Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, 'I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.' Genesis 28:13 WEB

When the Lord gave Jacob this word of encouragement, he was a young man running for his life. His brother Esau wanted to kill him because Jacob had deceived their father, and stolen Esau's birthright. As Jacob lay down to get some rest that night, God told him many things that were to come through a dream.

Jacob was a bit of a rogue. His name means 'He cheats, the supplanter, he undermines, the heel' yet God was not interested in his past, but spoke only of his future. As Jacob lived his life, and spent time wrestling with God, he became a different man. God changed Jacob's name to 'Israel' meaning 'Who prevails with God' (Genesis 32:28).

Decades later when Jacob returned to that place, he was healthy, wealthy, married, had a dozen children, many servants, a great testimony, and a new name. The Lord fulfilled His promises to Jacob just as He had spoken.

God always sees the potential in us and He calls us into our future, even though some of us could use a new identity like Jacob. God is faithful to provide what we need when we put Him first in our lives, even a completely new identity. We can become better than we are. We do not have to be what we were in the past.

The things that the Lord has spoken to your heart, He will fulfill, no matter how impossible or unlikely it appears. Hang on in faith. Know that we will see the goodness of God, in the land of the living.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You so much for all that You do for me. Mold me, shape me, and help me become the best version of myself. Bring out the best in me. May my family and I all come to know You in a deeper way, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray

Note: "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14). If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network

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