On Sunday, Pastor Phil spoke about "The Jacob Principle." He started out with an intro into Jacob's early life. Pastor Phil got straight to the point by calling him a "conniving little sneak," "loser," and a "mama's boy." Ouch. I never thought of it that way before, but he's right...
Not only did Jacob manipulate his brother so that he would pledge his birthright to him, but he also tricked his father into giving him that blessing. It seems like everywhere Jacob went he pissed people off. Fast-forwarding to later on in his life, Jacob had a little bit of a "situation" when he decided that he wanted to return to the land of his brother after fleeing from his (rightfully) enraged brother so many years earlier. His brother sends word that he plans on meeting Jacob on the road with an army of men. Like the prodigal son's older brother, Esau's initial reaction is something short of happiness at the news of his returning brother.
After dividing his family in half and sending them in different directions, Jacob waits at camp alone and depressed. A stranger approaches the camp and Jacob BODY SLAMS that man. They wrestle all night. And Jacob is about as stubborn as they come. He will not let go; he will not give up. Even after the stranger touches his hip and dislocates it, he doesn't stop. Finally, the stranger asks him to let him go. As the opportunist that Jacob was, he said, "Not until you bless me."
And there you have it. The Jacob Principle: "Wrestling with God and refusing to let go until You bless me."
I've done my fair share of wrestling with God. Although I wouldn't consider myself a conniving little sneak or a loser, I've definitely been feeling like I've been holding onto the heels of God for dear life. I can imagine myself at the base of God as God is trying to walk around with me sitting on His foot and hugging His ankle, refusing to let go.
Out of Jacob's desperation, God recognized that Jacob was right where He wanted him to be.... refusing to let go of God. And he was blessed because of it. Jacob, the conniving loser that he was, was blessed. His circumstances turned around immediately.
When he met his brother on the road, he was not faced with an army of men but of a brother who lovingly embraced him and told him how much he missed him. Wow. My God... My God is a God of the IMPOSSIBLE. God literally makes a way out of NO WAY. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around it, but in my heart, I get this sense that it HAS to be true.
I must admit that I feel like I'm facing the impossible right now in terms of my career. Every time I turn around, it seems like another door is closing and I can sense the quiet voice of the Lord saying, "Until you build your business, doors will not open for you."
Like Jacob, I am desperate to make a change in my life. I have to get out of the desolate and depressing camp that I've been sitting in and face the open road ahead of me, regardless of the obstacles that may lie ahead.
If God wants me to build this business, then God has got to help me make it happen. I need business partners who hunger and thirst for something more in this life: freedom to help others in every means possible. That's what it boils down to. Paying forward the blessings of God and teaching others to do the same. I'm hungry for it. So hungry, I could taste it! Now, we just gotta make it happen. And by we, I mean God needs to do the heavy lifting by leading me to those people, and I'll do the leg work. And like Jacob, I hope that at the end of the day my wrestling with God leaves me with a distinctive walk that shows to the world that I have been changed by that encounter forever.
