Breakthrough - What's Next? Making Breakthrough Your New Normal, Part 2

Is it possible? I mean, is it possible to experience supernatural power into impossible situations on a regular basis?

I mean, we've all had probably one of those little windows and our eyes get big and God has really moved in a powerful way. Is it possible to see that happen on a regular basis? The answer? Yes.

How? That's today. Don't miss it. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Living on the Edge is an international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram.

I'm Dave Druey. We're wrapping up our series Breakthrough, unleashing God's power into impossible situations. So if you missed any of these messages along the way, they're available online at livingontheedge.org or on the Chip Ingram app. We've learned about the first steps to breakthrough and how to make room for breakthrough. And in this program, Chip picks up where he left off talking about how God did amazing things in the life of a person who had a lot of successes and failures just like you and me. So here's Chip now with part two of his message, What's Next?

Making Breakthrough Your New Normal. Let's pick up the story here. It's Psalm 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me and devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart I will not fear.

Though a war break out against me, even then I will be confident. And what we're going to see is from his personal journey exactly who he was. Who was he? In this first section, verses one through three, he was a bold risk taker. He was a bold risk taker.

What's he saying? In fact, you know, he starts with the wicked, then he goes to some enemies, and then it's like if a whole army, I mean a whole army, or if an entire war comes against me, what is he saying? I will be confident. Why is he going to be confident? It's not because he thinks he's stronger, better, wiser, or more godly.

It's because he knows who God is. And so when you see God and know God for who he is, you're a bold risk taker. Question, are you a bold risk taker? Are you a bold risk taker in your relationships? Are you a bold risk taker at work?

Are you a bold risk taker in your neighborhood? Second thing, in the next section, we're going to learn that he was a passionate worshiper. That's who he was, number two, a passionate worshiper.

And you say, well Chip, where do you get that? Look at verse four, one thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. He's declared, I'm not going to live in fear, and now he's going to say, this is my personal number one priority in life. One thing, one thing, one thing do I seek, and what is it? That I may dwell in the house of the Lord. David was a passionate worshiper, and what did he do? He pursued God. He pursued God. His passion was for a person, not for prosperity. His number one passion was for God himself, not for what God could give him. And he arranged his time, and he arranged his energy around pursuing God. And what he does, he praises him.

He wants to behold his beauty. He wants to praise him, and for some of us it's kind of like, boy I don't really know how to do that. I brought three tools that have been helpful for me because my confession is, at least the first decade or so I was a Christian, and I'm probably exaggerating, it was probably more, praise was not a big part of my life. I interceded, I prayed, I thanked, but this idea of acknowledging who God is and worshipping for who he actually is, which enlarges your view, God says he inhabits the praises of his people. And so a couple things happen, I keep mentioning this book because I've been reading it for over 30 years, but it's called The Knowledge of the Holy, and it's three or four chapters on the attributes of God. As I begin to read about the attributes of God, I begin to enlarge my mind and my heart and I would begin to praise him for who he was.

A book that has been instrumental in my wife's life, Ruth Meyers wrote a book called 31 Days of Praise. Praise will strengthen your faith, praise ushers you into God's presence, praise activates God's power, praise helps you overcome demonic opposition, praise transforms your perspective, and praise brings pleasure and glory to God. And what I know is most of us are busy and we come to God like we do other people, I want to get this done, could you take care of this, God I have a problem, would you take care of that, and basically for many of us, our time with God is oh God will you fix this, take care of that, or give me, so I get relief. David was a worshipper, he was a passionate worshipper. In fact can I give you an example, if David was going to come to our services he would have been here five to seven minutes early. Because David would have never dreamed that someone getting up and declaring the truth of God's word is more important than gathering and singing praises directly to God.

And yet we kind of live in a day, see our behavior always tells you what you believe. So if you can come ten minutes late or fifteen minutes late or eight minutes late and you know the singing is just the singing, actually we're not singing to one another, we're declaring the praise of the holy creator of the earth, he finds pleasure in it, his presence is manifested in it, and it's not just reserved for corporate worship. I'll meet a lot of people and say oh yeah I missed the last couple of weeks because I wanted to do this and I wanted to do that, but I watched it on the internet, I got news for you, you can get content, the presence of God doesn't show up on the internet. You need to be gathered with God's people and for some of us maybe loosen up a little bit. See part of us long to experience God's presence, we won't let our emotions get involved. And maybe the place to start is in a back bedroom, put a pillow under the door and sing to God. What you'll find is your experience of him will change, his power will get manifested and your problems will sort of start shrinking.

