Do you know Him?

God had revealed himself to Jacob as the God of Abraham and his father Isaac.

Jacob then made a vow with God saying that he would be his God if he provided him with his needs when he was running away from his brother.

But 20 years after when he was about to leave Laban he said "unless the God of my father had been with me i would have left empty handed".

Jacob was now rich but he was still referring to God as the God of his Father and not his God.

Why?

Because Jacob was still carrying the same name, he had riches, wives, children but inside was still the same Jacob the deceiver.

The same happens with many people who are in church today, they have received many blessings from God, healing, prosperity etc... But they still don't know God, for them He is the God of the Universal Church, pastor, friend, father or mother but not their God. They are still the same, lying, cheating, deceiving, full of grudges, fornicating etc...

Jacob was tired of being himself he wanted more than the blessing of God, he wanted the Blesser, he wanted to be the blessing himself, for this to happen he had to sacrifice and be alone with God.

The same must happen to you Jesus said: "What does it profit if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul and what can a man give in exchange for his soul".

 ^"Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Mt 7:22,23 NKJV

What about you, Do you know him? Are you sure of your salvation?

If not the Campaign of Israel is specially for you who want a new identity.

God Bless you,

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It is useless

It’s useless to want to be great and yet think small.

It is also useless to want to be great from one day to the next.

No one is born great, that’s a law of nature put in place by the Creator.

It’s useless to be God’s partner and yet depend on other people.

Being a partner with God and counting on the help of others is not living by faith.

Wanting is not receiving.

If wanting was receiving this world would be a bed of roses.

After all, who doesn’t want to be healthy, prosperous, and to have a happy family?

Between wanting and receiving is an enormous desert that has to be crossed.

This journey begins with one step: determination and a firmness of mind, thoughts that are in line with the thoughts of God.

With each step you will have to keep your mind fixed on the same counsel that God gave Joshua:

Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.  Joshua 1:7 (HCSB)

Head in this direction and don’t wait for other people to help you.

Trust that the One who made the promise is faithful and that He will fulfill it.

This is living by faith — this is depending on God.

Those who have a covenant with God cannot depend on others.

Either the Spirit of the Most High God is with you, or He’s not.

If you believe with all your strength, He will give you the certainty that He is your partner.

Do something, act on your faith, follow the inspiration that you’re given, do what you can and expect His response.

Relying on God as your partner and going straight ahead without waiting for the help of others is a basic principle of faith.

God made a promise to Abraham and his descendants.

Those who have faith are Abraham’s sons.  Galatians 3:7

Isaac was blessed and passed on his blessing to Jacob.

Jacob took possession of the blessing in a fraudulent way, became very rich, and yet did not become a blessing. He possessed the promise of the blessing, but was not happy. He possessed the promise but was not the blessing.

For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.  Isaiah 57:15

Bishop Macedo www.bishopmacedo.com

A phrase to meditate on

"What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it."

Hating your own life

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                    We spoke here about the value of Jacob's gift to his brother ( click this link ) and also how he was afraid when his brother was about to attack him that he divided two groups in case of an attack one could escape  ( click this link to read) but there is something i noticed that can really show what a sacrifice Jacob had to make to become a new man.

"And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 

He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had." Genesis 32:22,23 NKJV

He had divided them in two groups, and sent gifts to his brother but he kept with him the group that was most important to him, the wives, two female servants and his eleven sons and some other things he had.

And this is one of the main reasons why many people are not blessed in a campaign, they are willing to let go of the gift and even to divide what they have but they are not willing to let go of the most important things, their all and to depend on God totally.

Eventually Jacob did and God appeared to him and changed his life.

What about you, what are you holding on to in these life?

The sacrifice says:

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" Luke 14:26 NKJV

Jacob's Gift

Jacob’s gift

Hi Bishop,

This morning I was wondering about how much Jacob's gift to his brother would be at the current prices, and I found someone who had made the calculations this last March. 

Here are the approximate modern day market prices of the animals that Jacob gave as a gift to his brother:

• 200 female goats @ $163 = $32,600

• 20 male goats @ $177 = $3,540

• 200 ewes @ $340 = $68,000

• 20 rams @ $541 = $10,820

• 30 female camels with their young @ $15,000 = $450,000

• 40 cows @ $700 = $28,000

• 10 bulls @ $1700 = $17,000

• 20 female donkeys @ $1500 = $30,000

• 10 male donkeys @ $1500 = $15,000

• Total: $654,960

I knew that Jacob was rich after leaving Laban, but I never realized how rich. If he was able to give a gift of over half a million dollars, which clearly was a huge sacrifice, to his brother, imagine how much more he had.

I think this gift is a crucial part of the story because he separated these animals and sent them off in the direction of his brother right before he wrestled with God — I don't think that's a coincidence. We could say this was not only a gift to his brother, but his sacrifice to God. 

Like you have been speaking about, the offering on the altar has no value when we have something against a brother in our hearts. By giving this gift he was cleaning his heart so that his sacrifice would be accepted by God.

The passage also says that this gift was "going ahead of him".... just like our sacrifices do.

“A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16)

Bishop David Higgnbotham

Jacob wrestling with God

For those who think you tried everything, try this.

When we meditate at the story of Hannah we see some very interesting points:

• She could not have children and her husband found another woman.

• The other woman who had children with her husband provoked her.

• Her husband loved her more than the other and would give her a double portion of offerings for her to give in the temple every year.

Inspite of her yearly prayers, fasting and offerings her name had not changed she was carrying the name of a barren woman that was her shame.

Until one day she had enough and went straight to God like Jacob she was alone, she did not go to the priest but direct to God and did something she was not doing before, she sacrificed.

"And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a manchild, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11

That was when the situation changed.

There are times that prayer, fasting and offerings alone will not bring the result you want, you need to be left alone, revolt against the situation and sacrifice then the result will come. 

Meditate on 1 Samuel chapter one.