Spiritual Breakthrough in Difficult Times: The Dam Walls are about to Break!

Spiritual Breakthrough in Difficult Times

"Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn't quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse." - Frank Abagnale Sr.

We're about to churn some cream into butter.

Sometimes we feel like we've fallen into a bucket of cream and we can't get out. We're stuck. 

At times we feel like we’re in a season of drought. We sense we're in a season of incredible challenge and growth. It's painful. It hurts. But the season is there for a reason.

I want to share a message with you, called, ‘The Dam Walls are about to Break!’

God at times can be the one who leads us into the desert. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. He spent 40 days in the wilderness, then, he came out of the wilderness full of the power of the Holy Spirit.

This desert experience can do a few things:

It realigns our focus on what matters.

We need God more.

We cry out to God more.

We establish a foundation on God rather than self.

We develop an understanding that without God we are nothing.

We are caused to rethink what we value.

We begin to value prayer over programs.

We start valuing each other more than ourselves.

We appreciate gathering together to support one another.

We realise that we can’t do it through our own strength.

We say things like, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible!'

If you’re looking to get out of a time of drought, I’ve got some good news for you.

One of the sure fire ways to get out of a time of drought is through prayer and repentance. Now, don't tune out just because I've given you a couple of answers and you can tick it off the list. This is crucial.

There is power in repentance.

In the Old Testament we see a common picture of the importance of repentance. In the lives of the Israelite people we witness a circular kind of journey. The Israelite people were known for being blessed by God, but then would begin to sin before the Lord. Then the Lord would rebuke them, the Israelites would repent and then obey, and then they would be blessed and so it goes on. A circular kind of journey was at play:

Obedience -> Blessing -> SIN -> Repentance -> Obedience -> Blessing

Let's have a look at an Old Testament Scripture.

Leviticus 8:36 says, ‘So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.’ 

Leviticus 9:1-7 – ‘…Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the leaders of Israel. He said to Aaron, ‘Take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering, both with no physical defects, and present them to the Lord. Then tell the Israelites to take a male goat for a sin offering for themselves and a year-old calf and a year-old lamb for a whole burnt offering, each with no physical defects. Also tell them to take a bull and a ram for a peace offering and flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering. Tell them to present all these offering to the Lord because the Lord will appear to them today….

 ….Then Moses told them, ‘When you have followed these instructions from the Lord, the glorious presence of the Lord will appear to you.’

[They then approached the altar and presented the sin offerings]

Leviticus 9:22-24 – ‘….Then, after presenting the sin offering, the whole burnt offering and the peace offering, [Aaron] stepped down from the altar. Next Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to the whole community. FIRE blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw all this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.’

The Israelites presented sin offerings to God, and then the Lord’s presence came upon them.

They spent time in repentance and THEN the presence of the Lord came.

See here's the thing: Quite often Christians today want the presence of God to bless them, then they'll start being obedient. "Well God, if you start working in my life, I'll start doing what's right." You see, it doesn't work like that. We are called, to present ourselves before God in repentance, then the presence of the Lord will work in a greater measure.

If we flip over now to the New Testament we see that Jesus Christ spilt, ‘his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins…. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.’ – Hebrews 9:11-15

So it is through Jesus that we lay down our sin offerings. Our prayers of repentance are offered through Christ. 

Don't underestimate the power of prayers of repentance. Remember the words of Jesus, ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’

In the drought, we pray prayers of repentance. We humble ourselves. We get ourselves right with God. We say prayers like, ‘God forgive us.’ ‘God, sorry for the times I got it wrong.’ Dare I say, we should always position ourselves to pray like that, but in times of a spiritual drought, such prayers are even more crucial.

Prayers of repentance are what mature Christians say. We read in Luke 24:45-49 [After Jesus had risen from the grave], 'Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”'

In a spiritual drought: PRAY. Spiritually dry moments are where we find ourselves in a place where we need to seek God like never before. No holding back. Prayer is not just a good idea in spiritually trying times, but when you’re in the drought and desperate to get out of it, you see prayer as essential!

Prayer [David inquired of the Lord]:

Check out this Scripture. This is gold:

‘When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the Valley of Raphaim. Then David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim. (2 Samuel 5:17-20).

The breakthrough that David is speaking of, is like when a Dam breaks, and the water rushes out. You know, the walls of the dam have been holding the pressure of the water for a long time and when the dam gives way there is breakthrough. Prayer causes the dam walls to break!

How about this: ‘God responds to His people to accomplish His purposes if they will come to Him and seek His strategy for the breakthrough they need.’

David prayed. And God answered. David inquired of the Lord. Now, the word he used in this passage was Baal-perazim, and this means, ‘Master of the breakthrough.’

You need to understand, God is the master of the breakthrough!

You may be in a spiritual drought, but the dam walls can break at any time.

Watch out devil, because what you intended for harm, God is going to use for good.

Prayer and repentance precedes a revolution.

It's time for you to churn some cream into butter.

Don't give up. Don't backslide. Don't run. 

Get ready!

God is the master of the breakthrough. 

Through prayer and repentance, the Lord will take a drought and make it a harvest.

He’ll take lack and made it abundance.

He’ll take anxiety and replace it with boldness

He’ll take uncertainty and replace it with belief

He’ll take hopelessness and the replace it with Hopefulness

He’ll take sin and replace it with holiness

He’ll take tears and replace it joy

He’ll take sickness and replace it with a healed body.

This is the truth. Jesus is the King of Kings. Jesus is the first and the last. Jesus is the ALPHA and the OMEGA. He is the name above all names. He is the Lord of the harvest. He is our peace. He is our deliverance. He is our salvation. He is our Hope. He is our joy.

In him is forgiveness. In him is purpose. In him is joy. In him is righteousness. In him is LOVE. In him is the well spring of living water.

In JESUS’ NAME!!

THE DAM IS ABOUT TO BREAK!

Through prayer and repentance, walk out of the wilderness and the drought with your head held high.

And may you say, God we did it! We made it! We conquered this season!

When you get knocked down, you get up again.

Say to your situation:

I declare a harvest. I declare a new season. I declare a new thing. I declare, God, all the best you have for me. I declare those dam walls to break!