Another little book that's been very helpful to me is called The Handbook of Prayer by Ken Boa, and it's nothing but scripture but he just takes you through praying scripture back to God. And when I have done that it's amazing, there's mornings I get up, I don't know about you but how it works, there's mornings I get up I don't even want to go to the day. I don't want to face the problems, I got a list this long, I can't get it done, there's two issues I'm overwhelmed with, there's demands right, I mean that's, but if I stay there and go into my day that way it's usually not a pretty picture. And so I have to stop and I just choose, God I don't feel like talking to you sorry, I don't feel like reading your word sorry, but I want to remember who you are. And so the first thing I usually do and this morning was particularly spectacular is you know the dog wants out very early and I let the dog out and then I turn all the lights out in the house and every morning I just look up and hope that there's a clear sky so there's stars. And this morning there was those puffy clouds in different places and stars everywhere and a sliver of a moon. And I looked up and I saw the big dipper and the little dipper and all these stars and I was just reminded the God who spoke those into existence and holds them moment by moment by the word of his power says to me, little old Chip Ingram, everything you need I'm here for you.

I made all that and I live inside of you, just let me help you. And you know what he will. He was a bold risk taker, he was a passionate worshipper who pursued God and third he was a wounded healer. We picked that up in verse seven, he says hear my voice when I call Lord and then notice the first thing, I mean this is a guy that's committed murder, this is a guy that has committed adultery, this is a guy that realizes when he looks at his fathering track record it's too late, he's messed up. He says be merciful to me and answer me, my heart says of you seek his face, your face Lord I will seek.

And then he's like us, he struggles with rejection, he struggles with abandonment, he longs and craves acceptance. So listen to this prayer, do not hide your face from me, do not turn away from your servant in anger. Well why would God be angry? Well he knows why God would be angry with him. Anybody in this room know why God should probably be angry with you?

I do. And he's praying. He goes I've messed up, don't turn away, don't hide from me. Notice what he goes on to say, do not reject me or forsake me, God my savior, without you I don't have a prayer.

Though my father and my mother are even if or in the possibility that my father and mother would forsake me, the Lord will receive me. And so what you hear is a man who's a wounded healer. And you know what he was?

What did he do? He was honest with God. He was just honest with God. Later David would write, you might chop this down, it's been helpful for me, Psalm 145 verse 18. The Lord is near to those who call upon him. That's the first half of the verse. And I don't know about you but there's been times where I've called upon him and he didn't feel near at all.

Anybody there? Oh God help. I had a guy write an email, we're on a journey with a fellow in another state and he's a doctor and he's real smart and he's real analytical. And people have challenged his faith and we're reading books together and he wrote me a long email. And he said I feel like I have this letter made out to God but I just don't know where to send it. And you know we've read mirror Christianity and the case for Christ and a number of books and all kind of different things. And he's trying with his mind to put his arms around all of it.

And the second half of that verse says the Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. See God just rushes to help you the moment instead of posing, posturing, denial, excusing, blaming. You know a lot of our prayers are you know if my wife would just shape up or if my husband would start being more sensitive. If my son would finally repent you know if the educational system would get straightened out of Hollywood we could make all those bad movies.

You know if the government would just do something you know. All those things that you can't control. But what you see from David's life is you know he had lots of ups and lots of downs. The moment you get honest with God and own your mistakes, your struggles, your failure and your weakness you will not meet a God whose arms are crossed, whose toe is tapping and looks down on you with I was wondering when you would come.

Because I have this cosmic ruler that I want to wrap your knuckles and on your forehead. You will meet a God who in every way like you has been tempted yet without sin who walked on this earth and had prostitutes fall at his feet and weep over his feet and dry him with their hair. He's looked into the eyes of people that were his closest friends who moments later would betray him. He understands the pain of humanity.

He completely understands where you are, where you've been, what you've done. So much so that he went to a cross and died in your place and rose from the dead and said it's finished. And offers not just a one time forgiveness for your sin where you're born again. But as a follower sometimes after you blow it when you've known the Lord for a long time it's harder to get honest with God isn't it?

