Join Rabbi Schneider as he explores the intricate dynamics between faith, fear, and prayer. Through examining Jacob’s heartfelt prayer for deliverance, listeners are encouraged to approach God with both humility and confidence, knowing that He desires to hear and respond to our prayers. The episode also challenges listeners to reflect on their understanding of prosperity, urging them to balance it with repentance and faith in God’s provision, just as Jacob did.
Welcome to another edition of Discovering the Jewish Jesus. I’m your host, Dustin Roberts. And for the next 25 minutes, Rabbi Schneider is going to continue his study on prayers that resonate with God. There’s a famous saying and it goes like this, folks are about as content as they make up their minds to be. Well, today we’re gonna discover the dangers of holding on to our preconceived notions that we’ve made up or decided in our minds. This message, it’s a study on the life of Jacob from the book of Genesis. And we’re going to see how God changed this master manipulator into a man who sought the loving kindness of not only the Lord, but of his brother Esau too. Now here’s Rabbi Schneider.
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We’re looking in Scripture at the prayers of the patriarchs right now, and we’re seeing what they prayed and seeing how God responded. And this gives us great confidence because when we see the prayers of the writers of Scripture and how their prayers moved God’s heart and how God answered those prayers, it gives us greater confidence to know when we’re praying similar type of prayers, THE LORD IS BOTH HEARING AND ANSWERING THESE PRAYERS WHEN WE’RE PRAYING FROM THE HEART, BELOVED, IN THE SPIRIT OF GOD. THIS SERIES, ONCE AGAIN, CALLED PRAYERS THAT RESONATE WITH GOD, IT’S REALLY TAKEN FROM THE CONCEPT THAT WE READ ABOUT IN THE BOOK OF 1 JOHN, CHAPTER 5, VERSE 14. HEAR WHAT JOHN SAID THERE. HE SAID, THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE, THAT IF WE ASK HIM ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us and the prayers that we ask, He’s granted. And so when we’re asking God for the things that He desires for us, we can be assured, beloved, that He is gonna answer those prayers. Jesus said, you have not because you ask not. There’s a balance between praying and asking for something and then also taking faith a step further by confessing those things that we’re asking for. And sometimes we can make the mistake of just presuming upon God, just declaring things that we say we’re possessing without asking Him first. This can be presumption because Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of God. We have to start out in a posture of humility. We have to start out asking. Jesus said, ask and you shall receive. Jesus said, you have not because you haven’t asked. He said, ask me that your joy might be made full. But once we ask… And we know that we’ve asked him according to his will. Then God wants us to take that next step of faith and confess that we have those things that we’ve asked for. And we thank him that we are in possession of those things. You see, Jesus said, if we ask the Lord for something, get it now, believing that we have received it, believing that we have it. then the things that we asked for, he said, we can be assured that we’ll have. And so it’s important that when we’re asking the Father something that is according to his will, it’s important then to recognize that we need to take the next step of faith and believe that he’s answered the prayer and that we have it. Once again, Jesus said, anything that we ask for in prayer, believing that we’ve received it, we can be assured that we have received the thing that we’ve asked for when it’s according to his will. And how do we receive it, beloved? We receive it first in the spirit. See, the Bible says, eye is not seen. an ear has not heard, and never has it even entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.” He said, but these things are revealed to us, given to us by the Spirit. And so when we ask for something in prayer, knowing that we’ve prayed in God’s will, now we need to believe that we’ve received it. And the place that we receive it first, beloved, get it, is in the Spirit. And once you know that you have it in your spirit and declare it by faith and stand in it by faith, what’s going to happen is it’s only a matter of time before what you’ve received in the spirit materializes in your outer world. But first, we need to be convinced, beloved, that we’ve received it in the spirit. Hold to that, that we’ve received it. And as we do, we’re going to see God is going to manifest it in our life and in the material world. And so let’s look at those things that we can have confidence in that we’ve received. I’m moving on to the next prayer that I want to examine from the book of Genesis. Hear the word of God as I read now Genesis chapter 32, verse number 9 through 12. We’re focusing on the need to pray for and to believe God for deliverance. Hear God’s word. Jacob said, O God of Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you. I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which you have shown to me, your servant. For with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I’ve become two companies. And then he prayed, deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him. And