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CCOG 8-24-25 Sunday Morning Service. Your New Identity Awaits Beyond the Struggle

Editor JD. Episode 176

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Have you ever felt like you're wrestling with God? That intense, all-night struggle where you're fighting against transformation even though you desperately need it? This powerful message takes us deep into Genesis 32, where Jacob's wrestling match with God forever changed his identity.

The struggle is familiar to all of us. We run from our past, carrying names and labels that were never meant to define us. Like Jacob the deceiver, we've developed survival mechanisms and manipulative tendencies that seem impossible to shake. But God meets us in our darkest night, initiating a wrestling match that targets the very core of our strength.

What makes this encounter so profound is God's question: "What is your name?" It's not that He doesn't know—He's waiting for us to acknowledge who we truly are before He can transform us. The moment of honest confession becomes the turning point where God doesn't just give us a new label, but fundamentally changes our nature.

"You are not in recovery; you are recovered. You are not sick; you are healed. You are not defeated; you are victorious." These declarations remind us that our new identity in Christ isn't just aspirational—it's our current reality when we embrace who God says we are. Even our wounds become reminders of blessing, not curses. Like Jacob's permanent limp, our scars tell the story of divine encounter.

Whether you're in the midst of a spiritual struggle or carrying labels from your past that no longer serve you, this message invites you to a divine name-change ceremony. Stop asking God who He is when His nature is already embedded within your new identity. Your morning of blessing is coming—hold on and don't let go until He blesses you.

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I would like to welcome everyone to the show enjoy and God bless everyone.

Speaker 1:

This Little Light of.

Speaker 2:

Mine. Hey, you're listening to the Cable Church of God's live audio recording of the Sunday morning service on the 421 show. Hey, go check out our website for more content and information at hor421showbuzzsproutcom. You can stream the show on Apple or Spotify or whatever platform you're choosing. If you'd like to support the show, you can support it through PayPal slash H-O-R-421 or H-O-R-421showbuzzsproutcom. For contact information, you can email at H-O-R-421ministries at gmailcom. Phone number is 239-849-1502.

Speaker 1:

I want to preach to you for just a few moments and, if I can, draw your attention to the book of Genesis, chapter 32. Hold on, pastor. You've preached this before, yeah, I know, but I just want to touch on it just a little bit again this morning Because I believe there are people here. I believe there are people here Now. I know you probably can't do much for my sound, is that right? We're about to go Peru style. Sister Tammy, I bet y'all don't have sound over there, do you? I didn't think so. Amen, and if we do, I'll just pass it on over to her.

Speaker 1:

We've been tempted to tag team preach for years. I just, I don't know. I I feel like I felt like this before I even got dressed and came to church. Matter of fact, I felt this a few days ago that I just feel like there's some people here today that that God's going to change your name today, that God's going to change your name. God's going to change your name Because, listen, I have preached for years that names in the Bible mean something.

Speaker 1:

Names wasn't just we, just I mean you know, listen, every year we start school, some of the names we get, I'm like I need a third degree in order to read some of these names. What happened to Bill and Bob and John and Sally and Susie? And now we're putting G-H and I-E-G-H and E-I G. We're putting all K? I don't know, we're just rumbling. It's like y'all woke up one day and spoke in tongues and said that's what I'm naming him. I don't know where we're getting some of them, but but in the Bible names mean wolf, something. Now you won't hear me say it much, but that's too loud for me.

Speaker 1:

I'm about to throw it down and preach without it. Name Nope. That ain't going to work. One more try and I quit. Who's doing that? That's better, just leave, don't touch. Don't touch a thing, don't touch a thing.

Speaker 1:

Names have meaning, and I've told you over over the years too, that the enemy wants to. Just as much as God gave you a name and a personality, and a and a and a person, the enemy wants to do the same, and the enemy wants to to put labels on you. And the enemy wants to put labels on you, and the enemy wants to put tags on you that were never intended to be on you. I mean, we could talk about all kinds of things, but I'm not going to get into all that. But the enemy has an assignment, and that is to label you and tag you as somebody or something that you're not.