I should know better, I should know better. I can't believe I did that and you hide it. And then pretty soon there's no experience of God and then pretty soon you start acting in ways and people can see the difference. You want to experience supernatural power? Be honest with God. Just get ruthlessly honest about the mistakes and the hurts and the past and pray something like this. Don't turn away from me. Don't forsake me. And then did you notice this little phrase in his heart something inside of him. He had ups, he had downs but something inside of him said seek the Lord, seek the Lord. And then he's speaking to himself and my heart said I'll seek your face.

Did you notice the word face, face, face it pops up here and the beauty of the Lord in his face. It's intimacy, it's personal. See there isn't this little formula breakthrough if I do A, B, C, and D then God will fix my marriage. A, B, C, and D then my kids.

A, B, C, and D then my business soul. I mean that is just forgive the terminology that's spiritual baloney. And it completely misses the point of the heart of God.

He loves you. Supernatural power is available for those who are bold risk takers. For those who are passionate worshipers. For those who are wounded healers. And by the way sometimes you ask God for a breakthrough are you ready for this? Here's his answer.

No. What? Yeah sometimes oh God will you deal with this, will you deal with this and maybe it's a physical healing or maybe it's part of a relationship and the other person has to change and sometimes he says no. And it's not because you don't have enough faith. The apostle Paul wanted a breakthrough. It's recorded in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. And Paul had quite a bit of faith.

He earlier in the same chapter talked about God giving him this view of heaven. And we don't know what it was but there was something in his life that was a real real pain. And once he asked God said no. Twice he asked God said no. Three times God says no.

And then God says to this 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9. I'm not going to give you the supernatural relief in this situation. My grace is sufficient for you. For power is perfected in weakness.

But you can't ever get power perfected in weakness until you get honest enough to say this is weakness. I can't handle this. God please take it away. And then here's the response that ushers in power.

I love this. Verse 10 says therefore not just I'll put up with it. I'll deal with it. I'll try to have a good attitude.

What's he say? Therefore I'm well content with weakness. With insults. With distress. With persecutions.

With difficulties. For Christ's sake. For when I'm weak then I'm strong.

In other words the apostle Paul says if this is the way you get supernatural power and I'm made for eternity and I'm in this little thing short term called time. Well bring it on. Just bring on the insults. Bring on the distress. I don't care what other people say.

I don't care if I stay in prison. This thorn in my flesh. If this is a part of the journey I want to experience your power. The church and the world doesn't need to see more stuff and more buildings and more religion. They need to meet Christians filled with God's power who are going through difficult times and have joy. Who restore things when people thought there was no hope.

Who live with a great attitude and terrible job situations. Who lose their homes or lose their businesses or going through difficult times and your non-Christian friends are going how in the world can you have a good attitude? And you say well it's not easy but God's grace is sufficient. Would I like my home back? Would I like my business? Would I like things to work out?

Am I happy that for reasons I can't understand after 23 years my mate decided I don't love you anymore and walked off with someone else? It's a fallen painful world but the Lord is my light and my salvation. The Lord is my deliverer. He's my stronghold and it's in those difficulty and painful times that God works powerfully. He was a wounded healer and what did he do? He was honest with God. In the next section we learn that there's a part of this man that never gives up the fight.

He was a fierce warrior. Verse 11 he says teach me your way Lord. Lead me in a straight or literally a level path. In other words God in all the ups and all the downs and all the struggles I want you to teach me. I'm listening.

I want to figure out where you're at work and I want to join you. Teach me and lead me. But then he tells why. Because he understands he's in a battle. Because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desires of my foes for false witnesses rise up against me spouting malicious accusations. Circle the word oppressors. Circle the word foes.

Circle the word false witnesses and then circle malicious accusations. He was a fierce warrior. And you know what he did? He followed God.

That's how simple. He just followed God. What's the game plan for a king in this season? What's the game plan for a father who's really failed?

What's your way and your instruction when you've sinned deeply and committed adultery? What do you do when there's prosperity everywhere? What he was asking was I want to learn. I want to follow whatever you say.

