Where will I find breakthrough?
In October of 2018 I was in Malaysia with my husband speaking at a conference. I was on an extended fast and out of the blue, I woke up one day feeling very rebellious.
I hadn’t had any interaction with anyone to trigger me — no conversation or disagreement with my husband. I hadn’t read anything, seen anything, heard anything. I just woke up and felt a churning, volcanic feeling of rebellion inside me. I immediately put on my workout clothes to walk along the beach. As I walked, I asked the Lord what was going on with me. There was only silence in return. I walked on listening for Him to say something only to be met with more silence.
After a time, I decided I would speak first. I simply said, “Lord, I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I want You more than anything.” Then I felt something deep inside me break. It wasn’t a toothpick-sized break or a pencil-sized break, rather it was a telephone pole-sized break! I just kept repeating over and over, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” I knew in that moment that this was one of my core sins.
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Pride often goes with rebellion and I had “prided” myself that I had never been an outwardly rebellious person growing up. Unfortunately, that meant that all my rebellion was inward — thus the churning, volcanic feel I had when I woke up that morning.
Years worth of pride, hurt, pain and offense had been festering inside me. That morning it was broken by my declaration that I wanted Jesus more than anything. He brought this to my attention to be named, repented of and renounced for me to be free. As you know, sometimes it takes a while for sin to surface because we have justified its presence in our life. We haven’t done this intentionally, of course, but it’s there nonetheless. The Lord finds the opportune time to show us or we miss it.
Breakthrough came that day as I declared my intention for only Jesus. He started the process, but I had to acknowledge it and repent. Ongoing freedom remains as I continually surrender to Him when rebellion and pride raise their ugly heads. I must choose to let go, when my reaction is to fight, defend, rationalize, or prove myself.
As a society, we are now in the worst battle our nation and world has ever faced with the spread of the coronavirus. Anxiety, fear and death are rampant in these uncertain times, but now is the time for us, as the church, to rise up and contend for breakthrough like never before!
Breakthrough is revealed in the presence of the Lord.
Oftentimes we think that breakthrough comes with a vast army of activists ready and willing to take up arms, storm the gates and physically fight. Activists often think sitting around is for pacifists, because they are the kind of people who take action and get things done.
It certainly makes a person feel better to have something to do, a plan, a course of action, a purpose. Jesus said, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. (Mt 18:19-20).
Jesus was clear that He wanted and expected us to work together. He sent out the disciples two by two (Mark 6:7) and appointed 72 others and sent them two by two (Luke 10:1) to do the work of the kingdom. He commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19) and for leaders to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Eph 4:11-12).
The people of God are to be salt and light in the world (Mt 5:13-16). God is certainly not against working together to advance His kingdom. But when I look at the life of Jesus, I see that before He taught his disciples how to minister together, he first modeled before them the importance of going to the Father alone — by themselves, for themselves.
Jesus loved His Father and missed His Father. He made the time in the midst of everything to go away to be with the Father. Jesus had a lot on his plate. People coming at him from every direction, wanting something from him, needing something from Him, but he did what was necessary to continue to cultivate intimacy with the Father. Sometimes He got up early while it was still dark (Mk 1:25 ). At other times He stayed up all night to have the quiet space. Whatever it took, Jesus did it to be with the Father.
In the kingdom of God, breakthrough comes by going ALONE into the closet, shutting the door and praying to the Father, who you cannot see (Mt 6:6). It goes against everything we’ve ever thought or been taught about warfare, because in a battle, no one goes alone. You stay together, work together and particularly watch the back of your battle buddy.
In the kingdom of God, there is a different way of doing things. Jesus is our battle buddy. He ever lives to intercede for us (Heb 7:25) and when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with wordless groans (Rom 8:26). The breakthrough we need is revealed in the presence of the Lord with Jesus on one side interceding possibly as He did while on earth, offering up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death (Heb 5:7), and the Holy Spirit on the other side groaning when we have run out of words. In this vulnerable place with our God, breakthrough is revealed. The word may come in a word, phrase, picture, vision, scripture, song, impression, but it will come because He is a speaking God.
Breakthrough is sealed by the strategy of God.
When we figure out what the Lord is saying to us, we then must determine what we do with His words. What is the Lord’s strategy for this situation? Breakthrough is sealed by the strategy of God, but unless we draw near to hear from Him, we can easily miss the way He wants to do something. We go into the closet to get away from the noise, the distractions, the opinions all around us. There are plenty of people to draw from with a simple search on google or YouTube.
Suggestions or words of wisdom abound from ‘successful’ people we admire. But there is one specific solution for our situation that has been perfectly crafted because of who we are and where we are. There is a nowword strategy straight from the heart of God for us that surpasses anything another person could offer. God’s strategy for you has been intentionally chosen for this exact time and mission. It is good and wise to glean from others, but our specific orders for each situation come only from Him. He never does the same thing twice, so we become comfortable with ambiguity as we live in the present to fulfill today’s plan in the precise way He gave it. Yes, breakthrough is sealed by the strategy of God.
Breakthrough is activated by our obedience
Breakthrough is also activated by our obedience. It is when we come out of the secret place with clear directives that the breakthrough begins as we obey what He gave us. It’s one thing to hear from God, but then we must come out and act. It’s okay that it’s never been done this way before, God is the one who came up with the plan, so He will guide us through all the details to fulfill it. “And your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”(Mt 6:6). Our reward is His presence with us to do what He asked in the secret place. If He wants something done a certain way, He is going to remove every obstacle, provide every resource and sustain us to accomplish that purpose. We simply say yes to Him and move in that direction. The breakthrough comes as we move in obedience.
We are in difficult days during this pandemic. We look to the right and to the left, wanting someone to tell us what to do to navigate this uncertain time, but our God is with us and for us and on our side! The only way is through, so go into the closet, shut the door and pray to your Father who you cannot see and let Him show you the way through. Breakthrough is revealed in the presence of the Lord. Breakthrough is sealed by the strategy of God. Breakthrough is activated by our obedience. He has positioned us all to be home at this time. Now go one step further and go into the closet, shut the door, and allow Him to reveal Himself to you as youneed. Your strategy will be different from mine and everyone else’s, but heed His directives and obey. Your breakthrough will come.
Dr. Wanda Walborn is Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation and has been serving at Nyack College since 2000. She is currently the institutional professor spiritual formation at Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary. Wanda is also the Director of Empower, a certificate program for women through the Metropolitan District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance that equips women in bible, theology, spiritual formation and mentoring.You can follow her and her husband at www.walbornleadership.com
