WEBVTT

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We're going to continue today, I'm going to invite

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you to the Word of the Lord, Genesis chapter

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22. And I'll be concluding the series that we

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began a few weeks ago called Battles That Build

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Us. God's been speaking to us about the various

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struggles and battles that we experience in our

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life that ultimately develop who He has called

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us to be. And Genesis chapter 22, excuse me,

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32 and verse 22. I would invite your attention

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to the most iconic scenes in Scripture, the Old

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Testament and the life of Jacob and a moment

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that forever altered the course of his destiny.

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It reads as follows, and he arose that night

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and took his two wives and his two female servants.

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and his 11 sons and crossed over the ford of

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Jabbok. And he took them and set them over the

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brook and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was

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left alone. You know, something's good. Sometimes

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good things happen when you're left alone. I

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know we don't like, some of us, you know, we

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fear being alone sometimes. But sometimes there

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are some things that God's got to get you alone,

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you know. And a man wrestled with him until the

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breaking of day. Now when he saw that he did

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not prevail against him, he touched the socket

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of his hip. And the socket of Jacob's hip was

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out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he

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said, let me go for the day breaks. But he said,

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I will not let you go unless you bless me. So

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he said to him, what is your name? He said, Jacob.

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And he said, your name shall no longer be called

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Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with

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God and with men and have prevailed. Then Jacob

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asked, saying, tell me your name, I pray. And

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he said, why is it that you ask about my name?

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And he blessed him there. I'm going to speak

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for a few moments on this thought. The struggle

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is real. Someone say the struggle is real. I

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did a little spin on the word is real. Hopefully

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that all. comes together for you. Why don't we

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pray? Father, I thank you for your presence that

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we feel so palpably in this place, so powerfully,

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Lord. We know that you have come to meet us.

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Come let us reason together. And that's what

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we're doing, Lord. And I pray, God, that you

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would speak to us now in this moment, God, that

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you would anoint the ears and the spiritual hearing.

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unlock our understanding, God, to receive your

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word and anoint my lips of clay that every word

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that comes out of my mouth would be seasoned

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with salt, would be your words and not mine.

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For this next phase of this service, God, we

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want you to just have your way and speak to our

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lives. Challenge us. Transform us. In Jesus'

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name we pray. Everyone say amen. Amen. You may

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be seated in God's presence. The struggle is

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real. Someone say the struggle is real. Come

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on, say it like you mean it. The struggle is

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real. We know that's a fact, right? Life is not

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a straight, unbroken line. It often comes with

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these inflection points that can alter the course

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of our future. Crossroads that demand a decision,

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a choice, but arriving at these crossroads usually

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comes at a cost. Reaching these pivotal places

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often requires that we reach. The end. Of ourselves.

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And this is exactly where Jacob found himself.

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As he sat at the edge of the. Jaybok River. Alone.

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Desperate. Tired. He's very tired at this point.

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He's tired of running. He's tired of the games.

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He's tired of. The fear, he's tired of playing

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cat and mouse with God. He's tired of a lot of

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things. He's tired of the act that he's been

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having to put up. And to this point, Jacob had

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lived up to his name. And I'm not very fond of

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it for obvious reasons. But his name means supplanter.

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or heel grabber. That's an interesting name to

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name your child in its original setting. Supplanter,

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heel grabber, or deceiver. And he had lived his

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life living up to his name for the most part.

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But he had finally reached the end of himself.

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The end of trusting his own savviness, his own

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wit. The end of scheming his way through life.

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And at last, the game was over. At last, he had

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reached the end of the line. The jig was up.

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This was it. This was a make it or break it point

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for him, confronted with the reality of having

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to face his lifelong nemesis, his rival, which

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was his twin brother Esau, on the next day, whom

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he had deceived out of his birthright. Jacob

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is now out of tricks. He's got no more tricks

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up his sleeve, no more rabbits to pull out of

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a hat, so to speak. There's nothing left now

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that he can resort to. Things that he had done

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throughout his life, he had finally run out of

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those schemes. And this was the moment where

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he was finally going to have to face his... His

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demons, so to speak. He was going to have to

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face his past and deal with things in his life

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that he had evaded very elusively throughout

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the course of his life. But before facing his

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enemy, Jacob would have to face himself and God.

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Facing your enemy is one thing, but facing yourself,

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is another. And I would argue today that the

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latter is actually more difficult than the former.

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Amen, somebody. You may not believe what I'm

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going to tell you right now, but it's actually

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easier to face the enemy. It's actually easier

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to face the devil than it is To face ourselves.

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Can I tell you today? Someone say, go ahead.

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It's easier to call the devil a liar. Some of

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us are very good at that. Devil, you're a liar.

