Topic – Joy: A Very Real Force [Monday February 20, 2017]
“Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.” (Gen 31:9)
Laban became rich because he manipulated Jacob. Apart from the manipulation that originated from Esau’s altar, Jacob was also under heavy evil manipulation from Laban’s altar. Laban was an Idol worshipper who was able to discern by some means that he was being blessed by God because of Jacob’s presence in his business (Gen 30:27).
He kept Jacob working for him by manipulating him from his altar. Now to tell you how much Laban and his children had come to believe in Laban’s altar, when Jacob and his family were leaving Laban, Rachel stole his father’s gods (Gen 31:19). That apart, after Laban caught up with Jacob, the only thing he sought to have back was those stolen gods (Gen 31:30).
In spite of all the manipulations from different altars, at the appropriate time, the altar at Bethel where Jacob made a sacrifice and a vow unto God spoke up and God showed up. That was the end of Jacob’s spiritual incarceration. It is interesting to note that Bethel was the first place that Abraham set up an altar when he first arrived at Canaan.
Jacob got to Bethel and needed to sleep. But before he slept, he unknowingly made a pillow out of the stone with which his grandfather had made an altar. When he closed his eyes, he saw angels ascending and descending.
On your behalf, from God’s altar, angels are ascending and descending. The altar of Jehovah has spoken up and your spiritual imprisonment has ended. Whatever belonged to you, that someone took or deprived you of, no matter how long it has been, is coming back to you now, in the name of Jesus.
WORDS OF WISDOM: God will frustrate the tokens of liars.
PRAYER/CONFESSION: Father, expose and disgrace every unfriendly friend in my life. Let their devices come to an end, in Jesus’ name.
FURTHER READING: Gen. 48: 16, Amos 9:12, Gen. 28: 15
Eagles Devotional is a daily revelatory and inspirational Publication by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the founder and presiding Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, Nigeria.
