The Power of a Name

Build with Hari Rao

Join Prophet Hari Rao today as he unveils the importance and power of a name. As you listen, may these profound truths sink deep into your spirit. While what you hear with your ears might be forgotten, what you receive in your spirit will remain.

Jacob, a deeply flawed man named "deceiver" at birth, lived up to his name by deceiving his own family. Despite this, God was not intimidated by Jacob's mess or afraid to associate with him. Like Jacob, we all have lived up to the names given to us, which have become part of our identity. Sometimes, life is a journey of undoing a name. God, however, is not deterred by our frailties. God can turn your life around.

Jacob deceived his father and brother, usurping the blessing of the firstborn by stealing Esau's birthright. We often equate blessings with material possessions, but Jacob understood the power of the words his father was about to speak over his brother. Truly spiritual people understand that everything proceeds from a word. Words spoken by a spirit are always more valuable than substance.

Jacob's encounter in Genesis 28 occurs at the same location where his grandfather, Abraham, also encountered God and raised an altar to honor Him. This location had transformed from a mere physical place into a spiritual portal; the altar activated the spiritual DNA of the man who worshiped there decades ago. You secure your future generations by your consecrations, altars, and sacrifices that speak for you long after you are gone. You shape the future through the covenants you make, the prayers you pray, and the altars you raise. A legacy is not just an institution you build but the life you live before God.

In Jacob's dream, he didn't just see a ladder; he saw mysteries, truths, and dimensions tabernacled in the Lord Jesus. The ladder is not just a physical element; it signifies a hierarchy of truths and mysteries.

The distance between heaven and earth is bridged by truth, which is Jesus Himself. Jacob is now encountering this mystery and truth, receiving understanding from God. Every mystery conceals a reality, and this ladder leads Jacob to the God of his father. He learned mysteries that could provoke an encounter. Understanding these truths grants access to hidden realities.

Jacob made a covenant with God, vowing to serve Him if he returned to his father's house in peace. Now, sixteen years later, Jacob wrestles for this covenant. Jacob was a man carrying mysteries; he understood the power of covenants and how to create lasting memorials before God. It wasn’t by chance; he engineered and prepared for these encounters. Often, we receive a divine encounter or word and move on, unsure of how to immortalize that moment with God. Each divine encounter should be made a memorial, sealed by raising an altar before God. This is how you seal an encounter and make it immortal before God.

Jacob wrestled with a mysterious being for his blessing, who, despite being stronger, needed to be released by Jacob before sunrise because he sought to remain a mystery and not become public domain! This is why you need fathers who wrestle with hidden mysteries and truths to reveal them. The angel refuses to bless Jacob and instead asks for his name, knowing Jacob doesn't understand that he was already blessed and that what he truly lacked was an identity.

Every person has the opportunity to bury their struggle with them. But Rachel, overcome by her pain and past, named her son Benoni, a son of sorrow, repeating the mistake made by Jacob's mother. However, Jacob, aware of patterns and the power of a name, intervenes and calls him Benjamin, meaning "son of my right hand," affirming a new identity devoid of past sorrows.

What is your name? Because your identity unlocks your blessing.

May God open your eyes to reveal your true identity in Him.