Isaiah 43:1 says, “But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”
We read in Genesis 32:28 “Your name will no more be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Do you ever feel like life is a struggle? I love to read and study the men and women who have walked before us. We have much to learn from their lives as we walk the runway of life. Romans 15:4 (TPT) tells us, “Whatever was written beforehand is meant to instruct us in how to live. The Scriptures impart to us encouragement and inspiration so that we can live in hope and endure all things.”
We all have dreams and expectations for life. We dream about the perfect man who will sweep us off our feet and all those perfect children, a successful career and ultimately a long, happy life. But you must give up the illusion that you deserve a life that is problem-free. This is false hope and living in a fantasy world.
When your dreams are battered, you are betrayed by a friend, someone you trust lies about you or you lose your job, which has many negative effects on your life, clouds of despair try to take the sunshine from your dreams.
This is when you need to open the Word of God and study the lives of men and women chosen by God to change their family and their nation. We all go through the stripping process of taking off the old and putting on the new. This is a lifelong process. But as we grow in the Word of God and the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us, we learn “how to” fight the good fight of faith. We keep our weapons of warfare sharp, ready to cut asunder the thick chords of the enemy trying to choke the Word from our heart.
Jochebed was a strong woman of faith, but most Christians don’t even know who she is. She fought the good fight of faith for her family. She raised three leaders: Moses, Miriam and Aaron. How did she do it? Hebrews 11:23 (MEV) tells us, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s command.”
By faith, because they saw! They knew that God created all children, and they had made a commitment to follow the Lord. They were confident in Him to turn everything around for good. They didn’t know how, or understand, but they had confidence in their God! Jochebed’s life speaks through her children. She paved the way for Moses to lead the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt to the promised land.
Life is not always easy. As children of God, we are living in a war zone: good versus bad. As we look around us, we can see that the battle is raging. As children of God, we need each other to pray and encourage one another in this battle. You need the gathering of your Christian friends and the anointing of a church to hold you up in this life and help you.
Many of us are nursing old wounds that keep us in bondage. The Lord is saying to you today, “Let it go!”
Life is a process; in the process, you find the promise. In the promise, you find His presence. In His presence, you find His purpose. In His purpose, you find His pleasure. As a woman of God, a real woman created in His image, you have all the sources and resources of heaven available to you as you are being formed into His likeness as you walk the runway of life. {eoa}
Joyce Tilney is an author and teacher. In her new book, The Real Woman Grows Roses from the Thorns of Life, you will be encouraged as you walk the runway of life. For more information: t[email protected] and wogministries.com.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett