Rhema Ehiemere - When God Picks the Fight

Most of the time in life, God fights for us but what do you do when God picks a fight with you? Why would God ever get into a conflict with us? In this message, God wrestles with Jacob because there was more in his future than in his past. God will always wrestle with us when we chose our comfort over His calling or when we settle on our plans over His purpose. When God picks the fight, there will be 4 D’s (disruption, dislocation, dialogue, and discovery) and you might have a limp, but you’re definitely leave with the blessing.

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For the next few minutes, I want you to focus as I speak on a subject that emphasizes verse 24, which says, «And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him.» Jacob was not the one who wrestled first; this man wrestled with him. I am going to discuss «When God Picks the Fight.» If you have been struggling with things you cannot understand, if you have been dealing with issues that you did not choose, and if you have been struggling for a long time, this message is for you. Turn to your neighbor and tell them, «On your way to your success, when God picks the fight.»

There is a very popular story you may have heard about a young boy and a butterfly. The story goes this way: This young boy goes out to the field and finds a butterfly cocoon. The cocoon is the covering or encasement where the butterfly develops from the caterpillar. He brings this cocoon home and begins to observe the butterfly inside. All of a sudden, the butterfly struggles to break out of the cocoon. He watches for hours, but the butterfly cannot break free because it only made a small incision and a tiny hole. So, the boy, trying to help, takes a pair of scissors very carefully and makes a small slit in the cocoon. Suddenly, the butterfly emerges and falls to the ground. The boy looks at the butterfly, expecting it to fly, but instead, it crawls and drags its body along the floor. The boy wonders why the butterfly isn’t flying.

It is possible to experience a new season without enjoying it. It is possible to be out of one situation and feel free, yet not truly feel free. What this boy did not know was that the strength the butterfly needed to fly came from the struggle. The boy thought he was helping, but he was actually hurting the butterfly. He didn’t understand that when the butterfly struggles, the body fills its wings with strength, allowing it to break free. Without the struggle, it can’t gain the strength it needs.

I wonder how many people today have wings and are destined for greatness, yet are still crawling. Many individuals have been helped so much that they haven’t had time to develop their own wings. There are times when you think you are helping me, but you may just be hurting me. Your support could be my setback, and your assistance my hindrance. So, make no mistake about it: yes, I need your help, but not all the time.

Often, we become dependent on others for help without realizing that they might be hindering us just like that boy. He believed he was helping the butterfly without knowing he was hurting it. As long as you remain dependent on others, you will always need help and will not give help in return.

Pay attention now because some people are so thirsty for help that they have settled for those who hurt them. You are so desperate for assistance that you have accepted hurt because not all help is truly helpful. You need to understand that the best way to know if someone is your friend is not when they are always assisting you. If they only assist you for their relevance, they are not truly your friends. Many times, we think our enemy is someone who opposes us, but unknowingly, your enemy may be the one who has made a career out of always helping you since it keeps them relevant.

I am addressing the boy who used the scissors to try to help the butterfly. If you only find satisfaction in giving me assistance and feel threatened by my progress, are you really my friend? Are you really helping me, or are you hurting me? There are times when you must tell that young boy, «Leave me alone.» Allow me to break out of this season on my own. If you try to help me, I won’t develop the wings to fly. Many people break free but can’t fly because they relied on someone else’s connections and strength.

God is saying that in this season, you have to evaluate everyone who is helping you. Tell them, «Thanks, but no thanks. Let me break out of this on my own. Allow me to develop my wings so I can fly like you do. Help me to start my own business just like you did.» It is possible for someone.