“Your name will no longer be Jacob .... From
now on you will be called Israel” (Genesis
32:28 NLT).
You don’t have to stay the same! In conversion, we’re given
a new identity. Look at Jacob in the book of Genesis. Once Jacob confesses his
manipulative behavior, God gives him a new identity.
Notice that three things happen:
God gives Jacob a brand new identity (Genesis
32:28).
Essentially, God says, “I know you’ve blown it. I know
you’re conniving, but I see in you a prince. Beneath all your emotional
hang-ups, all your insecurities, all the stuff you don’t want anybody else to
know, I see a prince.” God is saying that today to you: “Beneath all of your
sins and hang-ups, I see a princess/prince. You can be something great. You can
be what I made you to be.”
God blesses Jacob/Israel (Genesis 32:29).
Deep
down, we desperately want God’s blessing. If we want God’s blessing, we have to
take the steps God requires of us.
God gave Jacob/Israel a limp (Genesis
32:31).
Remember, when they wrestled, God dislocated Jacob’s hip.
Jacob walked away with a limp, and it served as a daily reminder to depend upon
God.
God does his deepest work in your life when he deals with
your identity — who you are and the way you see yourself. You will always tend
to act according to the way you think about yourself. So God does his deepest
changes in your life by changing the way you see yourself.
He says, “Let me show you how I see you.” When you see
yourself the way God sees you, it’s going to change your life.
Source: Rick Warren
First Posted HERE
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