How Change Happens [5] - Word For Today

                          
‘And he was limping because of his hip.’ Genesis 32:31
The Bible says, ‘The sun rose above [Jacob] as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.’ That’s significant, because the thigh muscle is one of the most powerful muscles in the human body. In order to get Jacob’s attention, God touched him at a point of strength. Once we start thinking, ‘This is what I’m really good at; this is where I’m really strong,’ God may have to touch that very thing to get our attention. Jacob’s limp served as a lifelong reminder that he was no longer to trust in his own power, but in the power of God. He was no longer to live in his own strength, but in God’s strength. And in so doing he became a much stronger person. Think about it: every time Jacob got in a mess, his first response was to turn tail and run. Sound like a familiar pattern? Do you do that?
So God finally said, ‘I know how to take care of that – I’ll put a limp in his walk!’ And for the rest of his life Jacob would have to stand and face his problems head-on, not in his own strength but in God’s strength. How about you? What’s the one thing you’d most like to change about your life? Do you want God to help you? He will – in His own way. He will use the process of crisis, commitment, confession, and cooperation. And when God does the changing, it will be permanent. You won’t have to worry about willpower and sticking with it because you’ll be cooperating with God, relaxing, and trusting in Him alone.

1 King 12-13, Acts 5:21-42