Speaker 1:

We read about throughout the Bible. They kept referring to Simon the leper and Rahab the harlot, and they always tagged that title to the name of that person. Now we read about in the book of Daniel. We read about in the book of Daniel. We read about Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego, and we know that their mama-given, god-given names was Hananiah, mishael and Azariah. Their Babylonian illegitimate names, given to them by the enemy, was Shadrach, meshach and Abednego. Amen, and I don't know why we keep singing and teaching and preaching about their Babylonian illegitimate names. I think we need to get back to calling them Hananiah, azariah and Mishael, because those were the names that their mama gave them in the fear and admonition of God.

Speaker 1:

Now let me tell you all your mamas and daddies and mamon papals in the room amen, there is a devil lurking. He's walking up and down our streets. He's walking in and out of our schools. He's in and out of our restaurants and our department stores. Amen, lurking and trying to get a hold of our children so that he can tag a label and he can tag a name on them.

Speaker 1:

I came to tell somebody today. You pray God's touch and God's blessings over the lives of your children. Amen, god has a purpose and a plan for everybody here. Let me get down here. I don't know where I'm going, but we're going today. Amen, god has a purpose for me. Say that God has a plan for me.

Speaker 1:

But, pastor, you don't know where I've been. I don't know where you have been, but you don't know where I've been either. Amen. I don't know what all you've done. I don't know what all you've dabbled in. I don't know what all you've been a part of, but I do know this as long as there is breath in your lungs and a beat in your heart, there is a man named Jesus who will save you, right where you are. I don't know. Thank you, holy Ghost. I feel this from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

Speaker 1:

He's here today to change your name. He's here today to change your circumstance. He's here today to turn you around, set your feet on solid ground. He's here today to change your name. You need a name change. You need a residence change. You need a mailbox change. I'm no longer on my way to hell, I'm on my way to heaven. I've been changed. I've been changed. I've been changed. I've been changed. I've been changed. Hallelujah, jacob.

Speaker 1:

Now, if your name here today is Jacob, I'm sorry, but biblically your name means deceiver. God's going to change it. This Jacob means deceiver, trickster, manipulator, because a lot of times we get mad at Jacob because he stole the birthrighted blessing from his brother, esau. Remember that. But I can't hardly get mad at Jacob because Esau didn't value the birthright enough to hold on to it. He sold out his blessing for a bowl of soup.

Speaker 1:

I don't know about you, but you can go to any blessing box from the Virginia line to the wherever, all through Harlan. There's blessing boxes everywhere and I about guarantee you you'll find a can of soup. Why? Somebody said it. Who said it? Come on, it's cheap, it's cheap. I still can't figure out why we put things in the blessing box that we ourselves wouldn't eat. But I won't go there today. But soup is cheap, man, they wasn't nothing like, on a cold day, a can of condensed Campbell's chicken noodle soup with a whole sleeve of Ritz crackers to sop up that juice and that soup in that bowl.

Speaker 1:

Amen, if you was real lucky and it was first to the middle of the month we got a grilled cheese with that bowl of soup. And if you is real blessed, they'd slap two slices of that commodity cheese. Oh, hallelujah, I'm about to shout because they ain't no cheese like commodity cheese. You can keep Velveeta, you can keep Kraft. You give me that long slab of thick sliced cheese. Man, that tastes good. You know, on that white bread that sticks to the roof of your mouth, I came to tell you it not only sticks to the roof of your mouth but it sticks to your gut like it does your mouth Nothing like it. But it's not worth my birthright. I said as good as it is, it's not worth my blessing. I'm not giving up my blessing for a bowl of soup, just like Esau did. So if you're going to get mad at, you can get mad at Jacob, but you need to get mad at Esau first. So if you're going to get mad at, you can get mad at Jacob, but you need to get mad at Esau first. So now Esau says I'll kill him.

Speaker 1:

Every, from verse 1 to verse 24, jacob is running for his life because his brother, esau, is after him. Let me tell some of you here, all of you here, myself included, we are running for our lives because there is an adversary who is after us. He wants to steal, he wants to kill and he wants to destroy. Let me say that again the devil wants to kill you, the devil wants to steal you and the devil wants to destroy you. But in that same verse the Bible says but I came that you might have life and have it more. A bahoo here today is ready for abundant life in Jesus. So we're running, jacob is running and finally he was left alone and he thinks he's going to lie down and enjoy a good night's rest.

