Summary: Breakthrough - a sudden dramatic and important advance God's voice becomes the clearest when we are in distress! Luke 22:41-44 HCSB 41 Then He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 "Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me - nevertheless, not My will but Yours, be done." 43 Then an angel from Heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. "God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain." - C.S. Lewis Proverbs 20:30 HCSB Lashes and wounds purge away evil, and beatings cleanse the innermost parts. When your pain gets worse than your fear, then you change. Psalm 77:2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord. 1 Chronicles 14:8-11 8 When the Philistines learned that David had been made king of Israel, they mobilized all of their forces against him, to attack and enslave him but David heard the news, and he moved to his fortified place. 9 Then the Philistine army moved in and spread out across the entire valley. So David sought the Lord in prayer." 10 He asked, "Should I go fight these Philistines? Will You give them over to me?" The Lord replied, "Yes, go ahead. You can certainly count on Me to give you the victory." 11 So David went out and He defeated them. Then David said, "I watched the Lord break through. I watched the Lord break through my enemies like a mighty flood." So he named the place, "The Lord Broke Through!" Never fight a battle without asking God first! It is the Lord we seek - not the breakthrough! 2 Chronicles 19:4 HCSB Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. Satan attacked him, not because he was doing wrong, but because he was doing good! 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to fight against Jehoshaphat. 2 People came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast number from beyond the Dead Sea and from Edom has come to fight against you; they are already in "Hazazon-tamar" (that is - Engedi) 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. 4 Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah, who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him Fasting is a temporary renunciation of something that is in itself good, like food, in order to intensify our expression of need for something greater; namely God and His work in our lives. 2 Chronicles 20:22-24 HCSB 22 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites turned against the inhabitants of Mount Seir and completely annihilated them. When they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped destroy each other. 24 When Judah came to a place of overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the large army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; nobody had escaped.
