Partnering with God for Breakthrough

“And the children of Israel said to them, ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’” Exodus 16:3 (NKJV)

Cycles happen because the flesh prefers comfort over change.

In the book of Exodus, the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years before reaching the Promised Land. This was not by accident. Their wandering was the result of disobedience, fear, lack of faith, God’s testing, constant murmuring and complaints, and resistance to change.

Ultimately, the Israelites preferred what felt familiar and comfortable over submitting to the process of transformation. They idolized comfort and allowed fear of the unknown to keep them trapped in a continuous cycle. Fear enticed them to long for captivity rather than press forward into freedom.

It reveals the danger of comfort to see that they desired slavery with food more than freedom with God.

On our own walks, God may lovingly reveal similar patterns not to condemn us, but to heal us. We too can find ourselves stuck in repeated cycles, displaying the same behaviors, engaging in the same unhealthy habits, holding onto negative thought patterns, and committing ourselves to relationships that look just like the last one, only dressed differently.

Breakthrough looks different for each of us. For one person, it may mean transformation in the mind—renewed thought patterns and clarity. For another, it may be in health, family, or relationships. God’s work is personal, and His timing and methods may differ, but the freedom He provides is just as real and just as powerful for each of us.

Just as God did not intend for the Israelites to wander for all those years, He does not intend for us to live in endless cycles either. God desires freedom for His people. He wants us to experience all that He has promised—ultimately, eternal life with Him. But freedom comes through obedience and partnering with Holy Spirit. It requires trust and a willingness to embrace change rather than idolize comfort.

We can be confident that what God has promised will come to pass, because the struggle is not His faithfulness. It is our willingness to submit our flesh to the process of change. The flesh will always seek comfort, familiarity, and control, but it is by the Spirit that we are empowered to resist the desires of the flesh.

Breakthrough is not passive. It requires us to intentionally participate with God, trusting that He honors our free will and will never force His hand. True breakthrough calls for participation, cooperation, and obedience. God has already provided freedom, but that freedom cannot be sustained without surrender and transformation.

Jesus reminds us of this truth plainly:

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22 (NKJV)

God desires to do a new thing in us, but new wine cannot be poured into old mindsets, old patterns, and old ways of living. Parenting with God for breakthrough means allowing Him to reshape, stretch, and renew us—so we can receive and carry the abundance He wants us to have.

The question is not whether God wants to bring breakthrough. The question is whether we are willing to let go of comfort and become new wineskins. Moving forward requires courage, trust, and a willingness to embrace His process, knowing that as we yield, He fills us with new strength, new perspective, and the freedom He has promised.