Getting the Victory Through Deliverance
“Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man (the “Angel of God”) with him (Jacob) until the breaking of the day.” And when he (Jacob) saw that he (Jacob) prevailed not against him (the Angel), he (the Angel) touched the hollow of his (Jacob) thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he (Jacob) wrestled with him (the Angel). (Genesis 32:24-25)
Essau and Jacob were born twins. As Rebecca came to delivery in their birth one of the twins’ hand broke forth and the midwife tied a ribbon around his wrist. The hand was withdrawn and the twins struggled in the womb. Essau broke forth first and Jacob’s hand took hold of Essau’s heel and the two came forth to complete the birth. Since Essau actually came all the way to birth first under Jewish law he was given the birthright to inherit all of Isaac’s wealth and Jacob was at the mercy of Essau for an inheritance. Rebecca preferred Jacob and Isaac favored Essau. Jacob was “a mama’s boy.”
(Jacob translated into English means supplanter: replace through guile, deceit or trickery). Rebecca convinced Jacob to deceive Isaac, whose sight was failing, into pronouncing the blessing of the birthright on him instead of Essau). Jacob also tricked Essau who foolishly renounced his birth right to Jacob for a bowl of lentils.1 Essau did not fully realize how foolishly he had acted until Isaac’s death and the realization descended upon him what he actually had done in a moment of foolishness.
Isaac did bless Essau but the birthright was transferred to Jacob (the law of the second born) because Isaac had pronounced it so in the presence of God. It pays to be extremely careful what is said in prayer or making a promise before God. He may hold you to it!
This story of Jacob’s struggle with the sin against both Essau, who was before him coming to meet him, and Laban who was pursuing him in anger. It is a spiritual portrait of the Christian in the journey through life. It is always in the interim between one personal spiritual battle with sin and the next that the Christian deals with it before God. It is unwise to put off the struggle until a “better” time…it will never come! Deal with sin when the Spirit drives the soul to Christ for deliverance, now; don’t put it off. The existentialist lives for “the now” and nothing more; the true Christian lives in the now, now is the time for salvation, now is the time to be delivered from the guilt and power of sin. Do it now and the future, in the eternal presence of God, shall never be in doubt!
[There is a warning not specified but inferred strongly in this process. When the Christian fails to fight spiritual battle in God’s time and in His way there is always the possibility of ending it a spiritual cripple.]
Here is the Battle over sin won or lost.“ ‘If you will return, O Israel,’ says the Lord …” (Jeremiah 4:1; see also Isaiah 30: 15). The battles in spiritual warfare are won or lost in the beginning in the will in the presence of God, this takes place out of sight of the world. The Spirit of God grips the heart; it compels the person to flee to Christ for deliverance. A spiritual battle is first fought alone before God. Unless that takes place the creature will always lose. It may take a minute, an hour, a week or years, that will depend on the creature not God. It must be fought through until the peace of God invades and conquers the heart. It must be fought through, regardless of the circumstances until God gets the victory over the soul.2 There is no power on earth over the Christian who has fought a spiritual battle before God and won there.
It is a grave error and self defeating to wait until a situation arises to fight this battle. It may be lost before it begins. Settle the issue first before God and in the secret places of the soul in the private prayer closet where no one can interfere. Then go forward in complete confidence, knowing with certainty that end of the battle is not in doubt. If you do not win in private alone with God you have lost the battle already. The battle is lost because it was fought on Satan’s terms, not God’s. Do battle alone in the presence of God alone and fight it through to victory.
In intercessory prayer, the thrust is always to drive that person to flee to Christ for deliverance. He will deliver them; He alone is able. Emphasize with that person in humility; but, do not sympathize with them. Sympathy will add to dependency on the wrong source; it will drive them to find a human solution next time. As God does, be one alongside to help them make it through do not take away the blessing by trying to do it for them. There are things each person must do for themselves.
Surrendering in humility through confession and repentance to God is the only way to be delivered from the guilt and power of sin. Confessing sin brings glory to the love, power and righteousness of God and victory over sin, Satan and the world. “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (I John 5:4)
- A complete story of this interaction between Isaac and Jacob is recorded in the 27th chapter of Genesis
- See II Corinthians 12: 7-9 Paul’s struggle with the “messenger of Satan” sent to buffet him.
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