Grace, Love, and Fellowship

 summary

This episode features personal testimonies and spiritual insights on healing, spiritual warfare, and the transformative power of Jesus' love. The host shares real-life stories of healing, freedom from lies, and the importance of pursuing Jesus daily for true spiritual life.


Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Testimony of Healing
00:24 Instantaneous Healing of Throat in Prayer
01:19 Lies, Fears, and Idols: Recognizing the Root Causes
02:15 How Fear and Idols Open Doors for the Enemy
03:14 Personal Example: Overcoming Rejection and Approval Idols
04:40 Breaking Free from the Fear of Rejection
06:03 Living in the Freedom of God's Acceptance
07:00 The Power of Pursuing Jesus and His Truth
08:26 Testimony of Deliverance from Suicidal Thoughts
09:50 Restoration and Discipleship: Returning to Jesus
12:54 Understanding the Trinity: Grace, Love, and Fellowship
17:04 Experiencing Daily Grace, Love, and Fellowship with God

Creators and Guests

Host

Josh Brake

Lead Pastor at Breakthrough Church

What is Breakthrough Church Podcast?

Josh and his family are planting Breakthrough Church in Richardson, TX. Their prayer is that Jesus would use them to advance His Kingdom and to see many receive healing and deliverance in His name. Josh is married to Abby and has three kids, two boys and one girl.

Breakthrough Church (00:00.568)
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Breakthrough Church Podcast. Excited to be with you. I wanna share some personal testimonies as well as in terms of what God's been doing in my heart. And then I wanna share some things that God's been doing outside of me. And just testify a little bit.

Let me just give you a little teaser, or just a short little testimony really quick. Yesterday I was on the phone with a guy, a couple guys I'm discipling, one of them was sick so he had to call in and he wanted to talk on the phone. Well, we were asking how he was feeling and he said his throat was hurting, his fever had broken already but his throat was still really scratchy and hurting. So we prayed and we took authority, we said in the name of Jesus, throat be healed. And after I said that, on the phone I could hear him clear his voice like something had happened.

is what it felt like. And then we said, amen. I said, how are feeling? He's like, man, I can swallow. My throat's better. And he was like, dude, that's kind of crazy. That's pretty wild. And I was like, whoa, okay, awesome. Praise God. His throat got healed instantaneously right there in the moment. I texted him today and asked how he was doing. And he said he's doing really well, feeling good. So that's really cool. It's just so simple, so sweet, just on the phone, hey, in name of Jesus be healed. Really cool. So.

Okay, last episode I shared about lies and the lies of the enemy, spiritual warfare, the authority of Jesus. I talked about lies, fears, and idols that I think I talked about this. Yeah, lies, fear, and idols. let me give you a quick review of how this works. So you might observe a behavior or a way of thinking or a negative emotion that you regularly habitually have.

And it's time to pay attention to that. Once you pay attention to that, one of the questions you ask is, well, this is coming from somewhere. I'm feeling this way or I'm thinking this way or I'm doing these things habitually because I'm believing a lie. So then the fight is, okay, it's not a fight actually, it's very simple in the presence of Jesus. It's asking the Holy Spirit, what lie am I believing that's propagating this negative thought process, feeling, behavior? And he'll bring it to mind. He loves setting people free. And underneath every lie is a fear.

Breakthrough Church (02:15.444)
So if you have the lie that I'm not good enough, maybe your fear is that people won't like you. I'm afraid of rejection. Okay, so now you know what the fear is and that fear gives the enemy a platform to speak. And then you listen to the voice of the enemy rather than the voice of the good shepherd which leads you down to believing lies and eventual chaos and hell breaks loose, literally. Underneath every fear is an idol. You're afraid because something you worship is being attacked.

by the truth or by a situation, by a person, by whatever it might be. So let me give you a real world example of what this looks like for me because I believe the Lord set me free from something last week. Through the course of conversations with some people, my wife and my church planting coach and maybe a couple of others, I realized that, okay, there's something going on here that I need to really lean into and see what the Lord has to say about it.

It had to do with some language I was using, like phrasing I was using that someone had noticed and said, hey, you need to pay attention to that. I was like, okay. So I got, I got along with the Lord and I asked, okay, Holy Spirit, just highlight to me any lie that I'm believing. And right away, the lie that came to mind was that I can't be myself fully with people. And I was like, wow, that's actually resonates. That's actually true. I believe that. I believe that I can't be myself fully.

specifically in my marriage with Abby. Then I began to just process that and think, wait, really? I don't feel like I can be fully myself with my wife who I've been with for almost 11 years. This is crazy. What's going on with that? So I just prayed into that and say, okay, under that is a fear. Lord, what am I afraid of? Show me the fear in my life. Immediately, fear of rejection came to mind. I am deathly afraid of people rejecting me.

And the reason that I'm afraid of, the reason that I believe the lie, I can't be myself fully is because I'm afraid if they really saw me and knew me fully, they would reject me. Okay, underneath every fear, that, okay, hold on, and that fear of being rejected is giving space for the enemy to speak to me about, yeah, they're gonna reject you, so you better tweak this or don't say that or feel this way or hold back your emotions or don't be affectionate or you name it.

Breakthrough Church (04:40.782)
that fear gave platform to the enemy and let him speak to me. Because he can't speak to me if I don't let him, but fear lets him. Fear gives space for him to speak. Underneath every fear is an idol. So I said, okay, Lord, if I'm afraid of being rejected, what's my idol? And immediately approval came to mind. And I thought, yeah, that's true. If I don't have everyone's approval, that feels like death to me. It feels like I can't live without other people's approval.

That just resonated so deeply and guys, it was so simple and so quick. There wasn't a lot to it. It's just the Holy Spirit brings to mind. You take it in faith and you ask for freedom. And so I confess that I said, Lord, I've been worshiping other people's approval of me and that is not your will. I reject that and I confess it. I throw that idol down. I cast it down. It has no more authority over me. And I turn to you Father, the one whom I have perfect approval of from.

because of Jesus, and it's Jesus' performance, not mine, that gets me approval with the Father. And that truth right there, because of Jesus, I'm approved by the Father, set me free, y'all. I felt more free the next two or three days than I felt almost in my whole life, is what it felt like. And what I mean, it meant like I was not second-guessing anything I was doing or saying. It's not like I was being dumb and going crazy, right?

I wasn't measuring myself. I wasn't looking inward and wondering if I was doing okay in a conversation. I was able to be more affectionate and emotional and verbally affirming of Abby and others in ways that previously I wouldn't have because if I say this and they don't reciprocate, then that means they rejected me and I can't have that. So sometimes I would just withhold sharing emotions and being vulnerable because I don't want people to reject me by not reciprocating. Man, it really set me free. And then, you know,

A couple days later, I feel like the enemy tried to bring it back, but I was able to identify it and say, no, no, no, I'm accepted and approved by the Father because of Jesus. And it was so sweet. even, I'll be honest, even today, this morning in my prayer time, it was a struggle. My mind wanted to believe the lie that I'm not doing things right, I'm not perfect, and God doesn't approve of me. And I just was able to identify that and choose the better way, the way of Jesus, the way of life.

Breakthrough Church (07:00.14)
that is his performance for me on my behalf. So I just wanna encourage you, this stuff is real. Now you can get to a place where you overthink it and you think there's like a demon behind every bush and you're saying like, well, you know, I really am struggling with this, but what's the lie? What's the lie? And then we can get obsessed with pursuing lies rather than pursuing the truth who is a person named Jesus. So don't do that. Don't get obsessed with pursuing lies that you may or may not be believing.

Fully pursue Jesus and if you're believing a lie, it will be exposed and it will leave because it cannot exist where one is in the truth. When you are in the truth and following the truth that is Jesus, lies can't exist. So my encouragement is don't go looking for lies that you're believing. Don't go looking for fear because the enemy is going to use that and all of a sudden you're going to be going down this spiral and all you're going to be thinking about is yourself and how messed up you are all the time and that's not God's will because in Christ you are enough and loved.

and the beloved of God. So don't do that. I would say fully pursue Jesus, his face, his will, his voice, his presence in your life. Just fully give yourself to Jesus and seeking his face. trust me, he'll take care of the lies. So I just wanted to share that, give you an update, let you know kind of how God used that in my life. So a couple of testimonies.

