Don't Be Defined By The Desert

Jacob finds himself alone and afraid, facing his guilt and fear. He had deceived and tricked others to gain blessings, but now he had to face himself and wrestle with God. Jesus also experienced a similar struggle in the garden, wrestling with his own flesh. Jacob's wrestling with God was necessary for him to receive a different level of blessing. It is important for us to confront our weaknesses and self-promotion in order to truly connect with God's presence and blessings. Amen for all of those who are joining us another Friday where God moves amongst us in this group. It's been phenomenal to hear the testimonies for the goodness being almost raised from certain surgery and possible death. We're just grateful that God is moving amongst us and each week we're encouraged, each week we're strengthened by the word of the Lord and I believe today as we as we share. We're not defined by our desert experience but we're looking for a new name. We're willing to wrestle with God until heaven answers. Oh mighty God sometimes it seems that we go 90% of the way but it's that final, it's that final pushing through that brings that breakthrough, that brings an answer from God. It's God's will that we walk in such a place that we can sense his presence and hear his voice and everything which keeps us, the resistances even within our own selves, the resistance to that hearing and sensing God's presence within our lives. This is the number one thing I believe that God would have us pursue in our lives is knowing his presence and knowing his voice, being close enough. Oh if your Christianity in your religion does not lead you to understand this is God's purpose. God has desired to walk with his people and talk with his people since he created us. Why would he change? So many are missing the opportunity to walk with God, opportunities to know his voice and to know his presence. Why would we walk any less than that? There are reasons and one of them is sometimes we're defined by the desert that we traveled and we picked up a desert mentality, we picked up an image of ourselves that we're just tent dwellers and Bedouins and we're poor, we're beggars in this land. Now we've been promised by a living God that he would walk with us and dwell with us. Let's look at the experience tonight of Jacob, the experience of Jacob. He finds himself finally in his life, let's read in Genesis 32, the 32nd chapter. Now David, you're welcome to read the story from verse 6, Genesis 32, 6 and on. Sorry, I can't hear the quotation, I think that the quotation. Yes, brother David, if you could read for us tonight, you can read the 32nd chapter of Genesis, Genesis 32, just begin in the first two, in the first verse, we can read all the way to the maybe, yeah, verse 1 to 28, chapter 32, chapter 32. Verse 1, can you hear me loud and clear? Yeah, you sound clear. Okay, chapter 32, verse 1, and Jacob went on his way and the angel of the Lord met him. Verse 2, when Jacob saw them, he said, this is God's host and he called the name of the place. Behanim, and Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau, his brother, and onto the land of Seir, the country of Adon. Verse 4, and he commanded them saying, thus shall you speak unto my Lord Esau, thy servant Seir. Thus have I sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now. Verse 5, and I have oxen and oxen, and flocks, and manservants, and women's servants, and I have sent to tell my Lord that I may find grace in thy sight. Verse 6, and the messenger returned to Jacob saying, we came to thy brother Esau, and he commeth to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two bands, and said, Esau, come to the one company, and submit it. Then the other company, which is left, shall escape. Verse 9, and Jacob said, O Lord my father, O God of my father Abraham, the God of Isaac, the Lord which saith unto me, return unto thy country, and unto thy kindred, and I will dwell with thee. Verse 10, shall I continue? Yes, please continue. Verse 10, I am not worthy of the list of all dynasties, and of all the truths which thou hast shown unto thy servant. For with my staff have I passed over the Sudan, and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, as a level, from the hands of my brother, and from the hand of Esau. For I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. Verse 12, and Thoth said, I will surely do thee good, and make thy sea as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered as a multitude. And he lodged, and took of what which came to his hand, a present for Esau his brother. Verse 14, 200 she-goats, 20 he-goats. So brother, this is good to give us history. Now, continue from verse 22. Verse 22, and he rose up that night, and took two wives, and two women servants, and eleven sons, and passed over the fort. And he took them, and sent them over the rock, and sent over that he had. Verse 24, and Jacob was left alone, and there they wrestled a man with him until the break of the day, and when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hallow of the stars, and the hallow of Jacob's stars was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. Verse 26, and he said, let me go for a break, and he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Verse 27, and he said unto him, what is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, thy name shall be no more called Jacob, for it is low. For as a prince hath thou power with God, and with men, and hath prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, tell me I pray thee thy name. And he said, wherefore is it that thou doest ask after my name? And he blessed him there, and Jacob called the name of his place, Parnell, for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Verse 