Today’s Post By: Rae Lynn DeAngelis
“Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.’” (Genesis 32:28)
Have you ever felt as though you were wrestling with God?
We tend to wrestle with God anytime we sense Him leading us to do something we don’t particularly want to do, or if He asks us to give up something that we think we need.
When I struggled to break free from bulimia, I definitely wrestled with God. I wanted to be free from my eating disorder, but I wanted to accomplish it on my terms. I didn’t want to gain any weight, and I wanted to be healed instantly. Sound familiar? I reasoned that if God could do anything, why not heal me instantly?
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
They say hindsight is 20/20. I would have to agree. I couldn’t see it then, but I can look back now and see why God’s healing took place slowly.
“Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” (Exodus 23:30)
God didn’t remove my bondage all at once, because He needed me to be strong enough to stand against some other form of bondage that would attempt to come in and take its place.
“The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” (Deuteronomy 7:22)
If we are freed from a stronghold too quickly and haven’t yet developed the tools to stay free, Satan will tempt us to enter into some other form of bondage.
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:24-26)
We must stop wrestling with God and learn to trust His higher ways. His desire is for us to find complete healing. God not only cleanses our soul, but He also fills us with His truth and Spirit so that nothing else is able to come in and take up residence.
“‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.’” (Jeremiah 29:13-14a)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
