Throughout scripture, many people have responded in unusual ways during challenging times. Bill Johnson lays out a prophetic template on how to face the threats of loss and tough situations. May we respond in hope and be found faithfully doing the will of our Father.

this is a unique way to to bring the

word to you it’s a great privilege to do

so I’m thankful for technology makes up

for all the things we couldn’t do in the

past but we get to touch a lot of homes

this way and I’m really glad I I

several years ago I was doing a study I

had noticed that there were awkward

awkward probably the wrong word unusual

responses to trial famines difficulties

in the word and so I began to do a study

this is quite a few years ago now and

since this whole virus issue came up

these things have come to mind because

what I want for me and what I want for

us is to learn how to respond biblically

to a crisis that comes up what are the

different ways that the people of God in

history have dealt with famines plagues

pestilence all those things the number

one response that we are to have we find

in the second chronicles 7:14 if my

people who are called by my name will

humble themselves and pray turn from

their wicked ways seek my face turn from

their wicked ways then I will hear from

heaven forgive the sin heal their land

always when there’s difficulty that

comes up it gives us a reminder to

refine our focus and to make sure that

we’re standing on solid ground that our

attitudes or behavior our relationships

all these things are are really in in

divine order but the unusual approach to

in this case I’m gonna get three famines

in the Bible and I want you to see the

unusual response of different people of

God throughout history so the first one

is in Genesis 26 and if you’ve got your

Bibles with you which I hope you do

you’re at home or somewhere where you

have a Bible I I want you to open to

Genesis 26 and I want you to see the

most unusual response to a famine by one

of our heroes of the faith of history

whatever our forefathers and that’s

Isaac and I want to begin with verse one

it says there was a famine in the land

besides the first famine that was in the

days of Abraham

and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the

Philistines in Guerard the first phrase

there was a famine in the land then we

jump to verse 12 and it says then Isaac

sowed in the land and reaped in the same

year a hundredfold and the Lord blessed

him the man began to prosper

he continued prospering until he became

very prosperous I love that verse is

like God really wanted us to understand

what took place here says he began to

prosper

he continued prospering until it became

very prosperous but the point was verse

1 says there was a famine in the land

verse 12 says Isaac sowed in the land

during that famine

it’s an odd time to plant crops

generally when we talk about sowing and

reaping in the in the church we’re

talking about giving this actually

technically is not a giving passage it’s

a good principle but that’s not what’s

at stake here

Isaac was selling into his future this

is a business decision he is he has

crops he has livestock and this is his

future this is his business and so he is

investing in his own future what’s

unusual is at a time when crops aren’t

being harvested when there’s not

financial progress being made by the

typical people or farms or ranches or

whatever he sews into the land and he

reaps a hundredfold a hundred times what

a normal harvest would be that’s

extraordinary it’s a supernatural

harvest what is this what is this all

about is the fact that Isaac took was

intentional and sowing into his own

future sowing into his own business if

you will he made decisions that would

otherwise seem foolish it would be

normal to want to eat the seed but

instead he planted the seed I remember a

missionary friend of many years ago sent

the newsletter out and I of course was a

recipient of that newsletter and he made

this comment he said for the first

in my life I understand what it means in

the Bible when it says to sow in tears

and to reap in joy sow in tears reap in

joy and then he began to describe in

Africa’s missionary in Africa began to

describe the the mothers who would have

children strapped to their backs and and

they would take the seed that they were

hungry to eat but they chose instead to

plant it in the ground and so they

planted it and they were crying while

they were planting the seed they knew

that they could that would be one meal

for them now but if they planted it it

could be a whole season of meals and so

there was that challenging decision in

this particular case I want to encourage

every business owner I would encourage

every employee every person listening to

this broadcast that to take the Isak

approach to this virus to the shutdown

of businesses all the stuff that’s crazy

that’s going on this is an opportunity

for us to really sow into her own future

to come with hope we have a reason to

hope his name is Jesus he has conquered

every enemy and he causes everything to

work for good to those who love God and

are called according to his purpose

that’s you and that’s me and so for some

