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[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to another faith-building message by Pastor David Entry. Faith comes by hearing and by hearing the Word of God.

[0:12] May your knowledge of Jesus Christ increase as you listen. Be blessed. The enlightening of Peniel. Peniel. Let's go to Genesis chapter 32.

[0:26] Genesis chapter 32, verse 22. And he rose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabok.

[0:45] I almost wanted to title today's message, they're crossing at Jabok. Jabok is a very interesting place. So when he got to Jabok, their crossing, what he did was, he took his two wives, his two female servants, eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabok.

[1:02] He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Verse 24. Then Jacob was left alone.

[1:12] So he sent them across. At the crossing of Jabok, he sent them over, and then he stayed there. At the crossing. He sent them over the ford of Jabok. He sent them over the ford of Jabok.

[1:22] He sent them over the ford of Jabok. He sent them over the ford of Jabok. To have a successful walk with God, you must learn, and you must learn how to be alone at times. Yes. You must learn it. The act of silence.

[1:35] But the act of silence, the act of retreating. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat from day-to-day activities. Retreat. Withdraw. That's called retreat.

[1:46] Just to spend time alone with God. When some of us go up on a game, we were taught that every now and then, besides quiet time, every now and then, you have to go for a retreat.

[1:58] We call it waiting. I'm going for waiting. Maybe it take three days, four days, five days. Depending on your schedule, San I'm God can even take two weeks. So he was left alone.

[2:08] Watch this. When Jacob was left alone, a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Verse 25. Now, when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip.

[2:21] One of the translations, I think he uses it, the hollow of his thigh. Say he touched. So he touched the hollow of his socket. And the hollow of Joseph's thigh, the hollow of his thigh, Jacob's thigh was out of joint.

[2:38] And he wrestled with him. The guy was still wrestling. God was wrestling with him. He wasn't prevailing. He was wrestling with you. He was wrestling with you. Yes, we can speak about it. I don't know what God is trying to be dealing with you about, but he's not winning.

[2:49] God is not winning. Because you are determined that you are not giving this thing up. As a church, I will go. But this thing, I can't stop. I can't stop.

[3:00] And God has been wrestling with you. Wrestling with you. And he's not prevailing. If he loves you, he will give you a more tablo. He will hit you in such a way that there's no way you can walk normal.

[3:13] You can't stand. He will disconnect your hip joint. The strength of your life. The strongest part of the human body is in the hip.

[3:25] The strongest joint is here. So the lodging, remember last week, the lodging of your natural mind, the natural strength. Every one of us have got our natural strength.

[3:36] Natural strength. Some of us, our natural strength is in our intelligence. Some of us, our natural strength is in our beauty. Some of us, our natural strength is in our emotions.

[3:47] We can cry any moment to control everybody. Some of us, our natural strength is in our education. It's in our family background. And some of us, the things we are going through, it's not the devil who is beating you.

[4:01] It's God who is allowing something so that he can touch your natural strength. He can put it out of joint. So you will learn how to depend on him. That's what the wilderness life will do. Sometimes he has to drive you into the wilderness to learn obedience by the many things you suffer.

[4:15] He will teach you obedience through suffering. Jesus, I would say, Jesus learned obedience through suffering. So suffering is not always an enemy.

[4:28] Sometimes suffering, suffering is your helper. So sometimes certain things may happen, but it's for your good. Joseph said you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

[4:41] You saw me getting rid of me, but I didn't know that when you are trying to get rid of me, you are pushing me into destiny. So please be careful how you sorrow when things are not going the way you thought they should.

[4:55] Be careful. Jacob was left alone and God wrestled with him. Let me add, there's something I want to put up because there is a spaniel. And verse 25, and he said, let me go.

[5:07] And he said, verse 26, I'm sorry. He said, let me go for the day breaks. But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. Jacob loved the blessing. Verse 27, so he said to him, what is your name?

[5:17] He said, my name is Jacob. And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed. And Jacob asked, saying, tell me your name, I pray.

[5:31] And he said, why is it that you ask about my name? And he blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the blessed one. Called the name of the blessed one.

[5:43] And what's the meaning of peniel? For I have seen God face to face and my life has been preserved. Face to face. Peniel means face to face with God.

