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I was running along the ocean in Manhattan Beach, CA last spring when God gave me the theme for this year’s conference. I was listening to the UG album on my Ipod and enjoying my run, when I heard the Lord speak loud and clear to me- BREAKTHROUGH. I found it interesting to have the Lord speak so clearly to me about this year’s conference because I hadn’t been praying, asking or even thinking about it yet. We had just finished last year’s conference and typically don’t start engaging the next year for quite awhile. But when I heard the Lord speak, I knew what it was for. The Lord was telling me “BREAKTHROUGH, that’s what you need to be praying for at next year’s conference.”

It’s important to me that the theme of our conferences are paired with a verse from the Bible so that there is scriptural depth to what we are planning for. Althought the Lord spoke BREAKTHROUGH to me as the clear theme, the theme verse did not come until months after that. In fact, I was going to force a verse out of Ephesians to fit with the conference because I couldn’t think of anything to go along with it until I was talking to a friend one day on the phone about what he had been preaching about. He mentioned in passing Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”

I knew instantly that that was it. I thought, “That’s the one!” I was estatic to bring it back to our leaders and church and motivate them to get behind these words, “And like a hammer that BREAKS the rock in pieces.”

Breakthrough to me is a combination of a few different things that will be evident at this year’s conference.

1 Breakthrough is the Word of God penatrating our lives and culture.
“And like a hammer that break the rock in pieces.”
There is nothing that penetrates and destroys hardness of heart like the Word of God. The Word breaks through areas of our lives that have been blocked off to His grace and kindness.

2 Breakthrough is experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts shows us five accounts where people were filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit. In all five accounts the common denominator was that there was an overwhelming breaking of God’s presence experienced by all who were there. When the Holy Spirit comes and saturates a building, person or movement, there is an undeniable breakthrough that occurs.

3 Breakthrough is a new revelation.
“Where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint.” Proverbs 29:18
Why would our generation be restrained on any level if they don’t receive a revelation from the Lord of who they are and what they are to do with their lives. To me, so much of the breakthrough that I am anticipating is the breakthrough of a divine word from the Lord (vision, prophecy, etc.).

4 Breakthrough is the healing that is desired by the hurting.
I see this manifesting itself more on an emotional level than a spiritual one. In Luke 4, Jesus reads the scroll of Isaiah tthat speaks of Himself, “I have been sent to heal the brokenhearted.”
Jesus brought such breakthrough that not only tore the veil in two, but His breakthrough brings restoration that is supernatural and life transforming. I believe that we are going to see young people set free from bondages that have plagued their lives for years.

I am looking forward to being with you at our conference. Even more than that, I am looking forward to seeing the Breakthrough that takes place in your life!

Chad.

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“You are what you think you are” or as Solomon describes it: Proverbs 23:7, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is,” In other words, you are what you think you are.

The other day in devotions we were reading the story of when Moses had sent spies into the land to see if they could potentially take the land. I was fascinated with the last phrase written in Numbers 13, “and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

I stopped to read this line over and over.

All i could think about was that old saying, “you are what you think you are.”

Joshua and Caleb didn’t see themselves this way. They knew they could take the land. They were shaking in their boots like a couple of wussy grasshoppers! They didn’t see themselves that way. They believed in themselves because they believed in their God.

I want to explain something to you that is very simple but extremely important to your success in life. And it has to do with your self-view, how you think about yourself.

1 thinking of yourself too LOW is pride.
2 thinking of yourself too HIGH is pride.

Not too long ago I had to sit down one of our leaders for disciplinary reasons. Now, this is a great leader mind you. Wonderful heart, terrific talent and incredible upside. But what i told the leader is what i want to forewarn you about, I said, “the problem is that you don’t have an accurate view of yourself.”

As we talked, the leader began to see the picture i was painting.

Make no mistake about it, your view of who you are and where your at is such a big deal. It was for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert in search of the promised land. and it is just as important for you and I.

So, in simple terms, don’t be a grasshopper, but don’t be a rock star. Be who God says you are. Chosen, called, blessed, favored, servant and friend!