Breakthrough. (Pastor: Les Quinones)

Today's sermon is called Breakthrough.

Tell the person next to you break through.

Breakthrough.

Now, what's interesting is there are some things in life that don't change because you prayed once.

Some things don't change because you prayed once.

Can that happen?

Yes.

But not all the time.

Not all the time.

There's some doors that don't open because you asked God to open it one time.

I wish it were so, but it's not the way it is.

There are some mountains that don't move simply because you stood at the bottom of the mountain and said, God, make this mountain move.

No.

I wish it were so, but it's not a reality.

Amen.

You see, sometimes you just gotta press.

You gotta press.

Sometimes you gotta press.

Not only do you have to press, but sometimes you have to push.

Press, push, and sometimes you gotta persevere.

Sometimes you gotta keep walking when you can't even see where you're going.

Where the other side is.

What does that look like?

And the Lord's been putting my heart to talk about that a lot.

Notice that's been a lot in my sermons lately.

What does the other side look like?

That's for somebody.

Because here's the truth, guys.

You can't have a breakthrough without breaking through.

You can't.

It's impossible to have a breakthrough.

You want a breakthrough?

You're not gonna have one without breaking through.

Some of us have been asking God for a breakthrough, but God is saying this.

I'm not just trying to change what's around you.

I'm trying to change what's happening inside you.

Oh my gosh, that's good.

So I'm not trying to change what's around you, see, because sometimes we ask God for things and we want our surroundings to change.

And he's like, but what about you?

What about the internal work that you know I need to work through you?

What about that?

But we don't ask about us changing, we ask about our surroundings changing.

Sometimes the things that are standing between you and your breakthrough isn't even the devil.

Do you know that?

We're quick to blame him.

He's easy to blame because he's our enemy, right?

We know we've been taught, oh, something's bad, it was the devil.

Well, guess what?

Not all the time.

Not all the time.

Sometimes it's your fear that's stopping.

Sometimes.

Sometimes it's your doubt.

Sometimes, oh, this is a good one.

Sometimes it's our disobedience.

No, because since we believers, we don't disobey, right?

That's what they think.

But inspired church will be real with you.

We we we fall short.

Amen.

Sometimes, right?

It's our procrastination.

Oh my god, procrastination.

And sometimes, this is the worst one.

It's our comfort zone.

So comfy.

I like it here.

And I'm afraid for what's out there, so I'm good in here.

And we think like that a lot of times.

So, but how do you expect to get a breakthrough like that?

In comfort.

You can't get a breakthrough in comfort.

Sometimes the biggest thing standing between you and God, right, is the wall that you have become comfortable standing behind.

Because the wall looks impossible.

The wall looks like it'll never break.

Sometimes we look at the material of the wall too.

And the wall looks, this is made out of metal.

And I don't think I'm strong enough to break through this so I could get to the other side.

That's how we think sometimes, guys.

But today I have come to tell you I have come to tell somebody that that wall gotta come down.

If you really want your breakthrough, then that wall has to come down.

It has to come down because you've cried long enough.

You've cried long enough.

You've waited long enough.

How many here have been still waiting for a breakthrough?

Then that's waiting long enough.

You've been praying long enough, you've been talking about your breakthrough long enough.

But now I tell you guys that it's time for you to move.

Move.

Breakthroughs happen with action.

So you have to move.

Because your breakthrough is not just about getting out of something.

When you think breakthrough, you I want to get out.

It's not only about breaking out of something, your breakthrough is about getting through something.

Through, not only out.

Because we think about the victory.

I'm out of this season.

I broke out of this season, but what about what you had to go through?

That's important too.

It's important too.

Amen.

I've been through too much to stop now.

Come on.

I know you guys feel like that.

You've been through too much to stop now.

So, what is it about this wall that's in front of you that has you thinking about stopping?

What's different about this wall than the last one you have to break through?

Is this one bringing that fear to your heart where you're thinking, wait a minute, I just can't get over this one?

We have to think about this, guys.

So, what is a breakthrough?

Y'all know I like definitions.

I love it.

The word breakthrough, right?

It's a compound word.

And that means that it's a word made out of two or more words combined and it makes one word, right?

The word break, let's divide it.

Break, it means to interrupt a sequence.

Oh my god, this is good.

To interrupt a course or a continuous state, right?

It means to interrupt.

So when something breaks, you know what happens when something breaks?

It causes disturbance.

When something breaks, it causes disturbance.

I'm going somewhere.

I want you to think about it like this.

