Stepping into Your Prophetic Destiny, Pt. 13: Walk with a Limp

Genesis 32:24-30

It's dark, and Jacob is alone on the far side of the river. He has no possessions with him; his hands are as empty as when he initially traveled to Haran. He's divided, contemplating how he deceptively obtained Esau's blessing and how much Esau hates him. Will he be accepted? Will his brother try to kill him? Esau is on his way now with four hundred men. "But God said," keeps popping into Jacob's mind, and he is wrestling with his fears, as the man he is versus the man he would like to become. Then suddenly, he finds himself wrestling another man.

Isn't suddenly a beautiful word? Things can change instantly, and for Jacob, that moment was when he took on himself. Many believe that this man Jacob wrestled with is none other than the Lord and that this a theophany. I, too, take that view. However, I believe the Lord was there to make certain that Jacob's prophetic destiny won out over his flesh. God was, quite literally, wrestling with Jacob to see Jacob's flesh defeated. Isn't that what the Holy Spirit does for us today? When we are tempted to step outside of the plans and purposes of God, the Spirit joins with us so that we can be more than conquerors.

When the dawn comes, Jacob refuses to let the man go without receiving a blessing. While the man will not reveal His Name, He does change Jacob's to Israel. Jacob has learned how to struggle and prevail with God and man, and that's the secret. We can only win with the Lord, never without Him, particularly when it comes to the flesh. The wrestling match ends with Jacob stepping into his new identity as Israel, with a blessing, too. The only thing to show for it, though, is a limp.

Jacob declares, "I have seen God face to face, and I have been delivered" (Gen. 32:30). You see, there comes a time in all our lives when we must confront God. Either we will reject what He has planned for us, or we will embrace it whole-heartedly. Regardless, we are left walking with a limp. If we deny him, we are limping because outside of God, we can never reach the potential He has determined for us. If we accept His plans, we will remain limping to remind us that God alone can bring about His plans and purposes. We are but flesh and must remain humble. Jacob named the place of his encounter Peniel.

We all have Peniel moments. It is up to us to decide whether we're wrestling against God or whether we're wrestling with Him to achieve His purposes. Jacob chose to wrestle with Him. And that is always God's desire – that we join with Him. We can walk as overcomers because His power is now at work in us, fighting for us, wrestling with us against the principalities and powers of darkness, not to mention the demons of our flesh.

Ephesians 3:20 states, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." When we surrender to God, His power works in us mightily to bring about His plans and purposes, resulting in His glorification, never our own.

We must all wrestle, and when we do, we may find that God has called us by something different all along. From the moment of Jacob's conception, God didn't see Jacob; He saw Israel. God saw everything that would need to occur for Jacob to be transformed into Israel. God's vision for you is always the prophetic destiny He has ordained from the foundations of the earth, and He never gives up.

Can I encourage you today to give into God? Stop wrestling against Him and begin wrestling with Him. Don't fear taking on your flesh. It is not, nor can it ever become, everything God desires. It's time to step into your identity in Christ and move forward. Jacob left behind what was dividing him and walked forward whole. You can, too; albeit, with a limp😊

Let's Pray:

Lord, it seems I have come to my Peniel moment. I am weary of fighting You and want to war with You. I surrender myself to You so that You can transform me into all I need to become to see Your prophetic plans birthed in my life. Thank you for pushing me to this point. I thank You that You have never seen me as myself. My self is not very promising. It fails me every time. Thank you for viewing me as Your glorious creation designed for a specific purpose in Your Kingdom. I submit to You and look forward to advancing in all that You have destined for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.