The wrestling match with God at Jabbok, where he insisted on a blessing, turned Jacob’s life upside down. Before the wrestling match, Jacob was a prolific blessing-chaser and got whatever he wanted in his battles with Esau and Laban. After that night, his fate took an adverse turn: calamities and deaths rushed upon his family. What happened? Didn’t God bless him? What was the wrestled blessing all about? The Bible is surprisingly reticent about disclosing the specifics of the blessing. This book investigates the mysteries of the wrestling match, the blessing, and the ensuing years. Why is Jacob’s life story relevant to us today? We all want God’s blessings, but we may not always understand what we are getting. Jacob’s life story illuminates reasons behind suffering, illustrates true blessedness, and impels us to live life with a divine perspective.

The wrestling match with God at Jabbok, where he insisted on a blessing, turned Jacob's life upside down. Before the wrestling match, Jacob was a prolific blessing-chaser and got whatever he wanted in his battles with Esau and Laban. After that night, his fate took an adverse turn: calamities and deaths rushed upon his family. What happened? Didn't God bless him? What was the wrestled blessing all about? The Bible is surprisingly reticent about disclosing the specifics of the blessing. This book investigates the mysteries of the wrestling match, the blessing, and the ensuing years. Why is Jacob's life story relevant to us today? We all want God's blessings, but we may not always understand what we are getting. Jacob's life story illuminates reasons behind suffering, illustrates true blessedness, and impels us to live life with a divine perspective.

"Your word I have treasured in my heart." Psalm 119:11 The book of Psalms applies to every facet of life—positive and negative, busy and quiet, joyful and hurting. The words within are always timely, always freeing, and always God-revealing. Take a fresh look at this beloved book of the Bible with 90 thought-provoking devotions accompanied by questions to ponder. Concise yet deep, each devotion takes just a couple of minutes to read while preparing your heart to engage with eternity and enter into the presence of the Lord. The psalms are raw...real...relevant. Soak in their profound truths and let God use them to lead you ever onward in your faith walk—deeper and closer to His heart.

In The Magnificent Defeat, Frederick Buechner examines what it means to follow Christ, the lessons of Christmas and Easter, the miracles of grace, and "the magnificent defeat" of the human soul of God.

This classic is organized as follows: Introduction Containing Explanations of Terms and General Positions Chapter I. Wherein Is Considered, What Reason Teaches Concerning This Affair. Section I. Some things observed in general, which reason dictates Section II. Some further observations concerning those things which reason leads us to suppose God aimed at in the creation of the world Section III. Wherein it is considered how, on the supposition of God’s making the aforementioned things his last end, he manifests a supreme and ultimate regard to himself in all his works Section IV. Some objections considered, which may be made against the reasonableness of what has been said of God making himself his last end. Chapter II. Wherein If It Is Inquired, What Is To Be Learned From Holy Scriptures, Concerning God’s Last End In The Creation Of The World Section I. The Scriptures represent God as making himself his own last end in the creation of the world Section II. Wherein some positions are advanced concerning a just method of arguing in this affair, from what we find in the Holy Scriptures Section III. Particular texts of Scripture, that show that God’s glory is an ultimate end of the creation Section IV. Places of Scripture that lead us to suppose, that God created the world for his name, to make his perfections known; and that he made it for his praise. Section V. Places of Scripture from whence it may be argued, that communication of good to the creature, was one thing which God had in view, as an ultimate end of the creation of the world. Section VI. Wherein is considered what is meant by the glory of God and the name of God in Scripture, when spoken of as God’s end in his works Section VII. Showing that the ultimate End of the Creation of the World is but one, and what that one end is.

I believe that Jesus set an example for us on how to handle adverse situations. When approached in the wilderness by Satan, each time when responding, Jesus began his sentence with "It is written" and quoted Scripture. Modeling myself after Him, I began quoting Scripture when I found myself in adverse situations. I applied Scripture when faced with health concerns for myself, for my son, when reminded of my past, and many other situations. No matter what your situation looks like, we have to learn to say what God says about us. After all, we do have the power of life or death in our tongue (Proverbs 18:21). By our words we can triumph over the enemy. Get in God's Word! The Word of God is our weapon! My prayer is that sharing my testimony will awaken the Spirit within you, increasing your desire to dig deeper into Scripture and develop a closer relationship with God.

When hard times come and it seems God is deviating from the plan we assume our life should follow, we're more likely to want to tame God, not trust Him. It's then that we begin to press into our ways and our own timing. No human can carry the weight of being their own god, but so many of us try. In this 6-session study of 1 & 2 Kings, join Lysa TerKeurst in Israel as she honestly reveals the places of distrust in her own heart while exploring the deeply applicable Scriptures that will teach us how to truly trust God. Features: Leader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groups Personal study segments with homework to complete between 6 weeks of group sessions Interactive teaching videos, approximately 15-25 minutes per session, available for purchase or rent Benefits: Identify and challenge doubts in the one true God. Explore how the Old Testament applies to our lives today. Learn to trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God.