Breaking New Ground

Our mission is to help people recover, enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, grow as disciples through God's Word, and advance His Kingdom through evangelism, outreach, compassionate service, teaching, workshops, and biblical truth.

Read on to learn how Breaking New Ground began and discover the vision that continues to guide our ministry today.

The River

In order to understand where we are with the vision of Breaking New Ground, we must first understand the vision of The River.

“The River will have men and women who will also go to great lengths to help people who are searching for freedom get into the river. By teaching people to trust the Holy Spirit, we will be able to help countless people finally find true freedom.”

A Vision Begins

In 2020, on a trip to do some mission work in Miami, Florida, with Shakia and Cliff, so many breakthroughs and revelations took place—especially through some of the challenges among us. One of the first things the Lord showed me was that we were in Florida. Many thoughts ran through my mind.

The time we spent there was one I could never forget. There are no words that could describe what happened through our fellowship and how the Spirit of God was moving. I began to talk about coming to my hometown and doing some work there with teams, especially regarding the addiction issues. Then the question came: "Have you been praying about it?"

My answer was yes. I always pray for Pasco, my family and friends, and especially for the leaders in the community to help with this problem.

The response I received challenged me: "Maybe you should pray differently."

That night, I spent time reflecting on that response. Maybe you should pray differently. What does that even mean? "Lord, help me understand. Show me what this means."

Ask, and you shall receive, huh? God wastes no time!

The next morning, as we drove along a highway in Coral Gables, Florida, I saw tears streaming down Cliff's face as he pointed to the sign that read Harriet Tubman Highway. Not only did I have a desire to read about the vision that speaks of how necessities were moved by men and animals through the railway, as well as bringing our nation together by ending slavery, but I also had a desire to research the Underground Railroad.

I realized we were in the middle of God's will and His vision for The River. We were literally moving necessities to some of our Belize families in Miami. On the way back home, we made a stop in Port Richey, then continued our journey home, and God continued to speak. He began to show me what I needed to pray into.

The Mission Revealed

Between prayer, study, and meditation, God began to show me how we were going to impact Pasco County. We are going to help those who are stuck in bondage to many things by getting them into "The River," which means getting them to rely on the Holy Spirit.

The mission—from Moses, to Joshua, to Isaiah writing that we are to set the captives free, to Harriet, all the way to today—remains the same. Many have been on the same mission, but only a few have waited on the Holy Spirit.

Looking back at the Underground Railroad, Harriet would wait on the Lord before she moved. On one occasion, she was invited to help with a mission, but because she didn't hear from the Spirit, she didn't go, and the crew was caught.

He showed me that so many people today have a passion to help free those in bondage, which is a good thing, but we're doing it in our own strength, and it will never work. We are to wait on the Spirit before we move and not stray away from the vision we're already a part of.

As time progressed, I learned about the slaves, safe houses, conductors, and station masters of the Underground Railroad. The Lord began to reveal what each of them represented.

The Underground Railroad

A Shared Language

All those who were involved spoke a different language. They spoke in code, using terms associated with trains, railroads, and travel. We, too, will be speaking a language that only certain people will understand because of our past lives and testimonies.

The Slaves

The slaves were those who were enslaved to self, the fall of man, feelings and emotions, old belief systems, drugs and alcohol, the things of this world, anything that pleases the flesh, or the bondage of religion.

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a network of people, routes, and places established to help people reach freedom. The key thing to remember is that it was never actually underground—it was top secret.

• God revealed a couple of things to me about this. First, we are to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves on this mission because of the belief systems of many. There will be much opposition from people who are in positions of power. We will Break New Ground, which simply means doing things differently than they have been done before—simply the Book of Acts in action. We are to be strong and courageous, for the Lord is with us, and use what He has taught us in previous seasons to take territory for Him.
• The second thing He revealed was that much of the work would involve helping people focus on the deeper issues in their lives—the things that are "underground," holding them captive—and leading them to the One who can bring them true freedom.

Conductors

Conductors were the ones who guided people from place to place, using the safe houses and stations.

• We will be taking teams of people who are walking in freedom after learning to abandon themselves to the Holy Spirit. From the fivefold ministry to sponsors, we will operate according to the gifts God has given each one of us to help guide people from place to place until they find true freedom. This is the Body of Christ in operation.

Station Masters

Station masters protected and hid those who were trying to reach freedom.

• We will disciple and train people throughout the community of Pasco County to help others find their way to freedom and to love people until they can love themselves.

Safe Houses

Safe houses were the places people would run to before moving on to their next destination. The only way they knew a house was safe was by the light outside.

• There will be many houses throughout the community that will become known as safe houses because of the light that shines through the people who live in them. These may be transition homes, sober living homes, or simply the homes of individuals who have become fully devoted to the Lord and believe His words that we are the light and salt of the earth—a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. This will require a level of discipline, devotion, and surrender to the Lord that will bring us to that place.

Breaking New Ground

Breaking New Ground will be a gathering in Pasco County, Florida, held once a month on Friday nights and Saturday mornings until the Lord releases us to begin meeting weekly. These gatherings will continue the mission of helping His children find true freedom by getting into The River—learning to trust the Holy Spirit wherever He leads us.

Our Foundation

Scripture: Hosea 10:12

"Break New Ground. Plant righteousness and harvest the fruit that your loyalty will produce for me. It's time to seek the Lord! When He comes, He will rain righteousness on you."

From this Scripture, our mission is built upon four guiding principles:

1. We will trust and seek the Lord.
2. We will Break New Ground.
3. We will plant righteousness.
4. We will remain loyal and harvest the fruit we produce for Him.

The Heart of the Mission

When God told Hosea to go after Gomer, He required him to pay a price for her. That's exactly what Christ has done for us—a costly price. He gave His life so that we might have life, and through us He will establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

He gave us the command to go and make disciples of all nations, and that is exactly what Breaking New Ground will do.

A successful devotional life is the only way. Trusting God is nearly impossible unless we know Him personally. In order to know Him personally, we must spend time with Him every day. This is what a devotional life is all about.

By a devotional life, I do not mean simply reading a daily devotional, saying a prayer, or reading a passage or two of Scripture. Rather, I mean being devoted to spending intentional, uninterrupted time alone with God. During that time, we must make sure that He is the main focus.

Reading devotionals, studying Scripture, praying, and worshiping are all important parts of a healthy devotional life, but doing those things by themselves does not necessarily mean we have a successful devotional life. If we are more focused on completing those activities than on God Himself, they simply become tasks.

Instead, we must set apart time each day to focus on God Himself and ask Him what He would have us do during that time. He may lead us to remain quiet and simply listen. He may lead us to worship through music. He may lead us to pray or to read His Word. The important thing is that we are able to hear His voice and obey Him.

If we are not able to do this, we will never truly be able to trust Him. And if we cannot trust Him, we will never be able to "get into the river" and trust His leading in every area of our lives. Instead, we will live our lives on the banks of the river and watch those who trust Him be carried downstream wherever the Lord desires to take them.

We'd Love to Meet You

Whether you're looking for a church home, seeking recovery from addiction or other life-controlling struggles, or simply have questions, there's a place for you at BNG Ministries. We invite you to join us for a service or reach out. We'd love to connect with you!