Speaker 1:

But then there was a man who showed up in Jacob's slumber and he wrestled a man until the breaking of day, which means, sister Serena. They fought from dark until daylight. You talk about weeping. May endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. But joy Comes in the morning. I came to tell somebody today You've cried yourself to sleep More times than you can count. You've wept yourself to sleep More times than you can count. Amen. And you're looking for bedtime tonight and you like, pastor, I can't cry another night. I'm glad you're here because I've before, but I got good news for you Joy is coming in the morning. Would somebody receive that word today? Joy is coming in the morning.

Speaker 1:

He's running for his life as fast as he can. Esau's gonna kill him. He thinks he's by himself and he lies down to go to bed for the night and a man shows up and picks a fight with him, nudges him and says let's fight. Next verse. And when he saw that he prevailed, not against him. Now we're not talking about Jacob, we're talking about the man who started the fight. Let me tell you something If God starts the fight, god will finish the fight. Don't you start something with God that you can't finish. And when this person saw that he could not Overcome Jacob, and when this person saw that he could not overcome Jacob, this man's not giving up, he's letting go. Let me tell you something when things become life and death, you won't let go. When things become an emergency and you may not live to see another day, you won't let go.

Speaker 1:

I've watched two loved ones pass away and Rome. It's like moments before they died. It's like they knew they were getting ready to, because it was almost like a burst of something came from somewhere and got a hold of them. Because it's like they they gained a supernatural strength that they hadn't had. The last person I saw do that was my grandfather, up there at the hospital in Lexington the night before he died. I walked in the door and here's all of the people that love him, there's his wife, there's his daughters, there's some of his grandchildren and walk in and it's almost like he went down the line and none of them could do that for him. And I walked in. He said there's brother John, you'll help me get out of here, won't you? I was looking at June and mom and Jan. What do I tell him? I mean, y'all got to help me here. I'm busting him out or try my best, amen. I looked and that leg was coming over that no, no, no, he was ready to go. He was gone the next day, but it was like something wasn't letting go. My God, I said something.

Speaker 1:

I came to tell somebody today the fight is hard, the struggle has been long, amen. The struggle has been long, amen. The battle has been brutal. But I came to tell Don't let go, don't let go, hold on, hold on Just a little longer. There's nothing to let, don't let go. And he touched the hollow of his thigh and he was out of joint as he wrestled with him. So as they wrestled, this person saw he's not quitting. I wish somebody in this room today would get the mentality I'm not quitting.

Speaker 1:

You may mess up at 3.30 today, but the only way you stay, the only way you're defeated, is if you stay down. If you falter or you fall by the wayside or you mess up at 3.30 today, you stand to your feet, you repent of your sin and he is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin. Amen, yes, yes, yes, I believe he'll forgive you every single solitary time you ask him to. He will Amen. The only way you're defeated is when you stay down, get up. You can mess up, but you can't give up. He touched him at his hip joint.

Speaker 1:

I told you about three years ago your hip joint, your hips, that's your core, that's where your strength is. When you take a stand, you think it's your legs that's holding you firm. It's not your legs, it's your core, it's your hip area, your core area. So in order to make Jacob give up and let God, god had to touch him at his source of his strength. Sometimes God has to hit you where it hurts. He had to touch him at the point of his strength. I have to remove Jacob's strength from Jacob, because as long as Jacob is depending on Jacob's strength, jacob loses the battle. But the minute Jacob gives up Jacob's strength and relinquishes it to God, it goes to a whole new level. So the next time God hits you at your source of strength, just know that that's Him trying to get you to give up your ability so that you can trust in His ability.

Speaker 1:

I'm looking at a bunch of hard-headed, stubborn, strong-willed. Come on, stiff-necked. Come on. Y'all better quit. Amen, and I'll keep going. Y'all be mad at me by the time we leave here, amen.