31, and as he passed over Parnellah, the sun rose upon him, and he hung upon the tower. Therefore the children of Israel ate not of. Okay, verse 32, therefore the children of Israel ate not of the sin which shrank, and he hung upon the hollow of the tower, unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's tower in Sinai, that shrank. Hallelujah. Very good, Brother David, you did well, without any light. Good job. Hallelujah. I want to look here tonight, I believe the Lord has a word for us from this verse, and it says, and Jacob was left alone, in verse 24. And Jacob was left alone. Jacob had come to a place where all is ever blessed, and all is to be blessed, to increase, and everything that he had invested of 20 years to receive, all of the children that he had, all of the books which the Lord had given shrewd to obtain, he had crossed over with only his staff, and now he was remaining in that place with only his staff. All his works were worth nothing at that point, and it says he feared that his life would be taken by his brother Esau. I wonder what was going through Jacob's mind. All of the failures. You know when you win something by deceiving, you gain something by trickery, you gain something by your own strength of efforts. When you come face to face with God, you are troubled. I don't know if anybody can hear me tonight. Yes, I can hear you. Hmm. Jacob had experience in his life. Even his name meant either second place or deceiver, and remember he came out of the womb holding his brother's heel. Hallelujah. Amen. He listened to the advice of his mother. He had stolen the birthright. With the trickery of his mother and himself, he had taken the blessing. All of these things were his own efforts, yet the promise of God was there for him. Already God had spoken that he would be the first, and his brother would serve him. Already the promise was there. Already the promise was evident, but Jacob had to come to the place in his life where he was again alone, and he had to face. He had to face his guilt. He had to face his fear. He had to face his uncle Laban. He met a man who was his equal in deceiving and in trickery, and he had to face himself, and this is a moment when we wrestle with God about ourselves. Do you hear what I'm saying? We wrestle with God about ourselves. Yes. All of our weaknesses, all of our own abilities that we use to try to promote ourselves, none of them, when we begin to stand before God and wrestle with him, they trouble us, and they stand as a block between us and God. That which we have done. That which we have not done. Jacob had to run from his brother for fear of his life because he had angered his brother so much. Yes, he had gotten the, I'll put in quotes, the blessing of God, but had he truly been blessed by God? He had stolen the blessing, but was he blessed truly by God? Yes, he was. Yes, he was. It is a different level of blessing. He had won the promise. He had won the covenant by deceiving. He had won the blessing of his father by trickery. He had won the flocks by devious means of putting, by breeding and wisdom and cunningness, and God blessed him in all of those things, but there's a level of blessing that was about to come upon Jacob that was different. And before he could enter that arena of God's fruitful blessing, there had to come a wrestling with God. I think even Jesus experienced a time of wrestling like this. Hear what I'm saying. Jesus Christ himself, why was it such a struggle in the garden? Because there was the concern of the flesh. The flesh doesn't like pain. The flesh doesn't like to be humiliated. And Jesus wrestled with the Lord even on that night with his own father. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, himself wrestled. What does it say? I wrote it earlier. Hallelujah. Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 7 shows us a little picture of what, and brother, can you get Luke 22 and 44? Brother Cassander, welcome, man of God. So blessed that you're joining us tonight and that you're able. Thank you, Lord. Good evening, Daddy. Thank you so much. You're in another all-night prayer meeting. I can hear them. Yes, I am. Hallelujah. Amen. Who else is able to read? David, do you want to read Luke 22 and 44? Okay, sir. I'm in Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 7. All right, go ahead, brother David, and you read verse 6. Verse 6. And he said also in another place, Thou art Christ, forever after the order of Mechazedek. Verse 7. Who in those days of the flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strength, with strong crying and tears unto him, that I was able to save him from death, and was hard in his fear. One more verse. Sorry? Also verse 8, please. Verse 8. Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the author of internal salvation unto all them that obeyed him. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let's read then also Luke 22 and 44, brother Taylor. You can read the few verses before and after at your discretion. Okay, sir. Luke 22, Proverbs 41. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cut, and knelt down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing to remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow and said unto them, Why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Hallelujah. So we see even Jesus, there was something that it says here, he was perfected by the things which he suffered during the times of his flesh. He offered up prayers and supplications, that's normal, but with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death. Now this death, I don't think he's talking about crucifixion. I think he's talking about I failed to save the world and bring life to myself. And that he was heard and that he feared. And being in agony, he prayed it says in King James verse 44, he prayed more earnestly. There is a prayer that is so earnest and so like wrestling with God. There's a time we enter a suffering of our soul where there is being separated and divided. I believe Jesus won the victory there in the garden. That victory was won for our salvation. The remainder was simply walking out of what had been determined in the garden, had been decided in the garden. That surrender was made in the garden. That full yielding, and I believe Jacob, the same thing happened with Jacob on that night. He had to face his own fears, his own guilt, his own self. Jesus didn't have to deal with so much fears and guilt, but there was still something that purified this son of the living God, that he was made perfect in that he endured through this suffering. This man, Jacob, came out of this experience when he was alone and wrestling. He came out with a new name. Amen? What does it mean, a new name? Now, if you refer back to our last study, how the journey through the desert can define us. It can give us an identity, which is not the identity that God would give us. This journey and these sufferings we go through can give us an opinion and an image, a name of ourself. I am a struggler. I am a desert dweller. I'm one of the poorest at all. We can take on names and identities through this struggle, but how these pursued, how these persevered through this experience of wrestling is they remain resting upon the promise. Jacob wrestled on the fact that the Lord had spoken to him. Okay, number one. The Lord has spoken to me. Number two. He promised, I will do you good. Do you remember that from reading Genesis? We need to go back and look at it again. Let's go back and look at it again. Let's see what it is. Yeah, let's just take a look at this. We don't need to be in a hurry. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. I feel a heavy anointing tonight just resting upon us. Yes, sir. Hallelujah, and I feel the revelation of the Lord and I appreciate that. Almighty God. Hallelujah. I'm looking for the verse. Ah, here it is. In verse 9. And Jacob said, and Jacob now is talking to God. Says, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Jacob, the Lord which said to me, return to thy country. This is what I'm saying. In verse 9 you see that God had spoken to Jacob. Return to your country and to your kindred. So to your family. Not just to his country, but to his family. And then I will deal well with thee. So what does it mean, I will deal well with thee? Well, when God deals well with you, things go well. Yes, sir. When God blesses you, who can curse you? I'm blessed beyond the curse. Hallelujah. When God has decided to promote you, who can hold you back? When God has decided to lift you up, who can hold you down? If God be for us, who can be against us? Hallelujah. And this is a promise of God to Jacob, and this is where he's standing at this moment. God, you spoke to me to go, and this is so key. When we're walking in the direction of the Lord, the vision of God, the command of God over our life, we can go back to God, and we can say, but oh God. And this is where the wrestling continues. Moses experienced this wrestling over the children of Israel, for the promise of God over that people to be fulfilled. And Moses argued with God, he discussed, he dealt with God, they debated. Hallelujah. It seems like God likes people who are willing to wrestle for his promise. Yes, sir. To require of him what he has promised. He's not a God who's unwilling to give, but he's unwilling to give to someone who's not prepared for that gift. That's right. And somehow this wrestling is that which prepared Jacob, that which prepared Jesus, and that which prepared Moses. I'm just looking at the word of God, and so many times we see that it is the going through that is so valuable, even more than the promise. The victory is won in the wrestling. Jesus often would stay all night with his father, and then miracles would come to pass the next day. He would be doing what he'd seen his father speak of the night before. The vision was released by his father, and he would walk it out the next day. Many times we begin, we're just dabbling in the shallow waters of God's using us because we're not yet willing to wrestle and pay the price for the heavy anointing of God upon our lives that breaks yokes, that heals the sick, that raises the dead. Hallelujah. It's about preparing us so that God can use us, and the wrestling is about preparing Jacob to be a great, great grandfather of Jesus, to continue that lineage and to inherit the promise. Hallelujah. Not by trickery, not by deception, not by slight of hand and skills, skillful breeding of cattle, no. By God's promise and by God's provision. Hallelujah. Oh, he walked carefully before the Lord after that day in a different way. I am not worthy of the least of all of the mercies and all the truth which you have showed to your servants. Verse 10. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two bands. Hallelujah. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother. Thank you, Lord. Let's go then to verse 22. Verse 24. And Jacob was left alone. You know the history of this man Jacob. The promise is upon his head. Hallelujah. Amen. And here he is, left alone with nothing but his staff. Once again. It seems the Lord finds it necessary to bring us to a place where we're alone with nothing but our staff. And we're alone with him. And in fact I believe he calls us to that place. I believe that Jacob purposed in his heart to pray and to seek the Lord that night. Somebody encountered a man who Jacob himself says, For I met the Lord the God of Israel. You know, it's one thing to hear of God by the hearing of an ear. It's another thing to have met him face to face. Those who meet him often are only those who seek him. Those who meet him are often those who seek him. In this day he is available. And yet few seek him. Few ascend up to the mountain of the Lord. Few go up into the hill of the Lord. But God is calling for people that will ascend and will be touched by him. The touch of God upon Jacob was two things. He crippled his flesh and gave him a new name. He crippled his flesh which is really helpful to us because so often we rely on the arm of flesh to save us. Jacob was in a point where he knew there was nothing he could do to save him from 400 men. Hallelujah. Jacob took his servants his wives and children he was a small two bands and he wrestled and he would you know Jacob had an ability to be determined and to not give up. To persevere. And when he wanted something he had the ability to get what he wanted which he misused many times to his own hurt. And yet this night God honored that determination and he would not give up. He said I will not give up I will not give up until you bless me. No it's becoming morning the light is beginning to dawn I will go now. Let me go. I cannot imagine that God would ever lose in a wrestling match with a man. But God has has made himself so close to us that he's willing to wrestle with us until we prevail with God. And he blessed Jacob that he has prevailed with God and with man. Reminds me of the verse in Luke the second chapter about verse 52 or 54 and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and with man. There is something that is only gained in our life in the wrestling match. There is something in our life of authority that is only gained in going through. In persevering through struggle. There is something of authority and anointing and depth. You know what I'm saying? Depth in your spirit that is only gained in persevering to the victory. Alone. Alone. Wrestling with God alone. You know we can struggle for many years. Struggling in life. Struggling in relationships. Struggling and still trying to do the right thing. There is a time for that but there is a time to take that struggle to where it really needs to go. And where we really become a prince with God. Where we really receive what God has for us. Jesus himself prayed earnestly. In fact I think it was Elijah. And Elijah being a man of like passions as we are, he prayed earnestly that it would not rain for those three and a half years. And it rained not on the earth for that space of three and one half years. Jacob a man of like I mean sorry Elijah a man of like passions such as we. A human reached the point of praying earnestly with a fervency with a strength with a wrestling within his spirit. At times I've prayed and I feel like there is a bulldozer. You know those big earth movers that shake the whole ground just with their engines as they push ever so slowly huge mounds of dirt. But there's nothing can stop them. And the whole earth shakes. And sometimes I feel that anointing within my spirit like a bulldozer. That there's been walls and blocks and things that have stood in our ways. There have been little sins and troubles and problems that have just troubled us for too long. And it's time to engage those things in the spirit. And begin to call upon the Lord for that bulldozer anointing. It's not something that you can bull your way through as in a bull. No, we need that bulldozer anointing. That we call upon the Lord praying in the spirit until something within us, like a bulldozer anointing to break yokes and bondages. To break us through into a realm where we stand alone before God. And our flesh has taken a hit that we'll never recover from. Our flesh often is too strong anyway. Amen. Hallelujah. Amen. He speaks to us to seek him for that blessing. And to not give up until he blesses us. Blessings with what? Jacob was not after Jacob was not after material blessings. He was after God's hand upon him. He was after God being with him. He was pursuing lifting the whole weight of the guilt and the the fleshly ways he had operated in up to that point. He was after a purifying. He was after the hand of God settling upon him in a way that would allow him to be blessed and used and increased and protected. Hallelujah. Amen. My Lord and my God. Hallelujah. Let's read what Jesus said to the churches in two places in the book of Revelation. Chapter 2 and the first verse and then chapter 3 and the 12th verse. 2-1 and 3-12. Amen. Revelation chapter 2. 2-1 and then 3-12 Thank you Jesus. Unto the angel of the church unto the angel of the church of Ephraos write. These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not and hast found them liars and hast borne and hast patience and for my name's sake hast labored and hast not fainted. Shall we continue Reverend? No, just hold there. Then chapter 3 and verse 12 Chapter 3 verse 12 Yes sir. Him that overcometh hallelujah. