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The Road to Breakthrough

August 9, 2019

Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went. Acts 8:4-5, Acts 8:26-27a

1. UTILIZE UNEXPECTED DETOURS. In Acts 8 the early Christians were scattered all over because of persecution by Saul, but they kept preaching the Word. God sent one of them, Philip, on a desert road where he encountered a court official from Ethiopia. This man was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. He asked Philip what it meant and then, after learning about Jesus, he was saved and baptized! What felt like a disruption and a detour actually became the breakthrough to reach other continents with the message of Jesus.

2. PREPARE ON THE WAY. I’ve learned that the in-between moments, when you’re on the road to a destination, may feel like a waste of time. But if you keep yourself encouraged and stay ready, these moments can actually be pivotal times, transitional moments that get us prepared for the next thing. They can be times when we learn to listen to and obey God’s voice. They can also be moments that produce great fruit and bring change to entire nations.

3. LISTEN FOR GOD’S DIRECTION. The great encouragers of my life are men and women who have walked through difficulties and kept their eyes on God and their hearts open to what He was saying. Let’s not allow anything to hinder our ability to hear from Him — let’s repent, keep our hearts right, stay humble, and forgive each other. It’s inevitable we’re going to have challenges, but if we stay ready and all in like Philip, we can and will experience breakthrough!

Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry

PRAY THIS PRAYER:
God, I thank You that this is a year of breakthrough. I don’t compare myself with others but I move forward into what You have for me. I repent for any sin in my life and I forgive anyone who has offended me. “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b-14). Amen!

break·through, noun
An instance of achieving success in a particular sphere or activity. A sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.and benefits.

Copyright © 2019 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. “breakthrough.” Oxford Dictionaries. Web. 7 Aug 2019 .