With great delight, I welcome you to the month of March, our Month of Brokenness and Reflection. I have come to realize that all of the sermons we preach about what God desires from us can be summed up in two words: love and holiness. In our fallen sinful state resulting from the Adamic Fall, a lifestyle in which these are perfectly embodied is not possible.
It will take a broken heart for us to realize we are sinners, which can lead to repentance. We cannot come to repentance until we recognize and reflect on what Jesus did on the cross vis-à-vis our sinful nature and embrace it.
One of the age-long traditions of the church is LENT. Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, from food, pleasure and festivities.
A sober reflection, coupled with prayer and fasting, engineered and powered by the Holy Ghost is what can produce brokenness in us. It is brokenness that can produce revival and "normalize" the church again.
This month, ask God for the spirit of brokenness and be willing to re-activate the spirit of Lent in your life. Jesus fasted for 40 days. Though not called Lent, that was the tool he used for a glorious earthly ministry-it is available for you too if you can pay the price.
One scripture the Lord put on my heart for you to reflect on this month is this:” Ourdays on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. Psalm” 103:15-17a
Why not use this tool yourself? I see you glowing and growing again! As we march to the month of march, I pray your life shall march forward in Jesus’ name.
What is brokenness?
Brokenness is a condition in which something is badly damaged and unable to continue or work correctly. On a national scene, having so many people in jail is a sign of the brokenness of the criminal justice system. In Nigeria, poverty, banditry, herdsmen, unabated kidnapping holding sway in our nation and the government's inability to curtail it is a sign of brokenness.
Emotional and spiritual brokenness can mean a lot of things. It may imply a messy life full of imperfection. It may mean being heartbroken from a past relationship. It may mean emotional scarring from the deep wounds of the past. Sometimes, brokenness makes us a victim; for others, it motivates us to be strong. Brokenness in our context is a realization that you have broken away from God and that realization breaks you down that you want to reconnect with God desperately.
Brokenness, in God’s eyes, is being so crushed by the sin and darkness of the world that we recognize there is no place to turn but to God. Ezekiel said “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up [that which was] broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.” Ezekiel 34:16
What is reflection? Reflection is a process of exploring and examining ourselves, our perspectives, attributes, experiences and actions / interactions. It helps us gain insight and see how to move forward. A thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation. The kinds of things that people reflect on tend to fall into three broad categories: Firstly, specific events e.g. an activity or task in class, or church. Secondly, longer processes e.g., a project, assignment, course or progress over a semester, your spiritual life, our relationships. Prospects. Thirdly, critical incidents – something which had a significant impact on you, positively or negatively. For instance, sine you gave your life to Christ what has changed. Since you came ti Canada how have you progressed or regressed. There is no doubt ,if you are able to do a proper reflection of your life in atmosphere of fasting and praying it will enable you to make significant progress in your life especially in your Christian life.
Purpose of brokenness.
The purpose of brokenness and sober reflection is for you to be restored to God's warm embrace after you have been distanced by your sins. This restoration will enable you to fulfill your life's given purpose. Brokenness makes room for a contrite heart and repentance to bring us back into fellowship with Him when we have miserably failed. Brokenness and sober reflection also help you restore your relationship with whoever you are angry, bitter or quarreling with, such as your spouse, parents, children, church members, pastors, and boss(es). Brokenness serves as a bridge from your sorrowful and miserable life to a joyful life. Brokenness helps you see where you have fallen and reflection enables you to see Jesus as Savior! For example, when David was confronted with the truth of his adulterous and murderous nature by Prophet Nathan (2 Sal 12), it was a broken and contrite heart that made him to confess to God his sins and lead to repentance and total restoration. Today the Word of God is to produce that brokenness and you hear sermons upon sermons." For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb 4:12
God’s purpose of brokenness is to produce humility in us. It is humility that allows us to recognize who God is and who we are in comparison with him. It is humility that sets us up to come to grips with our sin.
The bible says” Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1Pet 5:8. It is only through soberness, brokenness and proper reflection on your life you are able to watch out for slippery ground
How do you become broken?