Speaker 1:

But where we are we're independent, prideful, don't want nobody's help like. I asked serena last week how you feeling, she gave me this big, long paragraph that I didn't even read and then I asked her okay, now how do you really feel? Because we don't like for people to know there's a weakness. Come on, you didn't know he was get preached on today, did you? We've got weakness that we don't like to admit. Now. It's good that we're not letting go, especially when we find out who this man, this mysterious man, is.

Speaker 1:

Next verse, and he said let me go, for the day breaketh. I told you, joy comes in the morning. I told you, if you'll endure for the night, there's something good come. You need to write that down. If you're a note taker, write it down. My night may be long and my night may be hard, but my morning is coming, my morning and my Let me go. This is the man that's still in the tent. This mystery man said let me go, it's daylight, daylight.

Speaker 1:

And Jacob said, even after being afflicted at his point of strength, he still didn't let go. Come here, son, come here. It started out being a struggle. Started out being a struggle. Amen. Started out being a struggle. But then, when he touched him at his source of his strength, the struggle on Jacob's part went I might not can fight back, but I can hang on. I might not can fight back, I might not can wrestle back, but I can like and hold on Somebody. You might be too tired to fight, you might be too overwhelmed to struggle and to wrestle, but my God, with everything that's in you, hold on. He said let go of me. It's almost daybreak.

Speaker 1:

Jacob says I will not let go except you bless me. My God. I'm afraid 95 or greater percent of the church world today lets go. Just prior to the blessing, just as the blessing is coming, they let go. I hope, if you don't take anything else out this door with you today, I hope you take with you. I can't let go, I can't. Oh God, oh God, I will not let go until you bless me. Except you bless me, I won't let go.

Speaker 1:

Next verse and he said unto him what is thy name? There's a reason this person wanted to know his name, because names mean something. You need to put a name on what you need. I want you to get that. You'll get that in just a minute. You're here in this room and there's things you need from God. Anybody Is it just me? Okay? And even you religious people who didn't raise your hand you have a need. Go ahead and put your name on it, because names mean something.

Speaker 1:

I'm a firm believer that we call things that are not as though they are Amen, amen. I'm a firm believer in calling your son and your daughter saved, even when they're not. You talk it as though they are. That's speaking in faith. Well, preacher, that's lying. No, lying is when it doesn't happen. I need to know if there's some crazy faith kind of people up in here today who believe it's going to happen in the name of Jesus, not in the name of John, not in the name of the church, not in the name of the denomination, but in the name of Jesus. It's going to happen in the name of Jesus. What's your name? The name of Jesus. It's going to happen in the name of Jesus. What's your name? Here's the thing about it. He knew his name, but he wanted him to say it.

Speaker 1:

Confess your faults one to another. You tell God all about your trouble. We sing. Let us have a little talk with Jesus and tell him all about our troubles, amen. Tell him what sin has a hold of your life. Tell him what you struggle with. Oh, preacher, he already knows, but he can't help you until you tell him. Tell him he knew, he knew Jacob's name, but he couldn't do nothing for Jacob until Jacob knew Jacob. Until Jacob could come to the place that he admitted.

Speaker 1:

I'm a manipulator, I'm a trickster. That's why I asked you what's your name? Jacob might have been ashamed to tell him, just like we're ashamed when we go in our prayer. I can't tell God that, bless God. I can't tell him that he knows he's just wanting you to come clean, because until you tell him, you act like it don't exist.

Speaker 1:

They see some of you walking around like you're some kind of perfect little saint, adjusting your halo every day that something goes wrong, and God's just waiting on you to admit to Him who you are and what really is on the inside of you that you need Him to fix and take care of and get rid of. He wants you to tell Him. And he said Jacob, look here, it's about to get real good Next, and he said I'm glad you finally admitted who you are, because now that you admit who you are, I can help you with who you are. Now that you admit who you are, I'm able to step in on the scene, amen and change some things. Anybody in the room today need some things changed? Let me ask you that again Does anybody in the room need some things changed?

