breakthrough – God's Word Girl

“For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” Joshua 5:6

Now that we’re into the third month of 2025, I have a question for you: How are you doing with your New Year resolutions? (That is, if you made some). I think I mentioned in a post some time ago that I quit making them years ago. That doesn’t mean I don’t have goals or things I aspire to, it just means I’m not married to a to-do list. Something happened recently, though, that made me reflect on dreams and our journeys . . .

I was at the sink when one of the girls made this statement: “Lady bugs sure do have sorry little lives, don’t they?”

“What?”

“I’ve been watching this lady bug and all it does is walk in the same circle.”

I turned away from the sink to find all four of us girls watching in silence as a lone lady bug made the same path on the edge of a lid on an empty container. Round and round and round.

Rachel pet it. It dropped to the handle and began its mad march there until it encountered the curve; then it stalled. She pet it and it began again.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” I said. “Put it with the plants.”

I have heard it said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Such as our lady bug friend walking round and round.

Such as the Israelites and their 40 year journey that ought to have been an 11 day trip.

Such as me, literally crying out to the LORD, “When does circling this mountain end?!”

I had given too much power away, thinking as long as others in my life, those I’m closest to, “misbehaved”, I’d have to suffer along with them. To a certain extent, that’s true. Look at Joshua and Caleb; they weren’t in the Promised Land nor could they enter until the disbelieving, disobedient whiners passed. Yet I can follow their example.

I don’t think they disobeyed and gathered too much manna. I don’t think they overindulged on quail. I don’t think they bowed to the graven idol. I imagine they sealed their lips as the people around them complained and wavered and dropped off one by one; but they held the line, continuing to hope. They held to their faith in God. They eventually received the promise.

Like them, I can have peace in this mountain time. I can maintain my faith in God. I can walk in forgiveness, and obedience, and joy. I don’t know how the LORD rectifies the things that break our hearts or redeems time that seems forever lost, but I know that He does, and somehow He will. The things I aspire to may take a little longer, but there are plenty of places I can now begin to trod in freedom, places I couldn’t go before because I was immobilized due to pain and bitterness.

Have you, like me, like Caleb and Joshua, found yourself yearning for advancement but feel somewhat oppressed due to circumstances out of your control? Then join me in giving it all to Jesus. Decide to stay forgiving and cheerful, learn to put off offense immediately so that the LORD can take you where you will let Him. We can be blessed even if those in our circles aren’t themselves conduits for blessing.

It may be a difficult adjustment, and I often return to:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 KJV

Even if I must break though this cycle incrementally, one tweaked, disciplined thought at a time, one day at time, so be it, at least I have hope that I will get through and I will get to enter the Promised Land.

Let’s pray:

Thank You, LORD, for being a Comforter to me, for mending my broken heart, and restoring hope. Thank You, LORD, for the strength to forgive in the face of pain, to maintain joy in the moments of sorrow, to be still in peace when the tempest rages around me.

Thank You for teaching me when to be silent and when it is beneficial to speak — and to do so in love.

There’s no power like Your power. There’s no way like Your way. There’s no One like You, God, no One but You who gives beauty for ashes. May I be a healed helper, a useful vessel in Your hands, one that brings glory and honor to Your name.

Amen

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV

One of my closest friends called me for a long and rare Friday evening phone call because she wanted to talk to me about a dream. “You know me, Chris, I don’t dream, so I’m thinking there’s something to this,” is basically what she said. I agreed with her but didn’t have much insight that evening.

See, the life wasn’t sucked out of me per se, but my world sure did go tilt in June of 2024. Dad had a heart attack and triple by-pass surgery. All of the medical staff involved was encouraged because Dad was active and healthy. With all of the glowing reports prior and post surgery, the speed bumps in his recovery process have sent us sideways. A snapshot of how this affected me is reflected in my journal. Me, a normally avid writer, especially in my journal, wrote nearly as many pages in one month prior to the heart attack as I did in six months following the heart attack. As a matter of fact, my last entry for 2024 was in the beginning of November and I literally left a sentence unfinished.

When my friend told me her dream I was a little envious and felt like I was re-entering a realm of by-gone days. I haven’t only been slack where writing is concerned but I haven’t been having the best of sleeps let alone dreaming as I once did either. I miss having dreams and what the LORD speaks to me through them. When I was still single I had a very brief dream about meeting a young man that was interested in me; I was warned to not go along with him. There was a couple I babysat for who introduced me to that young man, hoping to make a match for me! Because I had been forewarned I knew not to pursue a relationship with him. So, whatever you do, I implore you to not immediately label a dream as a “pizza dream”, or something created by your own soul, until you’ve asked the LORD about it. If you get no answer straightway, at least temporarily bank it; the meaning of it might show at a later time. I’ve had that happen to me as well.

It could not have been coincidence that I had been thinking about dreams in general (and my lack thereof) and then my friend’s phone call. It also couldn’t be coincidence that these scripture verses have been trotting through my mind lately:

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

“And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Joel 2:28-29 and is repeated in Acts 2:17-18.

I can’t recall if it was that night or the next morning that I suggested to my friend that she pray about the dream and see if God might be opening revelation up to her and leading her into the prophetic by this avenue. But not just her. Was the LORD turning my mind, and wanting to draw others as well into this mode of communication? Sure enough I came across a message a couple of days later that confirmed my thoughts. See there? Even when I felt I was in an abyss God was speaking to me! There’s hope for us who feel in a whirl right now.

The minister referred to this scripture:

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7

Before God does a new thing He speaks to His prophets. The minister qualified this by saying that the bulk of what he was particularly addressing did not necessarily refer to the office of a prophet, but the believer. That simply means we are able to hear, dream, and perceive what God is saying and doing; that is the heart of a prophet and that is what God would desire for all of us. All we need do is say, “Yes” — that invites His voice. Now, lest you fear the office of prophet is being downgraded, I assure you that it is not. I stand in agreement with the minister when he said, “Our ability to hear from God doesn’t replace the prophet. And the prophet doesn’t replace our need to hear from God.”

I also agree with the minister that there is a shift in seasons and this particular method of communication between the LORD and us is going to amp up. He believes that we are in a block of time where there will be unusual breakthroughs in every area that we can think of. I agree with that as well. Dreams from the LORD must not negate what we hear from God while we are awake, but they could go a long way to preparing us, directing us, and answering us as to what lay ahead. That being said, are you willing to join me and move into the arena of dreams?

Dear LORD,

You say that You give Your beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2). You also say that You are the Giver of witty inventions (Proverbs 8:12). You say You speak in dreams and visions, You warn us, turn us from wrong, keep us from pride, and protect us from the grave while we sleep (Job 33:15-18). I believe Your Word.

I say “Yes” to You, to hearing Your voice in this capacity. I commit my sleep time to You. When I dream, I trust You to help me discern between “pizza dreams”, my own thoughts, Your communication, and the enemy should he intrude on this sacred time, this gift from You. And I trust You to help me remember what You are speaking to me. As a token of my sincerity in this endeavor, I will keep a notebook and pen by my bed to record what You bring to me through the night. (Oh God, for strength to be awake long enough to record Your words! 😉 )

Thank You for sleep, and thank You for desiring to communicate with me this way. I desire it as well.

Amen.

Tag: breakthrough

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