Break Up, Break Out, and Break Through
These are 3 things I want to unwrap today, although possibly not in that order, because we may believe for a breakthrough, but there are steps we can use to get there and into the light of day, whatever that may look like.....
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 For God has anointed us in Christ, and He hasalready given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Let’s say this in a way that we might speak in modern English.... “If Christ is in you, you already have received in advance, all you need to accomplish His will and purpose for your life”...
In other words, The Breakthrough you’re looking for, is already in you, if Christ, the anointed one is in you.
God will never send you a message that says the content is no longer available. Your Breakthrough is in you now, earnestly waiting to be released! It has not expired, the shelf life is still good. You can still be the person God says you can be.
If anyone had their head stuck in the sand, it was the Apostle Peter. How did the guy who denied Jesus as he was being beaten by the Roman soldiers, the guy who was hiding in a locked room for fear following the crucifixion and this same guy was hidingwhen John and Mary were the only ones standing at the cross.How did this man became fearless in the face of persecution, opposition, imprisonment, and punishment? How did he become so empowered to perform amazing signs and wonders so that people would even bring out their sick and his shadow falling on them would heal them? So what happened in this guy to transform him into the man who stood up on the day of Pentecost and boldly preached to thousands?
Peter’s breakthrough is really a breaking out.....He decided to get off the merry go round of self limitations that was taking him nowhere. What was already in him needed a breakout... His gifting, his higher purpose, his calling and mission, were all in there but lacked the power to get beyond his fears, his doubts, his intimidations and his old patterns....This is made so clear in the following scripture.
Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. v19 And I give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.
We don’t have to be like the monkey at the typewriter, hoping if we just pound on the keys long enough and we’re patient enough, something will eventually make sense....the unction of the Spirit makes a difference
It was in Peter, but he couldn’t get it out!
He needed something outside of himself, to get all that was in him, OUT OF HIM!
Friends, it is no different with us today. That thing is called unction... It is the force which allows what’s in us to break out,so that we can break through. We pray for breakthrough, but what we need is the “Break out”!!! Sometimes, when everything says it’s time, but the baby won’t come, the doctor has to induce labor....so, the life that’s inside can get outside!
Let me say here that it is important for us to see that the word “anointing”, also means unction or a “compelling force”....
1 John 2:20 But you have an UNCTION from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. v21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because it is in you. 1 John 2:27 “As for you, the unction you received from Him is in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you (if you just use what is in you) For His unction is in you, and continues to reveal to you all things and that unction is real. So, just as it has continued to reveal to you, remain in Him”. (allow that unction to continue to bring your break out from within you)
Jesus told the disciples the difference between having something within them, and getting it out where it can make a difference... It’s the principle of receiving it, so that you can have it! If I believe it enough, then I will do what is necessary to receive it so I can operate in it.
Mark 11:24 “That is why I tell you, that whatever you pray and make request for, if you believe that you have received it, it shall be yours”.
This is why it is so important to store up God’s word in our spirit, so we know what He wants us to ask for, believe for, and receive.
Well, if it’s yours when you believe for it, why isn’t it manifest.... because you must stir up the Holy Spirit in you to bring the unction to push it out!!!
Paul tells his disciple Timothy, 2 Timothy 1:6 “Therefore I remind you to stir up (receive the unction of) the gift of God which is in you...” The word gift here, is also translated, “favor, endowments, extraordinary operations of the Spirit, virtues and fruit of the Spirit) Another version says.... For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you....”
Now follow that up with Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power, (unction) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon (ep-er'-khom-ahee.. “ tocome into, to have influence, to compel”) you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (everywhere you go, in everything you do).”
I have often had Holy Spirit remind me that these gifts, endowments, favor, operations of the Spirit and fruit of the Spirit, are not for me alone, but for the building up of the church, the edifying of the body of Christ, and the convincing ofnon-believers as well.
We are the channel through which God wishes to deliver the gifts to others. If we could just get out of the way and be the best channels we can be, God could really do some amazing things. Too often, we’re like a person trying to pour gas through a foam rubber spout.... (this guy is using a foam rubber glove) very little gets in the tank because the sponge either soaks it up or spills it on the ground......That’s what we do when we think it’s all about us, and our needs and wants instead of understanding we are the channel that God is allowing the gifts to flow through to be given to others....
Peter and Paul experienced transformation, when they realized that the gifts in them, were not all about them, and just to bless them, but to bless the body of Christ and bring non-believers to righteousness....
So, I guess the big question is, How do I stir up the gifts that are in me, so that I can have a break out that will result in break through?