That's what I want to do. The moment you say that to God I will guarantee his will will be almost the opposite of the entire culture coming at you and unfortunately opposite of most Christians. See where there's faith there's power. Where there's praise there's power.

Where there's honesty admitting weakness there's power. And what's he doing right here? He's a fierce warrior but how's he fighting?

I mean he's won on the battlefield. What's he doing? He's praying. God, teach me. God, show me. This is like saying God, show me how to figure out the software program. God, show me how I relate to my grown son or daughter.

God, show me how to deal with this physical disability. God, show me. Teach me. Lead me.

I want to do life your way. It's just following. And as you step and follow, power. As you step and follow, power.

Why do you think there's those Old Testament stories? You know they're at the Jordan River when they stepped what happened? Peter, Lord if it's you tell me to come. Come.

You know he could stand in that boat forever. He steps. He follows. Asking God what he's up to.

Following him. What would happen if each of us became fierce warriors for God's agenda? And stopped asking God, how are things going with me and for me?

And started asking, what is your agenda? Will you teach me? Will you lead me? The hope for America, it's as we walk out of here, filled with God's Spirit, expecting him to work, being passionate worshipers who take bold risk, who say I will follow no matter what.

I can't do it but in my weakness. And the God of heaven will choose because he's promised to blow the wind of life in you and me. And you will get to be the recipients of him doing things in you that you thought were not possible.

And things through you that you thought were only for superstars. But see when he does that through ordinary people like us and shepherd boys, who gets the credit? He does. Finally, he was a faithful servant. In other words, he didn't give up. He didn't give in. Here's what he did. He finished well.

Notice what it says. He says in verse 13, I remain confident of this. Now think of all that he's been through. He's had a son turn on him. He's run for his life. He's experienced a coup. He's been in battles. He's been hiding in caves. He's seen amazing prosperity. I remain confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord where?

In the land of the living. Now, he knows he's going to see. He wrote Psalm 23, right? He knows that goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life and that he's going to spend that with the Lord forever. What he's saying is I am confident. I know for sure I'm going to experience God's goodness.

Where's the land of the living? That's the right now. That's today. Despite the difficult, despite the circumstances, he's going to finish well. Why? Notice he gives this warning. Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Take heart and wait for the Lord.

When he says be strong, you know what he's saying to people like us? Don't give up. Don't give in. Don't give up on that situation. Don't give up on that person. Take heart means don't be discouraged. Don't get inwardly focused.

Endure, persevere. See, where there's perspective, there's power. David understood. Think of the part of the Bible that he had.

He had the first five books and a bit more. And he could read in Genesis about someone named Joseph. And what David was a worshiper and a man of faith, and what he knew is that when you step out and God does the impossible through you and he has a great plan, sometimes the first thing he does is you get betrayed by people who love you. And then after you're betrayed, you land in a pit. And then he may prosper you for a while and then people lie about you and you can be falsely accused of things.

And then after that, just to top it off, he'll stick you in prison. So you're in the pit, then you're in the prison so that you can end up the second most powerful person in the world to save an entire nation and be exalted because what did we learn earlier? Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may lift you up. See, David understood the Joseph journey. What he understood was, here's the spiritual equation. If God is absolutely sovereign in control of all things, if God is good, that means he has my best interest in mine, but even in a fallen world, he's all powerful, he will orchestrate his power, his goodness, and his wisdom in the midst of the sin and betrayal and ugliness of other people and out of that will come his goodness in me and through me in the land of the living.

And what I have to do is not bail out because he always does something deep in you before he does something significant through you. Who is David? David is a shepherd boy that became a king and he was a bold risk taker, he was a passionate worshiper, he was a wounded healer, he was a fierce warrior, and he was a faithful servant, a servant of God. What did he do?

Very simply, he trusted God, he pursued God, he was honest with God, he followed God, and he finished well. Here's the question I think God is probably asking all of us. Who are you gonna be?

And what do you do? Do you live by faith? Are you a bold risk taker? Are you a passionate worshiper? Are you willing to be a wounded healer?

Are you gonna fight? Are you gonna realize life isn't fair and you're not a victim but the power of Christ lives within you? See, where there is faith, there's power. Where there is praise, there's power. Where there's honesty, there's power. Where there's prayer, there's power. And where there's perspective, and you see the big picture, there's the grace and power of God for him to unleash in you and through you his purposes for all those around you. And that's called breakthrough.