of you it may be taking an online course

it might be buying a book and reading a

book during the shutdown time worry you

learn better how to maybe advertise or

whatever might be the point is is that

you all of us are making aggressive

decisions about our own future that

we’re anticipating breakthrough we’re

positioning ourselves for breakthrough

we’re even sacrificing because we

believe that God is breathing on that

offering so I want to encourage you I

believe this is a time for us to show

great courage and great faith it’s not a

time to be foolish it’s not a time to be

careless but it is a time to be

intentional so that we give God

something to breathe on if you will to

cause it to abound in to prosper so this

is not a generosity verse this is a

verse that deals with us investing in

our own future the second story is is

very unusual in some ways more unusual

than this one and it’s found in Nehemiah

chapter 5 if you would turn to that one

I’d love for you to see this one there’s

a little bit more involved in the detail

here what’s happening is there’s a

famine and the people have got Israel

here they’re running out of money they

have no crops to harvest they they’re in

big trouble and so they’re selling their

their lands to other people and in this

case ones you would sell to another Jew

but the point is is is these lands were

the permanent inheritance of individual

family liens this that when they

inherited that land that was marked for

them that was to be theirs and their

family from that point on so when they

sold them they were actually selling

something that God had given to them and

so it’s a very very difficult situation

so I want you to look at this

it’s an EMI v and we’re going to start

the verse two we have several verses to

read so follow along for there were

those who said we are sons our daughters

are many therefore let us get grained

that we may eat and live there were also

some who said we’ve mortgaged our lands

and vineyards and houses that we might

buy grain because of the famine there

are also those who said we’ve borrowed

money for the king’s tax on our land and

vineyards yet now our flesh is as the

flesh of our brethren our children as

their children and indeed we are forcing

our sons and our daughters to be slaves

some of our daughters have been brought

into slavery it is not in our power to

redeem them for other men have our lands

and vineyards and I mean this is me am I

talking since I became very angry when I

heard their the outcry and these words

after serious thought i rebuked the

nobles and said to them each of you is

exacting usery

which is interest from his brother so I

called a great assembly against him let

me explain this situation when Nehemiah

examines he hears the cry of the people

they’re saying we’re starving to death

we’re not able to eat we’ve had to sell

our own children into slavery which is

just

the unthinkable and nehemiah sees he

goes into the root of it and it’s that

brothers were buying brothers lands and

they were putting heavy heavy interest

on any payments that were to be made and

they were losing they were losing their

ability to buy food and so he rebukes

them and he restores them to a place of

family and National Covenant here’s the

point is that this is a time where many

of us were being forced to stay in our

own homes for example we we are confined

quarantined to our own homes what’s the

point is this is the time to renew and

restore relationships family first the

body of Christ the people of God it’s

not a time to take advantage of somebody

in their difficulty this is where we

adjust the opportunity for personal gain

to accommodate the people that are in

pain the people that are suffering the

people that are suffering experiencing

loss or diminishing of wages whatever it

might be don’t we do whatever we can to

stand as a family to give biblical

support love and support financial

support wherever possible I’m reminded

in Acts chapter 2 through 5 is where the

church experienced this great revival

they began to sell their lands and do

all kinds of stuff and what they did is

they made sure that nobody among them

was lacking nobody among them was poor

it wasn’t a mandate from the top it was

something that erupted within them and

that’s important it’s not a governmental

decision of everybody has the same it

was an internal decision that says I

care for my brother I care for my sister

I want to make sure that they are

supplied for that they have food to eat

that they they have shelter to live in

this is a time right now in a time of

crisis not for us to withdraw and to

become preoccupied with our own needs

our own circumstances instead it’s an

opportunity for us to aggressively

pursue those that we know that might be

in trouble maybe they have maybe they

have a financial crisis maybe they have

a medical crisis whatever it is the

point is is that we turn our attention

towards the people of God and rally

to their case rally to their cause you

may have neighbors friends we’ve

encouraged people you know call the

senior citizens around you those who may

not be able to go and get groceries and

so we have a lot of our teams that are

