And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
—Genesis 32:24–25

I like Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca. When the Bible speaks of the covenant in the Old Testament, it says, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Well, Abraham and Isaac always fit, but Jacob? His name means "heel-catcher, supplanter, cheater, defrauder, and deceiver." Jacob is a con man. So when God placed him in the lineup with Abraham and Jacob, it tells me that if there's hope for Jacob, there's hope for me and you.

Jacob conned his twin brother, Esau, out of the family birthright and then fled for his life. But he could not escape the fact that we reap what we sow. Jacob, the deceiver, gets conned by his father-in-law, Laban, and ends up serving for twenty years. Those who will sin with you will sin against you. If you con, you will be out-conned.

Eventually, God told Jacob to return home. But Jacob heard that Esau was coming with four hundred men and feared for his life. So he sent his wives ahead with the flocks, and Jacob was left alone.

Held by God in his separation time, Jacob did what we all must do: confrontation, contemplation, introspection. For the first time he got gut-level honest with himself. Praying to God, he confessed, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed" (Genesis 32:10). At some point, we must confront who we are if we want to enter our destiny.

As with Jacob, God will deal with us privately before exposing us publicly. And thank God, He wrestles with us. Jacob told God that he would not let Him go until He blessed him. Jacob was sick and tired of being sick and tired. He was ready to change.

God asked Jacob what his name was. Of course, God already knew Jacob's name, but He made Jacob identify himself to admit his condition. Jacob stopped the lying and finally admitted, "I have this issue. I am a deceiver." Only then did God give him a new name and a new identity and power to prevail with God and man.

How about you? Is God asking you, "Who are you, really?" Are you willing to come clean and deal with your issues in order to see God face to face? Don't continue to hide behind a mask. Wrestle with God. Tell Him who you really are and what your condition really is. He wants to make you whole so you can fulfill your destiny.