you have need of before you ask. This is pertaining to basic needs. For me to say, father, would you provide food for me today? And for me to ask him every five minutes is for me to question that he's actually a father. Because it violates his nature in his covenant to me as a father who is committed to taking care of my my needs the persistence in prayer has to do with how we pray with our dreams the persistence in prayer i i i'm supposed to pray for what i have need of god provide for us our our food today i'm supposed to pray for these things god i i need to buy
27:37 coats for my kids before winter sets in i'm supposed to pray for those things but those are basic human needs you lift them up and then you celebrate the fact that you serve a righteous and perfect father but when it comes to the unfolding of a dream god i've got it in my heart to have this business oh God this thing has been in me for so many years and you fast you get before the Lord you cry out for breakthrough and you contend for this breakthrough why because persistence in prayer changes you and changes you to where you become a person that can properly steward the answer that you just prayed for. If he gives us much of what we ask for, when we ask for it, it would kill us. I mean, literally, it would kill us. Why does God discipline his children?
28:34 It's so that his blessings don't kill us. we ask for oak trees he gives us acorns why can you steward the answer in its embryonic form because in stewarding as it grows i become a different person my strength increases my resolve increases my sense of priorities change all of a sudden i have this willingness to pay any price because i can see something happening before my eyes i change with persistence and prayer and so this exhortation for persistence and prayer is connected to breakthrough. And where there is not prayer, and especially the prayer of persistence, there's the absence of breakthrough.
29:30 the scripture says that it's the lamb of god who sits on the throne for eternity is it i don't think at all there is the ongoing reminder of our past sins in eternity i don't believe that at all but what i do believe is the lamb on the throne reminds me constantly of my absolute dependence on him and that i'm there entirely by grace certain things to keep in mind they're not to beat us down and not to make us shameful or guilty. It's not for that purpose. What it does is it heightens the fact that we are in this entirely by grace. And we are 100% dependent upon that grace for this life that he's called us to live. So let's take Mark 11. I'm going to start with verse 25. Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
30:28 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. Just read it again. Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. pretty sobering um set of verses there here's what here's what has come to mind uh in light of of of what i felt to talk to you about today is when the lord would talk to his disciples about prayer for example matthew 6 is where we have him teaching the what we refer to as the lord's prayer our
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