Welcome! In this blog series, I am recapping a current sermon series at our church because it has been really impactful for me. I am hoping it can help others too. You can see the recap of the first sermon in the series here. The second sermon in the Breakthrough Series is called the Two Step Breakthrough. In this sermon Pastor Jordan talks about continuing the Breakthrough battle. However sometimes when you are battling hard, you need to take a step back. In order to breakthrough as the fight gets more intense, you need to take a step back, re-center, and trust God.
Here is the link to the audio version of the sermon. In the Bible passage for this sermon. Daniel is waiting through a breakthrough. He takes a step back. Daniel fasts and prays. He lets God be his breakthrough and is rewarded.
Repentance
Pastor Jordan discussed the concept of Repentance. The Greek word for repent is “Metanoia”, which means to change the way that you think. When thinking of Breakthrough, we need to change the way we are breaking through by leaning into God. In his first Thesis, Martin Luther declared when Jesus Christ said repent he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance. We must repent continually for the things we need forgiveness for. Repentance is important because no human has been perfect and free from sin except Jesus. We have to continually ask for forgiveness and start anew.
Repent by Remembering your Baptism
Pastor Jordan shared an easy way to repent is by reflecting on your baptism. Picture your old sinful self being drowned in that baptism and you are a new person. Remember who God says you are. That you are his child. God loves YOU. At this time you can look inwardly and identify the one area you need to repent on. Confess your sin. Take a step back an repent. Then ask God how to move forward the Christian way.
Part of being able to move forward through a breakthrough is trusting in God. This can be difficult for many reasons. In this day in age, it’s easy to get stuck amidst the stress. The breakthrough requires trust because we need God’s power to breakthrough. So Pastor Jordan laid out some steps for trusting in God.
How to Trust in God
Surrender yourself and all your troubles to God
If you are struggling with a breakthrough, what you have been doing isn’t working. You need God to lead the way. Instead of taking the burden on personally you have to give it up to God. Ask him to lead you to take the next big step. Just because I am recapping this sermon for you guys, doesn’t mean these areas come naturally for me. On the contrary, I need to actively seek God out and re-center my focus on him. I’m not always good at surrendering my troubles to God, but what I can tell you is that when I do, it lifts such a big weight off my shoulders.
Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts
It is so easy to get stuck in the downward spiral of negative thinking. When we are working through breakthrough we can’t be discouraged with negative thoughts that the breakthrough is not going to happen. There is a section on the reflection sheet to practice turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts. If this is something that you feel you could use more work on, PsychPoint has an easy to use worksheet you can download that I like.
Replace the negatives with God’s promises
We can get discouraged with our lack of breakthrough and we forget God’s power. We focus on what is lacking rather than the good God has planned. When you ask, God has an answer. I love Beneath My Heart’s Sunday Encouragement post here. She has a great post that I have saved to my phone for when I need reminders. Here is an example You say: “I can’t figure it out,” God Says, ” I will direct your steps.” And then she follows it up with a bible verse.
Ask God to give you patience
As society we have moved to a very instant gratification perception. Everything needs to happen now and delayed gratification is very difficult. When we don’t understand God’s big plan for us is it can be extra hard to be patient. Ask God to give you patience in this time if difficulty. Pray for patience.
Things to Remember When Experiencing Breakthrough
When God moves Satan responds. Sometimes when people are near a breakthrough they experience a set-back or a different roadblock. Those are strong holds in our life that our enemy doesn’t want to give up. We have to be aware that we have to be ready with a shield of faith for set-backs. Be prepared for the road to not be perfectly paved. And lean into Jesus when it is not.
Pastor Jordan talked about taking the long view. When the battle gets tough and you gets discouraged. Don’t get caught up in the moment. Progress is being made. You may not be able to see what God is doing in the background to pave the path for you. God has your eternal future secure. Regardless of how much you fail that he who is living in you is greater than the prince of darkness. Hold on to God’s promises that he will never leave us or forsake us.
Click HERE to download the reflection sheet for this weeks sermon.