Tuesday morning this week, we meet every Tuesday at 5.15 a.m. at the Farmers Branch campus of the Branch Church. And we just worship the Lord, we seek his presence in prayer. And this last week, I forget exactly when in prayer, but I just, heard suicide. I was like, huh, that's weird, that's so random. I don't ever think about that. I know the people in the room that we're just praying with don't think about that. And so I just kind of forgot about it, if I'm being honest.

Later that day, I was at UTD doing a Bible study with a couple of students that I met last year. And we get to talking about sin and confessing sin. And I kind of taught on Genesis three and kind of the cycle of sin and shame and hiding from God that we get into when we feel guilty. this, one of the guys admitted being really guilty over some sin in his life, even as, even as like yesterday or at the time it was yesterday, he had struggled with this and

Breakthrough Church (09:24.002)
And I was like, tell me more. And he told me more. And he said, sometimes he feels so guilty that he actually thinks about suicide and that it actually happened the day before. And I was like, whoa, dude, the Lord told me about this this morning. I think he wants to set you free. And so we spent this time praying into just the righteousness of Christ on his behalf, the freedom from guilt and shame, the forgiveness of sins. And I command that any unclean spirit, any spirit of suicide to leave in Jesus' name.

He felt different after, looked different. And even this morning I texted him asking how he was doing. He said he feels more free today and he feels protected even from the temptation of that sin. So praise God for that, man. This stuff is so real. There was no dramatic manifestation. It was just real simple preaching the truth of the gospel and then trusting the Holy Spirit to actually bring about that freedom in someone's heart. So that was really, really cool. The week before, it was really cool. had a, I got a

I got reached out to by a former student of mine on Instagram and he was like, hey man, wanna get together, I wanna pursue God again. I'm like, okay, great. So we finally got together and I heard his story and pretty much since 2018, he's been running away from God and he's done with it. He wants to come back to God. He's been making mistakes, living in some sin and he knows it's wrong and wants to turn back. So he confessed some sin to me and I looked straight in his eyes and I said, I said his name, I won't say his name here, but I said, bro, in the name of Jesus, you are forgiven.

and everything you've done has been washed away by the blood of Jesus and tears formed in his eyes. I was like, yes, this is the real stuff. And then I told him, okay, bro, that was the easy part. Forgiveness is pretty easy. Freedom is a whole other thing. It's still available in Christ, to receive the freedom that Jesus offers requires a lifestyle of repentance. So we talked about repentance and the gift that it is for us to be able to turn.

and go back to the Lord regularly, daily even, and just repent. And he really received it. And then at the end of the time, I just was like, tell me like discipleship wise, what are you doing? He's like, actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want somebody to disciple me and show me how to follow Jesus. And I was like, bro, I'd be honored. I'd be honored to do that. So that was such a kiss from the Lord just to bring about a guy that I was a youth pastor for, you know, for four years, three years.

Breakthrough Church (11:45.07)
Three years, yeah, three years. And for him to come back and say, I've walked away, but I'm coming back, and for me to be able to play a part in that is really an honor and really sweet. So those are a couple of testimonies. I just want to encourage you guys with the scripture. At the end of Romans, at the end of Romans, this is just coming to mind, it's kind of fresh. I think it's Romans 13. Probably should have looked this up before I started this video,

Where is it? No. Well, I know what it says. I just can't remember how to say it. But I think it's at the end of Romans 16.

Breakthrough Church (12:28.342)
Yeah, I'm just gonna have to look it up. But here's why I was thinking about this. I was thinking about this because...

Because sometimes when I'm praying, I'm like, okay, do I, and this has everything to do with, it's 2 Corinthians, my bad, y'all. 2 Corinthians 13, silly, silly Josh. 2 Corinthians 13, 14.

Sometimes whenever I'm praying and thinking about the presence of God, I think about the triune God, the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I've heard people, and I've even said this, fellowship with the Spirit every day. You should talk to the Spirit. Okay, yeah, yeah, sure. But also, aren't I supposed to have a relationship with Jesus? So would I talk to Jesus too? But the Father's like the source of all things, and Jesus said the Father is greater than I, and you don't need to ask me anymore, because you can just go to the Father.