doing that right now they’re they’re

doing that very thing calling their

neighbors and friends but also our own

church membership to call to find out

where the needs might be the point is

this is a moment where instead of

reacting to the fear of the day which is

running rampant instead refine our focus

on our practical simple devotion to

Christ and his people I want my love for

God to be seen and measured by love for

people in this unusual story

the famine happened but we never hear it

spoken of again

it’s as though their compassion for each

other their devotion to one another

silenced the voice of that storm silence

the voice of that family

the last story I want to ask you to look

at is in Acts chapter 11 and this is

this obviously New Testament and it’s a

it’s an interesting story for so many

reasons because once again a famine was

coming to really devour from people and

so what we’ve got here is in acts 11 was

start with verse 27 it says and in these

days prophets came from Jerusalem to

Antioch and one of them named Agabus

stood up and showed by the spirit that

there was going to be a great famine

throughout all the world which also

happened in the days of Claudius Caesar

then the disciples each according to his

ability determined to send relief to the

Brethren dwelling in Judea I love this

particular store for a whole bunch of

reasons but I guess my favorite part is

that when they heard that a famine was

coming remember it says in the whole

world so that means the people that are

hearing this word can tell there is a

famine coming in their direction and

it’s going to affect their life the

first thing they did this is remarkable

the first thing they did is they took an

offering that’s the last thing that so

many people would ever think I’m doing

that’s where you would retreat you you

you do whatever can to survive and

instead in this particular passage they

moved aggressively to receive an

offering and to send it to the Brethren

of Judea they did it each according to

their ability so there was no

manipulation there was no somehow

coercion were they were they had to

relinquish goods it wasn’t that it was

there was this overwhelming thankfulness

for God’s promises and they decided to

plant a seed

the first story we read is about Isaac

who’s sowed seeds but it was not it was

not generosity it was he sowing into his

own future in his own business it’s

important the second one was covenant or

relationship just sow into that and make

sure that there was health there but

this last one actually has to do with

money itself they took an offering and

they gave it to the Brethren in Judea

this means a lot of things it could be

an act of compassion I’ve heard people

say that the Brethren Judea were in

great crisis financially and so if

that’s the case this obviously was a

very noble thing to do to receive an

offering but I would like to suggest to

you that there might be just a little

bit more to the story than that

Judea this is where the ministers of the

gospel came from to Antioch to bring the

gospel people in this audience if in

this church if you will the people of

this body of believers are converted

because somebody came from Judea and

brought the good news to them I would

like to like to suggest that yeah this

is probably a gift of compassion but

even more so it was a gift of honor

a gift of honor and that gift of honor

while the famine happened we never hear

it spoken of again it’s silence the

appetite it dulled the teeth it silenced

the voice of this famine that was going

to affect so many people’s lives it’s

never spoken of again there’s something

profound

about generosity in times of personal

need I know around here when we’ve had

different crises and challenges

financially that’s when I’ve gone into

our financial people’s office I need you

to write a check for such-and-such a

church in town they they aren’t able to

pave their parking lot and and we’ll

we’ll just well aggressively go after

that right now we had a guest that was

supposed to speak to us this this I

think it was this week now if not this

week next week and and itinerant people

all of their travel is shut down and so

this last week we sent this friend of

ours an itinerant minister we sent him

the honorarium

as though he had spoken here we wanted

to honor him and thank him for his

ministry his devotion to us through the

years we’ve done this through the years

where we’ve where we’ve had individuals

who have not been able to make a

conference that they were a guest at and

and because they they had a medical

report the doctors told them you’re not

to travel during this season and so we

just write out a check we send the

honorarium to them I got a text this

morning from what are one of our staff

guys who they are using the cash app to

pay you know the the beautician that had

to cancel the appointment to do his

wife’s hair but they’re paying her as

though the hair the hair appointment was

kept and doing the same with the trainer

at the gym and all these things the

point is this is the moment to sow into

people’s lives aggressively to display

honor because I refuse to bow at the

threat of this family so to speak in

