Sharpened and Shaped By God

To those who allow Me to sharpen them, I will be a friend, and to those who will wrestle with Me, I will put My mark upon. My desire is to shape you and sharpen you into a vessel that reflects the image of its Maker, and that can only be done as you allow Me to speak the hard truths and remove the rough edges that are within you. If you would reflect Me, you must let go of all else, and grab hold of Me, refusing to let go, and become unified with Me in all aspects and areas of your life. You cannot push Me away and call Me friend, nor can you be a reflection of Me unless you’re willing to persevere and prevail through the dark, allowing Me to touch those areas in your life that need to be changed. Yes, it leaves a mark, but it is a mark that is bathed in My blood, redemptive and full of mercy that leaves you with a new identity found only in Me. There is a cost to close covenant relationship with Me. The question is, are you willing to pay it?

Gen. 32:24-28, “The Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.’” NASB