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We say it like that, too, with attitude. Satan,

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you are a liar. Get under my feet, right? I mean,

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we know how to call him a liar. And we ought

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to because the Bible says he's the father of

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lies. But it's a lot harder to look in the mirror

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and say, you're a liar. I just lost you right

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there. It's a lot easier to put the blame on

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the devil and face him. But in this text, we

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see. Jacob finally, after years and years of

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shifting blame the other direction, pulling schemes

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and getting one over on people, shifting blame,

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he has finally come to a point where he has to

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face the facts about his own decisions, his own

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life, and come to terms with the man that he

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has allowed himself to become. 20 years had passed

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since Jacob's unforgettable night at Bethel.

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Another remarkable moment where, as you might

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recall, he saw the ladder from heaven down to

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earth with the angels ascending and descending

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upon that. And this moment was powerful. He had

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an encounter with the presence of God, and he

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even confessed himself. He said, surely the presence

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of the Lord was here, and I did not know it.

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But therein lies the problem of that Bethel experience

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that he had, which was that despite the fact

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that he had this moment in God's presence and

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he was affected emotionally, it did not change

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who he was. Can I tell you today that you can

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be in God's presence and God's presence not be

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in you? You can have an encounter with the presence

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of God so much so that it brings tears to your

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eyes, chills down your spine, have you speaking

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in other tongues, and still walk out of this

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place the exact same person you were when you

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walked in. Jacob had an encounter with God. He

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had a vision of a lot of angels. I mean, it doesn't

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get more glorious and more supernatural. It doesn't

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get better than that. And still he had not learned

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his lesson. And so he leaves that moment unchanged,

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which is what happens to many, many people. And

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so God still has to work on us. And during those

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years, Jacob got a taste of his own medicine.

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He was tricked into marrying. Leah instead of

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Rachel. There's a whole saga behind that one.

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Woke up next to the wrong sister. Endured years

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of family tension. I mean, unending family drama

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and politics and tension and just toxic things.

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And eventually he separated from. Laban, which

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was his father -in -law, under the messiest of

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circumstances. But now Jacob sits at the Jabbok

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River on the eve of his greatest test, facing

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his brother. But before that, he's got to face

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himself. And before the sun would rise, he would

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experience one more divine visitation from God.

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But unlike Bethel, where it was all dreams and

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visions and ladders and angels, this would be

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much different. This would not be an encounter

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of a dream, but of a struggle. And I see this

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struggle occurring in three stages today that

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I want to, for the next few moments, share with

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you what God revealed to me. There is... Three

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stages. There is a brawling stage, a breaking

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stage, and a blessing stage. Amen. And I believe

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that this is the same method that God uses to

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transform us. Let's deal with the brawling stage.

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The brawling stage. I want to tell you that the

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brawling stage shows us that God brawls with

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those he calls. Let me say it again. God brawls.

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Someone say he brawls with those he calls. He

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fights. And as Jacob lay alone on the muddy banks

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of the Jabbok, the Bible says that a man wrestled

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with him until the breaking of day. The word

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man there is significant, is capitalized, and

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refers to a divine being or... a visible manifestation

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of God. This was not just any spirit being that

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Jacob was wrestling with. This was God himself

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stepping into his world and jumping him in the

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middle of the night. You think you had a bad

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night last night, huh? Or the night before. Man,

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I couldn't sleep. This is categorically a bad

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night. You're minding your own business. You're

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trying to get some shut -eye over... The night

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of what is to be one of the most tense and pivotal

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moments of your life. And all of a sudden, this

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shadowy, unknown, mysterious figure comes and

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jumps on you without warning. No warning shot.

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They didn't do a weigh -in like they do with,

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you know, boxing matches. There was no sizing

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up of the enemy. No, he's just sleeping and he

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gets tackled by this mysterious being. And he

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realizes through the course of this fight that

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he's not just fighting any man, but that there

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is something godly, there's something heavenly,

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there's something supernatural, divine. And he

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recognizes that this must be God. But we see

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Jacob finally in another, he's in another wrestling

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match, and he'd been wrestling all of his life.

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Jacob had been wrestling even in the womb. He

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was wrestling with his brother. The Bible says

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that they struggled together in the womb of their

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mother, Rachel. At birth, he even grabbed the

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heel of his brother. As the first was being delivered,

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being born, he grabbed his heel. And throughout

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his life, Jacob had been wrestling and grabbing

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at heels and trying to get ahead through any

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means necessary. The ends justify the means.

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That's the way he lived his life, always wrestling

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and always heel grabbing. But this wrestling

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match at J -Buck was one for the ages. There

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he learned, Jacob learned that when God wrestles

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with you, and this is what you and I must learn

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today, he's not trying to destroy you. He's trying

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to change you. Somebody say amen. Someone say

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he's trying to change me. Come on, say, he's

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trying to change me. I want to tell you that

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there are seasons in our life where God begins

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to deal with us. God begins to wrestle with us.

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God begins to engage with us on a level that

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perhaps we have never engaged with him before.

