From Jacob to Israel: Overcoming Human Impulses Through The Power Of The Spirit.
On July 3, 2026, after a ministry gathering, I heard the Spirit of the Lord speak to me. He said, “Turning Point.” I knew that after that day, there would be a spiritual shift, not only in our personal lives, but in the body of Christ. My first thoughts afterwards went to the story of Jacob becoming another man – a turning point in his life.
PASSING OVER JABBOK
This experience for Jacob came after he passed over the brook Jabbok. In Hebrew, Jabbok mean to be poured out, emptied out. He entered the night as Jacob, a man of fear and self-preservation and emerged as Israel – a man who had been transformed by the presence and power of God. This is not a story of behavior modification, rather a story of becoming another man. His true self.
The recent teachings at OTC have focused on the continual choice between living as Jacob/natural or walking as Israel/spirit. The old nature reacts from human impulses driven by fear, self-effort, emotions and natural reasoning.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:22-24 writes, “Put off the old man and put on the new man.” This walk is a continual exchange of human impulses for the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.
PASSING OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE
Jesus illustrates this truth when He said, “Let us pass over unto the other side” (Mark 4:35). Passing over means you are entering another region by piercing through. This is not just a physical passing over, but a spiritual passing over from carnal thinking to operating in obedience to the Holy Spirit as He “speaks” to our minds. Jesus spoke their destination, then a violent storm arose and the ship and the waves filled the ship. Immediately after revelation knowledge of where they were going, I believe they encountered a principality to challenge them and sabotage their destiny. The word says the waves filled up the ship. The word “waves” in Greek means, “…of impulse and restless men, tossed to and fro by their raging passions. (Thayer Definition). These experienced fishermen, who knew the dangers of the Sea of Galilee, allowed their human impulses to overtake them and bring them into a state of panic. Jesus then dealt with their fear and lack of faith.
FLESH VS. SPIRIT
The storm pictures the inward battles we all face, no matter how long you have been walking with the Lord. These human impulses seek to govern our decisions. How many days has our destiny been thwarted because we reacted immediately to a situation in our carnal thinking, rather than believing the report of the Lord.
A simple question we may ask ourselves daily is, “Will I be ruled by my impulses, or by the Spirit of God?”
God, being the same yesterday, today and forever wants to change us into another man. Before Jacob got his new name, he was asked, “What is your name?” Twenty years earlier, he said, “I am Esau” (Gen. 27:19). As the Lord deals with him he admits, “I am Jacob.”
The Lord is waiting for us to cross our Jabbok. In the name Israel, you see in the root of the name “Sarah.” Sarah in Hebrew means to prevail, and have power. This is available for all of us – power with God and with men. It is our daily choice.
Blessings,
