Breakthrough
The Message Translation of Jeremiah 29:11 states the following: “I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” What we’ve been through will ultimately become our breakthrough. The word breakthrough can be defined as an instance of moving through or beyond an obstacle. This means that a breakthrough isn’t possible without a barrier! This was the lesson that I learned prior to moving into my new apartment.
After being denied by multiple leasing companies and finding myself moving my belongings on multiple occasions, a falsified story led me back to my mom’s for a while. Most would embrace a mother’s presence and home cooked meals, but this wasn’t an ideal stay. While staying there, my sister’s bed became infested with bed bugs and she eventually took over the small room that I was staying in or “The manger” as I called it. I realized that God was about to give me exactly what I was praying for. After being approved for an apartment a few weeks later, my landlord allowed me to move in a week early.
The Message Translation of Romans 8:26-28 tells us the following: “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” We have to learn that EVERYTHING is a part of God’s plan. This includes the wordless sighs, the aching groans, the tears, the lies, and the betrayal but as the scripture states, every detail of our lives will be worked into something good if we love and wholeheartedly trust the Lord. Our greatest blessings typically come after our greatest disappointments. As The Message Translation of Proverbs 13:12 states: “Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.” Misfortune may lead to a broken heart or a devastated spirit, but one move from God can turn everything around!
The Storm
Every winning season includes a storm or some form of adversity. Before winning their first Super Bowl, The Philadelphia Eagles lost their starting quarterback Carson Wentz after he tore the Anterior Crucial Ligament in his knee during a game against the Los Angeles Rams. The team entered the NFL Playoffs with only three losses during the regular season, but most didn’t believe that they would reach or win the Super Bowl because of losing one of their best players. Not only did they win the Super Bowl, the quarterback who replaced the team’s star player, Nick Foles was the Most Valuable Player in the championship game. Every storm runs of out rain, and every season of struggle and sorrow eventually comes to an end. We have to learn that the storms that were sent to break us will be the ones that make us. Some people will attempt to bury us, but they fail to realize that we are seeds! God will allow some storms to enter our lives, but we have to understand that the precipitation from the storm contributes to the nurturing and growth of our seeds! The Good News Bible Translation of Leviticus 26:4 states the following “I will send you rain at the right time, so that the land will produce crops and the trees will bear fruit.”
Everything that God allows is by design, not by accident! Initially, I found myself frustrated because of being denied by multiple leasing companies and being forced to move multiple times during a cold winter season, but I realized this storm was vital to the growth of my harvest! The Good News Bible Translation of Leviticus 26:6-7 tells us the following: “I will give you peace in your land, and you will sleep without being afraid of anyone. I will get rid of the dangerous animals in the land, and there will be no more war there. You will be victorious over your enemies;” The tenth verse of this scripture adds “Your harvests will be so plentiful that they will last for a year, and even then you will have to throw away what is left of the old harvest to make room for the new.” (Leviticus 26: 6-10) The thirteenth verse of this scripture concludes with the following: “... I broke the power that held you down and I let you walk with your head held high.” (Leviticus 26: 6-13) God is about to take you from a place of disappointment and devastation to an environment of peace where you can walk with your head held high!
The Shelter ️
The figurative thunder and lightning that accompanies the storm may be intimidating, but it’s only an distraction from your seeds being nurtured by the rain. The Easy to Read Version Translation of Isaiah 54:17 says the following: “People will make weapons to fight against you, but their weapons will not defeat you. Some people will say things against you, but anyone who speaks against you will be proved wrong.” The Lord says, “That is what my servants get! They get the good things that come from me, their Lord.” We have to stop worrying about attacks that won’t prosper! God created a perfect plan for your life, and he won’t allow anything to ruin it! As we experience the different storms in our lives, God will provide us shelter to keep us out of the rain. The Message Translation of Nahum 1:7 states the following:“GOD is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, No matter how desperate the trouble.” Despite the severity of your adversity, God will be your strength and your shelter! To paraphrase what my Pastor (Dr. William Curtis) said during a recent sermon, “Jesus always wants to rest in the house that he redeemed.” Not only does God provide the shelter during the storm, but Jesus is there to keep us company. He’s aware of everything that you are going through, and he still wants to be there with you through it all! What you’ve been through will eventually become your breakthrough, all because of having the STRONGEST God within you!
