The Blessing
Gen.22:17 “I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.”
A change of name is a change of identity. Your name follows you wherever you go. You cannot shake it off. God said to Jacob, “Your name is your problem. I need to give you a new name”[paraphrased]. God is going to give you a new name this season. For some, it is physical and for others it is spiritual. If your name is detrimental to your greatness change it, because your name is your identity. You cannot rise above your name. As your name is, so you will be. It is your spiritual and your prophetic destiny. “And His name shall be Read the rest of this entry
What Counts
Gen.32: 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
What has God said to you? When such questions are posed, some people immediately connect and are fired up. But some others feel lost because they are still developing their hearing from God. If you are a member of God’s Favourite House, then you already have a Word from God. God has said concerning us, “Establishment, Bloom, Victory, Rejoice… and in this season He says changing destinies for good. This is God’s Word, you have to take it to heaven and lock it down. And as days follow the night, you will have victory, His Read the rest of this entry
Over-Turn It!
Gen.32:24 “…But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.””
Joseph had a dream – he saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing to him. Israel said, you mean that your mother and I will bow down to you? And Israel changed it. Check – everyone bowed to Joseph apart from Israel. In fact, Israel lived to bless Joseph and his children. If he did not change it, he would have had to prostrate before Joseph because it had been written. Take the example of Job; there were discussions going on about Job but he could not listen in and so he could not change it. Job cried out, “I wish I had a man Read the rest of this entry
Lock It Down!
Gen.32:24 “…But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.””
How can a man wrestle with God and win? It is easy to read this and miss the weight of the exchange that happened and the statement that God made. The Lord is God, the God of all the earth. The One that gave boundaries to the proud waves of the sea; the same One that gives command to the lightening and marches out the stars every night. He is God, the One who humbles the proud and dispossesses mighty kings. The One whose breath laid bare the depths of the Red Sea. This same God wrestled with Jacob and Read the rest of this entry
Happenings II
Gen.32:4 …“Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban 6 …the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “…Esau …is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!”
It is not enough to leave Laban’s house, you have to deal with “Esau”. We established yesterday that we all have “Esau” in our lives. “Esau” is that part of us that will sell the birthright in exchange for pleasure. “Esau” wants instant gratification and seeks to satisfy the longing of the flesh. It wants to eat the porridge and still keep the birthright. The “Esau” in us wants to feed habits that are leading us down the drain. Like Jacob, you need to face up to “Esau” and deal with it.
Happenings I
Gen.32:9 “Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.”
It is one thing to be blessed but it is another thing to fulfill your destiny. You can be blessed and still be pitiable. There are some people that are blessed physically but heaven pities them. May that not be your portion, in Jesus Name. This season is for those who will press forward into their destiny and into their next level. The truth remains that miracles happen outside your comfort zone. Three things happened to Jacob that show us that miracles do not happen in your comfort zone.
Encounter
Gen.32:5 and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women…10…When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!
Be alert and expectant because God is changing destinies from Jacob to Israel in this season. Jacob and Esau were twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac tilted towards Esau, while Rebecca tilted towards Jacob. From birth both sons struggled, even though Esau came out first; Jacob held on to his heel. Esau felt that he had won but Jacob had the birthright in view. He waited for the opportuned time and took it. Note: Jacob took the birthright; he did not steal it – two different things. Esau got really angry and was going to kill Jacob.
Jesus Is Worthy!
Rev.5:7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb… 9And they sang… “You are worthy to take the scroll…
Sacrifice releases the power that enthrones and makes ordinary men worthy of extra-ordinary privileges. Every God given destiny cannot be attained without sacrifice. God depends on sacrifice to establish men’s destinies. It is what you give to God that secures your place. You have to pay the price in prayer – pray! Pay the price in fasting – fast! Pay the price in commitment. You have to pay the price in studying. 2 Tim.2:15 [KJV] “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. Take note; there is a price tag on everything. Read the rest of this entry
Sacrifice
Prov.20:25 “Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost.”
The GAP between where you are and where you ought to be cannot be bridged without sacrifice. Jesus says that, which of you wanting to build a house does not sit down and first count the cost. Can I do this with these resources or do I need to do it in phases? The truth is that every God given destiny cannot be attained without sacrifice. Sacrifice releases the power that enthrones and makes ordinary men worthy of extraordinary privileges.
At What Cost?
Luke 14:28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”
Before I surrendered to Jesus, there was a testimony that was making headlines. It was about a university student that had all her priorities wrong; she was evangelizing instead of being in class, at night vigils instead of reading, arranging chairs in church instead of doing her assignments. Is that not foolishness? Is that what God has sent her to do?
When exams came, she did not know anything. So she laid hands on and prayed over her blank answer sheet. The truth we need to Read the rest of this entry
