Breakdown or Breakthrough
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Intro;
Intro;
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”
Breakdown;
a mental or nervous collapse <if you don't ease your workload, you're going to have a breakdown>
Synonyms crack-up, nervous breakdown, tailspin
Related Words frazzle, freak-out, meltdown; alarm(also alarum), anxiety, apprehension, disquiet; excitability, nervousness; disturbance; agitation, discomposure, perturbation; basket case
We all have those times in our life where, if things continue the way they're going, we're going to have a breakdown. Times where there is so much pressure in our minds that we can't explain it much less endure it. Times that the situations we face begin to fill our minds with doubt and the thought of giving up is something that seems as more of a relief as opposed to a failure. Times where there are prayers that we have been praying for what seems like, and in some cases has been, years and we have yet to see an answer. Times where it feels like we are about to experience a mental, physical, and spiritual breakdown.
I want to look at two different instances, in which these folks could have easily chosen to break down and not break through.
Daniel and Nehemiah’s stories are more closely intertwined than one might think at first glance. As we begin to examine them more closely, we begin to see that while their circumstances were vastly different, their need for a breakthrough was the same!
• Daniel has had a dream and begins to feel the pressure to understand its meaning, so he begins to fast and pray for 21 days for God to give him the interpretation
• Nehemiah has been given a commission by God to build the walls of Jerusalem back up and provide his countrymen with the much-needed protection from their enemies and is encountering opposition
While their situations are different, let's look at the similarities in their stories.
• Both experienced pressure - Mental and emotional stress
◦ Nehemiah from outside sources
◦ Daniel from within himself (trying to understand the dream)
• Both encountered obstacles
◦ Daniel – every day he woke up and he had not heard from God
▪ Every time he knelt to pray, and the devil tried to whisper in his ear - “He won't hear you, He doesn’t care, He is too busy, there are others more worthy to have their prayer answered.”
◦ Nehemiah – Sanballat and Tobiah
▪ Rumors
▪ False accusations of him to the king
▪ Threatening his life
▪ Trying to distract him from the work
▪ Insulting the work
• Both encountered physical stress
◦ Daniel endured a 21-day fast and did not bathe – Physical strain on his body from a change of diet and cleanliness – Mental and Spiritual strain from wondering why God had not answered his prayers
◦ Nehemiah;
▪ Physical exhaustion from the manual labor
▪ Mental exhaustion from the mind games the opposition was playing with him
▪ Spiritual exhaustion from the burden he felt for his fellow countrymen
Both could have easily given up, could have thrown in the towel & no one would have blamed them. No one would have thought any differently of them if they had said, “It's not worth it, this is not worth all this hassle!”
Both could have easily experienced a breakdown, they could have let the circumstances, obstacles, pressures, doubts, sickness, anger, bitterness, and hurt break them down.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
All of us have been in this same scenario at some point in our lives, perhaps you are there today. You don't have to break down, you can have a breakthrough today!
You can determine just as Nehemiah and Daniel did, I will not allow my present circumstance to break me down before I am able to get the breakthrough that God has for me!
He is the LORD of the breakthrough! He has never intended for you to stay in this situation you are in, God has intended for you to break through!!!
How do I achieve a breakthrough in my life?
1. Stay close to the King
• Both Nehemiah and Daniel had a close relationship to the King
• If you are going to achieve a breakthrough in your life, stay close to the King!
• Daily communion with Him
• Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together
• Seek His face
• Get in His Word!!!!!
• Learn it, Love it, Live it!
2. PRAY
◦ What do we find Daniel doing every day, even during the trial? Praying!
◦ What do we see Nehemiah do as soon as the opposition begins? Nehemiah 4:4 – Hear, O our God....
▪ He was PRAYING!!!
◦ Sickness or Health
◦ Valley or on the Mountain
◦ All alone or in a crowd
◦ Rain, sleet, or snow
◦ PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY
3. A Holy determination
▪ 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
Closing;
When we refuse to allow our situation to give us a breakdown, God is going to give us a breakthrough;
Daniel – Led to a greater Revolution of things to come
Nehemiah – Led to the completion of the work God called Him to do
Jacob – Led to his blessing and a complete change of Character – Israel
Elijah – Led to an outpouring of rain
Joseph – Took him from the Pit – through the Prison – into the Palace