Speaker 1:

He said now I'm going to call you Israel. Oh, and then he don't just tell him what his new name is, he gives him the full blown Merriam-Webster definition noun he gives him I'm not just going to tell you who you are by name, I'm going to tell you who you are by nature. Man, I'm trying to help you today. Wait a minute. But I'm old or I'm older. You mean God can change my name, uh-huh, and he can change your nature. He can change your desires, he can change your mean, old, evil, wicked, conniving, lying Jezebel. He not only can change your name, he can change your nature. He said you are now Israel, king James definition, for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed the JC definition, the one who wrestled with God and prevailed.

Speaker 1:

Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute.

Speaker 1:

Next verse Look here. And Jacob asked him and said what's your name? God says I done told you my name. Israel says I done told you my name. Israel says well, I missed it somewhere, because all I heard you say that my name's being changed from Jacob to Israel, to which God said I know, but my name is within your name. What do you mean? What do you mean the one who wrestled with? Who'd you wrestle with all night? Jacob, the one who wrestled with.

Speaker 1:

So Jacob's new name is found, god's name is found in Jacob's new name. Your new name and your new nature has God's name and God's nature right on the inside of it. They summon you. You've been to the altar, you've cried, you've snotted around, you've acted a fool, you've flopped around, but you're walking around with your same old name and your same old nature, because you've not allowed God to change your name and change your nature. I don't know who I'm talking to today, but if he's going to change your name, he's going to change your nature and he will be found in your name If you're out here doing this, that and another, and claim to be a Christian and God's nature is not revealed in your person. You might want to take one more trip to an altar, because God don't just change your name, he changes your nature. God don't just change your name, he changes your nature. God don't just change your clothes. He changes your nature. God don't just change your habits. He changes your nature.

Speaker 1:

We've got a lot of folks in this room that have been in recovery and I'm going to go ahead and change your name. Recovery means it's still going on. We're going to change your name to Recovered, so don't you dare say Hi, my name is John. I'm in recovery. From this day forward, henceforth and forevermore, you say my name is John and I am recovered by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, because he changed my name and he changed my nature. My God, he changed it all. Now y'all pray for a brother, because this week, brother Jason, I went to the doctor for something else and I said you know what, while I'm here, I said I have some pain in my lower right side back.

Speaker 1:

It comes and goes about once a month. Now this has been going on for two years. It'll come and go about once a month. I used to think my thorn in my flesh, my thorn in my side, was old Austin there. But I'm kidding, I'm kidding Austin, I'm gonna quit picking on you one of these days. It's just so doggone easy and it's like okay, we'll take an ultrasound and x-ray, let's see what's going on. Okay, come back.

Speaker 1:

Apparently, I'm having triplets. I've got two stones in my left kidney and one in my right. Yeah, thank you, oh, thank you, thank you, oh, thank you. Where's Zachary today? I usually get a this or a that or that. I told Leanne. I said I should have never asked. They should have never told me, because it's been going on for two years.

Speaker 1:

I've been carrying these things around for two years, but now that I know what they are, rome, come on, help a brother out right here. Now that you know what they are, come on. Uh-huh. So I need two or three people who know how to get a hold of God. All right, because let me tell you something my calendar for September, october and November is not slow and, by the help and the grace of Almighty God, I won't go preach everywhere they'll. Let me preach, and I need you to pray Because, as of right now, this is how the anointing works. I feel no pain. I also know how the devil works, amen. But I'm just going to go ahead and say God, change my situation, because the first place the enemy wants to fight you is in your mind, if he can conquer your mind and there's a lot of chemicals and wires that cross up in there.

Speaker 1:

Steve just preached Drop the mic, let's go to the house. Steve just said it in one phrase it's a busy place, amen, busier for some than others. Right, monica? You just missed a chance to shout, girl. But he attacks your mind Because he wants to be a constant reminder Of who you were. Would you please, for the love of everything in this world, quit bragging about who you were and start bragging about who you are. You are not in recovery. You are recovered. You are not sick.

Speaker 2:

You are healed, you are not low, you are high, you are not defeated.

