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Transcript

Wrestling With God · The Bible Bit Podcast

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  Welcome back. This is Kimmy Miller of Woman at the Well Ministries bringing
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  you another Bible bit for you to enjoy.
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  Wrestling with God.
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  Today as we journey through the scriptures, gleaning the truth regarding God's
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  will for our lives, we are visiting Jacob and the account of his life in Genesis 32, 22-32.
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  During this account, Jacob is facing both internal and external fears.
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  He is facing the danger of Esau's revenge while he is also confronting the possible
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  consequences of his past, his fear, and his need to depend fully upon God.
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  In Genesis 32, 22-32, we find that God sometimes brings us to a place where
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  we must stop depending on ourselves and our abilities so that we can learn to
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  depend completely upon Him.
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  Genesis 32 is an account of a man who came to the end of himself and encountered God.
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  We, too, experience nights like that. There are nights in our lives that change us forever.
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  There are moments when we come face to face with our fears, our failures,
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  our past, and our need for God.
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  In Genesis 32, 22-32, we are given an insight in such a night for Jacob.
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  Jacob had spent much of his life trying to get ahead by following his own plans and efforts.
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  He had schemed, deceived, and struggled to obtain what he wanted.
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  But now he was facing a situation he could not control.
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  Scripture tells us that Jacob was left alone and wrestled with a man until the breaking of day.
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  This was more than a physical struggle. It was a spiritual turning point.
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  Jacob learns an important lesson during his struggle that each of us must learn as well.
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  The truth is there are times in our lives when God allows us to reach the end
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  of our own strength so that we can discover the greatness of his strength.
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  My friend, if we are going to walk hand in hand with Jesus, we must submit to
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  his authority and rule over our lives.
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  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
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  1 Peter 5.6 Our faith must be in Jesus and not in ourselves.
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  There are times in our lives when God needs to take us aside,
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  put us in a place of solitude, and show us our need for him.
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  God gives Jacob this gift of spending the night in his presence in absolute
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  solitude, so that Jacob is free from distractions and fully engulfed in God's power and authority.
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  Jacob was alone by the brook of Jabbok.
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  He had sent his possessions and loved ones to the other side.
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  And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
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  Genesis 32, 24.
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  It seemed that everything that mattered to Jacob had been removed from him.
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  He was left by himself, facing the uncertainty of tomorrow.
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  Jacob had spent years trying to manage his life.
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  He had worked for Laban, built a family, accumulated possessions,
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  and made plans for his future.
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  But now, despite all of his work and experience, talent, and skills,
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  Jacob was facing a problem that his possessions could not solve.
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  He couldn't buy his way out of the situation. He couldn't work his way out of
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  this situation, and he couldn't scheme his way out of this situation.
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  Jacob needed God, and he knew it.
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  Sometimes, the Lord allows us to come to a place where the things we normally
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  depend upon can't help us.
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  He brings us to a place where we must get alone with Him and recognize not only
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  His power, His character, His love, His mercy, and His grace,
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  but also that we need His presence in our lives.
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  There are things God teaches us in private that will never be learned in a crowd.
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  If you feel alone, don't assume your lonely place is a wasted place.
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  Your place of struggle can become your place of surrender. Your place of uncertainty
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  can become your place of prayer.
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  When you cannot lean on anyone else, you can still lean on the Lord.
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  Be still and know that I am God, Psalm 46.10.
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  Sometimes we must become still enough to hear what God is saying to our hearts.
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  Remember you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Join us tomorrow as we continue to look for lessons learned from Jacob's wrestling
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  match with the angel of the Lord.
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  Please visit Woman at the Well Ministries at www.watwm.org for more resources,
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  podcasts, and to connect with us.
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  If you would like to have Bible Bits delivered to your cell phone via text messages,
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  go to our website at watwm.org to subscribe.