This is what came to mind.

You guys ever played tag when you were young?

Okay, check this out.

I know you, I know you could agree.

So you ever been chased by the person that's it?

And you're running, you're running.

And he's coming.

He or she is coming close to you, right?

They're coming close.

And what is it that you did?

You know what I did?

Time out, time out.

Bro, tell me I'm not I'm not the only one.

Yo, hold up, time out, time out, time out.

They're about to get you.

Time out, time out, hold up, hold up, time out.

That's what that made me think of.

Time out.

You know what you did?

You interrupted what was happening.

Aye.

Yeah, I would have stopped playing.

But that's what a breakthrough does, y'all.

That's what a breakthrough does.

A breakthrough interrupts what has been trying to keep you stuck.

Just like a game of tag.

When they tag you, you're it.

Freeze tag, they tag you, you're frozen.

You have to stay in place.

But a breakthrough causes interruption.

It causes interruption.

It interrupts the cycles of our life.

It interrupts the patterns that we sometimes live in, these patterns.

These wicked patterns start to creep back up.

A breakthrough interrupts that.

It interrupts our limitation, it interrupts our fears, it interrupts our delays, it interrupts what has been trying to convince you that that is all you will ever be in your life.

That's it.

Where you are now, that's as good as you're gonna get.

You won't get any better than this.

That's good.

I'm comfortable this way.

This is comfort is so dangerous, y'all.

It's dangerous.

It really, I'm baby.

Now, the word through.

Look at what the word through means.

Moving from one side and coming out.

Say out.

Coming out the other side.

That's what through means.

Moving from one side and coming out the other side.

And that's important.

Because you make it through by going through.

You only make it through things in life by going through things in life.

Sometimes you gotta fight through what you feel to walk into that God has promised you.

It's unfortunate, but it's true.

You don't get through the storm by avoiding every raindrop.

Believe me, I tried that.

When I was a kid, I tried like, yo, but if I just I won't get wet and I'll make it to the other side.

But no, you can't.

It's impossible.

You don't get through the storm by avoiding every raindrop.

You get through it by walking through it.

That's how you get through it.

You don't get through the valley by pretending that the valley didn't even exist.

You don't.

You walk through the valley.

No matter how dark and difficult that valley is, you have to make your way through the valley.

You walk through the valley.

Breakthrough means you didn't get stuck where you were.

You didn't get stuck.

And there's pressure in breakthrough.

There's a lot of pressure that comes with waiting for a breakthrough.

You're desperate.

I just want it to happen already.

There's pressure.

But pressure doesn't mean that you're losing, guys.

Because it could feel like it.

You know why?

Because you're not seeing what God promised you yet.

You're not seeing what you want.

You're not seeing what you asked God for.

So you start to get a little bit like, man, there's a lot of pressure.

I feel like I'm losing.

But pressure doesn't mean you're losing.

Sometimes pressure means you're about to break through to receive it.

And we look at pressure the wrong way.

Pressure's not always negative.

Depending on the situation you're in, pressure is what's gonna push you through to receive your breakthrough.

Amen?

Now let's go through some things that's required for a breakthrough.

What is required for a breakthrough?

My first point a breakthrough requires movement.

Say movement.

Sometimes we're asking God to move something while God is waiting for us to make the move.

And we say things like, God, open the door.

And God says, walk towards the door.

You want me to open a door?

Fine.

Why don't you make your way towards that door?

Walk towards the door.

We say, God, make a way out of no way.

Because He does, He's a way maker.

And God says, then take the next step.

What you doing stuck?

God, please make a way, make a way.

And you're stuck.

Excuse me.

You're not moving, and God is saying, Well, why don't you take the next step?

And you'll be able to see that I've already made a way in front of you.

But comfort keeps you closed.

Amen.

Faith doesn't mean sitting still.

You can't sit still in faith.

Faith produces movement.

Produces movement.

You know what produce means?

It means create.

So faith creates movement in the spirit.

First Bible verse, and the only one.

Book of James, chapter 2, verse 26.

James 2:26

Thank you, Angel.

And it says, as the body apart from the spirit is dead.

So also faith apart from works is dead.

One thing I learned about this is that faith has to have feet.

If your faith don't got feet, you ain't seeing nothing.

Your faith has to have feet.

If you believe God is talking, if you believe, I'm sorry, you believe that God is taking you somewhere, then I need you to do something.

Start walking towards it.

Just start moving.

If you believe God has called you, then start preparing yourself.

