The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:16, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” Bill Johnson has been my leader for almost 40 years. It’s sort of the pauper meets the prince story. Bill, a 5th generation pastor from a healthy home meets Kris, a broken young man who recently met Christ. Here are 15 things I learned from Bill that transformed my life (there are many more).

  1. The day I came to Christ, I became a full-time minister. We are all priests.
  2. Loving and serving God should benefit my family.
  3. My wife and children must know and feel like nobody but Jesus is more important to me than them.
  4. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt and needs someone to believe in them.
  5. It is incongruent to say that God lives in me and not to behave supernaturally.
  6. Radical generosity is a priority in the kingdom no matter my financial situation. If I believe God is my provider, I will act like it.
  7. Never speak negatively about people, even when they are being jerks (this is a hard one for me).
  8. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and one-third of the kingdom; therefore, happy is the normal state of every Believer.
  9. God is good all the time, and He is better than you think.
  10. Worship and prayer are not acts, they are a lifestyle.
  11. I can’t direct my life by popular opinion; I must follow God where He is leading no matter what the crowd thinks.
  12. Much of the Kingdom is a mystery, so I don’t have to understand to obey. I don’t have to have an explanation for things or scriptures I don’t understand, and I am not God’s attorney, I am his son.
  13. I have a BIG GOD and a little devil who has no power over me unless I give it to him.
  14. I have been called to destroy the works of the devil.
  15. My job is to bring heaven to earth.