Johnson - Hosting the Presence

Destiny Image Books by Bill Johnson

A Life of Miracles

Dreaming With God

Release the Power of Jesus

Strengthen Yourself in the Lord

The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind

When Heaven Invades Earth

Here Comes Heaven

Spiritual Java

Center of the Universe

Momentum

Walking in the Supernatural

Available From Destiny Image Publishers

Copyright 2012Bill Johnson

All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. All emphasis within Scripture quotations is the authors own. Please note that Destiny Images publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some publishers styles. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating grammatical rules.

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ISBN 13 TP: 978-0-7684-4129-1

ISBN 13 Audio: 978-0-7684-8832-6

For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A.

I dedicate Hosting the Presence to Dr. Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries International.

I realize its not very common to have a book dedicated to the same person who wrote the forward, but I must do so in this case. Heidi Baker is one of the most remarkable individuals Ive ever met. Her ability to give herself to the poorest of the poor and the most-broken of the broken makes her stand out in a world of ministries that clamor for success by appealing to the successful. Thankfully, there is a growing number of individuals who serve in the fashion that Heidi has modeled all around the world. They deserve our love and support. But Heidis uniqueness comes from her ability to also serve the richest of the rich, without the hidden agenda of wanting what they have for her ministry. And this she does with one more extremely rare quality: she doesnt shame them for their success. Instead, she celebrates it.

Before meeting Heidi, I would have said something like this: In a perfect world, there would be one person who embodied the lives of both Mother Theresa and Kathryn Kuhlman. Through the years, I have noticed that Heidi has the same fruit of both of these giants from church history. She lives with equal measures of compassion and power. Apparently, this has become a more perfect world than I had originally thought possible.

I have had the incredible privilege of serving alongside Rolland and Heidi Baker all over the world, including their home base in Mozambique. They continually amaze me. One of the things Ive witnessed day after day, year after year, is that they are the same in private as they are in publichumble, passionate, and honoring. Heidis passion for the Presence of God upon her life is the fuel for everything else she is known for. For this reason, I dedicate this book to her. She models the heart of this book so profoundly.

Iris Ministries now has ministry bases around the world. Rolland and Heidi live in Pemba, Mozambique.

(Of course, she wrote the foreword not knowing what I would do with the dedication.)

I want to thank Mary Berck and Michael Van Tinteren for doing some of the research needed for this book. It was priceless help to me. Kristin Smeltzer and Shara Pradhan, your selfless work in putting together my transcripts was an invaluable help. Judy Franklin, Pam Spinosi, and Dann Farrellyeach of you played a unique role in helping me review and edit this project. Thanks to all.

In Hosting the Presence, Bill Johnson stirs your heart to go deeper in Him, challenges your mind to embrace the Holy Spirit with a new understanding, and ignites your spirit with a fervent passion to seek and maintain His sweet presence. The testimonies and truth, in these pages of inspiration, will open the eyes of your understanding in a whole new dimension in surrendering to the Holy Spirit. Hosting the Presence is a must read for every believer who wants to love and honor Jesus as we were created to.

Dr. Ch Ahn
Senior Pastor, HROCK Church, Pasadena, CA
President, Harvest International Ministry
International Chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute

One of our highest callings is to host the Presence of the Dove of God. That is my greatest joy and pleasure in this life is to be a perch where this dove can come and have a place of belonging. Over the years I have had the honor of observing the hovering of the Holy Spirit over different churches, gatherings, cities, and nations. But rarely have I seen a person, place, or ministry become a dwelling place where the God of Now builds a nest and not only hovers but lands. This book is filled with lessons and present day history of a tender man of God named Bill Johnson and a risky people called Bethel Church. It is an honor to commend to you the lessons learned by this team of seekers. Join them in being a people who host the Presence of the Heavenly Dove.

James W. Goll
Encounters Network, Prayer Storm, Compassion Acts
Author of The Seer, A Radical Faith, The Lost Art of Intercession, and many more

Bill Johnsons new book, Hosting the Presence, is a very important book on the most important of topicsexperiencing Him. I read the book in one morning and loved it. Thrilled by Bills personal insights, captured by his insightful one-liners, and challenged as I once again read about other great people of God, and their experiences of Him. This is a book meant for recalibration, calling us back to our first love and warning us not to allow the lesser things rob us of the most important, our relationship with Him. I believe it will become a classic devotional book for our day much as Andrew Murrays writings were for a bygone generation. You wont want to miss this read, buy it and experience Him as you put into practice the wisdom from a modern day general in the faith. I believe if books were allowed to be read in Heaven that this one would be on the best seller list, the mystics from other generations have given it five stars. It would even be reviewed in the New Jerusalem Times.

Randy Clark
Author of There Is More
Co-author with Bill Johnson of The Essential Guide to Healing