{"id":34448,"date":"2022-10-23T03:30:28","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T10:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=34448"},"modified":"2022-10-21T16:08:58","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T23:08:58","slug":"october-23-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2022\/10\/23\/october-23-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"October 23, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Struck<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThen Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched (\u201cstruck\u201d) the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob\u2019s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.\u201d<\/em> Genesis 32:24-25<\/p>\n

Wrestling is a solitary sport, with one-on-one, face-to-face maneuvering for position and holds and power over someone else. It pits the strength and cunning of one against another.<\/p>\n

We have an enemy that is real (Satan), but sometimes the enemy is our own self\u2014our flesh, our carnality, the things we haven\u2019t yet surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This was Jacob\u2019s reason for wrestling. He wanted a blessing, but he wasn\u2019t going to get it until he was submitted to God and changed by Him.<\/p>\n

God has given us a free will, and we have a choice to make at all times in all circumstances. Him, or me? His, or mine? We wrestle with Him over these things. My wants against His will. My imagined immediate needs against His way of working things out. My timetable against His patience. My irritability against His lovingkindness.<\/p>\n

But there comes a time when He seems to say, \u201cEnough!\u201d He touches us\u2014or more accurately, He strikes us\u2014to stop us from living in the flesh any longer in that certain area that has plagued us for so long. This can happen in any number of ways, but the outcome is certain: we bow to Him. Our \u201cfree will\u201d is overcome and we are humbled.<\/p>\n

A.W. Tozer said, \u201cWe often win over our enemies only after we have first been soundly defeated by the Lord Himself. God often conquers our enemies by conquering us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take our strong-willed selves, our self-imposed bondage, to the foot of the Cross. Wrestle if you must, but know that in the end, He will have His victory.<\/p>\n

Father, we beg You to wrestle the strength of our flesh right out of us. Strike us if You must\u2014only cause us to be submitted to You and no other. You are righteous and sovereign in all Your ways. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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