I know people that are called and they're waiting for God to push them out.

No, let's go.

Get moving.

That's why we're big on speakers and training here.

No, what you say, God said, okay, let's go.

You're putting it, we get, we give, we we put you up here to go through the motions.

You have to learn how to do this.

God called you.

Let's go.

Start preparing yourself.

If you believe God is opening a door, then start getting ready to start getting ready to walk through that door.

But James said this.

Look at what he says.

A body, right?

But James says, a body can look complete, but without the spirit, it has no life.

That's what he's saying.

In the same way, a person can say, I believe God for my breakthrough, but if that faith never moves them to action, James says that that faith that they're doing is dead.

Now, how does this connect with breakthrough?

A breakthrough requires faith that moves.

Sometimes we're praying for God to change our situation.

God, look at this situation I'm in.

Please change what I'm going through.

But God is waiting for us to respond to what we already believe.

So my question to you is what is it that you believe?

What do you believe?

Do you believe that there's a breakthrough coming for you?

Do you believe that?

Then walk towards it.

Then move towards it.

Then start preparing yourself for it.

A lot of guys, a lot of the blessings that we don't have yet, it's because we're not prepared to receive them.

We're not prepared to receive them.

God is not going to give us something that we're not ready to handle.

I said this before.

If God would have given me this church four years ago, I don't know what would have happened.

I wasn't ready four years ago.

I wasn't.

I was ready two years ago.

But what happened?

A breakthrough had to happen in my life.

Losing my father is one broke me through and woke me up.

And I'm here today because I received that breakthrough and I was able to say, no, I got to start preparing myself for what he called me to do when I was five.

I gotta stop wasting time.

It's over.

I'm too comfortable in my sadness, too comfortable where I am.

I just wanted to stay serving.

But God said, no, you got to break through.

Amen.

So what do you believe, guys?

You could believe God will open a door, but at the same point, you have to walk towards that door so he could open it.

Your works don't earn your breakthrough or your salvation.

I'm gonna say that again.

Your works do not earn your breakthrough or your salvation.

Just because you work and your works, for example, God, I've been praying for so long for your breakthrough, for my breakthrough, God.

I've been praying so long for my breakthrough, that's not gonna work.

Because it doesn't do that, nor for your salvation.

James is not teaching that we can manipulate God into blessing us by doing enough things.

That's not what he's doing.

He's saying that real faith reveals itself through what we do.

What we do is how people see our faith.

Amen.

That's why James says, faith apart from works is dead.

And dead faith says, I believe God can.

That's what dead faith says.

I believe God can.

Living faith says, I believe God can, so I'm gonna move.

That's the difference.

So your dead faith will tell you, I believe God can, and it's crazy because I'm saying something positive.

But if you compare it to what living faith is, and living faith is, I believe God can, so I'm going to move towards it.

There's a difference.

They're both positive, but one is taking action.

The other one, you're sitting in comfort.

You believe God can because he can.

But when you gotta move, why aren't you moving?

And this is what James is teaching us.

The second point breakthrough requires, right?

Breakthrough requires you to break something.

Something has to break.

If you want to receive your breakthrough, something has to break.

Sometimes we're asking God for a breakthrough while holding on to the very thing that is keeping us stuck.

God, please save me from what this sin that I'm practicing.

You open your hand and it's right there.

You don't even want to let it go.

You don't want to let go of the things you know that don't please God that we practice.

You don't want to let it go, but you want God to bless you.

You want your breakthrough, but you're holding on to what he needs to remove in your life.

See, because um, I believe it was Evangelist Johnson.

She was talking about how we have free will, right?

We have free will, y'all.

And God honors the fact that he gave us free will.

He's not gonna step over that.

How could a God that created us and owns us, literally, respect the fact that we can make our own decision?

That's how loving he is, though.

He wants us to come to him because we want to, not because we have to, because of his position of sovereignty.

He doesn't want that, but he wants us to seek him because we desire to.

And that's what a difference is.

If you can't ask God to break chains, but you continue to wear them.

God break these chains in my life, but you keep dragging them with you.

Think about the heart of somebody that says this.

I've been there.

This is why I wrote this.

God break these chains in my life for this addiction I'm going through, Lord.

And I'm back to practicing it.

Like nothing even happened.

Really, like nothing even happened.

Like I didn't just cry out to God for 15 minutes asking him to break this these chains that are holding me back from growing when the reality is I'm holding on to the chains because I don't want to grow.

That was for me at least.

You could ask God for freedom.

