Adding a Breakthrough Prayer Initiative to the teamwork of your church or ministry’s leadership will change everything—and transform what may have become routine administrative work, into riding the exciting rapids of a God-led spiritual adventure together! Author Sue Nilson Kibbey’s classic church leadership book, Ultimately Responsible , and her most recent release Flood Gates: Holy Momentum for a Fearless Church , are followed by this new resource that will strengthen the "flood gate" of your breakthrough prayer practices both collectively and individually. Each chapter includes discussion questions, application ideas, a breakthrough prayer practice for the week or month—plus a short inspirational video story of a leader like you whose breakthrough prayer practice made all the difference. (Downloadable videos stories package or DVD sold separately). Ideal for use with your church council, board, leadership team, class, small group or entire congregation—whoever longs to build prayer practices for breakthroughs and new God possibilities as the ultimate foundation for everything else. Learn to pray in faithful new ways to bring powerful renewal and progress to your spiritual life and ministry. Sue Nilson Kibbey is an ordained United Methodist elder who serves as the Director of the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) for the West Ohio Conference, a comprehensive 360-degree training and coaching effort that assists congregations and their pastors to jump-start a new life cycle of fruitfulness. Kibbey served as executive pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio for 10 years, where she teamed with Pastor Mike Slaughter to create and deploy the vision of the church as well as provide oversight of the staff and all discipleship/mission initiatives. Sue is also the creator of the Ministry by Strengths program, which helps leaders connect into individualized areas of ministry service passion, and is an adjunct professor for ministry leadership at United Theological Seminary. She is a speaker, trainer, consultant and coach across the country. Ultimate Reliance Breakthrough Prayer Practices for Leaders By Sue Nilson Kibbey Abingdon Press Copyright © 2019 Sue Nilson Kibbey All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5018-7093-4 Contents Begin Here: Maximizing Your Prayer Momentum with This Resource, Practice #1: "Upsurge" Breakthrough Prayer, Practice #2: "Be Not Afraid" Breakthrough Prayer, Practice #3: "Let There Be Light" Breakthrough Prayer, Practice #4: "Holy Surrender" Breakthrough Prayer, Practice #5: "Pickaxe" Breakthrough Prayer, CHAPTER 1 Practice #1 "UPSURGE" BREAKTHROUGH PRAYER Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I . — Psalm 61:1-2 (NASB) WATCH #1 Video Breakthrough Prayer Practice Story: Joseph Find introductory videos featuring true stories that illustrate the breakthrough prayer practice for each chapter of Ultimate Reliance at: www.cokesbury.com/ultimate-reliance-study It was the soul-level moment out of which a heartfelt cry to God emerges. The psalmist David was in a dilemma. History suggests he might have had enemies in hot pursuit. Or maybe he had taken a path through the hills that he believed would cut an hour off his travel time to the destination, never dreaming of the humanly impassible crags that lay ahead. It could have been he was hoping to gain a strategic view, ensure himself additional safety, or reach a perch of spiritual significance by choosing that particular route. Or it's plausible he assumed he would meet up with helpful traveling companions along that passage. Likely he had strong confidence in his own agile expertise that had always gotten him where he wanted to go, no matter how forbidding the cliffs. But along the climb he reached a spot at which he recognized to push farther was going to require much more than his remaining reserves. His heart, or in scripture's original Hebrew language, sometimes translated as his "seat of courage," was faint within him. Physical exhaustion was likely. His hiking equipment was inadequate for what he faced. Yet David courageously hung on to his resolve for the destination that beckoned him. It was then he prayed what I call an Upsurge Prayer, a simple breakthrough prayer asking God to "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I...." David's prayer contained an intentional choice of words. The Hebrew word for "lead" is also used by Old Testament writers elsewhere in scripture to describe a shepherd guiding a flock. It's the same word that Moses used to depict how the pillar of smoke by day and fire by night led the children of Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). So David, in this moment of prayer, was asking for miraculous spiritual guidance and resourcing to break through from God — whether through shepherd-like nudges or with brilliant supernatural