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God begins to enter into our world and via either

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through... A very direct approach, wrestling

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with us in our spirit or simply allowing things

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to happen in our life that wrestle, that cause

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us to wrestle within ourselves. God will begin

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to deal with us usually when we are on the verge

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of experiencing His greatest move in our life.

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And God will engage us in these ways to prepare

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us to see whether or not we are truly ready for

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the blessing that we so desperately want to receive

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in our life. God will engage with us like he

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did with Jacob. He begins to deal with us. And

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I know I'm talking to some people here today

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who, if not right now, you know at some point

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God began to deal with you. And you know God

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is dealing with you when you can't find that

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normal rest that you're used to finding. You

00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:49.299
know God is dealing with you when you've got

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that unsettling in your spirit. Something is

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just not quite settled. Something isn't quite

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the way that it was. Something seems to be a

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little bit off. Something is not. Business as

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usual. Something has got you kind of off your

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game. Something's got you kind of in a funk or

00:18:08.869 --> 00:18:12.970
in a weird cycle mentally or spiritually. You

00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:15.789
kind of know that God is dealing with you when

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things aren't happening the way that they normally

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would happen. When things are starting to shake

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in your world and things are starting to move

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around. You know that God is wrestling with you

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when you start to lose. Lose control of the things

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that you normally have under control. You know

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that God is starting to wrestle with you when

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the stuff that you're usually able to manipulate,

00:18:43.470 --> 00:18:47.529
maneuver, control, dictate, you're no longer

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able to do that with as great as ease as you

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once did. Be it your financial life, be it your

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spiritual life, your relationships, your family,

00:18:57.009 --> 00:18:59.670
the roof over your head, all sorts of things

00:18:59.670 --> 00:19:03.210
start to come unglued a little bit. And I want

00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:05.630
to tell you that when you find yourself in those

00:19:05.630 --> 00:19:08.589
situations, it's not always that the devil is

00:19:08.589 --> 00:19:10.890
messing with you. It's not always that the devil

00:19:10.890 --> 00:19:14.109
is fighting you. It's not always that hell, the

00:19:14.109 --> 00:19:16.309
gates of hell have opened up over your life.

00:19:16.450 --> 00:19:19.529
Sometimes it's God that is trying to wrestle

00:19:19.529 --> 00:19:22.869
you and move. in your life and struggle with

00:19:22.869 --> 00:19:26.589
you in a way so that he can ultimately form and

00:19:26.589 --> 00:19:30.130
frame and develop you into the man or the woman

00:19:30.130 --> 00:19:32.750
of God that he is wanting you to be. Somebody

00:19:32.750 --> 00:19:37.170
say amen today. Now I understand that we don't

00:19:37.170 --> 00:19:42.309
like this. Nobody wants to wrestle with God in

00:19:42.309 --> 00:19:45.390
the way that God wrestled with Jacob on that

00:19:45.390 --> 00:19:49.019
day. But you need to understand that there are

00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:52.160
some levels in God. There are some levels in

00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:54.799
Christian living. There are some dimensions in

00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:58.339
walking with him. And in this journey of life

00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:02.099
that can only be experienced, only be known.

00:20:02.339 --> 00:20:04.859
There is some honey that can only be tasted.

00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:08.059
There is some milk that can only be drank. When

00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:11.200
you have gone through a process of God wrestling

00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.019
with you to the point that something changes

00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:18.009
in your mentality, in your spirit, in your behavior,

00:20:18.109 --> 00:20:24.450
in your life. And this is going to be the make

00:20:24.450 --> 00:20:28.609
or break moment. And God, hear me today, church.

00:20:28.730 --> 00:20:34.190
I feel this in my spirit today. God has assembled

00:20:34.190 --> 00:20:39.640
us here right now. God has assembled us here

00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:43.680
right now in this place because he, like he did

00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:46.619
with Jacob, has been dealing with some of you

00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:49.700
in your spirit in the late night hours. You've

00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:53.279
been feeling God begin to tug on you. And some,

00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:56.299
even in the form of a greater call in your life,

00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:59.740
you feel the call of God, the heaviness, the

00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:03.339
weight of that call to go to a deeper place in

00:21:03.339 --> 00:21:06.839
him, to serve him in a greater way. And there's

00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:10.579
a rest. between you and that call between your

00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:14.200
flesh and your carnal man and the spirit man

00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:17.000
that God is trying to awaken in your life and

00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:20.599
I have come today to encourage you tell you not

00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:24.579
to give up I've come today to tell you that what

00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:28.740
you feel is the hand and the movement of God

00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:32.480
in your life and you've simply got to keep wrestling

00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:36.500
with him and get to that place in him where you

00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:40.140
You say, God, I don't want you to let me go until

00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:43.460
you have completely done what you need to do

00:21:43.460 --> 00:21:50.680
in my life. Hallelujah, somebody. And this is

00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:55.299
what separates. This is what separates the sleepy

00:21:55.299 --> 00:22:00.200
saints from the. From the fiery saints, from

00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:02.940
the awake saints. This is what separates the

