10 Keys to a Spiritual Breakthrough

Are you praying for a spiritual breakthrough in your life? Maybe you’re praying for something to change in your life, or maybe you’re praying for God to help you change from the inside out.

The Bible has powerful instructions on encountering God and experiencing spiritual breakthroughs in your life. Here are 10 biblical keys to a spiritual breakthrough.

1. Call on the name of Jesus.

No spiritual breakthrough is greater or more important than receiving salvation by faith in Christ and what he did on the cross. It is through his blood that we are reconciled to God.

Without the shedding of his blood, there is no remission of our sins (Heb. 9:22). There is no other way. We cannot experience the other breakthroughs God has for us until we first receive and believe in Jesus. We do this by calling on his name to save us (Rom. 10:13).

2. Prayer

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Often, the spiritual breakthroughs we need are brought about through prayer, not by asking favors of people or pushing for our own way. Stop looking to people for your breakthrough, and start storming the gates of Heaven through prayer.

3. Persistent Prayer

Jesus shared a story about an elderly lady who banged on a judge’s door until he brought justice. In the same way, we should be persistent in our prayers, and our Father in heaven “will see that we get justice, and quickly” (see Luke 18:1-8).

4. Fasting

Jesus taught that some spiritual breakthroughs will not happen without prayer and fasting (see Mark 9:14-29).

In his book If, Mark Batterson writes:

“When you abstain through fasting, it shows God you’re serious. And God takes that seriously, if the cause honors Him. The reality is some spiritual breakthroughs are only possible with the combination of prayer and fasting. It’s amazing how many defining moments in my life and ministry trace back to seasons of fasting.”

5. Faith

Faith is one of the most essential ingredients of healthy daily Christianity. Hebrews 11:6 says, “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Jesus also taught us to pray in faith, believing that we will receive what we ask for (Mark 11:24), and that even the smallest amount of faith will do powerful things (Matt. 17:20).

It’s not enough to just pray about something. We need to pray with faith and confidence in our gracious and good Father who rewards us when we diligently seek him.

We should pray with faith, not just that God will give us what we want, but that he is a good Father (see Matt. 7:7-11), and that he will give us what we need the most. God always gives us what we would pray for—if we knew everything he knows.

6. Alignment With God’s Will

We shouldn’t just pray for anything we want. Instead, it should be our goal to pray for everything God wants for us. We need God to give us new and better desires that are pleasing to him.

1 John 5:14 says:

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.”

But how do we know God’s will? By spending time in his Word. There are few things more powerful than praying the Word, because it is the expressed will of God on the earth.

7. Patience

This may sound surprising, but faith is not enough to receive what you ask for in prayer. Hebrews 6:12 elaborates, “Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

Faith and … patience. We often do not receive what we are praying for right away. We must keep on praying with persistence and patience. We should patiently pray, trust and await God’s gracious help.

8. Forgiveness

Jesus didn’t mess around. He said that if you are holding on to offense, hatred or grudges, the Devil will have a foothold in your life (Eph. 4:26-27), and you won’t be able to experience the forgiveness and peace of God in your life (see Matt. 6:14-15).

Forgiveness is not an emotion—it is a choice. Sometimes it’s a choice you need to make on a daily basis, to forgive as Christ commanded you.

God will strengthen you to be able to forgive when you don’t feel you can. When you forgive people who have hurt you and sinned against you, you will feel a powerful sense of God’s presence break through immediately.

9. Repentance

God didn’t save our soul so we could wallow in sinfulness. He saved us to do good works. He doesn’t just ask us to pray a prayer of salvation while we run the other way—he calls us to follow him (see Col. 2:6-7).

If you have put your faith in Jesus, but you are experiencing spiritual dissonance, maybe there is something you need to repent of, and turn away from? (See Heb. 12:1.) Surrendering your whole life to Christ in repentance, and giving him access to be Lord over all of your life, will assuredly bring about a powerful personal breakthrough.

10. Stand still and watch God work.

2 Chronicles 20:17 contains a powerful promise that has encouraged many believers over the years:

“But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!”

When you have done all of the above steps toward spiritual breakthrough, this final promise is surely for you. You will not need to fight—stand still and watch God work mightily on your behalf!

Matt Brown (@evangelistmatt) is an evangelist, author and founder of Think Eternity, an evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands of people with the gospel each year through live events and online. This article was originally published on Matt’s blog at ThinkE.org.

Matt Brown
Matt Brown

Matt Brown is the founder of Think Eternity (ThinkE.org), an organization that reaches thousands of people with the gospel each year through live events and online resources. He is the author or co-author of several books, including most recently Truth Plus Love: The Jesus Way to Influence.

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