[5:55] Face to face with God. And I tell him, I'm sorry. Usually there are always things in our lives that are toxic to our greatness and where God is taking us to.

[6:08] But incidentally, they are the things that our lives are built around. It's called your natural man. The strength of your life there.

[6:18] we have certain dispositions that there are a lot of Christians who are very proud about one or two things and when you investigate it very carefully, it is all on the natural flesh.

[6:32] The natural flesh, your natural flesh. So when we talk about the God dealing with you or giving you a mortar blow, that thing that is the strength of your life that you are so confident in, he will dislodge it, he will break it, he will attack it.

[6:48] So that when he is ready for you, you will say I can't do it. Paul puts it this way in Philippians chapter 3, verse 3 that was a very interesting text. Someone say hallelujah.

[7:00] Philippians chapter 3, verse 3 it says that for we are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

[7:15] Watch this. though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else think he may have confidence in the flesh I more so.

[7:29] So if you talk about my background my training my education my looks my beauty my intelligence my understanding oh my English man when I dress and people look at me they even think I'm a fashion designer.

[7:50] So so so we build our lives around these strengths. In school everybody used to say oh as for you you are a very nice person. Some of us we even build our lives around the strength because we are naturally meek naturally calm so we build our lives for me I'm calm you know I'm very humble you know I'm a giver anything you are able to do well it is easy for you to build your your natural philosophy around it your life philosophy around it because that's your safe zone that's your strength but not God and when God meets you he he has to strip you he has to dislodge that first so when he fought with Jacob Jacob was not he was not dislodged Paul said if anyone have any reason to boast in the flesh I first even more then he begins to elaborate on some of the things that he could boast of verse 5 circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of the Hebrews wow concerning the law a Pharisee hey

[9:02] Paul he said he said he said he want to talk about talking about what people have a Hebrew of Hebrews that's a serious one Hebrew and he said of circumcise of the of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of the Hebrews concerning the law a Pharisee next verse concerning zeal persecuting the church concerning righteousness which is of the Lord blameless what are you talking about Paul zeal you want to say you can be shouting what is the revolution me I was actually going out killing the people you are sitting a shouting revolution Pharisee I know the law we help people to enforce the law we are the custodians and supervisors of the law Pharisees those days

[10:03] Pharisees were zealots Pharisees were distinct like the strong adherence of what God has said at that time materialism and so many things the Pharisees were they they need to stick straight to the law and even add some more so if the law says that wake up 6am to pray they say in fact in order not to break the law wake up 4.30 it's all by 6 they are far away Pharisee persecuting the church zealots put the other scripture for me persecuting the church zealots concerning the righteousness that is in the law doing what is right based on the law I was blameless verse 7 look at verse 7 say bat what things were gained to me these I have counted laws for Christ now God that's where he starts from the God of Jacob he will teach you how to count some things lost for Christ he will drill it into you if he's going to raise you and take you to where he's taking you to he will let some church folks offend you he will not tell them to come and offend you but he will allow them he will allow situations to build you for where you are going

[11:20] God is taking you somewhere so he will take you through the process of drilling some things into you of stripping some things off you so that when he's finished with you you can say yes this is all God now what face to face penel means the face of God it also means the light of God the light of God you've seen the light of God will just shine light on the things that you used to boast of God suddenly you'll be thinking like Paul thought all these things they don't mean anything actually I just I didn't realize that they don't mean car what is it house what is it job what is it what they don't mean anything again suddenly you realize that all this shit don't mean anything it's like a woman who's in labor hairstyle come on make up what is what it don't matter because suddenly you begin to see what matters

[12:20] God when in Pinel he shines his light on you it's also called insight or illumination he will shine his light on you and suddenly there are things that you've always boasted of you've always been proud of suddenly you look at let's look at what Paul said put you on the screen again but the things which are going to me these I have counted loss for Christ look at verse 8 verse 8 yes indeed I also count all things lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and counted them as rubbish the drip word translated rubbish actually translates a dang okay so some translations use dang or the actual word what it means is like a used menstrual cloth that's that original Greek word a used menstrual cloth who has said it into what does he consider as a used menstrual cloth he said yes