he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. For you said, I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.” This is an awesome prayer. Let’s take it apart and know how much God not only loves us, but beloved one, how he relates to us as human beings. You know, Jesus himself was God clothed in humanity. And the Bible says that Jesus is able to empathize with us in everything that we go through in life, because he himself lived life as a man. He himself took the same journey that we’re taking, walking through this world, having to put shoes on his feet every day, having to eat food to sustain himself. So Jesus understands as human beings our needs. And so I want you to know that God, he understands your needs. And he wants to minister to you and help you and supply all your needs. But we have to ask him. Jesus said, you have not because you ask not. So let’s examine the life of Jacob. By the way, we know that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Okay, and Israel became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. And as a believer in Jesus, you’ve been grafted in, the Bible tells us in the book of Ephesians, to the commonwealth of Israel. And so the same favor that was upon Jacob is upon you. You can trust God to give you the same favor and the same provision that he gave Jacob. Be confident in that today. Be assured of that today. God loves you just like he loved Jacob. Let’s take it apart now, kind of line by line, concept by concept. Jacob begins here once again. He said, “‘O God of my father Abraham “‘and God of my father Isaac.'” And you know what? God is the God of your fathers, too, because you now come spiritually from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible says in the book of Galatians that the blessing of Abraham has come upon you. He’s saying, oh, Lord, who said to me, return to your country and to your relatives and I will prosper you. Notice here that God loved Jacob and God said to Jacob, I’m going to prosper you. Listen to this again. He said, return to your country and to your relatives, the Lord is saying to Jacob, and I will prosper you. Do you know, when all we hear about is prosperity and we’re not hearing about sin and we’re not hearing about repentance, we’re not hearing the full gospel. We’re not hearing the true gospel because the true gospel begins with repentance. John the Baptist, who was the forerunner to the true gospel, said, repent, repent. for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus said when he began his ministry, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent means to turn away from ourselves, to turn away from living selfishly, to turn away from living without moral boundaries, to turn away from the ego and to pick up our cross and to seek him first and to do his will first. That’s what repentance means. The true gospel begins with repentance. And without it, it’s not the gospel. But I want you to know, beloved ones, God also desires to prosper you. And some people have rejected the prosperity gospel because of some of what they consider to be the extremes at times. But I want you to know, beloved, even though any truth taken to the extreme becomes heresy, let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. God desires to prosper you. Jesus said, I have come to give life and to give it more abundantly. And John wrote in his letter that Beloved, above all things, I pray that you prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. I want you to know God wants to bless you. God wants to prosper you. You don’t have to be afraid or ashamed of asking God. to bless you and to prosper you. God wants to give you increase. God wants you not just to have enough. God wants you to have enough to give other people. God wants you to walk in blessing. He wants you to be a sign and a wonder. Jesus anointed with the oil of gladness. And Jacob, who’s one of the patriarchs of our faith, right, through whom Jesus came. Jacob walked, beloved, in prosperity. Listen again. He said, oh God, you’re the one that told me to return to my country and to my relatives and that you would prosper me. And so I want you to first of all know that you can ask God to bless you. You can ask God to prosper you. God desires, beloved, to bless his children. If you have children today, and you’re a healthy adult, you know that you want to bless your children. You want to see them have the desires of their heart. You want to give them good gifts. God wants that for you even more so. Jesus said, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, he said, how much more does the Heavenly Father give good gifts to those that ask? So let’s understand right now, we can ask God to bless us. Jesus taught it, Jacob modeled it, and John taught it when he said, above all else, I pray that you prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. So let’s just pray together. Father God, I want to thank you that you love me. Father God, I want to thank you that you blessed me in Jesus. Father, thank you that you’re my father and that I’m your child. Father, thank you for forgiving me through Jesus. You said to me, if you gave me your only son, that you would also freely with him give me all things. And so, Father God, I thank you now. And I ask you to bless me and to prosper me. just like you did Jacob and just like Jesus taught and just like John prayed.
