Text: Genesis 32: 1– 32
Memory Verse: “The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow”. Isaiah 62:2
Welcome to April, the month of deliverance. In case you have not noticed, we have successfully completed the first quarter of this year by the grace and mercy of God and this month marks the beginning of the second quarter. Glory be to God for His faithfulness that endures forever. He has so far delivered us from all evils that the Devil promised for this year. My confidence remains strong in God that He will surely safely see us through to the end of the year. He is faithful and reliable. Hallelujah!!!
In this month, we shall commemorate and celebrate the greatest event in the history of Man – the redemption of man from sin and stronghold of Satan; made possible through the death and resurrection of God’s One and only Son, Jesus Christ. This is the event that provided (and still providing) total and eternal deliverance and freedom for the soul of every man, every woman and every child who would be humble, simple and sincere enough to accept the offer. The Holy bible says in the book of Obadiah 1: 17 that “.... upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions”. It is the expressed will of God that all people are delivered from the bondage of sin and shame; and from the shackles of Satan and his cohorts. However, like all gifts, this gift of God for the salvation of souls must be accepted, cherished and utilized. My question to you dear reader is: Have you taken up this offer? If not, why not? Just simply accept that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. Then with sincerity of heart and in total humility, ask God to forgive all of your sins (known and unknown); and by faith, invite and allow Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Lord, Saviour and Friend. You will then experience the peace of God that no man can explain.
The steps I laid out above though simple and straight-forward, are the inevitable steps that must be taken as the acceptable way of becoming a born again child of God. And for anyone to sincerely take these steps, one must be brutally honest with oneself. The Bible in Galatians 6: 7 exhorts us saying “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. …” This is why I have entitled this month’s homily “Who are you? And because the identity of an individual is usually represented by that individual’s name, the question we are considering now could be asked in this other way: What is your name? I got the inspiration to write on this topic this month as I recently read through the Bible passage chosen as our text meditating on the story of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel by God in the passage.
The truth is that everyone born of a woman is under the bondage of sin and Satan and needs the deliverance that Christ offers. Unfortunately however, in my relatively short experience of life, I have met (and keep meeting) many people who pretend to be who they are not, either knowingly or not. This is often due to problem of real or perceived insecurity. But the results of such actions are usually catastrophic and hurtful. Meanwhile, to recognize, admit and confess to what you really are is the panacea for all problems of insecurity. Confession brings repentance, relief, release and restoration. After all, it is a known fact that no one can change their name to a new one unless the old name is known and renounced. Jacob’s story from our text is a good demonstration of this fact. All along, Jacob had been living up to his name – a supplanter, a schemer and a struggler; and he was getting away with things. However, in verse 10, as he faced with the stark reality of meeting his brother whom he had cheated on two major issues of life, and the attendant consequences of his actions, he began to realize that the person he had been all along could not inherit the destiny God has for him. So, he clearly saw the need for him to change his name. That is why at the Ford of Jabbok, Jacob wrestled with God, who had appeared to him in form of a man, insisting that God bless him. And God in answering him changed his name from Jacob to Israel which simply means “a struggler who has prevailed”
Now, take a look into your life. Who are you really? Are you a lie? Some people’s real names are not what they answer to. For example, names like Cheat, Fear, Selfish, Hypocrite, Ego, Resentment, Aggression, Adulterer, Fornicator, Liar and many more like these are not easy to answer to. But these are what some people are; and for them to obtain deliverance, they must accept and confess that these are what they are. Then they must renounce these names, and accept and adopt the new name – True Child of God – that God offers in Christ. This is what true deliverance is all about. Do you really want to be freed from the power of sins, death and hell, then you must identify who really you are and what your names are. This is the word of the Lord for you this month.
Dr Abel Adegoke