Chip will be right back with his application for today, but just a quick reminder, this message, What's Next? Making Breakthrough Your New Normal, is from his series, Breakthrough, unleashing God's power into impossible situations. Now, maybe your impossible situation is a relationship, an addiction, or a painful event in your past.

Well, here's the truth. Breakthrough isn't something we sit around and wait for. It happens when we trust God for the impossible and start cooperating with him to make it a reality. In this series, Chip helps us take the first steps toward breakthrough in our relationships, our habits, and our attitudes. Breakthrough resources are available in both audio and video formats, including online streaming with a study guide. For previews and ordering details, check out Breakthrough at livingontheedge.org, special offers on the Chip Ingram app, or give us a call at 888-333-6003.

That's 888-333-6003. Well, Chip, before you get to your application, you've said that breakthroughs don't happen by trying harder, that breakthroughs come by being dependent on God. Now, could you give us maybe some specific ways that actually happens in your life?

Well, Dave, as we have taught through this whole series, breakthroughs come when the supernatural power of God occurs in your life, when by faith we cling onto him and we trust him and we're asking him to do the impossible. And that means that we're dependent, and that means the very first thing you have to do is recognize you can't do it and so you ask. And another word for ask is prayer. I mean desperately dependent prayer. And when I meet with people, I'll often give them that counsel.

And if they're really honest, they kind of look down at their feet a little bit and they basically say, you know, I'm not very good at praying. I can't concentrate, my mind wanders, I find myself saying the same things over and over. And I will often say to them, have you ever considered journaling?

I am a little ADD, my mind wanders. And by keeping a journal, and by that I don't mean we're documenting pages and pages of what happened yesterday and all the different events, but I mean a spiritual journal. This is where God spoke to me.

Here's a promise that I'm hanging onto. Here's a specific request for this day. And so a journal has been like a place that I can go back to over and over and when I don't know what to say and when my mind drifts, I literally write out a number of my prayers. And I just can't tell you how the basis of Breakthrough has been seeing God did it.

God did it. I go back through and I write dates answered and I put the date next to it. And so as a result of that, I think our creative team said, you know, Chip, you seem to be like really into this journaling stuff. What if we created something really nice that kind of uses how you do it and maybe beyond that put some great passages or quotes from historic figures or even a lyric or two from, you know, the great hymns of the faith. Let us create a resource that would help people interact with God, abide in Christ, track their spiritual progress, and very specific answers to prayer. And so that's what we've done. And if you have never journaled or if you are a regular person who does journal, let me encourage you to check out the brand new journal we've created.

I think it'll be a great tool for your Breakthrough. Thanks, Chip. Well, it's easy to be excited about our new prayer journals because they're so well done. They're beautifully bound in a couple of different colors with embossed gold or silver trimmings.

And inside, it's even better. Chip's given you a few of his journaling tips. There's a dedication page if you want to send it as a gift.

And there's tons of room for you to do your own personal journaling. For a limited time, our brand new prayer journals are discounted. So I hope you'll check them out today. You'll find all the details at livingontheedge.org. App listeners will find them when you tap Special Offers.

And for more information, just give us a call at 888-333-6003. Well, now here's Chip with a final thought. As we close today's program, we learned five things from David that made him a person who experienced supernatural power on a regular basis. He was a bold risk taker. He was a passionate worshiper. He was a wounded healer. He was a fierce warrior, and he was a faithful servant. Which one of those, if you had to choose one, that you need to say, Lord, I need to address that in my life. I need to become a fierce warrior or a passionate worshiper.

Why don't you ask him? And then take the first step and say, Lord, teach me how to be that kind of person. And you will unlock the door for future breakthrough. God bless you, and keep pressing ahead. Just before we close, I want to say thanks to those of you who are giving regularly to the ministry of Living on the Edge. You're making a huge difference helping other Christians live like Christians. Now, if you're enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but aren't yet on the team, would you consider becoming a monthly partner? Now, to do that and set up a recurring donation, just call us at 888-333-6003, tap the donate button on the app, or visit us online at LivingOnTheEdge.org. And let me thank you in advance for your generosity. Well, for all of us here, this is Dave Druey saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.