The other day I was praying and praying and asking God for breakthrough.  Suddenly, God spoke to me, “I am the God of breakthrough.  Remember, it’s called breakthrough for a reason.  If there was no resistance and effort needed, then why would it be called breakthrough?”

It struck me like a bullet in the chest.

How simple, yet profound.  The very nature of breakthrough indicates a resistance.  How is it that I haven’t thought of it this aggressive way before?

Surely, I’m not the only one to miss this.

When you are in a season of needing a God breakthrough, you MUST keep pushing.  Whether it is on your knees in prayer, or singing worship, or just living a regular life in the middle of irregular circumstances you MUST keep pushing on the place that needs breakthrough.

This is not a sedentary or lazy pursuit, no, it’s aggressive in its very nature.  We are to aggressively pursue breakthrough.  Unrelentingly.

This is where I’ve come, to a place where my prayers are steady and fervent.  A place where I sit and listen for longer than normal, and a place where I worship different than normal because this is not a normal breakthrough.  Friends, I believe with all my heart and soul that as others witness the extreme breakthroughs God has planned for my family in 2020, it will draw them closer and closer to the Father too.  One reason I’m so bold and honest is because I desire all of you to have similar breakthroughs, as well.  Like a ripple effect, I desire my breakthroughs to make room for other peoples breakthroughs.

Prayer Moment:  If you are needing breakthrough in your life, don’t give up! Keep moving forward, keep listening, keep pursuing and for Heaven’s sake keep holding onto hope.  God has already planned a path to the breakthrough you’re needing, you only need to persevere.  Take a minute and ask God to reinforce the hope in your heart and to show you the places He has placed a breakthrough path in your life.  Set your heart on that path and never ever give up until you receive the promise.  He Who promises is completely faithful!

 

So, David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them.  He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.”  So, that place was called Baal Perazim.  2 Samuel 5:20
(Baal Perazim means “the Lord who breaks out”)

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.  Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God:  “Shall I go and attack the Philistines?  Will you hand them over to me?”  The Lord answered him, “Go, I will hand them over to you.”  So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them.  He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.”  1 Chronicles 14:8-11a

 

Over the last week, I have been in such turmoil.  I have felt as if I’ve walked out several struggles in life past the grace allotted for me.  What a terrible feeling, and to top it off, I truly have no control over these situations.  These are situations in which, I can only wait, pray, hope and listen to God, but I truly have zero control over them moving forward.  So, to be honest, I’ve been frustrated.

When I reached what felt like the end of the grace period, I began to question, “Has God stopped releasing His grace over this situation, or have I stopped living out the grace I’m receiving?”

The truth is, I’m worn out.  I’ve been so tired that I can’t fully feel.  My hope tank is nearing empty and I’m hanging onto it by a thread……When I told God this He replied, “At least you’re still holding on.”  You know, it doesn’t matter how much hope we have, sometimes the point is that we refuse to give it up, and so, I remain holding onto hope with all the strength I have.

Last night, I found a tank of hope.  It was in the place of worship.  I always spend time at the piano worshiping, but I admit that lately I haven’t felt a lot.  This too frustrated me, but last night something shifted.  When I got to the place of thinking, “Why am I not hearing and feeling anything right now in worship, like I normally would?”  I made an instant decision to press forward.  I just began to play my own song on the keys and I sang out in simple sounds until words would come.  The words came and then I returned to just the sounds.  And then I knew, my worship had moved into the groanings of the Spirit.

In the same way that we are sometimes moved in prayer to simply repeat the name of Jesus or at times I’ve been so intensely battling that all I could do was moan….my worship had come to that same place of desperation.  I am so desperate for God to come through for us, that I’ve prayed all the prayers and am left only with the moaning’s and groaning’s of my spirit.

I felt so much Presence in the sound of it.  It was a revitalizing shift.  It renewed my will to fight another day and increased my hope tank so much that this morning I woke before my alarm and couldn’t wait to come up to my office and have quiet time.  Thank You God for Your faithfulness to me.

Prayer Moment:  I came across this Psalm the other day and have since read it over and over again because it gives the key to it all.  When we praise, then the land will yield its harvest and God will bless us.  Praise is the key.  Even if it’s a groaning in the Presence.  Even my groans were full of praise.  When you groan before God, you’re not being pathetic, you’re simply saying, “This is all I have right now and still I give it to you in praise.”  Will you praise Him like this today?

 

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, Selah, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.  May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.  Selah.  May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.  Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.  God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.  Psalm 67

The only way that I know how to make it through this life, with peace, is to be steeped in God’s Presence.  Spending time in the quiet place each and every morning has revolutionized my life.  I’ve been practicing this for many years now, and I can tell you…it.is.worth.it.