First, we stir up the gifts by remembering.....How quickly we remember all the bad stuff that has happened, betrayals, injustices, losses, disappointments, and heartaches, we have gone through.... But all that those things do is bring us down, and keep us where we don’t want to be... Often, we have the right equipment, but we don’t know how to use it..... Like the folks who bought a brand new, expensive boat, with all the latest gadgets. They were new to boating and after launching their new toy at the boat ramp, it was sluggish, and were having problems. No matter how hard they tried they couldn't get their mini -yacht up to speed. It was very sluggish and hard to steer, no matter how much power they applied. After about a half hour, another boat pulled up next to them and told them that the trailer was still attached.... If you’re going to go somewhere in your spiritual life, at some point you have to take the training wheels off and step out by faith.... If you want to really make progress, you have to let go of your baggage....which is just another word for limitations. How about dwelling instead on how He saved you by putting His Spirit in you; gave you eternal life, hope and assurance; deposited all His promises in you; and the fact that you have heaven to gain, with your family and friends forever and ever (if they are saved); and you have blessed peace that it is well between you and God (and if not, make it so today). If you feel a distance between you and God, it is not God that has moved away, it is you.... Remember that Holy Spirit isspeaking every day, all day if we will listen. You can feel the nearness of His presence in everything you do. You can know that whatever you need is waiting to flow out of you, by the unction of the Spirit....
Second, stay around those who will stir up the things of God within you. Hang out with God chasers, and lovers of Jesus, who will lift you up and keep you on the high road. Satan wants to isolate you, that’s one of his most effective weapons. There will always be plenty of people and things to bring you down and dump on you.... Stick with folks who are quoting the word and reminding one another of God’s promises. How uplifting it is, to join with the body of Christ to lift the anthems of praise and worship, and sit under those who will bring forth the revealed word of the moment. How sweet the fellowship of those in Christ. Didn’t scripture tell us to “forsake not the assembling together with those of like precious faith”, for these very reasons.
Next, continue daily to discover the treasures that are in God’s word. Scripture describes this as precious pearls buried in a field, which a man found and he bought the whole field, in order to have them. Go for the whole word of God, not just picking and choosing. Be like Ralph, who said “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing”!!! We need more Ralphs!.. Too many bibles are sitting on too many shelves or end tables, gathering dust. The treasures within, are still buried, waiting for the hungry, the needy, the disappointed, to discover them and never be the same again!
And last, once you have received, then guard it as though your happiness, your peace, your very life depends on it, because it does. How easily the pressures of the moment, or the cares of life can cause us to forget who we are in Christ.... Know who you are in Christ, and guard that reality with the importance that it deserves.... I was reading of a man who wasvery sure who he was.... as he spoke frantically into the telephone and said, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!" The doctor on the other end said, "Is this her first child?" The man SHOUTED, "NO, YOU IDIOT, THIS IS HER HUSBAND SPEAKING!".....Well, this guy knew who he was!
Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life”. Another version says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. Still another version says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”.
In 2 Kings 6:1-7, the bible tells the story of Elisha’s school of prophets, where Elisha was stirring up and training the prophetic gift in young students that he had taken under his tutelage . The school had become so crowded that the young men got the master’s permission to expand the facility, and they were chopping down trees for that purpose. Suddenly, one young man cried out that he had lost the axe head, which had come off and gone into the water of the lake. He lost his “cutting edge”. He lost his power element. He lost the thing that made him effective. Believe me, it can happen to any one of us. It has surely happened to me at times. There have been seasons when I been so spiritual dry that I could spit dust.
I can bet you. that the axe head didn’t just fly off the handle all at once. It had been loosening over time. But he was so busy swinging that he didn’t notice. That’s how life is. A flat is rarely the result of a sudden blowout. There has been a nail in the tire for some time. It’s much Like Samson, who was so busy fighting Philistines, he took for granted that the cutting edge would be his automatically, and he rose one day and discovered the power had departed and he knew it not. It has well been said that God’s word will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from God’s word. Wouldn’t it have been stupid if the young man who lost the axe head had kept on banging away at the trees with the axe handle after the axe head fell off. He would not have accomplished very much. But we do the same thing. We mistake the handle which is the instrument God uses, for the axe head, which is the real force which is getting the job done....
When we go without reading the word, and without spending time in His presence, we’re trying to cut down trees with the axehandle. We need to constantly stir up, fan into flames, give unction to the gift of God that is in us, by the Holy Spirit!
David could not fight in Saul’s armor, he had to go in God’s power that was in and on, what he already had. Hear this warrior for God as he speaks to the giant that stands in his way.... 1Samuel 17:45 “Then said David to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you havedefied. This day will the LORD deliver you into my hand; and I will smite you, and take your head (your authority) from you, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands”. David received it before he had it! He stirred it up with his words. He fanned the flame, He set the extraordinary operations of the Spirit in motion, He let it break out, and then he had a break through!
