The Revelation of Breakthrough
“Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (Jeremiah 33:3, MSG)
This blog is your shake-it-up prayer strategy and it will be as unique as you are. How the Holy Spirit will direct and motivate you is for you to discover.
The way you interact and the way you express yourself through prayer, meditation, fasting, and journaling are completely your choice. However, we can’t encourage you enough to set your intentions and do something each and every day.
In 2 Samuel 5:20, we read, “So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. ‘The LORD did it!’ David exclaimed. ‘He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!’ So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means ‘the Lord who bursts through’)” (NLT).
David is describing the natural power of water when it is released from limiting confines. When water breaks out of its banks, or bursts from behind a dam, great power is displayed as the water washes away everything in its path. David describes the power of God in a similar way because when God unleashed His power, there was nothing that could stop it.
Before the breakthrough, the scene in the scripture is called “Valley of Rephaim,” meaning, “House of the Giant.” After the breakthrough, it is called “Ba’al Perazim,” meaning, “Possessor of Breaches, Lord of the Breakthrough.”
Why was this place renamed after Ba’al, a god of the Philistines, and not after the Lord? Because it was to be a reminder that at this place, the enemy thought he was the strongest. So David called it “Baal Perazim,” declaring God broke through the stronghold of the enemy!
There is breakthrough for you and it begins as you enquire of the Lord. He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). That’s why you are being active in prayer and the Lord of the Breakthrough will reward you with His strategy!
Let’s think about what your breakthrough looks like. You may have thought that the first place breakthrough would be evident is in your outside world. Our first conceptions of “dreams come true” include direct answers to prayer regarding relationships, family, health, promotion, and finances. It’s God’s intention to release answers to every single one of these prayers, and you will enjoy the benefits of breakthrough, but it doesn’t start there.
True and lasting breakthrough starts in your heart, the very core of who you are and what you believe. If you find it hard to feel God, or if you feel numb, you are called to draw near to Him. But sometimes disappointment and harsh realities in life can cause us to develop a degree of hardness around our heart. The first breakthrough that we must encounter is described in Ezekiel 36:25. God is speaking and says, “I will give you a new heart with new desires. I will take your heart of stone and give you a soft heart of flesh.”
One of the words for “hardness of heart” in Greek is “sklerokardia,” which means “destitute of spiritual perception.” Our natural mindedness must be “broken through” for revelation to be released. Without that, our minds remain darkened. A veil blinds every Christian who fails to seek the Lord until revelation breaks through. But that’s not you. Let’s agree that today is the day when the light is turned on.
The first step to a softened heart, that new heart that God talks about in Ezekiel, is humility. A humble heart hears His voice, recognizes His call, and acknowledges that His thoughts and His ways are always the best.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves andpray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”(2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV)
Apply to Life:
Make a commitment to have a transformed heart. Instead of just adding this to your list of“things to do,” allow God to bring lasting change to your life. Behavior modification only lasts as long as you remain self-controlled, disciplined, and motivated. Transformation at the heart levelinvites a life of effortless victory where your day naturally invites God’s presence, His priorities and His rewards.
Write out your intentions for this week.
Repentance is simply changing the way you think. There is no doubt that you are about to embark on a journey toward more blessing, favour, and provision than you ever thought imaginable. God longs for your heart to have the character that is able to sustain an abundance of blessing.
The opposite of humility is pride, and pride shows its ugly face in many different disguises and masks:
*Presuming you know the best way for God to answer your prayer
*Being disappointed because God didn’t answer your prayer your way
*Being angry at God and blaming Him for tragedies
*Neglecting to pray (a prayer-less life is a pride-filled life)
Today, give Jesus your heart once again. Humble yourself before Him, kneel before Him and ask Him to soften your heart, and remove any hardness that has built up. God has never left you, He is not disappointed in you, and He hasn’t held your sins against you. The act of repentance doesn’t turn God toward you – He never left you! Repentance simply softens your heart to receive.
Write out your response to His love towards you.
“At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: ‘O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!’” (Matthew 11:25-26, NLT)
A childlike person is a dependent person. God shares His secrets with those who depend on Him and trust Him as a child trusts his father.
Write out your personal prayer of what this looks like in your life.