00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:06.440
lukewarm from the hot or cold. This is what separates

00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:11.319
the saints from the ain'ts. This is what separates

00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:14.380
the contenders from the pretenders. Are you hearing

00:22:14.380 --> 00:22:17.180
me today? Because up until this point, Jacob

00:22:17.180 --> 00:22:21.980
was a world -class pretender. There's too many

00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:25.640
pretenders nowadays, brother. Too many people

00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:32.710
pretending to be apostolic. Oh, I'm going to

00:22:32.710 --> 00:22:35.990
say it. Hallelujah. Too many people pretending

00:22:35.990 --> 00:22:43.109
for the pastor. Pretending to worship. You know

00:22:43.109 --> 00:22:44.829
what God showed me? Hear me. Everybody, give

00:22:44.829 --> 00:22:46.069
me your attention. You know what God showed me

00:22:46.069 --> 00:22:48.269
recently? Some of us worship, we sing the songs,

00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:51.309
and we don't even feel the Holy Ghost when we're

00:22:51.309 --> 00:22:56.759
worshiping. But because we're so programmed to

00:22:56.759 --> 00:23:00.180
do these things, we do them instinctively, automatically,

00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:02.700
but we're not even worshiping him in spirit.

00:23:05.259 --> 00:23:08.420
So we need some kind of production or something

00:23:08.420 --> 00:23:10.900
to make us feel something emotionally that only

00:23:10.900 --> 00:23:15.839
the Holy Ghost can produce. Some of us pretend

00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:21.380
to give. We bring our phone out, and we tap it

00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:23.119
on the thing, and we didn't even give our tithe

00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:28.119
or offering. Pretending. Some of us don't even

00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:35.240
do that. Pretending. We pretend to submit. And

00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:37.420
this is where God, I don't know, I just feel

00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:39.079
to say this in the Holy Ghost. I may not get

00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:42.319
through all my notes, amen, but even there's

00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:44.000
preachers who pretend to preach. You know why?

00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:46.440
Because they preach what ChatGPT gave them to

00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:54.500
preach. God help us from that. A couple weeks

00:23:54.500 --> 00:23:56.440
ago, I think Brother Caleb told me after one

00:23:56.440 --> 00:23:58.140
of the Sundays, I just closed my Bible and I

00:23:58.140 --> 00:23:59.920
preached what God gave me. He said, Pastor, that

00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:06.450
was not an AI message. Can I tell you, church,

00:24:06.569 --> 00:24:08.509
there's a lot of things I cannot promise you

00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:10.190
here. I can't promise you that it's always going

00:24:10.190 --> 00:24:13.329
to be a nice, you know, 65 degrees in the church

00:24:13.329 --> 00:24:15.170
like it's not right now. I can't promise you

00:24:15.170 --> 00:24:16.789
that we're always going to have the latest technology.

00:24:16.950 --> 00:24:18.549
I can't promise you we're always going to sing

00:24:18.549 --> 00:24:20.769
the most current song. I can't promise you we're

00:24:20.769 --> 00:24:22.869
always going to do things with the total professional.

00:24:23.130 --> 00:24:24.670
But here's one thing I can promise you. It's

00:24:24.670 --> 00:24:28.269
never going to be artificial. Come on now, somebody.

00:24:28.450 --> 00:24:31.069
I can't promise you anything else, but I can

00:24:31.069 --> 00:24:33.789
promise you that the anointing cannot be artificial.

00:24:34.130 --> 00:24:37.289
It cannot be replicated. It cannot be duplicated.

00:24:37.430 --> 00:24:40.250
There's only one God. There's only one spirit.

00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:43.170
There's only one Holy Ghost. And we need that

00:24:43.170 --> 00:24:46.809
Holy Ghost to get a hold of us in this hour so

00:24:46.809 --> 00:24:51.410
that God can raise up that church. Raise me up,

00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:59.259
God, in the anointing of your spirit. I can't

00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:01.059
promise all of that, but I can promise you this,

00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:05.380
it won't be artificial. But Jacob at this point

00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:08.579
had been living with artificial spirituality.

00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:12.819
Faking it. Someone said, you got to fake it till

00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:15.500
you make it. No, no, no, no, no. I don't want

00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:18.940
to fake nothing. I want to make it. Even if I'm

00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:22.339
barely, I'd rather be barely making it than faking

00:25:22.339 --> 00:25:27.980
it. Come on now, somebody. I'd rather limp across

00:25:27.980 --> 00:25:32.319
the finish line than run with all the issues

00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:34.180
and the devils and the things in my life that

00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:36.940
I haven't dealt with. I'd rather limp across

00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:40.059
that thing and say, man, I barely made it here.

00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:42.559
We got to get to the point when we come to church,

00:25:42.579 --> 00:25:45.519
we say, pastor, I barely made it to church. My

00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:49.619
back gave out on me. My car, my flat tire gave.