So I'm like, okay, who do I pray to? And I know it's just one God, but there's three persons. They're very distinct in how they work, but they're all God, equal in essence, glory, substance. Like, I don't know. So sometimes I just get confused. And if you're anything like me, this will probably help you, because it really helps me. 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14, the last verse of the book, it says, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God.

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Okay. So, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This can actually be a way you relate to God. Okay, think about the grace of the Lord Jesus. What is the primary marker of the work of Jesus? It was grace. For he went to the cross when we deserved it. And then he sends us empowering grace to live the Christian life through the Spirit.

Breakthrough Church (14:22.744)
So Jesus' ministry could be summarized by grace. I know that's probably reductionist. There's obviously a lot more to it. But when we're thinking about grace, you're thinking about access. So Ephesians says, in this grace, we have obtained access through faith. Okay, so it's in grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus, that we find access. To who? The Father, God. The love of God is the next part. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, or the love of the Father. The love of the Father was the motive.

for sending Jesus, the motive for creating the world. Love, God is love. It's the primary identifying marker of the God we love and worship. He is love. And everything he does is motivated by love. So when I'm thinking about, when I go to pray, I'm approaching love. I'm approaching God who is love incarnate. And I think that just speaks to how I relate to God. I have access to

God who is love and my father and that access comes by the grace of the Lord Jesus. But then there's also the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Fellowship speaks to like relationship, union, camaraderie almost. Think about the Holy Spirit. Jesus says he'll be another helper. Jesus says you should cling to the Holy Spirit. So the way that I see it is that the Holy Spirit empowers me as I fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

He empowers me to go to Jesus and through Jesus to the Father who is the source. So when I'm with the Spirit, I experience fellowship. When I'm with Jesus, I'm experiencing grace. When I'm with the Father, I'm experiencing love. That doesn't mean I don't experience love with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean I don't experience fellowship with the Father and with Jesus. It doesn't mean I don't experience grace with the Father and with the Spirit, because they're all the same.

But I think this can just be a helpful way, because Paul, at the end of this letter, he's saying these three things, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Of all the things he could have said, he decided to say the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. He said the love of God.

Breakthrough Church (16:33.986)
be with you all. And then the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Of all the things he could have mentioned about God, he connected grace with Jesus, love with the Father, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Because I think he was tapping into something in the Christian experience that is tried and true and should be the norm. That we should regularly be experiencing, daily be experiencing love from the Father, grace from the Lord Jesus to forgive us and redeem us, to continue to wash us clean with his blood every day when we sin.

and we should daily experience fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I hope this brings some clarity and maybe some categories and language for how do we engage with God in prayer and throughout the day. Because it's not just prayer we experience these things. This is the norm. We should be experiencing the grace, love, and fellowship of Jesus, the Father, and the Spirit every day. So take that with you, be encouraged. Even go read that and commit it to memory. I was just meditating on it a little bit and it just really brought life to my spirit.

thinking about the love of the Father, what a privilege that the God we love and serve is primarily love. Wow, wow, that's so good. And then the primary characteristic that Paul wants us to experience from 2 Corinthians 13 is grace, unmerited favor, but also empowering power to live the Christian life. think about his, when he wrote earlier in the book of 1 Corinthians, or 2 Corinthians, he said, my grace is sufficient for you.

for my power is made perfect in weakness. Grace is power to live in the midst of weakness. and that comes from Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for he did it himself. That grace was sufficient for Jesus, and God's power was made perfect in the weakness of Jesus when he went to the cross. So, amen to that. And then the fellowship of the Holy Spirit just speaks to this. God has come near, and I get to fellowship and be his friend every day. It's powerful stuff, man. It's really, really cool. Hope you're encouraged. As always, get after it. Get your faith on. The kingdom is here.

People need Jesus, get after them and seek them, seek and save the lost just the same way Jesus sought you after and saved you. Anybody comes to mind as you're praying today, pay attention to that, ask God what you want to say to them or text them or do for them or with them as you see them today. just commit your heart to being available to the Spirit for ministry today and watch what he does. Love you guys, see you next time.