this case of iris I refuse to bow to

this thing and instead I’m going to move

aggressively in generosity to to take

the teeth out of the bite of this thing

and I believe that we’re going to see a

very quick quick end to this virus but I

want to be found carrying on the heart

of the Lord as this thing comes to a

close I want to be found in that place

of radical obedience to the Lord where

we care about people’s souls we care

people’s well-being we serve them the

best we know how I have found personally

that you know just being shut in at the

house except for moments like this

being shut in at the house it’s a

tremendous opportunity just to walk

around my home or to walk around our

property and just to pray just to

intercede to lift up praise obviously to

the Lord but to pray for these neighbors

to reach out to people to to make the

phone calls to do all that we can it’s

the generosity of soul it’s uh buying

the gift cards just sent a text to a

restaurant owner yesterday to be able to

buy gift cards to help to sow into their

ongoing business we want our city to do

the impossible

in this moment we want your city to do

the impossible in this moment and that

is to thrive in the face of loss instead

of go backwards I want to see us advance

and I believe together as the people of

God this is the moment to advance this

an advancement now is a miracle and

that’s what advancements are supposed to

be so I I wanna I just want to declare

this to you teach teach you first of all

from the word three different unusual

responses to famine or to loss but also

to challenge you to challenge us as a

church family to stay with stand with

resolve and have that devotion of

commitment let me go over the three

things invest in our own personal

advancement in business in perhaps

you’re a counselor or whatever the point

is is that you sew into your own

personal development because you believe

you have a future in a hope

secondly is to reaffirm covenant or

relationships reaffirm the devotion to

people the people of God the household

of faith but also to to this city and

then third is this thing of generosity I

believe that this seeds of generosity in

times like this are so they so attract

God into an environment to prospering to

bring increase so that’s what we’re

doing here we’ve we have a number of

staff obviously they can’t come with a

huge staff they can’t come to the

so we’re directing their attention

towards our city directing their

attention towards neighbors members of

our family and I believe that the Lord

is honoring that approach to generosity

I want to encourage you to do the same

thing I want to pray for you because I

the prayer that I prayed more than

goodness I think I think probably I

prayed for this more than any other five

things combined in the last five years

I’ve been praying for the spirit of

breakthrough God identifies himself in

David’s life as the God of the

breakthrough bail pair ISM was the name

is the god of the breakthrough that when

there is an obstacle he breaks through

the obstacle when there is a season of

difficulty he breaks through them brings

increase he’s the God of answers and

solutions regardless of the problem and

so I want to pray because I believe it’s

not just to be a breakthrough season for

the church I think it’s individually I

think that every person I know I’ve been

I’ve been prayerfully meditating on a

particular verse I would invite you to

join join with me in kind of discovering

the depth the richness of this verse

it’s the passage in John 15 verse 7

where he says if you abide in me my

words abide in you you will ask whatever

you desire and it will be done for you

if you abide in me and my words abide in

you you ask what you want and it’ll be

done all of us like outcomes we like the

answer to prayer we like the graduation

we like the purchase of the home the

where we move in we like we we like

those kinds of things we likes we like

the conclusion but God likes the journey

I like the and everything will be added

he likes the abide in me and let my

words abide in you so what I’ve chosen

to do for me in my own journey in this

season is to turn my attention I’m

literally giving my time in this season

to learn one verse

better not to quote it I can quote have

been able to quote it for years not that

to live it fully what does it mean to

abide in Christ what is what does it

mean to be in continuous ongoing

affectionate relationship with him what

does it mean to stay connected to the

presence of God before his face in an

ongoing way what does that look like was

what does it look like for me to have to

carry that on that awareness that the

Spirit of God is in me the Spirit of God

is resting upon me what does it mean to

be that deeply connected to the heart

and mind of God abiding in him and then

he says that my words would abide in you

that’s where as we read his word

something stands out to us in this case

this whole thing of an offering in in a

time of famine stands out to me it’s

been on my mind for four years what does

that look like to face an external

problem what does it look like to act in

the opposite spirit and then for God to

bring a breakthrough what does that look

