Jacob lived under the protection of his mother, Rebecca and under the tent of his father, Isaac. He was a twin of his brother Esau, and after a quarrel with him, he had to run away from home. He was under a death threat, and for the first time in his life, Jacob found himself alone.

Many people believe in God through family influence without developing their own faith. They go to church because someone takes them, but they haven’t had a real encounter with God yet. This was the case with Jacob. He knew God by hearsay but needed to know Him when he was alone. So, he made a vow with Him.

Years later, God told him: “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me” (Genesis 31:13). God did not forget Jacob’s words, showing that He takes our words seriously. The problem is that many people don’t do the same. They say they follow God but don’t keep what they promise. They get baptised and say they are repentant, but soon return to the same actions. Nothing changes, not because God failed them, but because they did not keep their word.

The devil wants you to disregard what you say and live in the lie. But God expects you to be faithful to His Word because faith is a two-way road – God speaks to us, but we must also respond with commitment. Jacob suffered for not fulfilling his vow and reaped the consequences.

If you stumble, but regret it and return to practising the Word, you don’t need to be baptised again. However, if you fall repeatedly, you may not have understood the baptism and need to reflect. If you seek the Holy Spirit, but your actions show the opposite, you are deceiving yourself. Align words and actions.

To move away from error does not mean being perfect, but putting God’s will above yours. Jesus said: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5.48). Be faithful to God.

Check out the entire message in the video above.