00:25:49.799 --> 00:25:54.690
I barely, but I'm here. Come on, somebody. Somebody

00:25:54.690 --> 00:26:00.690
say, but I'm here. I'm here. We got to get back

00:26:00.690 --> 00:26:02.730
to that. It's not always, you know, the stars

00:26:02.730 --> 00:26:07.410
are not always going to align, brother. It's

00:26:07.410 --> 00:26:09.289
not always going to be like that. And we got

00:26:09.289 --> 00:26:11.470
to get this in our spirit. And so God begins

00:26:11.470 --> 00:26:13.869
to wrestle with us and brawl with us. But in

00:26:13.869 --> 00:26:17.650
the brawling comes the breaking. Number two,

00:26:17.670 --> 00:26:21.869
the breaking. God breaks us. Why? To remake us.

00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:28.440
Because some of us, we've been made, but you

00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:30.400
know what the problem is? We've been made in

00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:35.579
our own image. We've been made in the image of

00:26:35.579 --> 00:26:38.660
our employer. We've been made in the image of

00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:41.859
the friends that are in our life that we so desperately

00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:45.660
want their approval. And so we're made in the

00:26:45.660 --> 00:26:51.480
image of their opinions and what's right of culture.

00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:54.319
We've been made in the image of what other people

00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:58.180
have told us that we're supposed to be. But God

00:26:58.180 --> 00:27:03.160
has to break us in order to remake us into his

00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:07.619
image. I feel this in the Holy Ghost today. So

00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:09.740
the Bible said that he touched the socket of

00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:12.960
his hip and the socket of Jacob's hip was out

00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:17.799
of joint. What I love about the irony of this

00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:20.480
is that Jacob has spent his whole life grabbing

00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:24.319
and wrestling, and finally the grabber got grabbed.

00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:31.180
God said, uh -uh, boy, not this time. You got

00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:32.819
away from me last time. I don't know if you ever

00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:34.220
been in a little fight with somebody, maybe a

00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:36.720
brother or sister. You know, they sucker punched

00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:39.400
you or they took off. When I get you, I'm not

00:27:39.400 --> 00:27:41.619
going to. You know what I'm saying? And you finally

00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:42.980
get up. Come on, brother. You know what I'm talking

00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:44.579
about? You finally get up. I'm not letting you

00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:48.480
go until you learn your lesson. Come on, someone

00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:53.539
say amen. Huh? And I know, brother David, because

00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:55.920
I was the younger brother, so I got the beating.

00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.180
You were the older brother, so maybe you did

00:27:58.180 --> 00:28:00.500
the beating. And so I'm not going to let you.

00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:04.119
Until you learn, right? Man, they break you down,

00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:08.220
don't they? And finally the grabber got grabbed.

00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:12.140
The Lord said, not so fast, buddy. No, this is

00:28:12.140 --> 00:28:14.859
not going to be easy for you. This is not just

00:28:14.859 --> 00:28:16.819
going to be some quick little thing where, you

00:28:16.819 --> 00:28:19.000
know, you just keep, you get what you want and

00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:21.799
you keep on moving on and nothing changes about

00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:24.400
you. No, I got to deal with you. And so the Bible

00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:27.579
says he touched the socket of his hip. And let

00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:29.960
me tell you that that spiritual transformation

00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:33.480
and growth, we've overcomplicated it. Let me

00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:35.799
make it real simple for you. I'll make it simple

00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:39.099
in this way, in this illustration. It comes down

00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:45.319
to heels and hips. Heels and hips. Heels. Heels.

00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:49.380
They represent speed, right? Speed, agility.

00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:56.380
But your hips represent strength. Strength. Real

00:28:56.380 --> 00:29:02.839
transformation is not found when your heels feel

00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:07.920
something. It's found when God touches your strengths.

00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:13.259
Oh, my God. Real transformation is not because,

00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:15.819
you know, we live in an instant gratification

00:29:15.819 --> 00:29:20.819
world. Right. We live in the age of the drive

00:29:20.819 --> 00:29:22.539
through. How many of you like the drive through?

00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:26.299
Especially when you need that Starbucks. And

00:29:26.299 --> 00:29:28.079
thank God there's a drive through because I don't

00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:31.119
have to get out of the car. And then and then

00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:35.400
now they got mobile order. Praise God. I order

00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:39.839
it when I'm two blocks down. I felt something

00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:41.859
right there. By the time I step in, brother,

00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:44.980
it's already ready, huh? I don't even have to

00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:52.960
talk to anybody. Introverts victorious. Now,

00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:54.740
some of you, you like to order when you get there.

00:29:54.819 --> 00:29:56.420
Why? Because you like to ask the cashier how

00:29:56.420 --> 00:30:00.779
their day's going and, you know, what their name

00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:02.339
is. I'm not interested in any of that stuff.

