The Breakthrough BEFORE the Breakthrough

Photo by Sergey Turkin on Unsplash

2 Samuel 5:17-21;   Luke 15:18

Before we get into breakthroughs we need to talk just a bit about what a breakthrough is, and why they are needed from time to time while we are living in this world.

Let me define a breakthrough for the purpose of this presentation.  – A break through is a sudden, dramatic, and significant discovery or development.  It is an instance of achieving success in a particular sphere or activity.   I like these definitions because they make some valid points that I want to continue exploring in my message today.

1) You are in a fight so so will have opposition

2) You have a sphere of infuence, a realm where you should have dominion.

3) You are supposed to be doing something, you are destined for victory

4) A breakthrough might seem to be a long time coming, but when it arrives it will be quick!

5) YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SUCCEED and you will!

Breakthroughs are God’s way of sending you the help you need to succeed.  Remember that it might be a discovery, (a thought, or new powers for example).   Or it might be something tangible, (a person, or money).  Someone once said; ”Cowards never start. The weak never finish. Winners never quit.”  I promise you that the devil wants you to quit believing, quit praying, and quit living for God.  But y’all already know that he is liar right?!

A breakthrough is the moment that you begin to make progress in a long struggle.  I want to emphasize the word struggle, because believers need to understand something about being saved, this life is indeed a struggle.  In fact we might say that living for God means that you are involved in spiritual and natural warfare whether you want to be or not. 

Matthew 11:12 (NIV) From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.

What Jesus is saying is that spiritual warfare has gone to a new level, and things are shifting and being moved around.  Of course you can see evidence of this shifting in the natural realm.  The greek word for ’force’ (KJV) used here is har-pá-zō.  It means to catch away,snatch, pluck, pull, or take something by force.  It means to claim something for one’s own, both quickly and forcefully.  This word is akin to the word ’breakthrough’, because that’s exactly what happens when breakthrough occurs.  Something that belongs to you is quickly placed in your possesion.  (Someone had it before, could it be satan)?

When you look at struggles as kingdom warfare you position yourself to look at life differently.  Living for God is not only a life of blessings, (or things).  Simply put the blessings are usually the result of some kind of fight.  Yes, Jesus conquered the world, but He also said that we will also have to take up a cross and follow Him.  When we have a real breakthrough it means that you, (or someone for you), has gained some ground, or come into possession of something, or information, that you did not previously have. 

Warfare is broad subject, one that time will not permit me to cover today.  But know this, it’s all about the Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of darkness.  When we see the physical results of a breakthrough we usually call those things ’blessings’.  But typically the real breakthrough happened before you see results.  I want to encourage you today by helping you to notice when this is happening because you might be having a breakthrough right now, or in this season without knowing it.

Let’s briefly look at a few people who had a breakthrough in the bible.  We will notice some similarities in the things that happened prior to, and after their breakthrough moment. 

Firstly let’s consider King David’s breakthrough moment in 2 Samuel 5:17-21.

David gets promoted to King and immediately the enemy begins to pursue him because of it.  Promotion has a way of causing the pursuit of the enemy.  It’s almost like clockwork, as soon as God promotes you, you go on the radar of a new enemy.  But thankfully David had the insight to go to God about the problem.  You can decide to have a breakthrough, or you can decide to have a breakdown.  The choice is yours.

There is a hugh difference between saying ’Woe is me’, or ’Why is this happening to me’, or you can say, ’New levels new devils, but I’m going into prayer because I know this is warfare’.  I call this the breakthrough before the breakthrough.  David prays, and God tells Him that when he fights back, that he will have victory.

2 Sam. 5:20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

You will fight your battles with renewed confidence when you understand that the battle is really God’s, and that He has an obligation to fight for you.  And remember, David fought hard battles for almost his entire career.

Sometimes God’s way of bringing breakthrough moments into your is not by removing the pressure in your life, but by increasing your strength to bear the pressure.   Pressure is the way that diamonds are made.  Pressure is the way to get wine from the grapes. Breakdown says ‘I can’t take this anymore’.  But breakthrough says; ‘God must need a diamond from my life so He’s going to give me added grace for this moment’.  I think you get the message here.  If you are on the devil’s radar you are obviously valuable in the kingdom of God.  I’m not trying to go to Disney World, I’m going to Baal Perazim, the place of breakthrough, where God’s has decreed a victory in my life!

Sometimes we need a breakthrough because we are really on the wrong side of God’s will for our lives.  Let’s consider another breakthrough moment, that of the Prodigal Son from Jesus’ parable.  This young man is the perfect example of what NOT to do with blessings, (the things), that your Father grants you.    You know the story, young man gets bored of his entitled life, and demands that his father gives him his inheritance.  Notice what he says to himself. ‘I want what I have coming to me’.

He makes a hot mess of his life totally wasting everything that the father gives him, and ends up in a literal pig pen.  This sounds like many of us doesn’t it?  One might think that his breakthrough happened after he returned home, his father restored him, and gave him all the ‘stuff’ he didn’t deserve.  But I believe that the real ‘breakthrough BEFORE the breakthrough’ came here:

Luke 15:18 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

Even if you are somewhat off course with God you can still be eligible for a breakthrough. All you need to do is repent, (that word is not just for ‘sinners’ anymore), and return to your place of blessing, the house of your father.  When you get a real breakthrough you understand that the relationship with your father is worth much more than a ring, or a robe.

So here is another important point to remember about breakthroughs.  It really matters what you say to yourself, and to God before your breakthrough moment.  Could it be that your confession, your prayer, or your declaration could be the catalyst to catapult you into breakthrough?  What you say right now can make you break you, so make sure you are speaking the right things.

Breakthroughs don’t always look like breakthroughs, and defeats don’t always look like defeat.  One of David’s worst moments didn’t happen on a battlefield.  It happened while he was chilling in the palace.  So we need to remember that even when you are blessed with the results of a previous breakthrough, you still need to be vigilant because God’s is not through blessing you.  But ,before the next blessing there will undoubtedly be another struggle.

Finally let me say this.  The enemy can use our pain, or our pleasures in his attempt to defeat us.  In his mind if you give up, he wins.  If you mess up and never confess, he wins.  If you blame God, he wins.  You can be defeated sitting on a throne, or in the gutter.  It’s all the same to the devil.

So decide to have a breakthrough instead of a breakdown.  And understand that there is a breakthrough BEFORE the breakthrough.  Let’s start one now with our faith, and with our praise!