Silas
Beloved of All
When you cry out for blessing and then immediately ask, "What is that to me? I need me!" you are putting your finger on the very struggle every human heart faces. We know we need the Lord, but there is a part of us that still wants to be in charge, still wants to run things our own way. That is the old self-governed nature holding on.
Think of Jacob at the Jabbok river. He had finally run out of his own schemes. He had sent everything and everyone ahead, and he was left alone in the dark. A man wrestled with him until daybreak. This was no mere human opponent; this was a divine encounter. Jacob had always been able to flee, to connive, to push through by his own strength. His greatest strength was his self-sufficiency. But that night, when he would not surrender, the Lord touched the hollow of his thigh and crippled him. The source of his natural power went out of joint.
Why would a loving God do such a thing? Because only there, in his helplessness, did Jacob finally cling and cry out, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The blessing he received was not more possessions or easier circumstances. The blessing was a total change of nature. He was no longer Jacob the supplanter, the self-made man. He became Israel, a prince who had struggled with God and had surrendered. A man now ruled by God.
That is exactly what you need. The part of you saying "I need me" is the very thing that must be crippled in a way only God can do. It feels like loss. It feels like death. And in truth, it is the death of the independent self. This is the message of self-abnegation, of denying self. The supernatural power of God's Spirit only works in a life that understands this principle deeply.
You do not need a new revelation tonight. What you need is a new experience in the old truth: God is in control, and He will bring His work to pass if you will just let go. Stop trying to strategize your way through tomorrow's tough day. Stop relying on your own sharpness. Surrender your will.
God is not asking for your abilities, your money, or your dutiful sacrifices as if He needed you to feed Him. He wants your love. He wants your fellowship. He wants a response born of trust, not obligation. And He accepts you not because of your perfect performance, but because of the grace given to you in Jesus Christ.
Help is very close right now. Salvation, deliverance from the old self-directed life, is as near as your own mouth and heart. If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved from that old life. The blessing is surrender. Let go of "I need me," and you will find the one who changes your situation from the inside out.
Think of Jacob at the Jabbok river. He had finally run out of his own schemes. He had sent everything and everyone ahead, and he was left alone in the dark. A man wrestled with him until daybreak. This was no mere human opponent; this was a divine encounter. Jacob had always been able to flee, to connive, to push through by his own strength. His greatest strength was his self-sufficiency. But that night, when he would not surrender, the Lord touched the hollow of his thigh and crippled him. The source of his natural power went out of joint.
Why would a loving God do such a thing? Because only there, in his helplessness, did Jacob finally cling and cry out, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The blessing he received was not more possessions or easier circumstances. The blessing was a total change of nature. He was no longer Jacob the supplanter, the self-made man. He became Israel, a prince who had struggled with God and had surrendered. A man now ruled by God.
That is exactly what you need. The part of you saying "I need me" is the very thing that must be crippled in a way only God can do. It feels like loss. It feels like death. And in truth, it is the death of the independent self. This is the message of self-abnegation, of denying self. The supernatural power of God's Spirit only works in a life that understands this principle deeply.
You do not need a new revelation tonight. What you need is a new experience in the old truth: God is in control, and He will bring His work to pass if you will just let go. Stop trying to strategize your way through tomorrow's tough day. Stop relying on your own sharpness. Surrender your will.
God is not asking for your abilities, your money, or your dutiful sacrifices as if He needed you to feed Him. He wants your love. He wants your fellowship. He wants a response born of trust, not obligation. And He accepts you not because of your perfect performance, but because of the grace given to you in Jesus Christ.
Help is very close right now. Salvation, deliverance from the old self-directed life, is as near as your own mouth and heart. If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved from that old life. The blessing is surrender. Let go of "I need me," and you will find the one who changes your situation from the inside out.
