“Lord, I Need a Breakthrough! ”

Original publication:  2/20/2015      Updated and podcast added: 1/27/2020

There are several definitions for the term breakthrough. The online dictionary, Yourdictionary.com, presents several meanings for this expression. Some of them are: overcoming something and having an achievement; the act, result, or place of breaking through against resistance, as in warfare; a significant advance or discovery; an act of overcoming or penetrating an obstacle or restriction; a military offensive that penetrates an enemy’s lines of defense; and a significant achievement or success that permits further progress, as in technology. Several of these definitions are related to how the expression is used in Christian circles but does not entirely mean the same thing. When a Saint says, “Lord, I need a breakthrough,” they ask for something different from the previously presented definitions.

So precisely, what is a spiritual breakthrough? A spiritual breakthrough is a total change in the circumstances surrounding one’s life. It is a situation in which God’s intervention is required. The expression, “If God does not do it, it cannot be done,” applies here. The saint is aware that he or she is dependent upon God to change their situation. Whether there is a spiritual door that needs to be opened, God’s answer is required, or a mountain that needs to be moved, God can give you that breakthrough.

I’m reminded that the Prophet Daniel, though he was a great man of God, had his answer from God held up by Satan. Daniel, in the 10th chapter of the Book of Daniel, sought God for three weeks. God dispatched both Gabriel, His messenger angel, and Michael, His warrior angel, to make sure that Daniel received his breakthrough. If you seek Him as you should, He will give you your breakthrough, too.

Let’s look at a couple of situations in which a breakthrough was needed. In both cases, God showed Himself mighty and strong in response to the cry of his Saints who sought him, asked in faith, and believed that a change would come with nothing wavering.

Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV) 13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Exodus 15:26 (KJV)

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Scenario #1: A young man, OLS, experienced the rupture of an aortic aneurysm due to severe high blood pressure. He had emergency surgery, and the aneurysm was successfully repaired. He did well for several years but was found in the emergency room again with severe unrelenting chest pain. The diagnosis was even more devastating this time. The aneurysm had extended further down into his chest area, and the surgeon who repaired it the first time was unable to perform the surgery this time. The location of the aneurysm made it so challenging to reach that it appeared that there was no hope. But his family was no ordinary group of people. These were saints of the Most High God who knew Him to be a miracle worker. They cried out to God for a breakthrough!

When the doctor told the family this crushing news, they felt the weight of despair, but they refused to believe that there was no hope for the young man. The doctor then told them that there was only one medical team in the country that would perform the surgery without the outcome of paralysis of his legs and/or death. The doctor then told them that this top-notch surgical team was located in Houston, TX, not New York or California.

Breakthrough #1: The team was located only 240 miles away and in the same city where the young man’s father, grandparents, and many other family members lived. He had a team of loving, caring, and praying family members in Houston! The family was told that if the Houston team could do the surgery on an emergent basis and if the young man could be transported there without further extension of the aneurysm, it was possible that his life could be saved. Time was of the essence.

Breakthrough #2 came when the family was told that the surgical team of Dr. Michael DeBakey, the doctor who created the surgical technique, would perform the surgery. The family was then told that the young man needed to be air evacuated to Houston right away, but the family was asked to produce thousands of dollars immediately. This sudden need for a large amount of money sent a new shock wave through the family. As they all got their heads together on how they could come up with the money in the most expeditious manner, the hospital Social Worker ran to them to say, “Forget about the money; you will not have to pay a dime.” They were preparing him for transport at that moment. The family gave God great praise because they knew that the miracles that they were experiencing were because of God’s intervention. What a breakthrough! The outcome of this whole event was that the young man got to Houston without further extension of the aneurysm; he had the surgery, which was very successful, and lived for many years following these events. He is in Heaven now, but he was given an extension on life so that he could be saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. Glory to God!

Scenario #2: This second scenario piggybacks onto the first scenario. A 55-year-old firefighter and father of five, WL, had been diagnosed as having a severe heart condition. He was told that his years of smoking had caused him to need a heart transplant. Because of his age and his lack of ability to stop smoking, it did not appear that he was a good candidate for a heart transplant, although his name was added to the Transplant Recipient list. The man was not saved, and it appeared that his time was about upon planet earth. He had even had a cardiac arrest, but God gave him his life back. But this man had saved family members who refused to give up on him. His two sisters were ministers, one an Evangelist and the other a Missionary. They spoke to him again about the goodness of Jesus as they had on many occasions. This time he really listened. The Lord saved him and filled him with the Holy Ghost and instantly delivered him from smoking.

This man was the uncle of the young man in Scenario #1. When the surgery was successfully performed on OLS, the young man of Scenario #1, the young man’s mother, and aunt were so excited about what God had done. They drove the 50 miles from Houston to where WL lived. They called WL’s children, his children’s spouses, and grandchildren together and cried out to God for a breakthrough for WL. Their faith was high because of the series of miracles that they had experienced with OLS. That night God moved in that living room in such a profound way that they knew that God had heard and answered prayer.

The breakthrough that they sought from God came that very night! WL’s sisters traveled 50 miles back to Houston to be near OLS of Scenario #1 as he recovered from his surgery. At midnight the sisters received a phone call. WL and his wife had received a call from the doctors and were told to be at the hospital in 45 minutes. They had a new heart for him, and he would receive his transplant that night. WL and his wife made it to the hospital in 30 minutes. When they arrived, they were told that his physicians were traveling by plane to Dallas, TX, to pick up his new heart. (This was the same city that OLS of Scenario #1 traveled from). That night the former firefighter received his transplant and lived successfully for many years. Most of all, he lived for and loved God for the rest of his life.

By now, you may be wondering how I know so many of the intimate details concerning these two scenarios. The young man in Scenario 1 was my son and only child. His uncle, of course, was my second brother. They are both in Heaven now, and I feel very confident that I will see them again when I get there. I love God so much for the miracles that He gave to both of them. I can stand in the truth of the Scriptures that if you trust Him, He will do what you ask Him to do. You must never give up simply because a situation looks difficult. There is nothing too hard for the Lord.

Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV)

27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

That Scripture means what it says. There is NOTHING too hard for God. Is your problem spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or financial? Whatever it is, give it to the Lord, and He will work it out. Keep praying, and He will give you your breakthrough.

Before I close, I would like to pray for you. Let’s you and I join our hearts and hands across the miles.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, You are the master of every situation, and we know that there is nothing too hard for You. You are our God, and we love you with our whole hearts. Lord, I lift my brothers and sisters who are seeking You for a spiritual breakthrough in their lives. Even as you have opened many doors closed in my face, I pray now that you will open doors for them. You see their situations, O God, and I’m asking You to work each case out. Make the crooked paths straight. Increase their faith in You and encourage their hearts now, O God. If a miracle is needed, supply that miracle. If comfort is required, provide that comfort. Whatever the need may be, meet it for them O God. Let Your Presence and Your Anointing overshadow them now. Please allow this humble prayer to serve as the point of contact they need to receive their breakthrough. Let them know that You have heard their prayers and that You have seen their tears. Show Yourself mighty and strong in their lives. In the matchless name of Jesus Christ, Amen, and amen.