Daily Scripture Reading
Ephesians 6:10-20
Genesis 32
Romans 8:22-30
Day 21
1 Corinthians 31 Timothy 6:6-7 “Do You Worship the Work?” “We are God’s fellow workers.” (I Corinthians 3:9 NKJV) BEWARE OF ANY work for God that distracts you from concentrating on Him. The greater majority of Christian workers worship their work. Our only concern as...
Day 20
John 16:16-33 “The Cross in Prayer” “…Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24 NIV) WE TOO OFTEN think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for...
“Wrestling Before God”
“Take up the whole armor of God…praying always.” (Ephesians 6:13,18 NKJV)
WE MUST LEARN to wrestle against the things that hinder our communication with God, and secondly to wrestle in prayer for others, but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Gen. 32:24–25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him” (Rom. 8:37 NKJV). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness—“put on the full armor of God.” Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us.“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28 NKJV)—to those who remain true to God’s perfect will—His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for empowering us to trust You; to give us the zeal to resist the things that hinder our communication with You and to serve those whom You’ve placed in our path, just as You would serve. We’re devoting ourselves to the identity You’ve given us to wrestle disobedience with faithful obedience to You.