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August 2, 2005
 BELIEVING
FOR BREAKTHROUGH - WHEN THERE IS NO VISIBLE SIGN OF BREAKTHROUGH
Have you ever found yourself in a state of affairs where you are believing God for
breakthrough in a situation where there is no visible sign of breakthrough? When
there is simply no tangible sign on the earth of what we have received as Kingdom
promises in our heart? Me too!
Whilst meditating recently on this particular subject, the Lord blessed me with
some pearls of wisdom as I studied Matthew 3 and 4. From this short study I believe
there are some valuable principles that we may lay hold of by faith, today, as we
believe for breakthrough in our personal, community, or international situations.
In the early part of Matthew 3 we read of John the Baptist,
who came preaching in the desert saying, "Repent for
the Kingdom of heaven is near." Jesus described John as a prophet
(Matthew 11:9), and the Scriptures point to John as the fulfillment of Isaiah's
prophecy (Isaiah 40:3).
"John the Baptist Continues
to be a Prophetic Message to the Church Now"
In essence, John becomes a prophetic message to the Church
then, and continues to be a prophetic message to the Church now.
In order to understand what this means, we need to consider
the essence of the message John brought.
BECOME ONE WITH CHRIST THROUGH PURITY AND REPENTANCE
TO BRING THE KINGDOM
"Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 3:2
Confession and genuine repentance lead to purity of heart
through our being forgiven, accepted, and adopted as sons by Christ Jesus.
John pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God and the Savior of the World. Our lives
ought also to reflect Christ's Messiah-ship in order that others can come to a saving
knowledge of His Truth.
PREPARE FOR THAT WHICH IS COMING
"Prepare the way for the Lord." Matthew 3:3
John was all about making straight paths for the Lord; in other words, his preaching,
his lifestyle, his words, his thoughts, and his actions pointed to the necessity
to remove every obstacle that would keep us from God's love in Christ and the power
and compassion of the Cross of Calvary.
John lived to exalt the Lord. May we likewise emulate John's
surrender to Christ in our own walks of faith, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate
and remove any sin, wrong mindset, or lack of faith that prevents us from honoring
God with our whole beings.
WE PRODUCE FRUIT BY BEING HUMBLE
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
Matthew 3:8
Perhaps we might describe the fruit of repentance as a broken
and a contrite spirit (which the Bible says God esteems -- see Isaiah 66:2).
"Our Lives Become Totally Transformed
. . . "
Our hearts become marinated in the grace of God, our minds
saturated in the reality of His total forgiveness, and our spirits are awakened
to the reality of the kindness of Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Our lives
become totally transformed by God's love through the Holy Spirit. What a privileged
position of agape (love) given unconditionally to all who seek Christ with humble
hearts.
John continually pointed people to the Christ and the Cross
-- where our sins, our sickness, our death, and our poverty are exchanged in the
Blood Sacrifice of Christ for forgiveness, health, life, and abundance.
GROW IN PASSION FOR THE BRIDEGROOM
"To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what
is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, "I am not the
Christ but am sent ahead of him." The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend
who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he
hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must
become greater; I must become less.'" John 3:27-30
"The Smaller We Are, the Bigger
God Can Be in Our Lives!"
John calls the Church (the Bride) to holy union with her Bridegroom
King, Christ Jesus. Part of believing is belonging. Attaining such a place of abiding
in the Father heart of God releases us to untold joy. We should be a cheerful
bride! John's message was wrapped up in a genuine understanding of the position
of Christ as Bridegroom King.
The ongoing message of decrease calls us to humility and servant
hood, whereby Christ is exalted. The smaller we are the bigger God can be in
our lives!
A TIME TO PRUNE
"The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every
tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
Matthew 3:10
In the context of this Scripture, John was addressing the religious people of the
day. Specifically, I believe he wanted the Jewish people to come to a revelatory
understanding that their natural lineage to Abraham could not bring them to into
a position of righteousness; this comes not by works, but by faith alone in the
Lord Jesus Christ. May God deliver us from any religious bondage today that we might
be a pure and spotless bride.
[Romans 4 is just one excellent link Scripture if you wish to study the topic of
justification by faith alone.)