00:30:02.380 --> 00:30:03.720
I just want my drink and I want to get out of

00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:09.140
there. Right? Mobile order, we live in the mobile

00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:12.420
order society. And the problem is, you know what

00:30:12.420 --> 00:30:14.619
we want to do? We want a mobile order with God.

00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:18.859
When I get there, man, I want it just to be ready

00:30:18.859 --> 00:30:24.440
for me. I want to grab my blessing and head out.

00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.519
Pastor better not go five minutes over today

00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:36.359
because we got reservations. I just messed with

00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:40.039
somebody right now. And you're watching the clock.

00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:43.980
God, I need you to move, but you better move

00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:49.299
within 30 minutes. And you see the constraints.

00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:52.440
And it's the constraints we put on God. Why?

00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:55.660
Because we want things our way, right away. Like

00:30:55.660 --> 00:30:57.880
they used to say about Burger King, right? Your

00:30:57.880 --> 00:30:59.559
way, right away. They give you a little crown

00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:01.039
they can put on your head. Well, I've got news

00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:03.750
for you. You're not the king. You're not the

00:31:03.750 --> 00:31:06.569
queen. It's not your way right away. It's not

00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:08.809
mobile order. God's saying, if I'm going to really

00:31:08.809 --> 00:31:11.430
bless your life, then you need to let me get

00:31:11.430 --> 00:31:14.349
a hold of your head, get a hold of your heart.

00:31:14.450 --> 00:31:16.809
But better than that, get a hold of your hips

00:31:16.809 --> 00:31:19.950
so I can break you in the place of your strength.

00:31:20.369 --> 00:31:23.549
And you can know that I am really Jehovah Jireh.

00:31:23.670 --> 00:31:26.690
You can know that I'm really your God. You can

00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:32.529
know God. I got to break you. So he touches him.

00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:35.039
It's hips. You say, what about the hips? What's

00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:37.900
so important? The hips are the steering wheel

00:31:37.900 --> 00:31:41.559
of the body. They represent the strongest weight

00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:45.440
-bearing joint, and it engages all of your muscles.

00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:47.640
That way, when your hip goes out, man, it don't

00:31:47.640 --> 00:31:50.019
matter how big your biceps are. It don't matter

00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:52.420
if you got the legs of a track runner. If your

00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:56.700
hips go out, you're down for the count. It's

00:31:56.700 --> 00:32:00.640
right. It holds everything together. And so God

00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:03.940
touches that one area. Let me tell you, God will

00:32:03.940 --> 00:32:07.160
break what you depend on so you'll learn how

00:32:07.160 --> 00:32:10.680
to trust in him more. God will. break on whatever

00:32:10.680 --> 00:32:14.480
it is that's steering your life in whatever direction

00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:17.380
and whatever thing comes next or whatever thing's

00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:20.000
got your attention, God will touch that area

00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:23.480
of your life so he can finally get your attention

00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:27.920
and say, ah, now I've got you exactly where I

00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:30.960
want you. Oh, I feel like I'm preaching to somebody

00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:33.420
here today as the musicians get ready. Brother,

00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:35.880
come to the keys. I feel like God has come to

00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:39.509
tell somebody today, I've got you right. Right

00:32:39.509 --> 00:32:44.190
where I want you. Don't you move. Don't you try

00:32:44.190 --> 00:32:47.029
to wiggle your way out of this one. Woo, my God.

00:32:47.170 --> 00:32:49.829
Don't you try to squirm your way out of this

00:32:49.829 --> 00:32:54.069
one. I've got you right where I want you. And

00:32:54.069 --> 00:32:57.410
unlike before, you're not going to evade this

00:32:57.410 --> 00:33:00.809
process. You've got to let me do everything I

00:33:00.809 --> 00:33:04.349
need to do in your life so that you'll see that

00:33:04.349 --> 00:33:11.130
I am the great I am. suffer. God, why'd you let

00:33:11.130 --> 00:33:14.430
my home come under affliction so that you and

00:33:14.430 --> 00:33:17.890
I would know that it's not your health care provider.

00:33:18.130 --> 00:33:22.150
It's not Kaiser Permanente. It's not your dentist

00:33:22.150 --> 00:33:26.150
provider. It's not your insurance plan. It's

00:33:26.150 --> 00:33:29.630
not your benefit plan. It's not your COBRA plan.

00:33:29.890 --> 00:33:34.609
But it's the Lord Jehovah Rapha who is you. Is

00:33:34.609 --> 00:33:37.650
anybody knowing that's a healer in the house

00:33:37.650 --> 00:33:43.579
of God? I can. I wonder, do you know him as your

00:33:43.579 --> 00:33:48.640
healer? Come on, is there anybody? Do I got five

00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:52.160
witnesses in the house that say I know him as

00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:56.480
a healer? Once I was on my back and I couldn't

00:33:56.480 --> 00:34:00.680
get up, but it was the Lord that touched my body

00:34:00.680 --> 00:34:05.380
from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

00:34:05.619 --> 00:34:11.920
He healed me. Come on, you ought to give him

00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:17.519
praise right now. He broke me in my health. So

00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:20.159
I would know that he's the doctor of a doctor.

