Patrick Jansen van Rensburg
How to Pray for a Breakthrough through Prayer?
A Breakthrough Prayer
- Is different from a normal prayer.
- Breakthrough prayers are for when you have a crisis in your life that is uncontrollable.
- It is when everything is going wrong and you can do nothing about it.
- It is unmanageable and uncontrollable.
2 Chronicles 20:1-2(NIV) “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in En Gedi.
2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (NIV) “. 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.”
2 Chronicles 20:5-6 (NLT) 5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!
Jehoshaphat did 3 things:
- He prayed privately – He resolved to seek the Lord. – His first choice.
- He got others to pray – Judah came together to seek help from the Lord.
- He prayed publicly
5 Things to do when you are in a crisis
1. Focus on God not the problem
1a. Remind yourself of God’s greatness. The bigger God gets in your mind, the smaller the problem becomes.
2 Chronicles 20:6 (NASB95) and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
1b. Remind yourself of God’s Power.
2 Chronicles 20:7 (The Voice) O our True God, You demonstrated that power when You exiled inhabitants of this land for Your people, Israel, and gave it to Your friend Abraham’s children forever. Please demonstrate it again, now, as we are attacked.
1c. Remind God of his promises
2 Chronicles 20:7b (NASB95) Give (this Land) it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
God loves to be reminded of his promises.
Isaiah 62:6 (AMPC) “Put the Lord in remembrance of His promises, keep not silence”
Psalm 91:4b (NLT) “His faithful promises are your armour and protection.”
1d. He asked God for a breakthrough
2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT) “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
2. You tell God that you cannot do this on you own.
2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT) “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
Get the whole family involved
2 Chronicles 20:13 (NLT) “As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children”
3. Listen to God
- You have to have a conversation with God.
- Spend some time to enable God to speak to you.
- Read the Bible.
- God has already written everything in His Word.
2 Chronicles 20:15b-18(NLT) This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”
What is God saying?
A. Relax, don’t be afraid or discouraged.
Isaiah 41:10“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
B. It is God’s battle.
2 Chronicles 20:15 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
C. Keep your position – keep on serving
2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT) Take your positions
D. Wait and watch what God is doing
2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT) Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you
It is never God’s will for me to run from a difficult situation. If you run you will face it somewhere else. Just stand and watch
It is never God’s will for me to run from a difficult situation. If you run you will face it somewhere else. Just stand and watch
2 Chronicles 20:20b (NLT) “Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
4. Thank God in advance
2 Chronicles 20:21 (NLT) “After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendour. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”
We are thanking God in advance before the battle.
What happens when we thank God in advance?
2 Chronicles 20:22 (NLT) At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies ….start fighting among themselves.
Mark 11:24 Any time you ask for something in prayer believe that you will have received it, and you will receive it.
- “Have received it” is past tense – It is called faith.
- “You will receive it” is future tense.
- 4. Thank God in advance.
Thanking God after He gives you something is gratitude.
Thanking God before He gives it to you is called faith.
For a breakthrough prayer you will need faith. You ask God only once, but in all your future prayers, you are thanking God. Stand on the Promises of God and thank him for it.
5. Expect God to turn battles into blessings.
We are thanking God in advance before the battle.
What happens when we thank God in advance?
2 Chronicles 20:22 (NLT) At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies ….start fighting among themselves.
2 Chronicles 20:24-26 (NLT) 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
God wants you to live in the valley of Blessings
2 Chronicles 20:27 (NLT) “Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies”
