It is obvious that God is releasing fresh fire in His church today and that fire is releasing passion, purity, provision, and purpose in His people. Change is inevitable when we encounter the presence of the Lord. However, I believe change is an understatement when we understand the full purpose of God for our lives.

Much is being said in messages and songs about seeking the face of God. And this is natural for people who are hungry for more of God. But, be prepared! For when you see His face something more than change will happen in your life! Let’s see what God told Moses when he made this same request out of his desperation for more of God. Ex 33:17

Much is being said in messages and songs about seeking the face of God. And this is natural for people who are hungry for more of God. But, be prepared! For when you see His face, something more than change will happen in your life!

So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." 18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory. Notice that Moses asks to see the glory of God. And look carefully at Gods response. Ex 33:19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." God equates His glory to His face and He says you can’t see my face and live! Yet earlier we read that God spoke to Moses face to face. Ex 33:11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. What does this mean? Moses asks to see the glory of God and God says you can’t see my face and live. God is saying that when you see my face death is going to occur. He didn’t say you can’t see my face. He said you can’t see my face and live!

This truth is clearly demonstrated in the life of Jacob. The Scripture teaches us that when Jacob fled from his brother, Esau, he came to a place and spent the night with a rock as his pillow. You can read about his encounter with God in Genesis 28:10-32. Here he saw a ladder into heaven with angels ascending and descending. Here God confirmed the covenant to him that He had made with Abraham and Isaac. It is here that Jacob proclaims this is Bethel, the house of God! It was here at Bethel, the house of God, that he had a supernatural visitation and heard the promises of God. Yet Genesis 29:1 says that Jacob went on his journey. In other words he left unchanged! I see this even today when people can attend renewal services, see supernatural manifestations, hear incredible promises from God, know that they have been in the presence of God, yet leave unchanged!

However Jacob visited another place that had an entirely different result. It is found in Genesis 32:22-30. On this trip Jacob is returning to meet his brother after being with his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob sends his possessions and family ahead and is left alone. At this time a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day at which time he touched the socket of Jacobs hip and caused his hip to be dislocated. The man told Jacob to let him go and Jacob responded, not until you bless me.! It is here that Jacob’s name is change to Israel. He is no longer a supplanter or cheat! He is now a prince with God! What made the difference? Gen. 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. The difference was that he had a personal encounter with God. He was at Peniel, the place of seeing God’s face! Here we are not simply blessed or changed, we die! We die to what we were to become, what He has destined us to be! And it happens when we alone seek the face of God! This is not a corporate experience, this an individual experience that leaves you and me with a marked difference in our walk!

It is true today that many with a holy desperation for more of God are crying out to see His face. Their cries are sincere and are birthed from a fire of passion for the One they love most. The beauty of this is that fire of passion becomes a fire of purity that enables us to possess His fire of purpose. And this can only happen when we see Him! For many it is not enough any longer to observe supernatural manifestations, hear the great promises of God, and just attend His house. Their cry and mine is echoed in the words of Moses, show us your glory Lord. And His response is, You can’t see my face and live. May God give each of us our own Peniel. May we see His face and walk with a marked difference for the rest of our lives. No longer Jacob, but Israel. Princes with God!