Tag: focus

Genesis 32:24-30

And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

When people talk about wrestling, it is usually addressing something negative that they are trying to overcome. We wrestle with decisions, hoping to come to a solid outcome. We wrestle with ideas with the desire to have clear vision on the next move. We wrestle with evil to be able to say that we overcome the tricks of the enemy.

How many of us want to wrestle with God? I think most of us would suggest that wrestling with God is a futile pursuit. Most of us would suggest that there’s no way that we would step in the ring to face a losing battle. Yet, Jacob found himself wrestling all night with someone who represented God.

Jacob fought as hard as he could until his hip was put in peril. Most people would look at the scripture and suggest that he was wrestling with his conscience or he was wrestling with an angel. No matter the opponent, God use the moment for Jacob to come to clarity about who he was meant to be.

Jacob was not meant to be a hustler. Jacob was not meant to be anything negative that he lived into for years. God was willing to break the hustler in order to lift the prince within him. Our wrestling in life may cause injury to areas that we thought were strong. Sometimes we believe the injury is holding us back. Reevaluate how you came out of that wrestling match. It might be That God gave you a new reality that you must live into.

Lamentations 3:19-24

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

It is very difficult to look beyond struggle and challenge then see the light. Dark thoughts and cold realities can challenge the very notion of God‘s presence in our lives. We can begin to think that every choice that we’ve made has let us to a season of disillusionment and disappointment. Yet we must realize that the arrival to the season does not mean that there’s not an opportunity to make it through.

Our rocky seasons, whether self-imposed or environmentally influenced, are not the end of our story. We are given the opportunity to lament, feel, struggle, and question. However, we are also given an opportunity to choose which way we will go beyond this moment. That is the reality of having free will.

Our relationship with God is always challenged and difficult moments. We might feel as if God is elbow dropping us Because of our choices. Sometimes, we are just paying a price for the consequences of our actions, not a sentence from heaven. Regardless, we must make a choice for what the next season will bring. If you know, God like you say you do, you know that God is waiting to shift everything. God is faithful to restore, strengthen, and heal us from all strife.

Great is God‘s faithfulness towards us. God‘s grace is new every day. God‘s mercy forever flows. I know which way I’m going to go. Will you do the same?

Ephesians 4:26-27

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Anger can be a fickle emotion. Anger can also be a misunderstood feeling. Many times people say that you must find a way to control your anger so that it does not cause you to do anything destructive. We are finding that it is healthy to have anger, but how we focus it can make a difference.

Paul writes be angry, but don’t sin. The suggestion is that anger has a proper place. Anger used effectively can motivate a person to change a condition. Anger demonstrated in a healthy way can aid in someone filtering through a moment. It is when anger drives an individual towards an act of destruction that it becomes a harmful emotion to display.

Our actions represent a space for operation. Whatever we allow to fill that space, that entity will control the narrative regarding our feelings and emotions. When we allow anything other than God to control the narrative, we become subject to the story that unchecked emotions wrote. We must be careful in filtering through how we feel any given moment.

We should never suppress how we feel. Yet, we cannot allow anything to run our lives unchecked. Take a step back and consult God about what you’re going through. Take a moment to consider the ramifications for acting out of your feelings. While all of our emotions are valid, all of our actions have consequences. Feel everything. Don’t self-destruct.