The Overcomer

THE OVERCOMER -- Genesis 31:4-13 NIV



So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.

"In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'"



We've talked about using what God gives you in order to succeed in life. We've talked about not being jealous of what other have. We've talked about treating others unfairly, about cheating and lying and deceiving others in order to get what we want. What we haven't looked at is God's ability to overcome everything, no matter what it is.



Laban had treated Jacob unfairly. He had deceived Jacob into marrying Leah, and had cheated the younger man into working for him for fourteen years for his daughters and six years to obtain flocks. He made Jacob bear all the losses and kept all the profit for himself. He unfairly changed the younger man's wages ten times. He did everything in his power to make sure Jacob didn't get anywhere in life. But he overlooked one thing... God's plan for Jacob's life. God intended for Jacob to succeed. So no matter how hard everything and everyone came against him, Jacob would succeed. Because God can and will overcome anything in order for His plan to work.



Let's take jobs as an example. You're looking for a job. God has one out there for you. You zero in on a particular job. You're perfect for that job. It seems perfect for you. But if that job is not the one God has for you, no matter how perfect you are… no matter how well you handle the interview… no matter how good your resume is… no matter how much better qualified you are than any other applicant… you will not get the job. In the alternative, you find a job that looks great, but you're not quite qualified (on paper) to get it. You make a mess of the interview. Twenty other people that apply are more qualified than you are. Absolutely nothing (in man's eyes) is going to get you that job. But if that job the one God wants you to have, you will be hired.



It's just that simple. No matter how unfairly you are treated… no matter how heavily the odds weigh against you… if God wants something for you, you will have it. Just like He did with Jacob, God can and will overcome anything in order for His plan to work in your life.