Ask God for freedom while continually returning to the thing that has you enslaved.

God free me.

Yeah, but you keep running back to that little thing.

That thing you don't want to let go of.

That's what has you enslaved.

How could you want to be free but be a slave at the same time?

We want freedom, but we want to be, we want freedom, but we want to be slaves.

We don't even know that's what we want.

But you know what it is?

It's the comfort inside the confinement of slavery.

That's the thing that we love the most.

It's the comfort inside it.

Because stepping out is too scary.

Stepping out is too much.

Stepping out, you really can't do anything.

You don't know what to do.

But as long as you're comfortable, it doesn't matter what's inside your little comfort bubble, it could be them chains you're dragging around.

But you're okay because you're in your comfort zone.

Something has to break before something new can begin.

Something gotta break in your life before something new can begin.

Again, maybe it's your fear that has to break.

This is a good one.

Maybe it's your pride that has to break.

I know my pride has to break.

And I've God's been working with me, guys.

This past month, God's been working with my pride.

And I give Him glory.

It's been tough.

I've cried.

But I know.

I know the method.

So in reality, I got no excuse.

I can't come before God and be like, God, I don't know what's going on with me.

I can't, for real, I can't do that.

I know what's wrong.

I know what's going on with me.

At times I'm prideful.

But I have to surrender that to the feet of Jesus.

Because if I want to continue to grow and continue for this ministry to grow to the heights that God has it, I have to surrender my pride.

How is he going to use someone prideful?

You're in his way when your pride is in the way.

You're in his way.

Maybe it's your addiction to people's approval.

Yo, you know that that's that's kind of that's become a new drug, yo.

Right?

It's become a it's become some type of a drug.

I just want people to approve of what I'm doing.

And then you bend over backwards for people just so they can approve of what you're doing, and then you finally feel satisfied.

Ain't that crazy?

You finally feel good because someone that isn't a part of your life or your everyday life acknowledged something you did and they approved of it.

So maybe it's that.

Maybe it's your negative thinking.

That's a good one.

You know what else?

Maybe it's your excuses.

I could write a book called Excuses of Pastor Les.

Number one seller, brother.

Maybe it is that.

Maybe it's the mentality.

The mentality that says, This is just how I am.

This is just how it's gonna be.

This is just how I'm gonna be.

This is just how I'm supposed to be.

This is just what I'm supposed to.

This is how long and how long my life is gonna be.

This is it right here.

It can't get any better than this.

This is where it ends.

But no, that's not it, guys.

If God is transforming you, then this is just how I am.

That this is how I am cannot be the final statement over your life.

Understand that you're going through a transformation to receive your breakthrough.

He has to work through you.

Amen.

I love that she does that.

Just grab it.

She be handing them out.

She's a blessing, bro.

The third point, right?

And this is the third and final point.

You know what breakthrough will do?

A breakthrough is gonna test your faith.

Anyone can praise God when everything is good.

That's so easy.

I had a good day, praise God.

But Evangelist Johnson was just up here testifying how she had to cover for hours for um not doing it during the week and had to sit there on her day off and work, but she was up here praising God.

That's faith.

That's moving mountains, that's what that is.

You were up here doing, I'm like, oh my gosh, you don't even know I got something like that in the sermon.

Confirmation.

But that's what it is, guys.

But can you praise him when you're still waiting?

Can you think about it?

Could you praise God when you're still waiting?

And I'm not talking about you prayed today and you waited two days.

That's I'm not talking about that type of wait.

No, because I had a feeling that was I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about when you prayed and it's a year down the line and you still don't see nothing.

Can you still can you still praise him though?

Can you?

That's a test of faith.

Can you trust him when you don't understand what he's doing?

That's a test of faith.

And I don't mean when you understand because you see it before you, when I'm literally like you're blind and you don't know what he's doing, but you know his hand is in it.

Can you still trust him?

Can you can you keep praying when you haven't seen the answer that you've been wanting for years?

Can you do that?

Can you keep moving when you don't see the entire road?

You just see in front of you, and everything else before you is dark, but you just see the next step.

That's all you see.

Will you trust God and keep moving forward into darkness with just enough light to take the next step?

Can you still trust him?

Can you still praise him?

Faith is not just trusting God after the breakthrough.

Because that's easy.

You received it.

Basically, your thing with God is over.

You received the breakthrough, he blessed me.

Yes.

But faith is not just about trusting God after the breakthrough.

Faith is trusting God while you are still going through it.

