"Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation, on you I wait all the day."

Psalm 25:4-5

About Breakthrough

• How Breakthrough Began
• Statement of Faith
• Mission Statement
• How Breakthrough Works
• About Catherine Marshall

How Breakthrough Began

by Catherine Marshall  

One morning I awoke with a very heavy spirit.  The acute needs of many people were on my mind and heart, a large portion of them coming to me through the mail.  It seemed we were all under assault amid a growing spiritual warfare that appeared to be heading for some gigantic climax.  As I prayed for help in answering these letters, a vision began to take the shape in my mind.  It was composed of two parts: one was of this huge group of people, wounded, thirsty, frightened sheep who had lost their way and were reaching out frantically asking for help.

The second was a picture of a growing number of Christians - those with the time and the desire to do something for others.  In letters I received from some of these, they were forever asking, "how can I make my life really count for something?  I would like to serve Jesus in some way.  Or, "All around me people in need... folks needier than I am.  My heart goes out to them.  Yet how can I help?"

In the vision I saw these two parts (need and supply) coming together through some central, coordinating effort.  The passion in Jesus' heart has always been "feed My sheep." Those asking for prayer were often so lonely and isolated.  They had such a desperate need to know that Jesus loved them.  Jesus' way is to demonstrate His love to those hungry ones through His people so that they may know the care of other human beings.  On the other side are those with the time to care, time to write letters, time to telephone, time to pray.

During this same period, certain books and pamphlets had come into my hands stressing the fact that intercessory prayer is the most important work there is in the kingdom. In fact, so important that the Pioneer and Captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ Himself, "ever liveth to make intercession" for us (Hebrews 7:25).

Having accomplished our redemption on His cross, the glorified Lord’s chief work before the Father’s throne is intercession for us. He is our perfect High Priest (Hebrews 2:10, 17, 18). But to complete His work, He also needs some of us on earth to share His concern, His passionate caring. And to be His Hands, His Feet and His Voice in co-intercession. Only then is the circle completed from heaven to earth and back to the Father’s throne again.

But let’s admit it: intercession is work. It means caring about others as much as ourselves, as well as sacrificing our time. And if I am anything like the typical Christian, I know all too little about the "how" of praying for others. So in my vision I saw that some teaching about intercessory prayer would be necessary, including sharing fresh insights and discoveries. All of that would take regular communication through a printed newsletter.

"It seems like a big order," I protested. "Are not My dreams always big ones?" came the gentle reply. And the dream lingered on and on.  It would not go away.

Breakthrough's Statement of Faith

All Intercessors are asked to acknowledge and agree with this statement of faith.

1. We believe that there is One God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:1-2; II Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16-17; Exodus 20:2-3; Ephesians 4:6

2. We confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is our personal Savior and Lord.

I Timothy 2:5-6; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:30-32; Acts 16:31; Romans 5:9-11; I John 1:9

3. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

II Timothy 3:16-17; Isaiah 55:11

4. We believe in the deity of Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

Colossians 2:9-10; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 4:15; John 21:25; John 10:32; John 10:25; I John 2:1-2; I John 4:10; John 11:25; Acts 4:33; Luke 9:22; Luke 24:7; John 2:22; Acts 1:8-11; Romans 8:34

5. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

John 3:2-3; I Peter 1:3; Acts 9:31; Romans 5:5; Romans 15:16; I Corinthians 12:3; I Thessalonians 1:6; Titus 3:5-8; I Peter 1:12; II Peter 1:21

6. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

II Peter 1:21; Ephesians 2:22; Revelation 21:3; I Corinthians 6:19; John 14:17; Romans 8:9; Joel 2:28

7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 17:23; Romans 15:5-6; Ephesians 4:3-6; Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 3:14; Hebrews 10:25

Breakthrough's Mission Statement

Bringing together anonymously those needing prayer and Christians willing to pray for them; calling and equipping people for this work.

God’s original "insight or word of wisdom" to Catherine has developed into the Breakthrough Ministry. God’s design was so simple and perfect. Breakthrough has never lost sight of that original insight.

To help you as a new Christian Intercessor for Breakthrough, we want to walk you through the elements of the original vision as they are reflected in the ministry’s Mission Statement.

• Anonymously
  Breakthrough provides an individual in need of prayer with the freedom to request prayer knowing that their identity will always remain anonymous. An individual’s identity is protected to the degree that the Intercessor is only given the individual’s first name and the country where they live and is not sent to Intercessors from the same state/country as the prayer requester.
• Those Needing Prayer
  Breakthrough does not place any requirement on the individual seeking prayer. All that the individual needs to do is submit their prayer need to Breakthrough.
• Christians Willing to Pray
  To be a Breakthrough Intercessor you must acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Every individual requesting prayer knows that only Christians will be praying for their need.
• Calling
  Breakthrough is always open to new Christian Intercessors joining this ministry. As the number of requests for prayer grows, we seek a greater number of Intercessors.  We believe that God chooses and calls individuals to this ministry.  Please pray for His leading about entering this work.
• Equipping
  Breakthrough provides Christian Intercessors with a continuing series of examples of how God answers prayer. We use God’s Word (The Bible) to teach the "how to’s" of prayer. Breakthrough equips through its magazine about prayer, The Breakthrough Intercessor, The Breakthrough Handbook for Intercessors, prayer conferences and special teachings.

How Does Breakthrough Work? 

When prayer requests come to Breakthrough they are placed in our database and assigned to the six intercessors who will pray for 21 days for each request.  Intercessors are asked to note any Bible verse that comes to them as they pray over their list.  These scriptures are reported back to Breakthrough and then passed on to the requester as a Message of Insight.  Our staff reports these scriptural insights back to the one requesting prayer.  We encourage those requesting prayer to tell us about their answers to prayer.  These are reported to the Intercessor who prayed.  They often appear in our magazine "The Breakthrough Intercessor".

About Catherine Marshall

Breakthrough was started in 1980 by well known Christian author Catherine Marshall and her husband, Leonard LeSourd.

Catherine was married to United States Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall when his sudden death in 1949 from a heart attack propelled her into a writing career. Her best selling book titled A Man Called Peter was made into the top grossing motion picture of the year in 1952. Many subsequent books were also best sellers, including Christy, which later became the popular television series by the same name.

Catherine and Leonard (who was editor of Guidepost magazine) met and married ten years after Peter Marshall's death. Through Catherine's biographical books, Meeting God at Every Turn, and Beyond Ourselves, many thousands of readers from around the world wrote her telling of their own struggles or seeking a way to minister to the needs of others.

Catherine's prayer for God's solution was answered as God began to reveal to her a ministry that would do just that - bring together individual needs and those willing to pray for them.