Even though there are mornings when I come before the Lord and feel nothing.  Even though there are times when I have a morning of breakthrough with God and then my day seems to crumble under unpredictable circumstances.  It.Is.Worth.It.

I come before the Lord every morning because I want relationship with Him.  I want to know Him, and to be known by Him.

It’s a lot like marriage.  Let’s face it, not every day of marriage is epic.  In fact, some days leave you wondering why you’ve made the choice you made.  But still because of love and relationship, you lay yourself down and decide to pick up love.  I choose every day to devote myself to not only my husband, but to the life we’ve built together.  This decision can’t be made based on day to day feelings, rather it’s made from a specific decision and covenant I made before God to stand firm in this marriage until death.

Likewise, I have completely devoted myself to a relationship with Jesus.  The only difference is He died in advance to make this whole thing possible.  He conquered death so that He could meet me here every morning and all throughout my day.  He died in advance, so that we could walk together through the good times and the bad times.  He is worthy, isn’t He?!

Prayer Moment:  God, I long to be so steeped in Your presence that nothing in heaven or on earth could deter me from continually giving myself to you.  I don’t worship you because of the good things You do for me.  I worship You simply because You alone are worthy of praise.  Remind my heart every morning of the goodness of Your presence.  Forgive me for the times when I’ve lost sight of why I meet with You.  In Your loving kindness, Lord, please continue to draw me unto Yourself every moment of every day, until my death when we will meet face to Face.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.  My heart says of You, “Seek His face!”  Your face, Lord, I will seek.  Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my Helper.  Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.  Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.  Teach me Your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.  Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.  I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27:7-14

 

This last weekend, our family suffered a tragedy.  To some it may seem small, but to us it was anything but.  Our dog Rose, who frequently would run under our cars while we drove up the driveway, got herself run over.  Chris and I feared this would eventually happen, but we both knew there was nothing we could do to stop her from this terrible habit.  The worst part of it all was that my 11 year old was at his upstairs bedroom window waving at his dad, who was driving up the driveway, and witnessed the whole thing.

So tragic.  So many tears from everyone.

But something beautiful emerged from this time, as is always God’s plan…..

I was able to walk my kids through grief without being consumed.

You see, I want to raise resilient kids.  I don’t want them to faint at the slightest hint of danger.  I want them to be warriors, both for the kingdom of God and here on earth.  I don’t do well interacting with people who want to be a victim as a lifestyle.  God did not raise me up to be a victim.  On the contrary, He IS victory and as I am a part of His family now, I too carry victory.

The truth is, if we never had these sorrows and challenges on earth, then we wouldn’t mature and learn how to cope.  I, as a parent, am charged with allowing my kids to walk out this discomfort, not help them avoid it.  True parenting is teaching how to live out real life.

And suddenly, I’m preaching to myself, as I realize that while I hate what our family is walking through right now, with lack of work, it is what it takes for us to grow and mature.  To be complete and lacking nothing.  To let perseverance run its course.

So, I pick myself up and dust myself off and face another day, and I know that the God who created the universe, the One Who was and is and is to come, will always be there for me preparing the way…..I only need to trust Him.

Today, I needed this message.  Today, I am tired and weary, but still holding onto hope.  No, this isn’t one of those, “I’m so full of hope” days.   Today is more like, “I am holding onto hope by the skin of my teeth.”  And guess what?  That’s totally ok.  What matters is that I’m holding on.

Prayer Moment:  Take a minute and look at your life.  Are you holding onto hope, even slightly, or have you given up and thought, “It’s always going to be this way?”.  I’m here today to tell you, “It will NOT always be this way, especially if you can learn how to break up with the victim spirit and embrace HOPE.  If you are struggling to feel hopeful, then take a minute and be honest before God.  Tell Him your struggle (He knows anyways) and ask Him to restore your hope.  Don’t forget He is where our hope originates from.

I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip—He Who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He Who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord watches over you—The Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.  Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.  May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.  Psalm 134

Over time, I have realized just how important it is to make deliberate time to just rest.  Time when we lay down our “to do list” and stop striving and just learn to rest.