00:34:20.440 --> 00:34:24.639
He's more than a doctor. He's a healer. Someone

00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:28.059
shout, he's a healer right now. In fact, right

00:34:28.059 --> 00:34:31.400
now, in the name of Jesus, I come to declare

00:34:31.400 --> 00:34:34.599
healing over somebody's body right now. I come

00:34:34.599 --> 00:34:40.639
to declare healing over you. over your heart,

00:34:40.739 --> 00:34:44.800
over your lungs, over your diaphragm, over your

00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:49.219
kidneys, over your liver. Oh, I come in the name

00:34:49.219 --> 00:34:53.300
of Jesus. The devil is a liar. I've come to tell

00:34:53.300 --> 00:34:57.760
you God broke you so he could bless you. God,

00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:03.739
touch my body. God, touch my mind. Is there anybody

00:35:03.739 --> 00:35:07.699
here that says, God, I need Jehovah Rapha right

00:35:07.699 --> 00:35:11.130
now? Come on, somebody. I need Jehovah Rapha.

00:35:11.250 --> 00:35:16.670
I need to know, God, that my faith is not in

00:35:16.670 --> 00:35:20.309
medicine. Come on, somebody. My faith is not

00:35:20.309 --> 00:35:24.210
in scientific breakthroughs. My faith is not

00:35:24.210 --> 00:35:28.090
even in the hand of the surgeon. My faith is

00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:32.170
in the great physician. My faith is in Jehovah

00:35:32.170 --> 00:35:37.230
Rapha. My faith is in greater is he. My faith

00:35:37.230 --> 00:35:50.469
is by his stripes. I feel the Holy Ghost Oh God

00:35:50.469 --> 00:35:54.449
why'd you let my friends walk out on me why did

00:35:54.449 --> 00:35:57.570
I get my heart broken huh why did I get my heart

00:35:57.570 --> 00:36:15.650
torn into pieces why would see that I'm a friend

00:36:15.650 --> 00:36:19.650
somebody say he's a friend I'm a friend that

00:36:19.650 --> 00:36:23.590
sticks closer than a brother I let him walk out

00:36:23.590 --> 00:36:27.710
on you I let him betray you so that in the midnight

00:36:27.710 --> 00:36:33.610
hour when you call my name you would know I'll

00:36:33.610 --> 00:36:37.090
never leave you somebody ought to give him praise

00:36:37.090 --> 00:36:41.969
I'll never leave you I'll never forsake you I'll

00:36:41.969 --> 00:36:51.510
never turn my back Jesus, somebody give him praise.

00:36:51.889 --> 00:36:55.409
Somebody give him glory. Somebody bless his holy

00:36:55.409 --> 00:36:58.730
name. Come on, was he there when you needed him?

00:36:58.849 --> 00:37:02.610
When everybody walked out on you, was he there

00:37:02.610 --> 00:37:06.150
when you needed him? You ought to give him 30

00:37:06.150 --> 00:37:10.610
seconds of glory, 30 seconds of praise. Thank

00:37:10.610 --> 00:37:22.309
you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Why'd you let me

00:37:22.309 --> 00:37:25.869
lose my job, Lord? They're talking layoffs coming

00:37:25.869 --> 00:37:30.630
next month. That market looks bad. God said,

00:37:30.690 --> 00:37:34.349
I'll let you get touch in your workplace so that

00:37:34.349 --> 00:37:37.570
you would know that your employer is not your

00:37:37.570 --> 00:37:44.849
God. So that you would know that your company

00:37:44.849 --> 00:37:48.349
doesn't own you. God said, I want you to know.

00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:52.599
That it's not your company that pays you. God

00:37:52.599 --> 00:37:56.119
said I'm the one that pays you. And I use your

00:37:56.119 --> 00:38:00.239
company to do it. God said your company doesn't

00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:06.320
pay you. I pay you. And I use your company to

00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:12.119
process the transaction. That's it. So the next

00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:15.099
time you say I don't know if we can make it.

00:38:25.099 --> 00:38:31.679
Jehovah Jireh. Jehovah Jireh. The Lord, my provider.

00:38:32.980 --> 00:38:36.380
Anybody know him as a provider? You want to run

00:38:36.380 --> 00:38:39.260
around this place. You want to jump up and down.

00:38:39.460 --> 00:38:42.960
When you were down to your last dollar, it wasn't

00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:46.420
Uncle Sam. It wasn't the president. It was the

00:38:46.420 --> 00:38:49.820
Lord God Almighty who opened up the treasures

00:38:49.820 --> 00:38:52.440
of heaven and said, I'm going to bless you in

00:38:52.440 --> 00:39:14.219
spite of Your education. It's not your network.

