PROPHETIC WORD: Wrestling with God for your breakthrough!
Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Genesis 32:26
Have you ever been in a season where it feels like you’re wrestling with God for any breakthrough?
In seasons of long-suffering, it can feel like the process of sanctification and pruning will never end. Yet it's there at our place of surrender we become acutely aware that God's strength is made perfect in weakness.
Only Christ can push us forward.
Perhaps the church at Philadelphia was feeling powerless, too, which is why Jesus sent them a letter from Heaven, delivered through the Apostle John.
Christ said, "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have a little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name" (Rev. 3:8).
I don't know who this is for -- but Father God knows you're running on empty and feeling spiritually weakened. Yet your faithfulness to Christ has been commended.
The strongholds you’re facing right now might not even be the enemy.
You could be wrestling with God.
He's teaching you to let go of a former identity because the days of playing it safe in the winepress are over, Gideon.
You, my love, are a mighty warrior.
Jesus wants you to let go of Jacob -- so He can give you a new name, Israel.
Israel is a seed-bearer and carries a legacy.
Genesis 32:28: 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.”
There are some seasons that God teaches us to let go.
Other times, we learn to HOLD ON.
Jacob wrestled with God all night long (see Gen. 32) because tussling with your old and new nature sometimes resembles a tennis match. Back and forth you go. Spiritual highs and spiritual lows. Some days you’re consistent, other days you’re not.
One step forward, two steps back.
Wrestling can be confusing because you might be battling against the very One who can set you free.
At this stage, you start to remind God of His promises, and you won’t let go until He answers.
In the middle of the wrestling, you realize it's not the enemy after all.
It's the Lord Jesus getting you into order.
In the tussle...
God teaches you to be bold and tenacious and demand what He has promised. At the moment of breakthrough, you say, "I will not let go unless you bless me!" (Genesis 32:26). Wrestling teaches you the transforming power of Jesus Christ. You meet God face-to-face. He becomes very real in your life. The facade and ways of the world start to dim, and the brightness of Christ shines like a lighthouse in the distance.
The stormy seas and dangerous waves calm, and finally, you can see again.
God becomes King of your heart and LORD over everything. You will never be the same.
You start to understand the meaning of Paul’s words to a greater level: "Yet, my brothers, I do not consider myself to have "arrived," spiritually, nor do I consider myself already perfect. But I keep going on, grasping ever more firmly that purpose for which Christ grasped me. My brothers, I do not consider myself to have fully grasped it even now. But I do concentrate on this: I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal—my reward, the honor of being called by God, in Christ" (Phil. 3:12-14, Phillips).
Some character flaws can only be revealed and transformed in the wrestle.
Most people quit the fight because pruning is painful and even embarrassing. It strips you of pride, arrogance, self-reliance, and all dignity.
You feel hidden, unworthy, small, unimportant, rejected, overlooked, and weak in spirit.
All that is familiar and safe fades into the distance.
Jesus Christ is the only One left standing, and that's the way He intended it all along.
God wounded Jacob in the place where he tried to generate his own blessings. Jacob tried to fight against the very gift that would change his life.
When we get to Genesis 32, Jacob's entire life has been one giant struggle against family members and sin — and now he faces off with a mysterious man who seems to be God in the flesh.
This time, Jacob emerges victorious in the fight because he didn’t quit! Everything changes.
He goes from victim to VICTOR.
Jacob did not “win” the wrestling contest in the physical. God gave him a limp. He “won” by obtaining a blessing and prevailing in the struggle.
Jacob’s refusal to let go reveals his trust in God’s promises. He understood the Lord had made a covenant with his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, and he was determined to receive his blessing. Jacob reminds us how Father God commends RESILIENCE when it aligns with His pleasing and perfect will.
In wrestling seasons, God teaches you how to awaken the champion from within. You learn the art of grit and perseverance.
Jesus makes your identity in HIM crystal clear and He teaches you submission.
He gives you a new name that symbolizes a transformation from sin to salvation.
Your limp has a purpose. It deepens your reliance on Christ.
Your thorns keep you from being conceited.
Your tomb of shame becomes a testimony of grace and restoration.
As humans, we are flawed, and our own human desires sometimes even compete against the Lord’s call on our lives.
Our fleshly cravings compete with the spirit of God from within.
Our stubborn nature refuses to bow.
Eventually our old and new self start to wrestle.
Paul said, “I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15).
Paul certainly had thorns and limps and all of God's children will. It makes us more dependent on Christ. Don't settle in the wrestle.
"Press on toward the goal for the prize..."
Has God given you a limp recently?
Has He made you aware of your blind spots and "that which you hate?"
Has He provoked you into action and stirred you awake from a season of slumber?
Good, you're in great company with some of the top heroes of the faith!
You will leave this process a whole new creation.
God is giving you a new name.
Marked across your hip socket is the word BELOVED.
The wrestle has turned you into a WARRIOR!
IT’S TIME TO SPEAK FAITHFUL ONES!
