Many Christians all over the world have been praying for a breakthrough in their life whether in their marriage, finances, health, relationships, family, business and any other areas of their life. According to this website, a breakthrough in a spiritual sense "is an experience of having reached a new level of spirituality, whatever that means to the person who is 'breaking through'" and many believers are praying for new levels in their life as they walk with God. If you are among them and have been praying for a breakthrough in your life, you may be wondering why it's taking long to happen or nothing is happening at all. And there seems to be barriers or blockages in receiving the breakthrough.

Pastor Chip Ingram said, "What we need to know is that breakthrough is not something we sit around and wait for Breakthrough is God waiting on us to respond in obedience to what He has already commanded and already promised." He said that in order to breakthrough you are to take the "first step of faith" and remove any barriers.

What could these barriers be and what are the keys to breakthrough?

1. One of the barriers to breakthrough is unbelief that God has good plans for your life. A wrong mindset can lead you to believe in the wrong things and move towards it. Pastor Ingram said that you have to "believe in God's goodness, that God has already willed the breakthrough" for your life. One of the keys to breakthrough, therefore, is that you are to take the first step of faith which is to believe!

2. Another barrier that can block breakthrough in your life is the lack of persistence in prayer. Jesus shared in Luke 18 verse 1-8 the story of a widow who persistently knocked on the door of the judge to bring justice to her case. Because of her persistence, the judge brought justice to the widow. This is the same with our prayer.

"Even he (the unjust judge) rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly" Jesus said. In order to breakthrough, you have to be persistent in your prayer.

3. One of the barriers that can also block breakthrough in your life is what you declare. Written in my previous article, words have the power to shape the course of your life. If you want breakthrough to come upon the area of your life you have been praying for, speak the right words and declare the promises of God no matter how your life or the situation looks like.

In my previous article on prayer, I have enlisted 4 reasons why God may not be answering your prayers to breakthrough. One of the reasons why God isn't answering is because of the motive. It says that God doesn't answer to prayer with false motives. You should, therefore, reassess your motives before God as you pray for a breakthrough to come upon your life.