Sid: I have Bill Johnson on the phone, Senior Leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California. And we’re talking about his course “Hosting the Presence.” And as I’m beginning to understand all of life Bill says they’re reduced to one thing, how we steward the presence of God. Would you elaborate a little on the statement you made?
Bill: The presence of God actually flows from us into situations I mean that’s how people are healed. It’s actually an anointing of the presence that is released to bring about a miracle. Jesus said “If I cast a demon out of you by the Spirit of God then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” So He’s describing the collision of 2 worlds Kingdom of Light, kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of light is contained in the presence of God. He said in Romans “The kingdom of God is not meat or drink it’s righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. “ The kingdom is in the presence so whenever we minister what we’re actually doing is stewarding a Person. We have more than a message we have a message that the Person rides on. Jesus said “My words to you are spirit and they are life” His words became Spirit. So Jesus is the word of God made flesh but when He spoke the word of God became Spirit. When we minister we are actually ministering presence, we are actually ministering a Person the Holy Spirit of God and learning how to be aware of Him, learning how to partner with Him, learning how to share His heartbeat, His burden, His vision, His hopes, His dreams. That’s the relationship that we have with the Spirit of God. And learning how to partner with Him and responding to His direction, His nudging, His desire, that’s what life and ministry is all about. And so it’s a lifelong goal, it’s a lifelong ambition for me is to learn to do that well.
Sid: Bill I can almost see a woman that’s listening to us right now and she’s listened to my show before and she knows that God demonstrates His kingdom by miracles, she knows nothing is impossible for God but she’s crying out in her heart of hearts “God I’ve suffered for so long what about me?” What would you say to her?
Bill: Sometimes our biggest breakthrough comes when we refuse to be impressed by the size of our problem turning our attention to the greatness of God, His promise, His greatness, His significance, His heart, His compassion. Randy Clark said something years ago that really pricked my heart he said to “Beg God to heal someone is for us to assume that we have more mercy than He does.” This whole healing thing is His idea, He’s the one that paid the price not for an occasional healing but for health, divine Health. So if we can approach God based on His absolute goodness, based on His covenant promise, based on what Jesus accomplished with us in mind it just helps us. It helps us not to bring along the baggage of disappointment. Disappointments really cripple us as believers that in a way that’s really significant in its affect. And if we can learn to deal with those openly and honestly before the Lord and regain that place of hope and promise we can face any situation knowing that God had solutions for us.
Sid: I want you to teach what the Holy Spirit has you teach for maybe 5 minutes no more and then I want you to pray as God directs you.
Bill: Living aware of the Holy Spirit is… I try to learn to become aware of Him in my own personal life. I want ministry to be the overflow of the abundance of my walk with Jesus. And so I turn my affection towards Him when there’s nothing to be done, you know there’s no ministry occasion, I’m not trying to preach, I have no one to pray for, it’s just because I love Him. And learning to develop cultivate that awareness of Him in those moments really equips me and prepares me to operate with confidence and boldness when there’s a crisis or a problem. So I teach people to live aware of the Holy Spirit for their personal lives, just going through life, enjoying a meal, driving from work to home, spending time with the family, just personal devotion time, live conscious of Him. David said “He set the Lord constantly before him.” Which means he would constantly place the Lord in front of Him it sounds wrong he didn’t have the authority to put God somewhere but he did have the opportunity to become aware of where God was. So he would put his attention of the presence of God right in front of him. And I wish more people would use their faith to discover God the same faith they used to try to get a miracle. Discover the presence that’s already here. Discover the presence that’s already here, He already told me He’s already told me He’d never leave me, He’s already told me He resides in me. We know that He lives all around us and so if we could use that faith to explore His goodness, His greatness, His manifest presence I think it changes everything for us. So that’s where I start with people, here we are a worshipping community, we’re giving praise and honor to the Lord. His presence begins to minister to us deeply. Delight in that, don’t think about healing, don’t think about prophesy, don’t think about salvation or getting somebody delivered. Be the person that God likes to be with. To me that’s the Lord meant when the Lord said to Moses, Moses said “Who am I?” God said “I will be with you.” In other words, “Moses who are you, you’re the one that I want to be with, you’re the one that I want to manifest on.” And I feel like, I feel like we professionalize the presence of the Lord too much “I want a greater anointing just so I can see miracles.”I want a greater anointing just so I can see more people saved.” Those are legitimate burdens but it’s not a good reason for a relationship, a relationship needs to be because of who He is, because of His greatness, His place in our life, His call upon us, the intimacy that He welcomes us into. So in my pursuit of the presence of the Lord I work to live conscience of Him in a way that’s greater than any problem. If I become more influenced by the size of our problem then I am by God presence then I will live in reaction to the problem, I will live in reaction to the devil. And the devil doesn’t deserve that kind of attention even though it’s negative attention he doesn’t deserve the role of influencing my agenda. And so I work to live conscience of the Holy Spirit and from that place the great treasure house of heaven, the great heart of God for humanity. Living from that place makes me much more capable of not only serving well, but the thing that maybe sometimes humors us we see more miracles happen now by accident than ever used to happen on purpose.
Sid: Well let’s see miracles happen right now by accident (Chuckling) because I believe that as you pray that the anointing is here it’s here for healing.
Bill: Absolutely, I just pray right now Father for that release of presence. You said our word… as we speak Your word our word becomes Spirit so the presence of the Spirit of God would be released into that esophageal cancer and that thing would be dried up now. In fact cases of cancer all around the country would be destroyed that cancer would be destroyed by the Presence and the power of the Lord. The radiation of another world would dry up that disease at its root. God I pray for that thing of insanity that is tormented so many people that bondage on the mind from bipolar to schizophrenia to these various kinds of brain disorders. That a Spirit of deliverance and restoration would be released over people that those with even learning disorders or problems with injuries, injuries to the brain that you would release a restoration to people in the honor of the Name Jesus. Where people have been carried affliction, trauma because of accidents that happened 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. Holy Spirit I invite you come with power rest upon people reset bones that cysts and tumors dissolve. Let the abnormalities be corrected God we do pray on earth as it is in heaven. We pray for the perfect function in order for your world to invade and affect this one. I pray these things in Jesus Mighty Name. That individual with the crossed eyes it’s so embarrassing to them I ask Lord that You would reset the eyes put them on track in Jesus wonderful name. Let deafness be destroyed that loss of hearing from accidents on the job we just declare it ends today in Jesus mighty name. I pray for just random miracles of healing that come out of the hope that comes to people’s hearts because they discover Your goodness. Let it spread God let it be like a holy virus that just becomes contagious the goodness of God corrects the abnormalities that people have carried in their lives and in their bodies for so many years. We pray all of this that Jesus would be held in highest honor and that the glory of the Lord fill the earth I pray this, I pray this in Jesus name.
Sid: I want you to do everything that Bill can do and even go to a higher level which is his heart’s desire and might heart’s desire….