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Amen. You’re listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus and Rabbi will be right back. So please keep listening. Did you know that you can connect with Rabbi right on your phone? The Rabbi Schneider app is packed with resources, videos, and a daily devotional that are designed to help jumpstart your day. The Rabbi Schneider app is free, bringing you inspiration and encouragement 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Simply search for Rabbi Schneider in your phone’s app store and download the app today. We are so thankful for everyone who gives a financial gift of support to this ministry. And perhaps today is the day that you decide that you would like to deepen your commitment to discovering the Jewish Jesus. The best way to do that is to sign up to become a monthly partner at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. or you can call us at 800-777-7835. Together we can help others prepare for Jesus’ return. And now let’s get back into the second half of today’s message.
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So let’s continue on. Genesis chapter 32 in verse 10, he says this, I am unworthy of all the loving kindness and of all the faithfulness which you have shown your servant. Notice here that Jacob is experiencing loving kindness and faithfulness from God. I talked about this in an earlier broadcast, but you know what? You can thank God and ask him for loving kindness and faithfulness. He’s faithful to you, but you know what? We want to depend on him for that, not just assume it. He is faithful. even when we’re faithless, but God doesn’t want us to presume. He wants us to ask, beloved, and then confess in confidence. Let’s continue on. He said, you have shown me your servant. And he said, when I crossed the Jordan, he said, I only had my staff with me. So what Jacob is saying here is that when he left to follow the Lord, he had nothing but how God blessed him and multiplied him and how he became so rich in the Lord just from following God. So he’s remembering all that God had done for him. But now he’s in a place in his journey, beloved ones, as we continue, that he really needs assurance because he’s afraid. And he prays to God about his fear. He’s afraid of being attacked by his brother Esau. And so he’s coming to God now, pouring out his heart to God in prayer. Number one, listen, being honest with God about his fear. Talking to God about his fear. Isn’t that a beautiful thing that Jacob had the type of relationship with God that he could talk to God about his fear just as he would talk about his fear to a friend. And after telling God that he’s afraid, knowing God is merciful to him, knowing that his God is a gentle God. Knowing that his father loved him, he then asked for provision and protection and deliverance from Esau. Let’s listen once again. He says here, I am unworthy of all the loving kindness and of all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant. For with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I’ve become two companies. In other words, he’s talking about how big he had become. He had been multiplied so much in the Lord, such favor, such abundance, such blessing on him. But now we pray this in verse 11. He said, deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him. that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. For you said, and he’s reminding God, I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered. So think about what’s happening here. Jacob is comfortable enough with God. He’s intimate enough with God that he knows God, listen now, as an intimate friend, as the lover of his soul, that he could cast his burden upon the Lord, that he could cast his burden upon his father. Just like John at the Passover Seder in the Gospel of John, we read how John the Apostle, the one he described as the one whom Jesus loved, how John leaned his head on Jesus’s bosom. Think about how close and how safe John must have felt in his relationship with Jesus to lean his head on Jesus’s bosom. Think about that. And in the same way, God wants you to know that He loves you. And He wants you to feel just as intimate with Him as Jacob does here in the book of Genesis. And as John did, leaning his head on Jesus’ bosom at the Last Supper. You can share your heart with God. You can tell him when you’re afraid. Talk to him about what you’re worried about, but don’t just leave it there. Ask him for protection and then be confident, beloved, that he’s gonna protect you, that his goodness goes with you, that he’s a shield of protection around you, and that he’s gonna keep you safe to the end of your life. Jacob, after he shares with the father, that he’s afraid, the next thing that Jacob does is he said, Lord, deliver me from Esau, for I’m afraid that he’s going to attack me. And so I want you to know maybe there’s something in your life that you feel you need deliverance from. I want you to know that Jesus is a delivering God. That even as Father God broke in to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt, even as Jesus came to set the captives free, to bring deliverance to the captives, I want you to know that our God is still a wonderful, miracle-working God today who grants deliverance. Maybe you can think of a time in your life or times in your life where you’ve already seen God deliver you. I think of all the times in my life where the Father has delivered me. He saved me from going dangerous places that I shouldn’t have gone, from making decisions which would have been disastrous, and from rescuing me and protecting me from demonic attack, which sometimes even manifested through human