Touré Roberts - The Struggle Before Dawn

I want to talk to some real people. Everybody has a breaking point; everybody’s got a breaking point. I trust you, I trust you, I trust you, I trust you. Oh, where are you at? I trust you, but where are you? I don’t see you. I trust you; I do trust you. I trust you so much that I’m going to help you. It’s still trust, but I am a servant, and to be a servant, we serve your purposes. The next thing you know, you put your hand on it and you produce an Ishmael. So Jacob finds himself— we’re going to get to this text in just a second. He finds himself in this situation now where his quote-unquote Ishmaels are coming back to haunt him, or shall I say his Esau is coming back to haunt him. He is in a situation where he has lived long enough to know that he is a slickster. I feel heaven on this, and I want to say this right: his life has been good but not quite right. I want to make this make sense. His life has been good, but he has not quite turned the corner. Oh yeah, do I have any people in here right now who, if you’re honest, things have been good? God has been good, but you know there’s a corner you need to turn. You’re close to it; you’re right there, but there’s just this corner you have to turn, and you haven’t turned it yet. This is where Jacob was; he’s got to turn his corner, and he doesn’t know how.

So imagine this—because he is human just like we are—imagine he’s in that place, that place where some of you feel like you are, where things are good, but man, there’s a corner I need to turn. I’m trying to figure out how to make this left or right. What I’m talking about when I say «this corner» is your life. It’s not just some ancillary thing; it’s your life. It’s you having a direction you can hang your faith on, your future on, and your fight on. You follow what I’m saying? Oh, I feel heaven. You’ve got to get there, family. If you’re not there, you have to pursue God in such a way and receive from God in such a way that He gives you a direction that you’ll take to the bank any day. A promise from God, a direction from God, a sense of purpose and identity and destiny that you can rely on and that you live in—oh, you’ve got to get there! That’s purpose, that’s God. You’ve spoken to me, and you’ve confirmed this, and you have made this clear. I’m not even talking about an activity; I’m talking about a reality. I’m talking about a realm that says, «This is me; this is my identity.» As long as I stay in this atmosphere, I’m going to win in every situation. You know what I’m talking about.

And Jacob now, and it’s about identity, family—it’s when God finally tells you who you are. See, I have to prophesy to you today; I can’t even do a sermon today; I just have to talk. I’ve got to listen and talk, okay? So it’s going to lack the structure that you might be used to; just forgive me now, okay? You’ve got to get to a place, and I believe God wants to get you to a place where there is clarity about where you’re going. You may not have all the details, but there is something He has started in you, and you know it. Follow the knowing; it’s not an activity. My identity is not preaching; my identity is not pastoring. My knowing guides me, and right now that guidance leads to preaching and pastoring and doing other business, but that’s not about doing; it’s about being. It comes from a consciousness of identity that God gives you. Are we together?

And Jacob has not quite turned that corner yet. The reason he has not turned that corner yet is that he has been relying on trickery, which means that if he is relying on trickery, deep down, he knows that he is not connected to the Creator. This means there is a version of himself that he is neither walking in nor has he even been introduced to. See, when you don’t know who you are, you do. Isn’t that interesting? When you don’t know who you are, you do whatever comes to you. Oh, I feel the Lord! And so what you worship and what you pursue are the things you do that work. If it’s slickery, you’ve got a PhD in slickery, and you’re trying to win in life through slickery. If it’s your looks—hello somebody—it’s what you use to win in life. I promise you, if it does not come from God, there will be a corner that you have not turned yet, and in the depths of your heart, you will know it. I don’t care how many followers you have on Instagram; I don’t care how many people are calling your name; I don’t care how many people watch your movies or listen to your music. Inside you know, because we were not created to rely on ourselves. I promise you, we were not created to be our own God.

So Jacob hasn’t turned this corner yet, but he is getting ready to, and life is happening to him now. Now, the backdrop is…