00:39:14.500 --> 00:39:18.219
It's not who you know. It's not what you know.

00:39:18.619 --> 00:39:22.579
But it's because you're my son. You're my...

00:39:41.550 --> 00:39:45.190
You say, but pastor, why is the enemy coming

00:39:45.190 --> 00:39:48.510
against me? Why am I being attacked on every

00:39:48.510 --> 00:39:53.389
side? On Monday is this attack. On Tuesday is

00:39:53.389 --> 00:39:56.090
that attack. On Wednesday, I'm being attacked

00:39:56.090 --> 00:39:59.510
from behind. On another day, I'm being attacked

00:39:59.510 --> 00:40:11.670
from up front. Everywhere I turn, I'm... god

00:40:11.670 --> 00:40:14.510
said i'm letting you be attacked so that you'll

00:40:14.510 --> 00:40:26.230
know that no weapon formed against you because

00:40:26.230 --> 00:40:29.869
you would never know that no weapon formed against

00:40:29.869 --> 00:40:33.750
you would be able to prosper if he didn't let

00:40:33.750 --> 00:41:00.280
you get attacked god said i'm not trying to destroy

00:41:00.280 --> 00:41:03.860
you i'm trying to cripple your carnality i'm

00:41:03.860 --> 00:41:06.300
trying to weaken your dependency on your flesh

00:41:06.300 --> 00:41:10.579
so you'll know that i am your god and beside

00:41:10.579 --> 00:41:20.880
me there is no other hallelujah i feel the holy

00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:32.909
ghost oh this ain't no cheap blessing this some

00:41:32.909 --> 00:41:35.789
of you are right on the verge of God blessing

00:41:35.789 --> 00:41:38.809
your socks off and you're still not praising

00:41:38.809 --> 00:41:41.690
him like you ought to you're right on the verge

00:41:41.690 --> 00:41:44.909
of seeing the greatest revival in your life that

00:41:44.909 --> 00:41:47.590
you've ever seen and you're still playing games

00:42:36.750 --> 00:42:40.550
and just give god a praise in the middle of your

00:42:40.550 --> 00:42:51.210
breaking oh hallelujah hallelujah yes lord yes

00:42:51.210 --> 00:42:56.929
lord oh his name is jesus yes it is yes it is

00:42:56.929 --> 00:43:04.190
jacob cried i won't let you go unless you bless

00:43:04.190 --> 00:43:08.460
me god God said, I've gotten a hold of you. How

00:43:08.460 --> 00:43:10.860
many of you know he's gotten a hold of you? Say

00:43:10.860 --> 00:43:16.260
yes. But God said, it's not enough for me to

00:43:16.260 --> 00:43:21.019
get a hold of you. You've got to learn how to

00:43:21.019 --> 00:43:30.159
get a hold of me. Some of us are getting a little

00:43:30.159 --> 00:43:33.559
too old for God always having to get a hold.

00:44:20.119 --> 00:44:22.539
Come on, what do you say in the spirit right

00:44:22.539 --> 00:44:31.019
now? I feel the Holy Ghost in this place. I feel

00:44:31.019 --> 00:44:32.739
the Holy Ghost. Come on, if you have the Holy

00:44:32.739 --> 00:44:36.320
Ghost, let the Spirit of God flow through you

00:44:36.320 --> 00:44:39.900
right now. Come on, let His Spirit, let His Spirit

00:44:39.900 --> 00:44:42.840
flow through you right now. Let his spirit flow

00:44:42.840 --> 00:44:45.400
through you right now. The devil's been trying

00:44:45.400 --> 00:44:49.239
to tell me since like May or June. The devil's

00:44:49.239 --> 00:44:51.780
been trying to tell me, Brother Jose and Brother

00:44:51.780 --> 00:44:54.099
David, the devil's been trying to tell me, Pastor

00:44:54.099 --> 00:44:56.800
Jacob, don't waste your time this summer because

00:44:56.800 --> 00:45:00.099
churches don't have revival in the summer. Nobody's

00:45:00.099 --> 00:45:02.539
getting saved in the summer. He said everybody's

00:45:02.539 --> 00:45:05.360
distracted in the summer. Too many vacations

00:45:05.360 --> 00:45:08.280
and too many this and too many that. And I almost,

00:45:08.420 --> 00:45:13.150
I confess to you, I said, maybe the devil is

00:45:13.150 --> 00:45:16.389
right. Maybe nothing's going to happen. But then

00:45:16.389 --> 00:45:18.929
I remembered that on August 9th, we're going

00:45:18.929 --> 00:45:25.730
to fill up those walls. I reminded the devil,

00:45:25.750 --> 00:45:28.969
devil, you're a liar. Even in the midst of a

00:45:28.969 --> 00:45:53.829
dry season. your children to be saved it's time

00:45:53.829 --> 00:45:57.170
for your marriage to be saved it's time for