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name my God and the name of the city of my God which is new Jerusalem which cometh down which cometh down out of heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name. Amen. Hallelujah. Amen. Jacob received a new name who said you were the deceiver, the supplanter, the one who grabbed the heel. You were the one who accomplished by your own efforts but I'm going to call you one who has prevailed with God and with men. I'm going to call you a prince with God. And this one he that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more in and out. You don't know a pillar. You know what a pillar is. It's which supports something of strength. It supports the building and so it's called the pillar in the temple of my God. A pillar doesn't leave. If a pillar leaves it's very big problems but this pillar that for him who overcomes God said I will make you a pillar. I will make you one that stands firm and that supports many, many, many others. Hallelujah. You see this is why it's so critical that we wrestle and pursue and persevere and overcome with God. Not with man so much. With God and the victory with man will come. Hallelujah. In the temple of my God and he shall no more go in and out and I will write upon him the name of my God the name of the city of my God which is the new Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name. I know that's a future something which is coming but there's a principle here that's spoken to the church and I believe we can apply it to our own lives say God make me a pillar. God write your name upon me that I might represent you. You know when you wear the name badge the representative of the church, the government whatever you're representing that name identifies you as belonging to and having authority with you hear me? Belonging to the group of God and having authority to speak on his behalf. Hallelujah. To represent him this is the name that he put upon us and I believe we can take that and say God I want to be your representative God I want to speak on your behalf Lord God I want you to, I want to act according to your direction and Lord I want to see a victory but it's to him that overcometh Hallelujah to him that overcometh to him that overcometh in that resting of mighty Jesus to give us a new name Amen. What's that new name? Hallelujah. Romans 9 26 I love it says and it shall be in that place where it was said to them you are not my people there shall they be called the son of the living God Hallelujah he will write his name upon us and we will be called I'm a son of the living God I'm a representative I belong to the family and I can speak on behalf of the living God Oh Jesus Somebody read Romans 9 verse 26 Romans 9 verse 26 and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them ye are not my people there shall they be called the children of the living God Hallelujah So first we know he's speaking in literal translation he's speaking to the Gentiles those who are not called my people which are the Gentiles everyone who wasn't a Jew and they shall be called the sons of the living God so this definitely can apply to us are you a Gentile or a Jew? Hallelujah His name God is saying in that place you are called my son the son of the living God but it comes through wrestling with the Lord saying I want that blessing you see Jacob was promised that blessing and yet it took that the promise was there the promise was available but until that meeting with God he met with God you know the scripture is there saying that we are the sons of the living God but until we wrestle for it until we pursue it until we obtain it and overcome in this area the enemy would just put us down circumstances would just put us down but it's time for the people of God to prevail it's time for the people of God to prevail and to take our place the place that's been promised and provided but there's a people must enter into it Hallelujah there's a people must enter into it Hallelujah Oh bless the Lord Hallelujah Amen In the book of Hosea it says about Jacob it says in chapter 12 it talks about Jacob Hosea does in chapter 12 it talks about how he strove with God he strove with the angel and he bailed it says he wept and sought God's favor let's read it Hosea the 12th chapter from verse 2 the second verse 2 to 6 2 to 6 Hosea chapter 12 from verse 2 to 6 the Lord had the Lord had also the Lord had also a controversy with Judah so we'll punish Jacob according to his ways according to his doings will he recompense him he took his brother by the heel in the womb and by his strength he had power with God yea he had power over the angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him he found him in Bethel and there he spoke with us even the Lord God of hosts the Lord is his warrior therefore turn thou to thy God keep mercy on judgment and wait on thy God continually continually so it shows the weakness of Jacob in this and how that the Lord had a controversy with Jacob and yet when he met with God I believe is what it's saying that he prevailed he wept he made supplication he was heard in that he repented and that he humbled himself and that he believed God oh praise the Lord so you know Jacob again after this in another occasion the Lord reminded Jacob of his name and I think it's in the 35th chapter of Genesis Genesis 35 if I didn't write it down ok I did Genesis 35 and the 10th verse so after a short journey Jacob arrives in Bethel anybody remember what else happened for Jacob in Bethel what's the story about Bethel and Jacob before this anyone remember where he encountered the Lord he did and how was that on the first time he met God in Bethel what was the time and what happened are you referring to when he was running from his brother correct that's the first occasion in Bethel and then he saw this vision of a ladder going up into heaven angels descending and ascending and the promise God had made to Abraham and to Isaac was again repeated to Jacob ok so this time is the second time in Genesis 35 and the 10th verse ok Genesis 35 verse 10 it's interesting that it's like God is confirming that same name that was given to him when he wrestled isn't it true and it's beautiful that God confirms to us I appreciate that I appreciate that God reminds us because often when we are escaping that what the desert has defined us as the name we were given at our birth that which is our own nature we are escaping that and God gives us a new name it's good to be reminded remember you're a son of the living God I have called you for a