That's faith.

That's where faith gets what?

Developed.

Trusting God when you're still in the midst of that pain, when you're still crying and you're still confused, you don't know what's going on, but you know God is the one working in your life.

Can't you still trust Him?

Yes, but that's where faith is developed.

Your character gets developed in there too.

Not only your character, but your spiritual maturity.

Oh, spiritual maturity.

Amen.

Sometimes God doesn't immediately remove the pressure.

Doesn't?

Because he's developing the person underneath the pressure.

So he uses the pressure of life.

He uses the pressure of the things we're going through to develop us into being who he wants us to be.

But can you hang on and withstand the pressure?

Can you withstand the pressure of life just pressing on you and you barely got enough breath to say, Jesus?

Can you hold that pressure?

Something we got to think about.

And this I'll close right here.

You can't ask God to take you somewhere that your faith refuses for you to move forward.

Can't ask him.

God, take me there and I'll preach your word.

But your faith is not allowing you to move.

How can we move forward if our faith is stuck, stagnant, and dead?

We can't move forward that way.

Your breakthrough may require a step that your comfort zone doesn't want you to take.

That's good.

I like that.

I'm gonna say it again.

Your breakthrough, your breakthrough may require, Dee, check this out.

Your breakthrough may require a step that your comfort zone does not want you to take.

So you won't see your breakthrough because you won't step into it.

You don't want to take the step again because you're afraid to take the step.

But how will people look at me now that I'm taking God more serious?

That's a big one.

How?

I know they make fun of people that are Christian, but they see me take more seriously.

That's a little bit scary to know.

But you ain't gonna see what God has to do with you if you don't take that step of faith and believe that look, I don't care what, I don't need the approval of anybody else.

I don't want the approval of anybody else.

I just want you to continue to approve me.

I know you approve me, God.

I'm just gonna go forward.

I'm gonna keep walking.

No matter how much the pressure tries to break me, I want my breakthrough.

No matter how comfortable I can get in the midst of what I'm going through, I want my breakthrough, so I want to get uncomfortable.

I don't want to feel comfort.

I think we were talking about it yesterday.

We were talking about how comfort is and how bad comfort is.

And it's true.

Comfort is so bad, and I know I said this earlier, but I want to repeat one more thing.

Comfort is so bad and it's dangerous.

You get into this zone where it's like, I'm good, I don't need nothing else.

I have everything I ask God for, I'm okay.

You know how much more God has in store for you?

And we get all cozy, and he's like, No, I need you to hate where you are because where you're gonna be, it's gonna be bigger than where you are right now.

I need you to believe in me enough to take the next step to move.

You want the breakthrough, I need you to move forward.

We know that a breakthrough not only requires faith, but you know what else it requires?

It requires strength.

It requires strength.

And that strength is a divine strength and power that is beyond anything that we will ever understand.

It's beyond anything that we will understand.

We know what natural strength is, but spiritual strength, we got a problem with getting to know spiritual strength.

It's very, it's very difficult for us to understand or perceive what spiritual strength really looks like.

Because we know what natural strength looks like, but spiritual strength, we're kind of like, I don't know what it looks like.

Because it's divine, it's something that we can't understand, it's so big.

That's what God wants us.

God wants us to operate in that divine strength.

And where do we get it?

From the Holy Spirit we're sealed with.

So, guys, I encourage you.

Maybe right now you feel stuck.

This past month I was stuck with a few things in my life.

And I learned I learned something, and Pastor Luce knows what I'm talking about.

I learned that I have to serve more.

That was a big one.

I learned that I have to serve more.

I thought that me doing this was enough serving.

I really did.

I was like, hey man, I'm preaching the word of God, I'm helping people, this is good.

But this is not where it is, it's out there that's important.

And it's not about out there to bring them in.

I don't care about that.

It's about out there to bring them the kingdom of God.

That's what my mission has been.

So I've been learning, learning, and God has been really working with me on how to serve others.

So if you're struggling, guys, from receiving your breakthrough and you feel like God is not talking, please take this sermon as God telling you, you want it, then you gotta come and get it.

You want that change you desire, then meet me.

Meet me there.

Go keep walking.

It's already before you.

Don't get comfortable, don't let the enemy distract you.

Do not let anything that you feel makes you comfortable enough to stay where you are.

Don't let that happen anymore.

Today, I want you to get up and say, God, I want my breakthrough.

And I'm going to break through and go through so I can receive it.

That's all I got for today, guys.

Thank you, Jesus.