It’s time to Wrestle
Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
As a boy, I used to love to watch wrestling with all of its dramatics. I used to watch Jerry Lawler, The Moon Dogs, Coco Ware, Bill Dundee, Tojo Yomamoto, and the list goes on. I used to love wrestling to see who was going to come out on top. I was always pulling for the good guys, hoping that the bad guys would not come in and attack the good ones. Then sometimes the good ones would become bad. I never knew that the wrestling was fixed until I grew older. I had to wrestle with my own suspension of disbelief when I would noticed some of the blows missing their target but the wrestler would still “act” as though he had been hit. Wrestling is something we can all identify with especially as we all are characters in life trying to hold on to the good and not turn bad.
Every day we should be wrestling, not acting, when it comes to prayer. We have to lock into the Spirit and not let go until we get our answer. Jacob wrestled with God all night long and the Angel of God told Jacob, “let me go it’s almost sunrise.” Jacob said, “I’m not going to let you go until you bless me.” God touched his hip and knocked it out of socket, changed his name from Jacob to Israel, which means you have wrestled with God and have overcome.
We have to be like Jacob. We have to hold on to God in Prayer every week so God can change us from someone with bad character to someone with good character.
Paul talked about another prayer warrior named Epaphras. Paul described him as a servant of Christ Jesus who is always wrestling in prayer for the Colossians. That excites me because it makes me think of those on my intercessory team that are always wrestling for me. It’s good to know that there are some people standing in the gap and wrestling with God in prayer for me that I might stay in good character. It made me think of them but it also made me ask myself, “Am I really wrestling or acting?” Am I really striking a blow to the enemy or just going through the motions? Do I really operate in the power of God or just have a form of godliness without power?
The fervent and effective prayers of the righteous availeth much but we have to learn how to really wrestle and quit acting. When we wrestle in prayer and stay on our knees with God for ourselves and for others three things should happen:
1. Stand firm. We strengthen our ability to stand firm in situations where other people are shaky. There are so many people falling away in the faith but prayer strengthens us in our stance for what is right in the eyes of God.
2. Mature. When we wrestle in prayer it helps us in a maturity. We don’t let things get to us as easily as they did when we were younger because wresting in prayer grows us up in the faith. We become stronger in what we believe because there is transference of Power from us to God to us. God touches our “hip” and he breaks us so that he can use us.
3. Fully Assured. When we wrestle with God and don’t let go until he blesses us, we leave that encounter fully assured that God is with us. I can’t go until I know that God is with me and sometimes out of the wrestling I leave limping knowing I have wrestled with the best.
Dear God
Help me today to wrestle in prayer. Don’t let me go until you bless me. Teach me how to wrestle with my theology and my opinions so that they match your Holy will. I don’t want to be swayed by popular opinions or lying prophets. I want my walk to be real. Jesus don’t let go until you bless me and I walk away knowing that I have been with you.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
As a boy, I used to love to watch wrestling with all of its dramatics. I used to watch Jerry Lawler, The Moon Dogs, Coco Ware, Bill Dundee, Tojo Yomamoto, and the list goes on. I used to love wrestling to see who was going to come out on top. I was always pulling for the good guys, hoping that the bad guys would not come in and attack the good ones. Then sometimes the good ones would become bad. I never knew that the wrestling was fixed until I grew older. I had to wrestle with my own suspension of disbelief when I would noticed some of the blows missing their target but the wrestler would still “act” as though he had been hit. Wrestling is something we can all identify with especially as we all are characters in life trying to hold on to the good and not turn bad.
Every day we should be wrestling, not acting, when it comes to prayer. We have to lock into the Spirit and not let go until we get our answer. Jacob wrestled with God all night long and the Angel of God told Jacob, “let me go it’s almost sunrise.” Jacob said, “I’m not going to let you go until you bless me.” God touched his hip and knocked it out of socket, changed his name from Jacob to Israel, which means you have wrestled with God and have overcome.
We have to be like Jacob. We have to hold on to God in Prayer every week so God can change us from someone with bad character to someone with good character.
Paul talked about another prayer warrior named Epaphras. Paul described him as a servant of Christ Jesus who is always wrestling in prayer for the Colossians. That excites me because it makes me think of those on my intercessory team that are always wrestling for me. It’s good to know that there are some people standing in the gap and wrestling with God in prayer for me that I might stay in good character. It made me think of them but it also made me ask myself, “Am I really wrestling or acting?” Am I really striking a blow to the enemy or just going through the motions? Do I really operate in the power of God or just have a form of godliness without power?
The fervent and effective prayers of the righteous availeth much but we have to learn how to really wrestle and quit acting. When we wrestle in prayer and stay on our knees with God for ourselves and for others three things should happen:
1. Stand firm. We strengthen our ability to stand firm in situations where other people are shaky. There are so many people falling away in the faith but prayer strengthens us in our stance for what is right in the eyes of God.
2. Mature. When we wrestle in prayer it helps us in a maturity. We don’t let things get to us as easily as they did when we were younger because wresting in prayer grows us up in the faith. We become stronger in what we believe because there is transference of Power from us to God to us. God touches our “hip” and he breaks us so that he can use us.
3. Fully Assured. When we wrestle with God and don’t let go until he blesses us, we leave that encounter fully assured that God is with us. I can’t go until I know that God is with me and sometimes out of the wrestling I leave limping knowing I have wrestled with the best.
Dear God
Help me today to wrestle in prayer. Don’t let me go until you bless me. Teach me how to wrestle with my theology and my opinions so that they match your Holy will. I don’t want to be swayed by popular opinions or lying prophets. I want my walk to be real. Jesus don’t let go until you bless me and I walk away knowing that I have been with you.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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