God has been using my husband a lot lately to teach me the importance of rest and fun.  It’s amazing how having a good laugh can brighten your whole outlook on life.  Also, I’m learning that it’s so good to allow others to bless me and for me to freely receive.  It took me years to realize that instead of simply receiving goodness from Chris, I was actually trying to avoid it.  Most of the time when I was avoiding his kindness, it was because I already had an agenda in place and was working to get my tasks completed.  Now when I notice him reaching out in kindness, I stop.  It takes a deliberate action and noticing on my part, but I am learning to simply stop.  Then I acknowledge whatever kindness it is he is offering to me, and I move my heart to a posture of receiving, and then I thank him and God each time.

This may sound oversimplified, but I would wager that you too struggle with receiving sometimes.

This practice of receiving, will lead us into worshiping God.  That’s one reason it’s so important to begin learning this.

The more I notice and receive another’s kindness, the more I am drawn to worship my ever-present God.

Prayer Moment:  Today I challenge you to begin noticing simple acts of kindness from others toward you.  It may be more enlightening than you imagine it will be.  Ask God to give you an awareness of His goodness through other’s actions.  Let all of this lead you toward worship and thanksgiving.  Here is some scripture to help you meditate on God’s goodness toward you.

 

I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing Your praise.  I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your name for Your love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word.  When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted.  May all the kings of the earth praise You, O Lord, when they hear the words of Your mouth.  May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.  Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar.  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand You save me.  The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever- do not abandon the works of Your hands.  Psalm 138

 

Over and over again I repeat the following scripture to myself when things are happening, and I can’t figure them out….

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.  Psalm 131

Once I stopped trying to figure out everything and just became content to trust God with childlike faith, an immense burden lifted off me.  I think one of the greatest stumbling blocks for many believers is the desire to define every single thing.  Life doesn’t work that way.  God is so far beyond our comprehension how can we expect to know it all?

His ways are not my ways.  His thoughts are not my thoughts.  The God Who was and is and is to come, He is the God I serve.

Today’s devotional is short, mainly because it should be.  It’s a simple, yet profound thought….I can’t and will never know it all.

Prayer Moment:  Take a moment and release yourself to have childlike faith.  Search your heart.  Are there things you are begrudgingly holding onto because you are determined to figure it all out?  Have you grown angry and discontent with God because He hasn’t shown every detail?  Take a minute and imagine holding all those things in your hand.  Now, open you hand and imagine letting it all go.  Repent to God for holding onto what was never meant to be held and ask Him to help you follow Him with the childlike faith He desires.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways”, declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

He called a little child to Him and placed the child among them.  And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 18:2-4

There is a portion of Jeremiah that I cling to with all my heart, I did not know for a long time that it was a controversial subject.  I was so shocked to discover that there are those who devote themselves to “educating” believers that the words of Jeremiah are not a promise for today.

Here’s my problem with that….Those same people are the ones who teach their children to sing the song that says, “Every promise in the Book is mine.  Every chapter, every verse, every line…..”

This is what I ask myself, “Is this verse in line with God’s character?”  Yes.  “Is there any reason God would withhold this particular facet of His love from me/us today?”  No.

All that being said, Jeremiah 29 is a staple during my walk out of the shade.

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12

When life is tough and I feel the cards are stacked against me, I remind myself that God is good, and He does have a good plan and purpose for me.  I remember that, while God may not be causing this trouble we’re having, He can and will use it to mature me and strengthen my relationship with Him.  He doesn’t waste a thing.

If my foundation is set upon knowing that God is good and working toward my good, then what do I have to fear?  I have freedom to walk out the day to day circumstances that arise, all the while knowing that it’s part of what God will use to mold me into the woman He created me to be.  It’s also giving me the strength for the things He’ll have me do in the future.

The bottom line is, it’s all really about trust.  Do I trust God or not?

I choose trust.

Prayer Moment:  Check your heart and make sure you fully know that God does indeed have a good and purposeful plan for your life.  Nothing is wasted.  Will you give Him permission to use anything and everything in your life to draw you into and strengthen you for that purpose, or will you fight Him and be angry with Him the whole time?  Consider this and then simply tell God if you are willing.

 

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed His name, the Lord.  And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Exodus 34:5-7a

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.  Matthew 7:11

Here is yet another principle that has been soaking into my heart during this season.  I am a soul (that includes my mind, will and emotions), I have a body and a spirit.  So, when I remember the verse that states, “the spirit is willing, but the body is weak”, lately I can literally feel the tug of war between my soul and spirit.  My soul often says to me, “We’re never going to make it through this.  I’m so sad.  I feel defeated.”  But my spirit says, “I trust You God.  I know You have always made a way for me and you won’t stop now.”