beings. He’s real, beloved. And you know what? He wants to be individually your God. In other words, he doesn’t want you just to know him as the one that delivered Jacob from Esau like we read about today. He wants you to know him individually and personally as the God that’s delivering and will deliver you. So we’re going to get down on our knees right now. If there’s something in your life that you need deliverance from, Maybe you’re going through a health crisis. Maybe you’re in the midst of a legal battle. Maybe you’re in the midst, beloved, of something going on at work that you feel is unjust. Whatever it is, a relational issue, a financial issue, let’s ask God to be our deliverer. First of all, let’s confess to him our need and let’s humble ourselves before him and confess to him any sin that we might have done that has put us in the situation. Then let’s ask him for forgiveness and for deliverance. I’m going to ask you to repeat after me because the goal of my message is to bring you to God. Father God, thank you that you love me. And I come to you today thanking you for who you are to me. That you’re the God of love and the God of forgiveness. And I ask you now to forgive me for my sin. to cleanse me and forgive me of my pride for any sin that I might have done that has put me today in this predicament. Thank you, Jesus, that through your blood I become white as snow. And now I ask you to deliver me today, even as you delivered Jacob from his brother. Father, I ask you to deliver me today. And now I just want you to tell him, beloved one, what it is that you’re asking him to deliver you from. Father God, I want to thank you today that you’re alive today and that you’re here with me today, that you are the delivering God. I want to thank you for your faithfulness to me. I want to thank you that you’re my triumphant God. I want to thank you, Father, that your banner over me is love. that you are Yahweh Nisi. I want to thank you, Father God, that I am more than a conqueror through all these things, that neither death nor life, things past, things present or things to come can ever separate me from the love of God. I want to thank you today, Father God, that you are my deliverer. You are a great God. I praise you today, Yahweh. And I want to say just that I love you. You are my king. And by your grace, I’ll be faithful to you for the rest of my life. Hail King Jesus. In order to experience the weight of God’s supernatural glory on our shoulders, upon our lives, we must walk in the clean fear of the Lord. We oftentimes don’t hear about this much in the church. People are afraid to talk about the fear of the Lord. But the fear of the Lord is clean and it’s the beginning of wisdom. In fact, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 14, verse 23, when it comes to tithing, the Lord said, tithe unto me that you might learn to fear me. I want to encourage you, as I encourage myself, to honor the Lord with your finances. I honor the Lord with my finances for many reasons. One of them is because I want to fear the Lord. Beloved, God’s a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. If God’s using this ministry to bless you, I encourage you to honor him with your finances through DJJ. And now, Dustin, could you tell our brothers and sisters in Christ about how they can give?
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I’d be happy to, Rabbi. You can give a financial gift of any amount to Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Just visit us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And if it’s easier for you, you can also give us a call. Our phone number is 800-777-7835. That’s 800-777-7835. and as a token of our gratitude to you we want to make sure that you’ll receive our latest newsletter it’s packed with exclusive additional content ministry updates and even personal correspondence from rabbi’s wife miss cynthia and her letters they are a special treat each and every month and i believe they’re going to encourage you and inspire you just like they inspire me And also, if you’re looking to transform your daily spiritual walk this year, I want to encourage you, make sure to check out Rabbi On Demand on Roku television. That’s right, from the comfort of your own home or wherever Roku is, you can experience his passionate teaching style free and on demand. So to learn more, visit discoveringthejewishjesus.com or you can also just search for Discovering the Jewish Jesus. on your Roku TV. You know, these resources, they’re available because of your support. So if you’d like to support us today, call us at 800-777-7835. And now let’s wrap up today’s message with God’s sacred and special blessing. Rabbi,
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In the book of Numbers, chapter six, we find a personal blessing from God our Father. This blessing should touch our hearts because it’s so personal. Father God wants to intimately bless you, so receive his blessing into your life today with gladness and an open heart.
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Yevarechech Yahweh vayishmarecha Ya’er Yahweh panavelecha vihunecha is shalom
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The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with His countenance. And the Lord give you, beloved one, His peace. God bless you and shalom.
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This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And I’m Dustin Roberts. Join us again tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider shows us why desperation and faith, they go together. How does it work? Well, learn more Thursday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
