WHY YOU DON’T HAVE BREAKTHROUGH IN LIFE
Breakthrough is overcoming something and having an achievement. We need to penetrate the impenetrable in life. And this is only possible under divine power and intervention. We are going to have a look in Joshua 6 to discover the reasons why you don’t have breakthrough in life.
1. There are strongholds in your life that are not yet pulled down
Verse 1: “Now Jericho was shut up from within and from without because of the people of Israel; none went out, and none came in.” (RSV).
It seems like there are barriers hindering you to move forward. The devil has put a limitation in your life. Unless you pull down that stronghold, you will be stagnant, going nowhere. Take time to discover the root causes of your limitations in life. Note that Jericho walls were built for the purpose of blocking the people of Israel from fulfilling their divine destiny.
2. You don’t have a prophetic word for your personal life.
Verse 2: “And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given into your hand Jericho, with its king and mighty men of valor.” (RSV).
You need to know the will of God before you engage yourself in fervent prayers for the breakthrough. It is true that the whole Bible is a message for us. However we need a specific word as a key for our destiny. Borrowing words God spoke to other people may not be applicable in our situations. Joshua knew that it is the will of God for him to pull down Jericho walls and win the battle. Whenever God sent His servants, He gave them keywords to unlock doors.
3. You don’t follow God’s instructions and strategies for spiritual warfare
Verse 3-16 “You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; and on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets…….” (RSV).
God gave Joshua instructions on how to overcome and capture a fortified city of Jericho. Imagine if they marched the city for three days instead of six and in the last day they marched once instead of seven times! They would have blamed God for their own mistake. Some strongholds need two days, some seven days and some even a month depending on divine instructions.
4. You don’t give first-fruits in every new season of your blessings
Verse 17-19 “And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers that we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction, and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are sacred to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD." (RSV).
Jericho was the first city among other Canaanite cities to be conquered and captured by Joshua. So God commanded that it’s spoils and plunder be devoted to Him as first fruits. Later in Ai they were allowed to enjoy the spoils for themselves. Jos 8:27 “Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took as their booty, according to the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.” (RSV). When you give first fruits, God protects your blessings. Eze 44:30 “And the first of all the first fruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests; you shall also give to the priests the first of your coarse meal, that a blessing may rest on your house.”
5. You don’t recognize signs and indicators for your answers
Verse 20: “So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”
There is a time for petition and time for thanksgiving and celebration. Some people do not know what to do when God releases their long waited answers. When you see manifestation of Holy Spirit you need to rise up and magnify the Lord. If you continue asking while it is the time for receiving you may lose your blessings. The devil can whisper to you that you are not yet healed or answered. As a result you will doubt God for His answers and welcome back demonic oppressions.
6. You break covenants with your God Almighty
Verse 21-25: “Then they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and asses, with the edge of the sword. And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the harlot's house, and bring out from it the woman, and all who belong to her, as you swore to her….. And they burned the city with fire, and all within it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD….”
Remember the covenants you made before the Lord. Fulfill your promises and vows. Violating your covenants with God will lead to destruction in life. Remember the pledges you made for supporting your church, spiritual leaders, relatives and friends. If you don’t fulfill them, they will be stumbling blocks in your life. Achan’s sin of stealing God’s properties brought in a curse and defeat for the entire nation (covenant people). Jos 7:20,21 “And Achan answered Joshua, "Of a truth I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them, and took them; and behold, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath." For your own safety, make sure you don’t have God’s properties in your home such as firstfruits, tithe, vows etc. Otherwise you will bring a curse in your personal life, family, church and business.
7. You don’t know how to deal with personal and generational curses
Verse 26,27 “Joshua laid an oath upon them at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD be the man that rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his first-born shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates." So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.”
It is true that Jesus was made a curse for us. So we are free from the curse of the law. But we should not forget that our freedom was not (and is not) automatic. We have to appropriate it. No one is automatically saved simply because Jesus died on the cross for the whole world. We have to identify ourselves with Jesus. If we ignore dealing with curses we will find ourselves in trouble even though we are saved. Joshua cursed whoever will rebuild Jericho walls. The penalty was the death of the first son and the lastborn and exactly happened for the disobedient. 1 King 16:34 “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho; he laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his first-born, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. ” There is a lot of defilement made by people before you in area of your office, business, plot (building) etc. If that defilement is left unattended, we will not enjoy our blessing to the fullest. Lev 18:27 “(for all of these abominations the men of the land did, who were before you, so that the land became defiled).”
MY PRAYERS FOR YOU TODAY:
1. I pull down all walls your adversaries built against you to block your breakthrough in the might Name of Jesus Christ.
2. I pray that Lord God will grant you a keyword for your life so that you no longer beat the air in Jesus Name.
3. I pray that Lord God will teach you how to wage spiritual warfare and get total victory in Jesus Name.
4. I pray that Lord God will enable you to offer what belongs to Him to avoid bringing curses in your personal and family life.
5. I pray that God will help you identify signs and indicators for your answered prayers so that you can begin to thank Him and celebrate your victory.
6. I pray that God will remind you where you have failed to keep your covenants with Him and repent.
7. I break all generational curses pursuing and affecting your personal and family life in Jesus Name.
God loves you and I want to let you know that you deserve the best from Him.
Dr. Lawi Mshana, +255712924234; Korogwe, Tanga, Tanzania
