This year God has promised us BREAKTHROUGH. However, one thing we must know is that God is not a respecter of persons. He is a respecter of His principles. In Acts 10:34-35 Peter said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons…”
So, to experience the desired breakthrough in your life this year, you MUST carefully follow His principles. For instance, In Genesis 4:1-10 God was saying to Cain, “I didn’t bless your brother Abel because I liked him more. I blessed him because he invested what I wanted. I blessed him because he obeyed My principles. If you do what he did I will bless you too.”
What is a principle? A principle is an original law placed by the manufacturer on how his product should be used.
The laid down divine principles that will enable you breakthrough in every sphere of life include: (1) You must pray, (2) Realize in every promise of God is the seed for your breakthrough, (3) You must sow quality seed - Seed Faith, (4) You must walk by faith, (5) Create an Atmosphere for breakthrough, (6) You must diligently serve the LORD, (7) You must walk in righteousness and holiness (Heb. 12:14), and (8) You should be very expectant because breakthroughs happen when you expect them.
Today, we want to focus on the first principle of breakthrough – “PRAYER.” Every breakthrough in this life comes as a result of prayer. Except you pray things won’t change because God has to get involved for things to change. When you pray, you licence God to get involved in your affairs on this earth. Therefore, except you pray you’ll never get the breakthrough you expect.
In John 14:13-14 Jesus said, “And whatsoever ye shall ASK in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ASK anything in My name, I will do it.”
The emphasis in this Scripture is “ask.” Why then do you find it difficult to ask God to give you a financial breakthrough, to promote you, to heal you, to protect you? The truth is that if you don’t ask you won’t receive (Matt. 7:7-8)
In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said, “ASK, and it shall be given you; SEEK, and ye shall find; KNOCK, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
In John 16:24 Jesus said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:24).
In Matthew 21:22 Jesus said, “And ALL things, whatsoever ye shall ASK in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus gave an open invitation to everyone that needs a breakthrough saying, “(1) Come (2) unto Me, (3) ALL ye that labour and are heavy laden, and (4) I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
Why should the afflicted come to Jesus? The afflicted must come to Jesus for two reasons:
1. He is the only solution to your problem (Acts 4:12); Jesus is the only One that can do something positive about your affliction!
2. You can reach or receive from God the Father through Him only.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (NLT).
Look at what the Lord wants you to do when you need a breakthrough in any area of your life: Simply Pray!
James 5:13 says, “Is any among you AFFLICTED (does anyone need a breakthrough)? Let him PRAY...”
The Bible recorded some examples of people who prayed when they needed a breakthrough. For instance:
1. The church prayed before Peter was miraculously released from jail (Acts 12:1-12).
2. Hannah prayed for a child and God intervened (1 Sam. 1:2-20).
3. Rachael prayed for a child and God gave her a breakthrough. “…God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son” (Gen. 30:22-23).
4. David ran to God when he faced affliction (1 Sam. 30:1-19).
5. In another instance David rendered the counsel of Ahithophel useless through prayer (2 Sam. 15:31; 2 Sam. 16:23; 2 Sam. 17:14-15).
2 Samuel 15:31 says, “And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I PRAY thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
In another instance when trouble showed up, David ran to the Lord in prayer. (2 Sam. 5:17-21).
6. Esther and the children of Israel prayed and God delivered them from the plot of their enemies --- to exterminate them (Esther 4:14).
7. Daniel was a man that understood the place of prayer (Dan. 6, 10).
8. Elijah cried out to the LORD when a certain problem arose and the LORD answered him (1 Ki. 17:17-22).
9. Jehoshaphat went to God in prayer when affliction struck (2 Chron. 20:1-12, 17-18, 20-21).
10. Jabez went to God in prayer when he needed a breakthrough in his life and God obliged him (2 Chron. 4:9-10).
11. Paul and Silas went to God in prayer when they faced affliction (Acts 16:25-26)
You too can cry out to God right now for the breakthrough you need, and God will grant it.
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)
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