IBOGIRLLIVING

When I heard Bishop T.D Jakes preach this sermon, I was almost going to click out of the video because I was familiar with the scriptures he preached from and presumed to know what the message was going to be about. Boy was I wrong!

You can find the YouTube video here with the title RIGHTFULLY MINE and I'm sure you would absolutely come away from it feeling empowered. However, if you have just enough time to read this brief post, then I pray that the Holy Spirit gives me the same ability to communicate what I learned from the video. As reference, the bible scripture from which Bishop Jake's message and this post leverages is in Genesis 32: 24-30 which is the story of Jacob who wrestles with God for a blessing because the one he deceitfully got from his father Isaac felt like a burden. It is necessary first to know the story of how Jacob got to this point for context and understanding (see Genesis 25: 22-24; 25-26).

It is quite possible to have found what your purpose is here on earth but still be walking through old pain and problems that make you feel undeserving of that purpose or blessing. This was the predicament of Jacob aka Israel that forced him to go up a mountain to wrestle with God. Many of us feel like we are ill-equipped or undeserving of our blessings because we wrestle with things that happened in our past. Abandonment, rejection, failures, abuse, addictions etc are just a few examples of past traumas that cause us not to see that God has already deemed us worthy. The way He changed Jacob's name to Israel is the same way He has assured us that we are not what we may have been through but to walk in the blessing of knowing who and whose we are.

The pain from our past could possibly still be with us even in our purpose and blessing but we are called to walk through it. The angel smote Jacob on his thigh while on that mountain as he wrestled and refused to stop until the angel (who was actually God) blessed him. That process is symbolic of God weakening the power of any pain we carry so it does not get in the way of what our purpose is. The blessing is to know who you are and have become in God because your old nature will refuse to bow to your new nature in Christ, your pain and problems will refuse to bow to your new purpose and blessing quite like the wrestling that was taking place in the womb of Rebekah when she was pregnant with Esau and Jacob.

Every one of us carries pain and purpose ( 2 nations) within us that will always fight for prominence and expression in our lives and until we come to the knowledge of who we are in Christ, our older selves (Esau) will always subdue what God has already made new (Jacob/Israel). Put your weight on the blessing that God has said is rightfully yours, stare your old nature, pain and problems in the face and declare that they no more have any power or hold over you. May be easier said than done but that is the only way to win the battle. People or their words should not stop you, problems should not stop you and YOU should not stop you. You are a blessed, favored, loved, healed, powerful, grace-full, anointed and gifted child of God. Believe it and claim it in Jesus' name.

God Loves You Excessively,

Ibogirl