[13:25] I did I count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ what does he count as rubbish all these things he knows all these circumcised on the eighth day all this Hebrew of Hebrew Pharisee of Pharisees all the credentials he says that when I begin to realize who Christ is just to know him I realize that all these things I am even ashamed to say that these are little things this is the gospel your natural strength can you imagine he said I count them as done time will not permit me let me show you something Moses someone say Moses Moses Moses was Moses was well well well in Acts 7 verse 22 Bible said that Moses was trained in Acts 7 22 Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptian and was mighty in what in what remember that worse indeed in

[14:30] Exodus chapter 4 verse 10 Exodus chapter 4 verse 10 then when God called Moses and Moses said oh Lord I'm not eloquent ah this guy is mighty in ways now when God was calling he said Lord I'm not eloquent Lord I'm not eloquent neither before nor since you have spoken to your servant but I'm slow of speech and slow of tongue I can't speak and God said don't worry I'm Psalm verse 11 he said I've spoken to Aaron he said I made them of the death the sin or the blind I've not heard the Lord verse 12 now therefore go I'll be with your mouth and teach you what you should say then the guy was still having problems he said oh go to the next verse but he said oh Lord please send by the hand of whoever you else may send don't send me now why is Moses suddenly say don't send me listen this is after 40 years in the wilderness before the 40 years in wilderness before the 40 years in the wilderness

[15:45] Acts chapter 7 verse 22 he was mighty so he was sent to Egypt so Egypt Moses I know Egypt like I know every corner in London I can drive through everywhere I can be lost I know Moses now go to Egypt you should know is it very well I can go now when he was 40 years old that's talking of Moses before God met him 40 years he came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel and what happened verse 24 and seeing one of them suffer wrong he defended and avenged him who was oppressed and struck down the Egyptian let's go to the next verse for he supposed that his brethren would understand that God would deliver them by his hand and they didn't understand he thought they would think that yes so listen for him to think they would think

[16:45] God would deliver them through his hand obviously he thought he was going to help them he thought he was a deliverer guys I will help you don't worry just give me a call 26 I'll finish that 26 the next day he appeared to two of them as they were frightened and tried to reconcile them saying man you are brethren why do wrong one another go to the next verse quickly but he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away saying who made you a judge of arash verse 28 do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday and verse 29 then as the saying Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian where he had two sons verse 30 and when 40 years had passed let's all say that together one more time so after 40 years

[17:48] God appears to him he said Moses I will send you he said me I can't talk so when 40 years appeared in the wilderness of Mount Sinai verse 31 when Moses saw him and the voice came verse 32 saying I'm that God of Abraham Isaac and your father verse 33 and eventually let's go to verse 35 this Moses who they rejected saying who made you a ruler and a judge is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to in the bush now the point here is he thought he could help them when he was in the height of his strength they rejected him they proved to him that it's not your beauty that is going to work for you they proved to you not your education that is going to work for you not your eloquence that is going to work for you not your mother not your father not who you know your background they proved to him that it's not working

[18:54] I know there people here things are not working things that normally should have worked for you it's not working normally it's not working you are praying but as you praying your mind is on that thing because even if God hasn't shown this thing will work anyway Moses now when they rejected him after 40 years God has broken him dealt with him God said now I want to send you me I can't go the same person they refused God said you are going back they called them again for a job they will give it to you this time God God has a way of working the toxin out of our lives but that is the God of Jacob the thing that will stop you from rising that lead that will make you sink under the water he started getting it to melt it out of your system but it comes with heat which many of us don't like many of us like some of you know God is working on you am I talking to somebody tell

[19:56] God work on me more or say God work on me more the wilderness life is to help you face to face penile means face to face and you need the enlightenment of penile you meet God at that place he shines light on the things that you think are great but you find out later you find out they are rubbish and you change your approach and it begins to work for you because of my time I have to end here but I'm prophesying over somebody that God will help you I prophesize strength over your life that you'll be able to go through this season it's a season of polishing it's a season of refining it's a season of preparation for greatness in the name of Jesus I speak over your life that nothing will stand in the way of what God is planning to do for you if you believe in Amen Thank you for listening To hear more from David Entry follow him on Facebook Instagram Twitter and LinkedIn

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