Speaker 1:

You are not low, you are high. You are not defeated, you are victorious. You start talking things as though they are, even when they're not. I'm closing, come on, come on. He said wherefore is it that thou doest ask my name? Wherefore is it that thou doest ask my name? In other words, he's saying this is an odd conversation for a wrestling match. Hey, my name's Jacob, what's yours? You know, constantly fighting and wrestling, and here they are having a conversation about what their names are. And God told him. He said, in my own words, what are you doing, asking me my name, when I done told you my name because it's within your name. Don't ever ask God who he is if you claim to know who he is, because in the struggle he shows up through you and look, and he blessed him there. We had to go through all that before God blessed him, had to go all through all what you with me, you ready, you ready. I'm going to summarize this for you right here, you ready. And I got one more thing to say. And then we're going to pray and leave one more thing. But I'm going to summarize all this right here, you ready.

Speaker 1:

He was a trickster, he was running for his life, pray and leave One more thing, but I'm going to summarize all this right here. You ready? He was a trickster. He was running for his life. He got in a wrestling match. He struggled until he got to the place that he was hit at his core, which means he was in a situation he, nor anybody he knew, could get him out of.

Speaker 1:

I got to ask a serious question. Please don't raise your hands. I want you to answer in your minds. Okay, answer this in your minds. When you get in a situation or a predicament, don't you always have somebody you can call to help you out? He didn't have that. Right here, there was only one person that could help him and thankfully, the only person that could help him was the one there to whip him.

Speaker 1:

Quit blaming the devil when it's God trying to put a knot on your head to make you listen to His voice. It's not always the devil you're wrestling with. Sometimes it's God you're wrestling with, and if you won't let go, he'll show you what you ought to be doing, even when you don't want to do it. He didn't let go. He asked Him His name. He asked Him His name and because Jacob recognized who he was through his name and his nature and he could admit it to the one in which he was fighting. It was at that point that God changed his name, changed his nature and blessed him. There you came here today. Some of you came here today to wrestle. Some of you came here today to struggle. Some of you came here today because you have wrestled all night long. And I just want you to know those last five words of verse 29. And he blessed him. There You're here and I've told you. You got to admit who you are and be willing to change that nature. I'm talking to Christians too, by the way. Last verse, look here. And Jacob called the name of that place Peniel. The church of God used to have a recovery place in Pennsylvania. I think it was Pennsylvania, it was called Peniel. He said, and Jacob named the place Peniel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved. Listen to me. The place you finally meet with God and he changes your name and your nature. Right there is my penile. Right there, 30 years ago, this March, is my penile because I saw God face to face and he preserved my life. He changed my name and he changed my nature.

Speaker 1:

In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, the hall of faith. Read it sometime. You find where Jacob comes and shows up. In Hebrews 11, he shows up leaning on his staff. Why? Because he's got a limp. All those years later. Listen to me, I'm closing. You've got to get this. This is all culminating to what I need to tell you to me. I'm closing. You've got to get this. This is all culminating to what I need to tell you.

Speaker 1:

All those years later, he's now an old man leaning on his cane and he's limping. Wait a minute, preacher. I thought God blessed him there. He did, but from that day forward, brother Paul, he limped. With every step he took, he limped. With every step he took, he limped and somebody said Jacob, what have you done? Why are you cursed? Because you're limping? He says, oh, I'm not cursed, cursed. This limp reminds me that I'm blessed With every limp. He wasn't. Oh, that hurts, oh that no, no, no, no, no, no. It was blessed, blessed, blessed. My physical person may never be the same, but he changed my name and he changed my nature and because of that I might be a little slower and I might walk with a gimpy leg, but I'm blessed and it reminds me with every step that I take. I'm blessed, I'm blessed, I'm blessed, I'm blessed. And it reminds me with every step that I take I'm blessed, I'm blessed, I'm blessed, I'm blessed. Stand to your feet.

Speaker 2:

Hey, you've been listening to the Cadewood Church of God's live audio recording of the Sunday morning service. If you're looking for church to attend, you can come and join us at the Cadewood Church of God located in Cadewood, kentucky. Service time Sunday school at 10.30 am. Sunday morning service at 11.30 am. Wednesday families training night at 6.30 am. Wednesday Families Training Night at 630 pm. Please go check out our website for more content and information at hor421showbuzzsproutcom. You can also find us on Facebook. The show was recorded live and edited at the 421 Studio. For contact information, you can email at hor421ministries at gmailcom. Phone number is 239-849-1502.

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