What’s your Name?

READ: I Chron. 4:1-10, MORE LESSONS: Hos. 1:2-11

There is so much about a name, it tells one’s history or heritage. Jabez was so named because his mother had him in pain. Jabez did not like it so he asked God to bless him, enlarge his coast and keep him from evil (1 Chronicles 4:10).

When Phinehas' pregnant wife heard the sad news that the ark of God had been captured and that her husband, his father, and brother were dead, and that the army of Israel suffered heavy losses and fled before the Philistines, she went into labour and gave birth to a boy whom she named Ichabod because of the bad events surrounding his birth (1 Samuel 4:17-22). Jesus was named Jesus because He was born to save His people from their sins and Emmnauel because God came to dwell with man (Matthew 1:20-25).

What is your name? Is your name a memorial of pain, an epic of sorrow, despair, frustration, rejection, doom or a symbol of faith, hope and abundant life?

We have many examples in the Scripture of how a man's name can determine his destiny, some had the name from birth, others had theirs changed. Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Peter, all had a change of name, while Jesus, John the Baptist and Isaac had their names from birth. All of them had their destinies influenced by their names. Although Jabez had a bad name, he did not drop the name but had a change of the influence of the name. The Bible says …And God granted him that which he requested IChron.4:10.

The point is, names have effect and influence on one’s destiny, negative and positive. But unlike what many believers think, the first thing to do about a name with a negative influence is not to change it but to pray for deliverance and a divine instruction on what to do with the name. You need not rush to change your name, rather give prompt attention to the force behind the evil name. Even names that come out of negative events will respond when there is a change of force behind the story. When the power of God breaks the yoke and the story of barrenness, lateness, failure, sorrow etc. changes, obviously the evil name will go. I agree with you, every evil force working against you by  your name is broken. Receive power for a greater life now.

PRAYER / ACTION

* Rebuke every evil name that any negative situation could have forced on you.

* Send any force working with your given name back to hell.

* Ask God for divine direction on any name that you bear or think that people call you today.

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