Jacob could not become all that God wanted him to be until his name and character were changed. You remember his encounter in the midnight with that angel at the bank of Jabbok River. After that wrestling match with God, his name was change from Jacob (supplanter) to Israel (Prince of God, he will rule as God). Yes, you will begin to rule after now! Until you are changed, until you are transformed physically and spiritually, then the totality, the beauty and the fullness of God will not be manifested in your life. The natural takes from the supernatural and begins to rule after every encounter. Can we just read this great account, “But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River.  After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions.  This left Jacob all alone in the camp and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn.  When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.  Then the man said, ‘let me go, for it is dawn.’ But Jacob panted, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ ‘What is your name?’  The man asked, he replied, ‘Jacob.’ ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob,’ the man told him.  ‘It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and man and have won...’  Genesis 32:22-31. Praise God!

  This guy needed a tough all night wrestling match, a strong divine push with his last strength to achieve this total, complete, once-in-a-lifetime transformation and the end result proved that the effort worth it. After the struggle, Jacob won, the Sun rose for him and his worst fear (which was meeting his terribly enraged elder brother) was gone. In fact, his fear was instantly turned into victory and joy because Esau though approaching fiercely with his four hundred strong men was immediately ‘melted’ and rushed to embrace and kiss his brother who fraudulently took away his blessings and birth right. In fact, the record said that both of them broke down in tears. Maybe what you also need today is to wrestle with God in prayer until you see that transformation in your life. Though Jacob had acquired some measure of achievement, yet he needed this particular experience to be able to enter his rest, destiny and also to perfect that divine program for his life. Through him the nation of Israel would be birthed and established, but not with his current dubious name and character. His name and nature must first be change from a fraudster to a prince. From the fearful to a wrestler. From an opportunist to a doer of God’s will. And from a manipulator to a prayer warrior. Like me he learnt midnight prayer by force. The word of God said that he wrestled with the man throughout the night and won! I also love the way Hosea puts it. He said that Jacob struggled with his brother in the womb and as a man he also fought with angel and God and won. Wow! Get my book / audiobook Power of Midnight Prayer by Gabriel Agbo to learn more on this.

  Yes, you may also need this transformation now to become what God wants you to be.  You may be looking okay physically, but on the inside, privately, you know that all is not well with you. You need a touch on your character, a change of attitudes, a break from the hindrances, curses and shortcomings. There are impediments that need to be uprooted from your life now, so that you can become what God wants you to be. It may even be sickness or a stubborn problem. You won’t believe it, for some, it is their anger, their stubbornness, their talkativeness, unfaithfulness or their laziness that has stopped them from climbing up or having a sustained relationship, marriage, job, career or spiritual growth. This must change today in the name of Jesus! That Jacob must be changed to Israel! You cannot attain completeness until it is done. Jacob could not. And you must wrestle like him until God does it. Another man called Jabez in the bible also understood this principle and became blessed more than everybody around him. His circumstance of birth and name affected him negatively, but he refused to accept that and prayed until God changed it. You know this, “Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. Did you read that?