Two buzzwords have been niggling at me recently. The first is “climate breakdown,” much used by Chris Packham to pretend that we, and not God, are in control of the weather and have completely spoiled it – but it’s a pleasant June day and the birds are singing anyway. The second is “spiritual breakthrough,” a term that has begun to be bandied about prodigally in prayers even at my own church, though I’ve noticed it occurring ubiquitously elsewhere for a year or two. You can be sure that when a non-biblical buzzword comes into fashion, somebody has been monkeying around with the theology, and that is true in spades for “breakthrough,” as I’ll demonstrate.
I say it’s not biblical, but in fact those who employ it tend to make airy references to Baal Perazim, “The Lord of breakthrough (or breakout),” with no reference to context. And as we all know, a text without a context is a pretext. So here is that context, recounted in both 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 14, the latter being the more detailed. Even that, though, is not a lot to hang a theology on.
Once David is established on his throne, the Philistines decide to take him on, and encamp probably a short distance from Jerusalem. As is his custom, David enquires of the Lord through Urim and Thummin, “Shall I attack them? Will you give me the victory.”
In its terse way, the ephod replies, essentially, “Go for it.” Consequently David trounces them, they abandon their gods on the battlefield, and David names the place “Lord of breakthrough” because God, through David’s army, broke through his enemy like a bursting watercourse. That’s all, except that they soon came back for more and David gained a bigger victory, only this time involving God’s armies in the balsam trees, and no breakthroughs at all. In summary, there is one prayer (for instructions), one routine battle, and a suitable name given to the battleground.
But now see what trendy Christianity makes of it! The focus now becomes about apparently insurmountable barriers in our lives being overcome by… well, nominally the Lord, but actually by our prolonged spiritual efforts. For example, this blog starts off asking if we are praying for a spiritual breakthrough in our lives (contrast David’s single, specific, prayer for permission to attack). The article gives ten “keys” to achieving success. These are:
- 1 Call on the name of Jesus
- 2 Pray for breakthrough
- 3 Persistent prayer
- 4 Fast until success comes
- 5 Have faith – no breakthroughs for the doubters
- 6 Align yourself with God’s will for breakthrough
- 7 Trust patiently
- 8 Forgive others, and you’ll sense breakthrough
- 9 Repent of known sin and breakthrough is certain
- 10 Stand still and wait for God to deliver
Astute readers may notice that this is pretty much the same list as Charismatics invariably give for baptism with the Spirit, healing, the gift of tongues, etc. Whereas Scripture teaches “Believe, and you will receive the promised gift,” the Charismatic world is full of pitfalls within and without to explain why you don’t fall down like the others, or speak Chinese, or cure your mother’s cancer. “Breakthrough” seems to be just another variant on that self-flagellating theme.
This particular article goes on with an astonishing section headed “What is the meaning of Breakthrough in the Bible?” It’s astonishing because, aside from David’s victory above, the Bible has nothing whatsoever to say about breakthrough, and never uses the word. But unless you study the Bible rather than reading such blogs, you’re unlikely to notice.
A separate article continues to deviate the “breakthrough” idea even further, if that were possible, from the biblical source, whilst using it as its title. It seems to major on the delaying barriers to the fulfilment of personal prophecies given to individual believers about their lives, and indeed on the resolution of any and every problem or sin. Once more, it is the fervency of our prayers that is required over long periods, in marked contrast to David, who faced an immediate issue, sought the OK from God to confront it, and gained a rapid victory, virtuously giving all the glory to God rather than to his own prowess in either battle or prayer.
Here’s yet another. By this time, there’s no need even to justify the concept of breakthrough, as it has become simply an accepted component of spiritual warfare (like territorial spirits, ancestral demons, Joel’s Army, etc). “The consistent pattern throughout the Bible is that every significant move of God is preceded by a season of increasingly difficult, discouraging opposition,” which is largely true, but not in David’s “index case,” and which completely ignores the truth that God himself may delay answering prayers to test or reprove us, or simply because his ways are higher than ours. Jesus was born when he was, not because Satan successfully opposed the Incarnation for millennia, but because the time was not yet right. Never forget that David did not break through – God did, and without any fuss or human fervour. Jews praying for their Messiah were not seeking breakthrough, but mercy. Couching everything in “breakthrough” language blinkers our theological eyesight, and is probably intended to.
Given the universality of the issues allegedly requiring breakthrough, it is not surprising that God has come to be seen, from one tiny biblical incident, as “The God of Breakthrough,” which has become the title of a 2019 song, thus making the idea seem even more unquestionably evangelical. The song, like the articles, is all about our persistent prayer to release God’s (perennially obstructed) promises.
The transformation of a useful sermon illustration into a complete theological trope must have come from somewhere, and apparently it’s not from David and Baal Perazim. In fact, the earliest reference I’ve come up with in brief research today is from 2016, and not where you were expecting: Breakthrough: Divine Revelations: 1. The Amazon blurb says this:
This is an epic, true story, of one man’s journey of Spiritual Breakthrough. It reveals how, in every single moment, each person is supported by an etheric divine connection – a benevolent force – supporting you in life, and working with you to break through into your greater divinity. It helps you look deeply into every situation you face and find the deeper meaning – the divine revelation. It explains through real life circumstances what 5D consciousness is all about and how it can profoundly help you. The world stands on a precipice. Divine revelation is the answer.
In other words, it’s a New Age book, not a Christian one. And that kind of “breakthrough” isn’t limited to a single New Age source, either. Here’s an article on it from Mystic Minds in 2022, in which somehow Saturn gets in on the act, though otherwise the goals and techniques are similar.
The earliest Christian reference I found to breakthrough, other than a brief, old, reference in Watchman Nee, was from 2018. And quelle surprise, During Spontaneous Worship, Bethel Singer Declares ‘Your Breakthrough Is Now’ originated from our old heterodox friends on Redding, California. In fact, if you search “Bethel Breakthrough” on YouTube, you’ll find Bill Johnson sermons on “How to Unlock Your Breakthrough,” “Obstacles to Breakthrough,” “Today is Your Day for Breakthrough,” Breakthrough Prayer,” “Your Breakthrough is on the Other Side of a Fight,” and many more.
There are many similar “breakthrough” videos by Bethel’s own false prophet, Kris Vallaton, and it is probably not coincidental that Vallaton is at the forefront of teaching that the Church should reclaim New Age practices for the Kingdom of God. Though it’s therefore tempting to blame the whole thing on Bethel, you may also find a glut of talks on breakthrough from the IHOPKC, and no doubt many of the other YouTube titles on the theme are related to the New Apostolic Reformation linking Bethel and the International House of Prayer, such as “Powerful Breakthrough Miracles Prayers,” “I Command Every Open Doors of Breathrough (sic)”, and “Prayer for Financial Breakthrough,” (but not, it seems, for victory over Philistines).
As I said at the top, there is no need whatsoever to invoke new language in living the Christian life, unless you want to invent new theology surreptitiously. I wish my brothers and sisters were more cognisant of that, and would ask themselves, firstly, where such terms come from and what they are concealing and, secondly, why they themselves have started to use them too. Because, you see, monkeying about with theology is not risk-free. In the Old Testament, remember, Yahweh was not only capable of breaking through the Philistines, but of breaking out against the Israelite Uzzah (in the very next chapter) because he played fast and loose with the laws pertaining to God’s holiness.
But I suspect I’ll just be accused of breaking step.
