12/10/2025
Title: The Power of Brokenness
Text: Psalm 51:17 — “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
Message
It is a natural instinct to desire power, and even God Himself charges us to be powerful – Gen 1:28.
to be the head and not the tail
to take charge wherever we find ourselves
Likewise, as pertaining to spiritual things.
to overcome sin
to pray effectively
to walk in anointing, and to impact lives.
But God’s power is often released not through strength, zeal or success, but through brokenness.
In God’s kingdom, brokenness is not weakness — it’s the doorway to transformation, intimacy, and usefulness.
1. Understanding Brokenness
Brokenness is not self-pity or depression. It’s not humiliation caused by men.
It is a spiritual posture — where the heart is humbled, yielded, and completely dependent on God.
👉 Brokenness means:
• To come to the end of self-sufficiency.
• To let God have His full way in your life.
• To surrender pride, ego, and personal agenda.
Illustration:
A wild horse must be “broken” before it can be guided by its rider. In the same way, God breaks our self-will so He can direct our destiny.
2. Biblical Examples of Brokenness
a. David — Psalm 51
After his sin with Bathsheba, David didn’t defend himself; he cried, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
Out of his brokenness came a new heart and renewed relationship with God.
Result: Out of David’s repentance came the most powerful Psalms of worship and restoration.
b. Jacob — Genesis 32:24–28
Jacob wrestled with God all night. When God touched his thigh, he became physically broken — but spiritually empowered.
He walked with a limp, but also with a new name — Israel.
Lesson: Sometimes God must wound us to make us whole.
c. Mary of Bethany — John 12:3
Mary broke her alabaster jar of costly perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet.
The fragrance filled the house — but only after the jar was broken.
Lesson: Our lives release the fragrance of Christ only when we are broken and poured out.
d. Jesus — John 12:24
"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."
Jesus demonstrated brokenness with His finished work on the cross.
1Co 11:24 KJV And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you.
3. What Happens When We Are Broken
a. God Draws Near
Isaiah 57:15 — “I dwell… with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.”
When pride leaves, God enters.
Brokenness attracts God’s presence like a magnet.
b. Grace Is Released
2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
God uses weak and broken vessels to demonstrate His strength.
c. Restoration and Healing Come
Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
God heals what we surrender to Him.
d. Fruitfulness Follows
Just as a seed must break open to produce life, our brokenness releases spiritual fruit — humility, compassion, patience, and deeper love.
e. Total submission follows
Act 9:6 KJV And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
In Acts 9, we find Saul of Tarsus—zealous, intelligent, influential, yet completely misguided—on a mission to destroy Christians. But after an encounter with the Master which resulted in his brokenness, everything changed.
Prayer: I pray for you that after today, you will experience a supernatural change in your life in Jesus name.
The result of Saul (Paul’s) submission was the launch of arguably the greatest evangelical mission the world has ever seen, hallelujah!
A true born again broken Christian must ask this same question periodically, especially at every crossroad of life, “what would you have me do O Lord?”. Because, this is not just a question—it is a posture of the heart. It is a surrender. Every action of a broken Christian is relevant to God because he or she is doing the will of God. Unfortunately there are many very busy Christians in the house of God doing things they feel are the right things to do without divine endorsement. This is futility as was the case with Saul. However, after his encounter with God, there was a shift from Saul doing for God what God never asked him to do, to Saul doing exactly what God asked him to do, no matter the cost.
4. The Power Hidden in Brokenness
a. Brokenness releases anointing.
The oil flows only when the vessel is broken.
b. Brokenness brings transformation.
God reshapes us into His image.
c. Brokenness sparks off fresh revival.
Brokenness is always a fallout of true repentance which comes with an outburst of unprecedented energy on the path of the broken to appease the One who has given them a second chance.
d. Brokenness deepens intimacy.
You begin to know God not just as Lord, but as Father and Friend.
5. How to Cultivate a Broken Spirit
a. Spend time in honest prayer.
Pour out your heart — not rehearsed words, but real feelings. (Psalm 62:8)
b. Meditate on God’s holiness and mercy.
The more we see His greatness, the more humble we become.
c. Welcome correction.
d. Broken people are teachable. (Proverbs 9:9)
e. Forgive and release others. Nothing hardens the heart like bitterness.
f. Stay at the cross. The cross reminds us daily that everything we have is by grace.
CONCLUSION
Brokenness is the pathway to power.
The world says, “Be strong, be independent.”
God says, “Be broken, be dependent — then My power will flow through you."
Prayer:
1. Father, please break everything in me that resists Your will, and shape me into a vessel that carries His glory.
2. Lord, break me where I need to be broken. Melt my pride, crush my self-will, and fill me with Your Spirit.
3. Father, use my life, Lord, as You used the broken bread to feed the multitudes.
4. Lord, let my weakness become the place where Your power is revealed.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
© Ekere Ukpong
