Be Set Apart.

          I want to take a little peek into Jacob’s journey, and see what steps he took to set himself apart. The story of Jacob, starts long before this, so you might want to get a little back ground history of Jacob and his family first. (Genesis 25-28).

         God told Jacob through a dream that he would have many descendants, more than he could count, that He would stay with him and protect him wherever he went, and he would bring him back to this very place. God said He would be with him until He has done everything that He promised. vs14-15, Genesis 28

          If you feel like you are stuck, just spinning your wheels but not getting anywhere, be sure to remind yourself of this verse from Philippians.

—Philippians 1:6   “I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished.”

           Write it on the wall of your heart, because there’s one thing I know for sure, this won’t be the last time that you feel defeated.

        Just like so many of us, at this time in Jacob’s life, he felt very unsure of his future. So, when he felt like all hell was coming against him, he did what he knew to do, he rested. He rested and trusted in God. Sometimes we just need to be still long enough to hear God telling us that He won’t leave us, that He’ll continue to help us grow in grace, and He will complete the vision that He set out before us. I truly believe that Jacob set himself up for victory from the beginning, because he took time before his journey to rest in God’s presence. How can we set ourselves apart once God has given us a vision? Let’s see what Jacob did and follow his example.

1st-   He praised God, right after he woke up. It was the very first thing he did. He did this while he was still unsure of his future. Let’s set apart the first few minutes of our day to simply thank God and praise Him for what all He has done.

2nd-  Jacob made a stone of remembrance - don’t forget where God brought you from, and where He’s leading you. It’s a journey, it is a process that will take time. Take the time to remember all of your past victories and it will build up your faith and confidence to know that God will complete what He started.

3rd-  He poured oil on it. A sacrifice. Oil was one of the three staples of living. Notice, in verse 18, he poured the oil of sacrifice, and in verse 20, he prayed for food and clothes. He trusted God to provide his basic needs. Now in today’s life, I’m not asking you to go and pour out a bottle of oil from your kitchen, I’m asking you to make a sacrifice. It’s different for everyone. It could be your time, it could be money, a service, a talent, you need to sacrifice, you need to give to God something that you trust Him with. Or better yet, give Him something that you have a hard time trusting Him with. Let it go, and trust Him to provide your needs.

4th-  He renamed it. (God’s House)- The way I see it, you now belong to God, you are His property. God wants to give you a new identity. Satan will try to do the same thing, he wants nothing more than to “rename” you and claim you for his own. Don’t accept the labels that Satan has set out for you. Separate yourself from him, and take on your new identity in God. You no longer need to be known for your past, you’re not living there any more.

5th-  Jacob made a covenant, and sealed it with a promise that he would return a tenth to God. So, he no longer made the whole process about him, but others. He wanted to “give back” what God had blessed him with. See the big picture here, the end result is not just to be a glorified version of yourself, but to become a vessel that is used by God. It’s not about us in the long run, it’s about how many others we can bring to God, because we decided to take the journey ourselves.