In Genesis 32, Jacob had a great entourage with him while he was going through some family drama, and things are getting so on-edge that the Bible says Jacob was left alone. It was not until Jacob was alone that he had a man wrestle with him in the middle of the night. Jacob put a very strong fight throughout the night and the man-an angel- spoke to him and said to Jacob, “Let me go,” but Jacob would not. He proceeded to say, “I will not you let you go until you bless me.” What happened next changed Jacob for the rest of his life. He would no longer walk the same, and even stand the same. It was in this place of wrestling, where Jacob was alone, that he had a supernatural encounter with God that rewrote his very identity.

From this story, we learn how crucial it is to allow the Lord to give us a supernatural encounter with Him when we are alone. There must be something that happens in our hearts and spirits that causes us to turn to God, not run from Him in this condition. So many believers try to fill the empty space with social media, television, shows, internet browsing, and much more – all the while God is wanting to give us a deeper identity and connection with Him. The encounter that God is wanting to give us will affect us so deeply that it will change the way we walk. Our walk with God ought to be marked and made by the encounters we have when nobody is looking upon us.

Yet, it is our society that pushes us to make sure others see us, and not Jesus through us. We are challenged to bring attention to ourselves when God is wanting our attention on Him. There is a secret encounter awaiting every single believer that will bring us to a place where we are no longer able to keep the same pace and rhythm of worldliness. In fact, there is a secret encounter that will change us so much, it will have an effect on those around us. The Scriptures show us that when the angel touched the “hollow of Jacob’s thigh,” that incident was what caused the people of Israel to no longer eat of an animal’s sinew. The revelation to us is that Jacob’s contact with God changed the consecration of those around him.

God wants to do the same with us.

There is a place in God where we are able to affect those around us through our testimony and relationship with God and cause others to pursue a greater commitment to the Lord. It is a wonderful blessing to affect the lives of others for the glory of God!

But, are we willing to pay the price necessary to be positioned for this?

A man of God once said, “Our job is to condition ourselves. God’s job is to position us.” We must pursue a condition of humility and obedience so that God can position us to make a mighty impact in His Kingdom. We submit to Him and He will exalt us in due season. We have to humble ourselves before the Lord and let Him touch our hearts in such a way that we would no longer be yoked with the trends of worldliness and carnality. Worldliness and carnality are not the will of God for us. If a sinner cannot tell the difference between the Church and the world, we are living outside of the will of God. Jacob was no longer able to evenly walk at the pace and gait of his own strength. He had to learn to walk in his new identity in God. There is a learning curve to why we walk the way we walk. There is a learning curve to why we talk, worship, pray, fast, dress, and live how the Bible commands us.

And if we are willing to pay the price of the private encounter when we are left alone, God will position us to make a public impact for His glory.

Hector Robles hosts a podcast and bible study channel by the name of Sparrow.Podcast. On a weekly basis, you can find new content regarding the Bible and ministry. He lives and works as an engineer in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Savannah and they gladly serve at Calvary Apostolic Church.

Interested in Writing for Insideout Magazine?

Click here to fill out this form