THE WILDERNESS THAT BIRTHS POWER ENCOUNTERS
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after
me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in
his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn
and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:11,12
Matthew 3 and Matthew 4 are two desert/wilderness experiences placed back to back,
with a message on harvest interwoven throughout. John reveals Jesus not only as
the Lamb of God, but also as the Harvest King endowed with omnipotence, omniscience,
and omnipresence.
John clearly enunciated that any encounter with Jesus was
a power encounter of profound proportions that would rock our world! Over and over
he compelled the people to receive the message of the coming King.
John was a soul winner. We have a similar calling. I pray
for a fresh baptism of God's love and Spirit on each one of us today, in the name
of Jesus.
A CALL TO PIONEER
"A voice of one calling in the wilderness . . . "
Matthew 3:3
John was a forerunner for Jesus, pioneering the eternal message
of the Gospel in his generation. He broke the mold and dressed differently, spoke
differently, and acted differently for the sake of Christ, defying religious convention
of his day.
He was bold for God, immersed and consumed with serving God
and seeing the people embrace purity.
It's time to come out of our church buildings and bless our
communities and streets in Jesus' love.
BARREN BUT BLAMELESS
John was a much-loved son. His parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, endured their own
spiritual desert prior to the long awaited birth of their apostolic son. The Bible
says, "Both of them were upright in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly, but they had
no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years"
(Luke 1:6,7).
"John Believed for Breakthrough
Before His King Came"
The Lord knew at exactly what point in history he wanted John
to be born. John literally came out of the desert when he began his proclamation
of the coming Christ. One thing we can glean from the Scriptures is that Kingdom
forerunners cannot evade the desert experience. It is an integral part of our training.
A desert experience is one when it appears that the manifest presence of Jesus is
not with us, but we believe God for breakthrough despite or, perhaps, even because
of this.
John believed for breakthrough before his King came. His words were full
of passionate and powerful exhortation, warning people of the coming judgment for
those who would not accept the mercy of Christ. John creatively preached and spoke
of Jesus as Savior, Lord, King, and Bridegroom.
YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE REWARDED
FOR YOUR PERSEVERANCE
Ultimately, John was rewarded for his perseverance when Jesus came from Galilee
to the Jordan to be baptized by John. What a moment this must have been for John,
who had proclaimed, prophesied, and longed for the time when he would see his Savior
face to face. "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away
the sins of the world."
Finally, John broke through in the desert and found the face
of Jesus Christ and heard the voice of God in a moment of heart-stopping, life-changing
prophetic fulfillment.
"John Was Rewarded for His Perseverance
When Jesus Came"
Jesus is the One who brings breakthrough. All we have to do
is trust Him, receive His love, and continue to walk in obedience to His call on
our lives.
May you be enveloped in the beauty and the sweetness of the aroma of Christ. Believe
for breakthrough -- it is coming!
Yours in Jesus' love,
Catherine Brown
Gatekeepers
www.gatekeepers.org.uk
www.millionhoursofpraise.com
Catherine@gatekeepers.org.uk
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Catherine Brown's Upcoming Itinerary:
August 6-11, 2005
Conference in Detling, England
with Eric Delve and Russ Hughes
www.detling.com
September 30, 2005
Conference in Lydia, Edinburgh
http://www.gatekeepers.org.uk/events.html
October 31, 2005
All Saints Praise
Cantebury Cathedral with Revival Fire Ministries
http://www.gatekeepers.org.uk/events.html
Catherine Brown operates in a strong prophetic gift
and has a powerful revival thrust on her preaching. She has spent several years
working with young adults and children. Since the year 2000, Catherine has facilitated
several national prayer tours and conferences throughout the United Kingdom and
internationally. Catherine and her husband Stephen have four lovely children and
live in Scotland.
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"As
I read Catherine's book, Confessions of a Fasting Housewife, I felt as
though I were feasting at banquet table. Even though this is a book about
fasting, I felt as if I were dining at a table filled with great delicacies from
my heavenly Father of mercy, grace, and love. 
"Written
in an amazingly transparent style, Catherine Brown's book The Normal, The
Deep and The Crazy adds a much needed gem to the prayer and prophetic
movements in these days. I have had the joy of interacting with Catherine over
the Internet over the past few years and meeting her in person. I appreciate,
immensely, her humility and genuine heart for Jesus.
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