purpose I've laid my hand upon you and I will use you for my purpose amen like God will remind us and we need that don't we and so I appreciate the scripture bringing out the reminder to Jacob and the confirmation of that which he had spoken many years ago hallelujah amen bless the Lord amen I want to just open it up for anyone else to jump in here I've shared what's in my heart and I believe that the word of the Lord has come forth but maybe somebody wants to add to what's been spoken you're welcome thank you Jesus that's a good addition there thank you for your addition I didn't know you had it thank you thank you Lord you need to be reminded of what God calls you the world calls you one thing the world calls you one thing the devil calls you another you're a little brother I call you something else hallelujah God I have a name for you hallelujah I give you a new name man brother David what do you have to say speak to this what happened to my brother David we lost him we lost him just at that time brother Cassandra are you in a place you want to speak to this sorry I hear the background noise but I'm trying to avoid it's not too bad brother and you're welcome to speak we'll endure the background a little bit actually I as I joined in I could feel the anointing and I said to them when to listen and they said I'm so blessed I'm so blessed I don't know what to add I'm so blessed the only time I wanted to add something was when you talked about the first encounter of Jacob I wanted to say that it was an unexpected encounter and it was there the city got the name better he said God was in this place and I knew it's not and I think with this teaching I begin to understand better why God is sometimes referred in scripture as the God of Jacob because he chose Jacob he decided to help him by the time we see Jacob's testimony at the end of his life when Pharaoh asked him how old are you and he began to give the testimony of his life he said look my life has been hard and rough I've not lived up to the years of my father as we go further down he's blessing the sons of Jesus he says the angel that redeemed me so there was a hand of God over that man called Jacob by the time you go to scripture you see many times the Bible says the God of Jacob the name of the God of Jacob defend you Jacob had a preference from God and God showed up for him all through his life it was not funny apart from the chipping uncle and the heartbreaks his sons were not loving sons for him those boys at the end of his life swindling their father I don't know what they were doing they didn't have regards for him but there was a consistent hand of God over that man that's what I see you see the Bible say to the King of Jacob to the God of Jacob it tells you how much God has have us or deal with us when he chooses us amen amen so it's good what you said there brother Cassander because on the first time the meeting with God was a surprise perhaps to Jacob totally out of context unexpected but at the same time Jacob purposed in his heart to return to Bethel and to honor the God who had spoken to him there and to reconnect with his God there and so that's a good point you made as well Emmanuel are you able to join and speak brother Emmanuel hallelujah go ahead brother favor while we wait if Emmanuel can unmute thank you sir sorry I went off I had my data was exhausted but I'm glad I was able to reconnect what a timely word Reverend I am interested I am interested and it's amazing how that when we go through and even from the study we see that God is interested God is interested in the name and it's very it's very significant so when we go through a desert experience we see that in the case of Jacob we see that in Romans 6 the scripture you read when we go through a desert experience God is interested in changing our name yes and so that we we realize so that it will the understanding of who we are because we see ourselves through the lenses of our name of our data he doesn't want us to see how to define ourselves by the experience but rather by the significance by the name he calls us by his name and it's really interesting because I usually like the way the Lord comes from a different angle often times and even the Lord Jesus did so many of this I remember when I was studying it was so interesting to me a woman comes to him and says oh blessed be the woman that gave birth to you and he would just take off a different angle and he goes like I know that your name is written in the book of life he would always somebody would come and say oh master divide the position between me and my brother and he comes from an entirely different angle he says a man's life does not consist of the things beware of covetousness so this one was trying to call him to make peace but he's coming from a different angle a superior angle and I see also from this teaching tonight how that he gives us he comes from a superior angle you know the scripture you read in Genesis 35 he says to Jacob your name is Jacob right and Jacob says yes this is your name right but from this day it's no longer going to be your name because you're going to take up a new name and this is the new name and it's really an interesting one in other words Jacob's correct answer would be Jacob I've been renamed Israel he didn't answer he didn't answer correctly I already told you your name is Israel hallelujah and yet we fall in that same thing many times we fall into our old ways because we resort to our old name and not who we are and who he calls us hallelujah yes sir wrestling with God is where we lose the definition of the desert over our life hallelujah it doesn't look like Immanuel is able to break through and speak but I hope Immanuel you were able to at least participate tonight and hear us