Several nights I have woken up into a vision and have seen my soul rocking in the fetal position saying, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” in desperation.  When this happens, I acknowledge the level of discomfort in my life and then I tell my soul, “I understand, but we’re going to listen to my spirit right now.”  It may sound completely crazy to you, but every single time I do this, whatever discomfort I may be feeling at the time, immediately lifts off me and I feel peace.

After practicing this over the span of several weeks, I’ve come to a much more settled and peaceful place. What it made me realize is I don’t have to deny my soul’s fears and discomforts, but I can acknowledge them and then defer to my spirit, which is connected to the Father and lives wrapped in peace and the ultimate knowledge of Who God is and what He can/will do.

Now, I know this may feel like a stretch for some of you, but I challenge you to just try it.  Ask God to begin to show you the difference between your soul (mind, will and emotions) and your spirit.  Then, if you’re feeling something that seems so real, but you know isn’t wrapped in truth and peace, acknowledge it and then ask your spirit to take over.  I promise it will be life changing.

Prayer Moment:  If you are currently walking out a challenging time, ask God to reveal His truth to you.  Begin to practice this method of acknowledgment and deferring to your spirit.  If you are saved, then Christ lives in you.  Your spirit is directly connected to Him.  I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather walk in the spirit and not the flesh.

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.  Stay here and keep watch with Me.”  Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as You will.”  Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.  “Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  Matthew 26:36-41

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.  Romans 8:6-11

Another principle, that keeps rolling around my mind like a marble, is based on these verses:

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.  Isaiah 26:3-4

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.  My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.  Isaiah 32:17-18

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

I am afforded perfect peace, but the way to remain in that place is through trust and righteousness and going to God with my requests and thanksgiving.

These are also common verses, but nonetheless are so very true.  In moments when I’ve felt my peace being pulled off me, like a blanket thief in the night, I will cover myself with these promises again and again until I find that peace returning and warming my soul.

Walking out a life of victory and peace is not something that happens by accident.  No, it’s something that we must do on purpose.  One word that I can’t escape lately is, “Intentional”.  I think about it all the time and practice it in every facet of my life.  I am intentionally walking out a life of perfect peace while we are currently unemployed and waiting for God to open doors for us, and God is noticing.  Several times lately, He’s told me to stop and turn to Him and let Him tell me just how very proud He is of me.  He’s proud that I’m not wasting away and living a life crippled with fear.  He’s proud that I am continuing to minister in my time of great need.  He’s proud that we are still giving during a time when we need to receive.  He knows.  He sees.  It matters.

I may not be piling up earthly treasure right now, but I sure am filling my heavenly storehouses.

Prayer Moment:  Are you holding onto peace in your own life?  What do the words you speak release into your life and the lives of others?  Are you speaking fear?  Are you speaking defeat?  Or are you partnering with the God of the Universe?  There is no place you could go that His Peace cannot hold you perfectly.  Will you let Him?

 

I am a conqueror.  I believe this with my whole heart, and I tell myself this all the time.  When I face things that are unknown, painful, or scary I remind my heart that I am more than a conqueror because of Christ Who lives within me.  I know the words, “We are more than conquerors” have become so overused in religious circles that maybe we don’t fully absorb the truth in the statement anymore, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  This was the first truth that God led me to as I “ran out of the shade”.  So, this is where we will start.

The truth is, there is no battle that we will ever face during our lives that God has not already placed a path to victory within. The problem sometimes lies in the fact that we have earthly minds and hearts and can miss the true victories tucked within a circumstance.

So, my first encouragement for you is to look for the victories.

You are more than a conqueror.  You are set up to win.  So, whatever it is you are facing or going through, look for a victory every day.  Ask God to open your spiritual eyes to see the many different victories that have already been built into your history.  Some say we should never look back, and only focus on today and the future.  I say, look back when you need to remember the goodness of God in any given moment.  I also say, look back if you are currently experiencing an unexpected or recurring place of pain in your heart and you can’t seem to find your way out of it.  The answer is probably connected to an unresolved pain of the past.  Use your past as a tool to unlock your future, not as an excuse to stay where you are.

I was unable to walk out much victory in my personal life, until I revisited past hurts and allowed God’s truth to be spoken and to shatter the lies I’d built my life upon.

Prayer Moment:  Search out victories in today.  I encourage you to take time this morning and ask God to reveal to your heart and mind the many victories you’ve experienced in your life thus far.  No matter how small or large they are, each one matters.  If you build a house of rocks, in the end the size of each rock is irrelevant, but if one is removed it will leave an obvious hole that must be filled.  Likewise, any and all victories should be counted, remembered and meditated upon to build up your strength to fight another day.

 

What then, shall we say in response to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  Romans 8:31-37