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Genesis 32:22-30
Message No. 0629 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
I watch the Home and Garden Television (HGTV) occasionally and I always look toward the end to hear the ‘wow!’ that come out of the mouth of homeowners whose old homes were redesigned and transformed to something new. The genuine amazement that they feel when they enter their homes for the first time after the completion of the project is unmistakable. I have experienced something far smaller than a redesign of a home, but the change that you witness, even with something as little as repainting your home, produces similar effects for those who knew the home before and who are now seeing it for the first time after the painting project.
Certain experiences are lifechanging, but some are more lifechanging than others. In Genesis chapter 32, Jacob was preparing to meet his albatross; he was preparing to go face to face with a long-dreaded matter, and this was far bigger than the ‘elephant in the room.’ He had cheated his brother Esau out of his rightful place and had become wealthy because of the blessings pronounced on him by their father Isaac. It was now time to face his brother for the first time after he escaped from home to avoid being killed by Esau, and he was nursing the same fear of death for him and for his now big household.
After devising strategies that would pacify his brother and sending batches of gifts ahead of him, the Bible says that Jacob spent the night alone and a man wrestled with him throughout the night. When the man saw that it was daybreak, he asked Jacob to let him go and he refused and asked the man to bless him first. In verses 27 and 28:
The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Now, consider the meaning of Jacob: supplanter, someone who cheats, seizes, circumvents, usurps, steals, name it. So, when the man pronounced Israel as replacement for Jacob’s name, one can only imagine the lifechanging experience that was. Meaning one who perseveres or one who prevails with God, Israel completely wipes out the errors of Jacob and gives him victory before God and by extension, before man. This was more than enough for Jacob as he prepared to face his brother. If he already prevailed with God, who is man that he will not prevail with!
I have good news for every child of God, as people who carry the spiritual DNA of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, you have prevailed with God already, and who is the man that can stand against you. The power and favor that Israel bestowed on Jacob completely erased any hatred or enmity that Esau may have nursed toward him. Imagine the disbelief that Jacob would have felt when instead of seizing him and breaking his neck, Esau ran toward him and embraced him, and they both wept for joy.
By the grace of the living God, every fear that you currently nurse will turn out to be exciting joy for you and your family. When it was time to go, Esau offered to go along with Jacob so they could chat and catch up, but Jacob was still so overwhelmed with unbelief and joy that he wanted Esau to just leave him alone – he needed time to recover. I pray that your encounter this month and going forward will be so positively lifechanging that you will need time to recover. May the good news you have been waiting for be delivered to you shortly and may the news be so powerful that it will erase every pain and every emotional trauma that you may have experienced. May you experience a new season of peace and progress and may your blessing and promotion be permanent, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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