Overcoming Your Goliath:

Contending for the Next Level of Breakthrough and Authority

by Matt Sorger

God is about to promote people to their next level of authority, influence and power. There is going to be a great need in the days ahead for godly leadership to lead the body of Christ. God wants us to know and understand not only how to breakthrough to the next level but how to also sustain the increase He gives. It's one thing to get a breakthrough. It's another thing to keep your breakthrough.

Passing Through the Place of Contention

God is bringing people into a higher realm of authority, but one thing we must be aware of is that this is not coming without a fight. Before David could receive his royal crown of authority, he had to first face Goliath. He had already been anointed king, but before he could step into his destiny and into the next level of authority, he had to face Goliath. The increase and promotion was not going to come without a fight.

1 Sam 17:23-26 "As they talked, behold, Goliath, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, came forth from the Philistine ranks and spoke the same words as before, and David heard him. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, terrified. And the Israelites said, Have you seen this man who has come out? Surely he has come out to defy Israel; and the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free [from taxes and service] in Israel. And David said to the men standing by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

Before you step into the next level God has for you, you will have to face your Goliath head on and take it down. Your next level will not come without a fight. Understand this about your giant, it will speak to you. It will try to intimidate, limit and constrain you from possessing what is yours in God. It will speak to you with words like, "Who do you think you are? You think God has a destiny for you? You think God will ever use you?" The words you hear will be in relation to the area of battle you are facing. "You think you will be free? You think things will change? Things are never going to change. You are going to keep going around this mountain. You are nothing. Just give up and quit!"

A Sustainable Anointing and Breakthrough

Those that will move to a higher realm of authority need to understand that a sustainable anointing and mantle is not possible without testing and trial. Anointing without testing is not sustainable. God doesn't want to just give us a temporary anointing or a momentary breakthrough. He wants us to be able to sustain it. The sustainability factor is crucial in this hour. We must contend for increase and sustain it.

Before promotion you must walk through a place of contention. You must contend with your giant and gain victory over it before the anointing is released to manifest in a greater measure of authority. God anointed what was tested in David's life.

1 Sam 17:36-39 "Your servant killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God! David said, The Lord Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you! Then Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword over his armor. Then he tried to go, but could not, for he was not used to it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I am not used to them. And David took them off."

God anoints what's been tested in your life. God anointed David's sling shot, not Saul's armor. David couldn't win the battle in Saul's armor. It hadn't been tested in his life. David wrestled the lion and the bear. He had used his sling and stone out in the wilderness. God anointed what had been tested.

Promotion will come out of your testings and battles. Smaller battles will make you skillful in winning larger battles. Get happy! Because the areas of your greatest testings are about to become the areas of your greatest anointing! The very assignments the adversary had against your life are about to be turned around against him. God is going to release the deepest anointing and glory where you have had the deepest level of warfare and contending.

As Isaac was entering into his land of inheritance in Genesis 26, we see that his land started in a place of barrenness. As he planted and sowed seed in that land, he became very prosperous and fruitful. God accelerated his harvest and in the same year reaped one hundred fold. But God still had more increase for him

The Philistines envied him and began to bury the wells of Abraham. In order for Isaac to breakthrough to a higher level of fruitfulness in his inheritance he had to contend with the Philistines. As he dug wells the first one was called Esek, meaning contention. The next well was called Sitnah meaning enmity. The third well was called Rehoboth meaning room. As Isaac persevered and endured, God made room for him to be fruitful in the land. The key for Isaac's breakthrough was endurance. As we endure through a place of contention, God will make room for us and will cause us to be fruitful in our land of inheritance. Increase and promotion is coming, but not without a fight. In order to win this battle we must endure to the end.

We are in a time where many are facing their Goliaths. They are in a time of spiritual pressure and resistance. Depending on what they do in this battle will determine their next season. Either they will sustain what God has given them and experience an increase or they could lose what has been entrusted to them.  

Usually the greatest fight is right before the greatest breakthrough. This is usually when people give up. They are right on the edge of moving to the next level when they get weary and tired. As long as you refuse to give up, God will make sure you excel to your next level of inheritance. So get happy when you see spiritual contention in your life! It means you are on the verge of breakthrough and promotion. But we have to make the right choices and pray through to victory.

The Power of Brokenness

God wants us to understand the power of brokenness. There is a big difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow, between worldly brokenness and godly brokenness. Let me show you a great example in the realm of leadership.

Saul's heart had become filled with anger, insecurity, jealously, hate, murder, rebellion, fear of man and witchcraft. When Saul was confronted in his sin he acknowledged it. We see this in 1 Samuel 15:30. He clearly says, "I have sinned." But then immediately following this statement he says, "Yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel." Saul was more concerned about his reputation before the people than he was about grieving God and losing the Holy Spirit. He had a carnal sorrow. A worldly sorrow will be sorry about being caught and having consequences. But it's not true godly sorrow. When a leader cares more about pubic honor and recognition than he does about grieving God's heart, there is no godly sorrow or repentance there.

Then there was David. David was not perfect. He committed some bad sins, including murder and adultery. But the bible still calls him a man after God's own heart. Why? It was not because of his perfection, but because of the depth of his godly sorrow and repentance. David's main concern was not his reputation. In Psalm 51 we see David's heart when he cries out for God not to take His Holy Spirit from him. David's main concern was grieving the heart of God and losing the Holy Spirit. This was the difference between David and Saul's heart. One still cared about reputation and honor before man. The other cared about God's heart and presence.

The reason Saul lost his mantle and anointing was because his heart grew calloused and he lacked godly sorrow. While David still had consequences for his sin, the reason he was able to sustain his mantle and anointing was because of the depth of his level of brokenness and godly sorrow. In order for us to be able to maintain and sustain the increase, anointing and mantle God gives us, we must have the heart of David, one that cares most about God's heart and one that has a holy, godly brokenness in humility before the Lord. Godly brokenness is what will sustain both leaders and the church in this hour.

We must be able to sustain the increase God is about to give. Many have been under spiritual pressure. They are facing giants they never had to face. This is because God wants to promote them in Kingdom authority. With testing comes the possibility for promotion depending on what we do with that test.

The keys to moving higher will be our ability to endure and our level of true godly brokenness over what grieves the heart of God. As we face and take down our Goliath's we will be positioned before the Lord for increase, multiplication and fruitfulness. The church is in need of godly leadership in this hour. Out of true brokenness will emerge a fresh anointing that will bring great breakthrough in the lives of God's people.

Prayer

Wait on the Lord and allow Him to break you through every area of battle in your life. Pray the word. Spend time in worship. Make godly choices and purge all sin and compromise out of your life. Pray this prayer with me.

"Lord, I submit and surrender every area of my life to you. I make the choice to live in a way that pleases You. Forgive me of all my sin and transgression. Show me any areas of my life that have grieved you. Release a godly sorrow and brokenness in my heart. May I care most about what You feel. Give me the strength to endure and the godly brokenness I need to sustain Your increase in my life. Lord may the adversary have nothing in me. In Jesus name I take authority over every Goliath in my life that is trying to intimidate me and hold me back. I command it to come down now in Jesus name. Amen."