MEMORISE: “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” – Genesis 32:28 (KJV)

READ: Genesis 32:24-29 (KJV)

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

MESSAGE

There is a powerful lesson in 2 Kings 2:1-15 that I will like you to pay attention to. Elijah gave Elisha a condition to meet in order to get the double portion in spite of the fact that he had been serving Elijah for so long. If Elisha had not met that single condition, he would have gotten nothing from his father at his departure. Many people think that getting blessed by a powerful man of God is enough to make them great. Yes, the blessing is powerful, but if a person does not wrestle out his or her greatness, such a fellow will remain on the same level. Your father may have settled some things on your behalf, but you still have your own individual wrestling to do if you want to access those things.

In Genesis 27:26-30, Isaac blessed Jacob with an irreversible blessing. For sure, Jacob was going to be great, however, he had to wrestle to get the change of name that set him up for the benefits of the blessings he had received (Genesis 32:1-30). Many rich people’s children think that because their parents are rich, they can never be poor. History is full of examples of people whose parents were very rich but who ended up poor. If you don’t wrestle out your own greatness, you will eventually lose whatever inheritance is laid down for you. Some pastors’ children think that their parents’ anointing makes them immune to the devil and assures them of making heaven. However, Ezekiel 18:20 says that the soul that sinneth shall die. If you are a sinner, your father’s righteousness or anointing cannot cover you. You must meet God for yourself and build a relationship with Him if you want to enjoy the benefits of what your father carries.

Without Pa Josiah Akindayomi, you might not know Adeboye today. I have always thanked God that when I got born again, it was in RCCG. God brought me to a covenant church, and I rode on that covenant to become who I am today. However, even though the covenant is there, if I did not wrestle it out, I would never have succeeded. I had to fast, pray, keep vigils, and work very hard. I made sacrifices, and I am still doing so today because I know that the covenant will go to waste if I don’t wrestle things out by myself. Beloved, if you want to experience the blessings that God has arranged to help you succeed, get ready to wrestle them out yourself.

KEY POINT

Don’t relax because you have a unique advantage; wrestle to make use of that advantage.

HYMN 15 – Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour

1 Pass me not, O gentle savior
Hear my humble cry
While on others Thou art calling
Do not pass me by.

Saviour, Saviour
Hear my humble cry
While on others Thou art calling
Do not pass me by.

2 Let me at thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contribution
Help my unbelief.

3 Trusting only in the Thy merit
would i seek thy face
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.

4 Thou, the spring of all my comfort
More than life to me
Whom have I on earth beside Thee
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 5-6