“I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
(Exodus 4:10)
The Lord Jesus is raising voices in this generation who will usher in a NEW KINGDOM SOUND. King Jesus is calling forth those who have been hidden in the field with the sheep and wrestling with the Lord for a while now.
Your pruning, consecration and sanctification has created a seed of destiny that will be fruitful and multiply.
All you have to do is plant the word -- God is the One who causes the seed to grow.
Some of you have a calling like Moses and it's time to open your mouth and SPEAK.
Just like with Moses, the Lord Jesus will be with your mouth (Ex. 4:12).
Often the Lord chooses the world’s “nobodies” to make them somebodies in Christ. Your meekness and humility makes you rely on God all the more.
He will help you overcome all the things you consider “flaws” to deliver a message that will change lives.
"Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say" (Exodus 4:12).
Moses was afraid to step forward into his God-ordained calling because of fear, doubt and unbelief. He was afraid people wouldn’t believe him.
Just like Jacob, his entire life had been marked with chaos and family trouble. He “wrestled” with his identity and couldn’t figure out where he belonged. Moses seemed to battle with rejection and a lack of confidence. His anger sometimes even got the best of him.
When the Lord called Moses, he was taking care of the sheep.
Life probably seemed nice and cozy.
And safe.
Then one day, the Lord told Moses he had to start speaking. The people needed a voice to deliver God's words. Moses did not feel worthy of the call.
A few decades around sheep made him think he could not effectively communicate the Lord's message to Pharaoh and the Israelites.
Moses told the Lord, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue" (Exodus 4:10).
The NIV says, "I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled."
In other words -- I CAN'T SPEAK, OH LORD! MY MOUTH DOESN'T WORK RIGHT! PEOPLE CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M EVEN SAYING! AND, LORD, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PREACH, TEACH AND SPEAK YOUR WORDS! I’M AFRAID OF PEOPLE AND THEIR JUDGEMENT! PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME DO IT!
God told Moses (Exodus 4:11-12)….
- Who gave human beings their mouths?
- Who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing or the blind?
- Is it not I, the LORD?
- Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.
Moses was not the only servant of God who was reluctant to do God’s will. Jeremiah, Jonah, Gideon and Ezekiel also resisted entering God’s service. Many of us are hesitant to bring the Lord’s message when it puts us outside our comfort zone. Often we remind the Lord of our personalities. “I’m too shy, I like to be hidden, I’m an introvert, I’m not smart enough, I can barely even keep my own life together, much less lead! People will think I’m crazy! Can I please just stay hidden out here in the pasture?!”
Jesus responds: “My grace is sufficient. Go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
During the entire time Moses met with God, Pharaoh's heart was also hardened (Exodus 4:21). This is key to remember because sometimes we think obedience means everyone will celebrate the call. That was not the case.
Pharaoh was an oppressor and an instrument of tyranny, slavery, wickedness and intimidation against God's people.
God’s people are still oppressed today, and that's why the Lord is raising up a remnant of bold warriors willing to speak out against the culture and “ways of the world.”
King Jesus is shaking the modern church as we know it by raising up new leaders and voices who are willing to walk in Spirit and Truth!
God cares about the welfare of His people — so He's promoting saints who will speak with cheerful courage despite what others might think.
He's seeking spiritual sons and daughters to help feed the sheep and bring Kingdom realities to a lost world.
He’s picked you for a purpose!
When Moses did what the Lord asked, "The people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped" (Exodus 4:31).
PROPHETIC ENCOURAGEMENT
God is giving you a speaking mantle. Go slow. The Lord will be with your mouth.
Others of you have a writing gift. The Lord says WRITE. Share His words exactly how He reveals them.
This has been a painful season, but the end is in sight. Keep pushing forward. You'll get through this period and come out better than ever! You will be an entire new creation, made in the image of your Heavenly Father.
Be your authentic self. The way you deliver a message and your unique personality is a gift. Use it. The enemy wants you to feel rejected. God calls you CHOSEN.
Are you ready for the new thing? Change is coming swiftly and it's time to buckle up! Get ready for a JOY RIDE!
For many people — it’s exit time! The Lord is paving the way for some of you to actually LEAVE and GET OUT. He doesn't want you exposed to certain people and environments because it's tainting all the great work He's done in your life.
God's spiritual trailblazers must come away from the crowd. There will be a divine reset up ahead for some of you. You will see a distinct separation from the old and new. King Jesus will reward you for your faithfulness. Finish the fight!
Some of you are receiving spiritual promotion and a second wind is coming! 🤍
And about your new name….God gave Solomon the name Jedidiah. It means “God’s darling” and “Beloved of the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:25).
Scripture says that God named him Jedidiah “because the Lord loved him” (2 Samuel 12:25). King Jesus adores you in the same way! You are His precious one in whom He is well pleased.
The days of hiding are over!
Come out of the cave, beloved!
My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face, let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
Song of Solomon 2:14
