Influence
Geneses 30:27 And Laban
said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry: for
I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
There is so much to be learned from this scripture. It
is as though when one is under the favor of God that those who are around them can
share in that favor.
This was certainly the case with Laban. As soon as
Jacob showed up, so did favor and prosperity. Laban’s life changed to the
extent that he never wanted Jacob to leave and go back home. The atmosphere around
Jacob brought everyone to a higher level of thinking and creativity.
In Laban’s case, he had enjoyed prosperity as a
successful rancher for many years. However, when Jacob showed up, Laban learned
the difference between being prosperous in the natural and being prosperous in
the spiritual. Laban learned that Jacob’s type of prosperity was on a totally different
level than his.
Jacob had an experience with the Lord at Bethel that would
change his life forever. As a result, you might say that a man with a spiritual
anointing like Jacob, is never at the mercy of a man with only natural
experience like Laban.
I know I am a blessed man like Jacob, and therefore I
expect those around me to share in that blessing. The blessing that I am
talking about is not necessarily financial prosperity, (even though the Lord
has blessed me over the years), but spiritual prosperity. The Lord has allowed
me the privilege of moving in the prophetic and the ability to see things
in the spirit when I pray for people. As a result, many who have ministered
with me say they also begin to see things in the spirit and hear
prophetic words.
The fact is everyone is gifted in some way and
therefore their gift should be able to inspire and elevate others to a higher
level. For example, there are those who always have a positive attitude, and
their words are always uplifting. There are others who are just happy people
and when I am around them, I seem to be happier than usual.
The influence that Jacob had on Laban’s life showed up
in a new level of prosperity. I suppose
the question we all must ask ourselves is, how do we influence people … are
they better off by being around us?
Father:
Help us to remember our own personal time at Bethel
and how our lives were changed like Jacob’s. Our desire is to live in our
Bethel joy, in order to elevate the hope in others.
Amen