Take up the whole armor of God . . . praying always . . . —Ephesians 6:13,18
You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25 ). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him . . .” ( Romans 8:37 ). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God . . . .”
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . .” ( Romans 8:28 )— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
Mortals may note: Wrestling wrongly with God and against God can be hazardous to our health. Witness Ps 106:15… He gave them the desire of their heart but brought leanness into their souls. The solution to know how and when to wrestle and when to fight and what to fight and when to give up is found in our COMMITMENT TO CONNECTEDNESS. We are finding that to be the Umbrella Policy that covers everything. A trump card that supersedes man’s wisdom because it brings us into connection to His Wisdom, which is higher. djr
Among the benefits of this Connected way of life are two “Dashboard Meters” The Peace Meter and the Joy Meter. These metaphors are backed up by real God-Created neurology in the form of Visceral Tension. Visceral Tension and Peace and Joy dont occupy the same space, so when visceral tension shows up, we note simultaneously that Peace and Joy have left and can take a time out or whatever is necessary to get them back…. usually repent, sometimes surrender, but always regain the connection. Then, with peace in our hearts, move forward…. even if it is to continue wrestling. djr
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