But what about the
breakthroughs that come out of the clear blue and turn your life around in a
new direction that God has planned for you?
This Christmas
season I have been thinking of all the breakthroughs those in the Bible
experienced because God wanted to use them in a wonderful way for their good
and His glory.
Zacharias was a priest, and it was his time to minister to the
Lord in the temple at Jerusalem on behalf of the people. But this time God
broke through to speak to Zacharias through the angel Gabriel. Gabriel
told Zacharias that his aged
wife would have a son. That in itself was a miracle because she had always been
barren and was old now. But He also told
Zacharias that his son would be the
forerunner of the Messiah. That was huge news. And Zacharias had a hard time believing it. “Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am
an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years. And the angel answered and
said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was
sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But
behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things
take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in
their own time.” And it did come to pass. Zacharias and Elizabeth became
the parents of John the Baptist. And Zacharias regained his voice after John’s
birth.
As far as we can
tell, Mary was an ordinary girl who was engaged to be married to Joseph. She
was probably preparing for the wedding when she experienced a breakthrough. Again,
Garbriel was sent to tell Mary that she would have a baby and He would be the
long-awaited Messiah. Mary had questions about how this would happen but was
believing and willing to take on this new turn in her life. Regardless of how
misunderstood she would be and the possibility of losing Joseph, she was
willing to be part of God’s plan. “Then
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And
the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that
Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed,
Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is
now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God
nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the
Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
Notice how Gabriel gave Mary a link to another miracle that was close to her.
Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, was also the wife of Zacharias. Mary went to see Elizabeth,
and they greatly encouraged one another. So, Mary became the mother of Jesus.
When Joseph
learned Mary’s news, he was about to back out of the marriage until he had a
breakthrough. Joseph’s breakthrough came through a dream. “But while he thought
about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your
wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His
name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Joseph took
that calling seriously and took Mary as his wife, protecting her and the new
Life inside her. He also protected them after Jesus was born. And Joseph became
known as the father of Jesus. Yet he knew God was the Father.
The shepherds
outside tending their sheep had a breakthrough when an angel startled them with
his presence. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is
born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. “Then a multitude of
angels joined him praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on
earth peace, good will to men.” That is an amazing breakthrough for a group of
shepherds who were just working their shift on a normal night. But these
shepherds went to the place the angel told them about and saw for themselves
the truth of the angel’s words. Then they all became missionaries as they told
everybody they saw about their breakthrough and about the birth of the Messiah.
It seems the wise
men had a breakthrough, too. They studied the stars and God gave them the
wisdom and enlightenment to know what the stars were saying to them. It took
them awhile to arrive at their destination, but they met Jesus when He was
about two years old and gave Him extravagant gifts.
If we fast-forward
to the time of Jesus’ ministry, we find Him asking His disciples who the people
were saying He was. They gave him the answer to what they had been hearing. Then
Jesus narrowed it down to this. He asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to
him, “Blessed are
you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to
you, but My Father who is in heaven. Peter did not
come up with that knowledge on his own. He had a breakthrough
from God that enlightened him to the truth of Who Jesus really is. His
breakthrough was probably a light to the other disciples also. So, Peter became
a disciple of Jesus Christ for the rest of his life.
When Saul [who
later became Paul] was on his way to persecute those who believed in Jesus, he
was well-meaning but wrong. He thought this was a cult that was trying to lead
people away from the true God. But then Paul had a breakthrough – a major
breakthrough. “As he journeyed he
came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from
heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said,
“Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will
be told what you must do.” Paul remained a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ
from that moment on. He suffered a lot of persecution but he also wrote a large
part of the New Testament by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
There was a little
girl who was always taken to church but didn’t really know Jesus. She was at a
youth camp when she was eleven years old and the Holy Spirit drew her to the
altar where she was born again. When she was born into the kingdom of God she
came alive spiritually and was never the same again. She became a disciple of
Jesus Christ. That little girl was me. I have never regretted giving my life to
Jesus. He gives me the strength, power and wisdom I need. He is faithful to me
and I want to remain faithful to Him.
Could you add your
breakthrough story to this list? Has God broken into your life and asked you to
come with Him as He leads you on the wonderful journey He has for you? If He has,
have you accepted this new adventure? Life in the spiritual realm is more
certain and more alive than life in this world. Maybe it’s time to ask for a
breakthrough. Maybe it’s time to allow God to redirect your life and lead you
into life more abundant than what you have experienced so far. The best thing
that could happen to us this Christmas is to have a breakthrough from God. The
breakthrough is God’s part. Following Him in it is ours.
If you are already
a follower of Jesus, keep looking for the breakthroughs yet to come. He will
lead us in different paths in the various seasons of our lives.
HAVE A VERY MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