like so we carry these words in our

heart you may have a different word

there may be something that the Lord

spoke to you about your family maybe

it’s a personal promise of something

he’s going to do and this looks like the

most impossible season for that to

happen well guess what it’s the most

likely season for the breakthrough to

come because he’s the God who majors he

brokers in impossibilities and so I I’m

gonna ask you join with me on this

abiding in God this affectionate love

for him continuously where his word

where I can at any at the drop of hat in

any moment be able to quote to you

declare to you this is what God is

saying to me in this season I want to

monitor those two parts of my life and

let him monitor my prayer life where

things happen where things breakthrough

takes place so father I’m praying right

now that fer the entire Bella family our

Bethel community around the world our

guests and friends who have joined us

let this be the season where we see a

spirit of breakthrough

mantle an outpoint of anointing for

breakthrough would come upon every

individual upon every household god I

pray it for our city I pray for the

cities represented that a mantle of

break the most impossible situations

would turn and reverse for the glory of

God that this would be the hour where

you receive the glory for every turning

that takes place in our cities in our

nation God we play it pray for America

we pray for Switzerland in Japan and

Korea in all these countries all around

the world that are joining with us right

now that there would be a turning and

there would be a massive deliverance of

this that the enemy has turned towards

us that instead there would be a mighty

deliverance a mighty healing that would

take place and household after almost

outsold God instead of retreating in

fear I pray that you’d release the

mantle for Health and healing upon the

people of God that we would aggressively

stand on behalf of our neighbors and

friends to see healing and deliverance

take place in the name of Jesus God I

pray for every business person that’s

watching that you would defend them in

that business you would promote them in

that business that their online success

would more than make up for what’s not

walking through the door because of

closure that you would give wisdom for

how to maneuver in this season that’s

different than every past season that

you’d help us to know how to invest in

our future in a biblical manner that you

show us where we need to to store up our

strength one another with one another in

our families in our church family and

you show us where Janet what generosity

looks like in this season I pray all of

this that the name of Jesus would be

exalted held in the highest honor amen

amen amen please I’ve been carrying this

thing in my heart for days and in fact

Chris was supposed to get up today but

he kindly bowed out so I could share it

was in my heart I feel like this is a

prophetic template

and it’s going to be applied differently

probably for every household but there’s

a prophetic template and how we face the

threat of loss how we face challenging

situations so I encourage you review

these things pray over these things but

the last thing I want to do is I know

that with such a large online audience

that there’s always the opportunity for

people who have never made a personal

commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ the

greatest miracle of all is the salvation

of the soul Jesus tugged on my heart he

showed me his love he called me to

himself and I said yes I called upon the

name of the Lord and he saved me he

forgave me of sin he delivered me from

my past and he made it possible for me

to walk with Him that offering that gift

of salvation is offered to every person

watching this broadcast that may not

have a personal relationship with Jesus

my goodness if there was ever a time

where it should be obvious we need a

Savior

we need a deliverer we need a father who

works on our behalf who defends us it’s

right now I want to encourage you but it

does cost it costs you this it’s not

your dollars it’s your life it’s the

fact that we turn from our life of sin

self serving to become a disciple of the

Lord Jesus Christ and I’m gonna ask you

just to pray with me right now

just just say these words with me father

I come to you I come to you as a sinner

I come to you in need of forgiveness I

ask you to forgive me from all sin I

turn from them I will not serve any

other God but Jesus I will not follow

any other lifestyle but the lifestyle of

Jesus and I ask that you would fill me

now with your Holy Spirit and make it

possible for me to live as a

representative of Jesus and the earth

I ask this for the honor of the name

Jesus amen

man well thank you thanks for uh for

joining us in this unusual setting this

unusual context but thank you thanks for

taking time out of your day I bless you

in Jesus name I pray that the face of

God would shine upon you I prayed that

every single household would have

increase of divine encounters divine

experiences and I pray for everybody

watching that God would release over you

over me a gift of faith for this season

in Jesus name Amen