Genesis 32:28, “And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
It’s very easy to be crippled by your own opinions of yourself. Some people tend to add salt to this wound you have created. Instead allowing yourself to be healed, you inflict more pain to yourself. You just can’t see yourself living any way better than the way you already know about yourself. Everything God wants to do in your life is assassinated by what you think of yourself. You keep bringing back to memory what God already forgave you for. When you have been in a condition way too long, there is a tendency to throw in the towel and conclude that perhaps you were meant to be in this situation forever. And your conclusion, healing and deliverance was not part of God’s plan for your life. If you are dealing with “this conclusion”, you may need to ask yourself, what were you saved from and for? If you don’t understand this well, I guarantee you a defeated life.
I have often said that if we’ve been saved by grace through faith, we ought to identify with our new birth. The new man ought to assassinate the old man. The new man needs to understand that the God of heaven had a plan for his life from day one. Jacob operated on what they named him, manipulating his way in life. If anything, he did not see himself being anything different than what he already knew about himself. When God is getting ready to use you, be sure of His dealing with the old man. In the case of Jacob, God asks him his name and what does he tell God, “Jacob”, which means surplanter, deceiver, and conman if I may add. Here comes God ready to use him but He starts dealing with the old man “Jacob” molding him to a new man “Israel”. He struggled with God and men and the bible said he prevailed. If the negative energy was turned into positive energy, how cool will that be? Paul’s strength, teachings, and eloquent speech were turned around by God to be used for His glory after pulling Paul from using these wonderful gifts for evil. Of course we can tell that Jacob was not a deserter, he was a hard worker knew what he desired and went for it. God was about to use these strengths for His glory. At the beginning he was living a lie because of what they called him but when God appeared to him, God showed him who he really was and He called him to be a “Prince”. He identified him with his new birth.
Just to be clear, I am not talking about positive thinking, I am talking about heavenly living. I am talking about knowing that regardless of your past life and even present situations, you are His. The blessings He brings in your life are not a result of what you can do but what He can do. I quote this scripture with confidence, 2Timothy 1:12″…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day“. I believe this report over someone’s report and mine; I know whom I have believed, I know He will keep it all till that day. I keep killing what he is doing because I speak negative things in my life but let the truth be known. If I continue to believe a lie, eventually I will live a lie. The devil might accuse me of something I did, and sure he may be right but I am not trusting in myself to be what I should be, I am trusting in God who knows what He can do in my life. Why are you living in the “yesterday” when God is telling you to live in the “today?” Your prayer is about what could have happened instead of what can be. Rise up today and live like a prince (princess) because you are no longer living a lie. Take this dose of truth and live fully for God, Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy –meditate on these things“. Stop living a lie and choose to live fully. Blessings Ev