The Importance of Being Earnest & Fervent

Good morning family! I was reading something from a devotional by Smith Wigglesworth that I thought I would   share with you to edify and bless you. This is a portion of a larger text titled 'A Face to Face Encounter With God". Please take the time to read it and let the Lord minister to you, speak to your spirit and to respond to Him and needed and prompted to do so.

"If ever God is disappointed with you when you wait in His presence, it will be because you are not fervent. If you are not serious and intense, you disappoint God. If God is with you and you know it, be in earnest. Pray and believe: 'Hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end' (Heb. 3:6). If you do not, you disappoint God.

Jacob was that way. God said, "You are not real enough; you are not hot enough; you are too ordinary; you are no good to Me unless you are filled with zeal- white hot!" The Angel of the Lord said, Let Me go, for the day breaks" (Gen 32:26). Jacob knew if God went without blessing him, he could not meet Esau. If you are left alone with God and you cannot get to a place of victory, it is a terrible time. You must never let go, whatever you are seeking - fresh revelation, light for your path, some particular need - never let go. Victory is ours if we are earnest enough. All must pass on; nothing less will please God. "Let Me go, for the day breaks."  He was wrestling with equal strength. Nothing is obtained that way.

You must always master that with which you are wrestling. If darkness covers you, if a fresh revelation is what you need, or if your mind needs to be relieved, always get the victory. God says you are not earnest enough. You say, "The Word does not say that." But it was in God's mind. In wrestling, the strength is in the neck, chest, and thigh; the thigh is the source of strength. So God touched his thigh. With that strength gone, defeat is sure. What did Jacob do? He hung on. God intends for people to be severed by the power of His power, so hold fast; He will never let go. If we let go, we will fall short.

Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" (vs. 26). And God blessed him: "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel" (vs. 28). The change of Jacob to Israel was wonderful! Israel! Victory all the time! God is building all the time. God is sufficient all the time. Now Jacob has power over Esau, power over the world, power over the cattle. All is in subjection as he comes out of the great night of trial. The sun rises upon him. Oh, that God may take us on.

What happened after that? Read how God blessed and honored him. Esau meets him. There is no fighting now. What a blessed state of grace! They kiss each other: "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7).

"What about all these cattle, Jacob""
"Oh, they are present."
"I have plenty; I don't want your cattle. What a joy it is to see your face again!"
What a wonderful change! Who caused it? God.

Holding onto God

Could Jacob hold God? Can you hold God? Yes, you can. Sincerity can hold Him, dependence can hold Him, weakness can hold Him, for "when [you are] weak, then [you are] strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). I'll tell you what cannot hold Him: self-righteousness cannot hold Him; pride cannot hold Him; assumption cannot hold Him; high-mindedness cannot hold Him - thinking you are something when you are nothing, puffed up in your imagination. You can hold in your prayer closet, in the prayer meeting, everywhere: If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20).

Can you hold Him? You may sometimes think that He has left you. Oh, no! He does not leave Jacob, Israel. What changed his name? The wrestling? What changed his name? The holding on, the clinging, the brokenness of spirit? If You do not help me, I am no good, no good for the world's need. I am no longer salt. Jacob obtained the blessing because of the favor of God and his yieldedness to God's will. God's Spirit was working in him to bring him to a place of helplessness. God worked to bring him to Bethel, the place of victory. Jacob remembered Bethel, and through all the trying circumstances, he had kept his vow. (See Genesis 28:20-22). 

When we make vows and keep them, God helps us. We must call upon God and give Him an account of the promise. "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved'" (Gen 32:30). How did he know? Do you know when God blesses you? Do you know when you have victory? Over twenty years later, the vision of the ladder and the angels remained with Jacob. 

We must have a perfect knowledge of what God has for us. He knew that he had the favor of God, and that no man could hurt him. Let us in all our seeking see that we have the favor of God. Keep His commandments. Walk in the Spirit. Be tenderhearted and lovable. If we do these things, we will be appreciated by others, and our ministry will be a blessing to those who hear. God bless you. God bless you for Jesus' sake."