1. Realize the necessity for brokenness. Jesus "directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people." Matt 4:19 until you realize that you need to be broken, you will not be broken. I tell you ministers, parents, grandparents, until we are so broken that the youth and our children can see our brokenness, we cannot get our desired result. Until God breaks your will, pride, ego, you will never be fully useful. You will remain only a nice loaf of bread useful to yourself! God transforms the most broken, sinful moments of our lives into something that gives Him glory. He cleans us up, clothes us in His righteousness, helps us gain clarity and focus, and put us on the right path
2. Develop a teachable Spirit. One evidence of the prevasiveness of unbrokenness in our time is how commonly we see people wth an unteachable spirit. Everybody has suddenly become a teacher; there are no more learners. There is nothing wrong with teaching, but you need to ask who is listening to you? The story was told of Oral Roberts, how he went evening after evening to Kenneth Hagins’ ministry services not as a speaker but just to learn! Let us humble ourselves and prepare to learn. Empty barrels make the most noise.
3. Genuine repentance and godly sorrow. When God said in Proverbs 13:15, “The way of the transgressor is hard,” no one was excluded from that principle – not even David, one of the greatest kings to ever live; and in Psalm 51 we get a peek into that. We see a man truly broken by his transgression. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgression” Psalm 51:1-2. When Nathan confronted him that he had sinned, what came out of him was- “I have sinned against the Lord.” 2 Sam 12:3. So broken that he had an appellation- I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Acts 13:22b
4. Backward integration. In mathematics, there is what you call backward integration, working from the answer to the question. The Scripture says “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Heb12:1.It takes brokenness to lay down the weight that easily besets us, but now we must be willing to put down such weights to procure our brokenness!
5. Prayer. Call on God for a broken heart. Desire brokenness and pray for it and expect God to break your stony heart. Pray like David for a contrite heart. Psalm 51:17. Pray and act like Jesus for the spirit of humility and grace to do the will of God as Jesus did at Gethsemane at the cross. Phil 2:5-9. Matt 26:42. Pray for the spirit to run from immorality and unforgiveness like Joseph. Gen 37: 12, 45:5. Pray like Isaiah for the spirit to obey God. Isaiah 1:19. Pray for tenacity of purpose like Paul, the necessity to preach the word of God at all cost. 1Cor 9:16. Pray like Ezekiel for a new heart. Eze 22:29.
6. Surrender. Surrender is a fact of life. It may be voluntary or forced. In one way or another, every person yields control of their lives to someone else no matter their position in society. The question is not if we surrender, but to whom we surrender. Humanity has but one acceptable response to the crucified and resurrected Christ—to surrender our lives to Him and live for His glory (Rom. 12:1-2). Anything else is rebellion. To experience brokenness, you must relinquish control of your life to the One who both created and purchased us is with his blood on the cross. Jesus never requested our reckless abandonment, He demanded it.
7. Die to self. Die to inordinate ambition, desire for popularity, fame, unbridled pleasure, questionable source of wealth, get rich quick and at all cost syndrome.
8. Know the word and practice the word. “You do err not knowing the scripture” Matt 22:29
Conclusion. The cry today is for a revival. A revival that will cause many to come to the knowledge of God. That will see many people saved. But revivals don’t just happen they are made to happen. They are not just made to happen they are made to happen by the right people. The right people are not just people wishing for revival they are people who have experienced brokenness, who desire to be broken for the sake of the gospel, who are teachable, willing to lay the weights of sin down and repent of their sins, willing to surrender their will in exchange for that of Jesus, willing to know God’s mind through his word and willing to surrender their totality and die to self. Do a quick refection on yourself, are you living the life God has chosen for you? Are you sober? The devil is planning to devour people you shall not be devoured in Jesus name. May you be one of such people today in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Amos Dada is the Senior Pastor and Zonal Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church Bethel Toronto. He is the Dean Christ Apostolic Church Bible Institute North America, Chairman CAC Men Association North America, The Convener of International Gathering of Eagles Conferences, President of Eagle Academy and Canadian Institute of Leadership and Development. Subscribe to him on YouTube/Dramosdada and follow him on Facebook and twitter @amos_dada. www.cacbethel.com;www.igoeministry.com