Pat O'Brien was a gold medalist in the Olympics back in the 1940's for throwing the shot put. The shot put is a heavy piece of metal, or lead, weighing 16 pounds, that the athlete will throw. And they would, up to this point, come up to the line and throw it. Whoever could throw it the furthest, of course, was the winner. Well, Pat threw it 16 feet, which is remarkable. It set a new record. But he wasn't satisfied with his own record. He felt with the right unction, and greater release of power, he could do more.... so, instead of just coming up to the line. He found thatwhen he did a double spin, he could build up more momentum. With this new style, the distance is currently 23.37 feet. This is far beyond the old record of 16 feet! In other words, when the limits that regulated the power were removed, greater results were achieved. The Break out resulted in a huge break through. Wherever you are, in your spiritual walk, there’s more power available for your Break Out. My Bible says that He goes from glory unto more glory. From faith unto more faith. From strength unto more strength. That looks like Break out to me. Break out is always there compelling and declaring that there’s more! .....MORE!
Are we vision driven or memory driven? A researcher took fleas and put them in a jar, and put the lid on top of the jar. And for weeks, the fleas jumped up, trying to get out, and they would bump into the lid that was on the jar. But after a few weeks, they took the lid off. And what they discovered was the fleas would jump only as high as the lid had been. Even though the lid had been taken away, the lid in their minds was as real as the lid that was on the jar and they were being dictated to by their past experiences. Their past experience told them that this is as high as they had gone in so long that now they accepted it as their new limit, it’s as good as we can ever do. They were now convinced it couldn't be done. But I have come to declare: it can be done. The lid is off. The lid is off! Somebody say, Because of Jesus, the lid is off. Notice Hosea 10:12 in our opening scripture, tells us that when they broke up the hard, dry ground, there was a break out of righteousness.... So, let me add one more ingredient to this.... If we are to have break through, then we start with the Break Up, then move to a Break Out and that’s when we will see Break Through....It’s the same shot put, but there’s more we can do with it through the unction of the Holy Spirit!!! While some folks are standing around asking “can God do it”... We’ve Got to have folks standing tall and saying “ Yes, God can!) Which one are you?
A CAN GODDER OR A GOD CANNER?
There’s a whole lot of distance between God will, and God can!It’s the difference in a spectator and a participant... Refuse to let your past limits describe your greater future ahead! You’re not there anymore, you’re not that person anymore... Old things are passed away, behold all things are now become new! Church, let me put it another way.... We need a Break Up, a Break Out, and a Break through.... You and sin need to have a break up.... it needs to get a “dear John” letter from you with “Urgent” written all over it!!
Anything less is just banging into the wall.....You and compromise need to have a break up.... You and spiritual laziness, where you’re depending on the T.V preacher, or getting all your spiritual input from a Sunday service, need to have a break up....and you need to start personally seeking the Lord until he rains righteousness on you.... all those other things can be included, but you need to get off of the spiritual couch potato status....and BREAK UP WITH THAT SPIRITUAL COUCHPOTATO and tell it you don’t need it anymore!! Paul told Timothy to study that he might show himself to be a workman that would never be ashamed, who understood God’s word in it’sapplications of life....
The Bible says that the Ark of the Covenant was stolen from the Israelites. And a woman was having a baby. And when she heard the news that the Ark of the Covenant, which was the presence of God, was stolen, she named her baby a terrible name. She named him Ichabod, Please don’t even name your dog, Ichabod, which means the glory has departed. If she had heard this sermon today, she would have named him “an-at-el'-lo”, which means “I will rise up” in Hebrew. But, she named her future, by her present circumstances and her past experiences. Never name your future by your present trouble or your past experiences. She should have named him “I will rise up’, because God is with us. There was a Break Out, and a Break Through because David retrieved the Ark and brought it back. And whatever you've lost, I've come to decree you're about to get a break up with the past and a break out from the limits that have kept you back before, So, I declare that you're going to have a breakthrough in the face of the enemy, and take back what the enemy has stolen.
Our Lord wants someone to know that He has broken through the enemy's front line. And what He broke through, you can GO THROUGH...
Because He overcame, you can overcome also in His name....
The Holy Spirit is breaking up some hard ground, some dry resistant ground, some patterns that are resisting His stirring.... There is a young man who is resisting and struggling against the pull of God. But I see him dropping to his knees, as he comes to the place of surrender....The unction to Break Out, is here today.... To get what’s already in us out of us, where it can make a difference.... The Break Through we have hoped and believed for is now possible, and is even now upon us!....This is your morning.....God has been speaking, the Holy Spirit is bringing His compelling force, There is an unction here today.... And you’re going to stop banging into that wall and break through it and out of it and into God’s “LET THERE BE” for this time in your life!!!
