Introduction

Greetings, everyone! As we delve into the thirty-first chapter of Genesis, the story becomes increasingly captivating. What is this chapter about? It is a true tragedy if one does not know how mighty God is. Let us ponder what this chapter is trying to tell us. Why does God reveal these things to us in Genesis chapter 31? The theme of this chapter is "Nothing Can Take Away God's Blessing." No one can take away God's blessing; others cannot harm you even if they try.

In reality, God knows everything. Did God not know how Laban treated Jacob? He did! Did Jacob complain about how he was treated? No! God knows everything and can control everything. The question is, do you believe that God can control everything and that nothing can take away God's blessing?

Brothers and sisters, be careful. I often see people lose God's blessing. How do they lose it? When they encounter a problem, they say, "God! Why is this happening?" Does God not know? God knows! After a few days, they encounter another problem and say, "God! Why is this happening?" What kind of thinking is this? Some people ask me during the deliverance process, "Teacher, why am I not healed yet?" That's bad! It might have been healed tomorrow, but with that question, it's over! We have to start all over again. Just when it's about to get better, they ask again, "God! Why am I not healed yet?" What kind of thinking is this?

People often do not realize that the path of faith takes time! Which path of faith does not require time? Every path of faith requires time, and time is the best test of faith. Do you know how long twenty years is? How many twenty-year periods does a person have in their lifetime? Jacob served Laban for fourteen years for his two daughters and six years for Laban's flocks. Laban changed his wages ten times and pursued him to take back his possessions. Could Laban take them back? Absolutely. Could he kill Jacob? Absolutely. Could he take back his daughters and grandchildren? Absolutely. But the question is, does God agree? If God does not agree, nothing you do will work.

Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel, even had the devoted things in her possession, but these devoted things did not affect Jacob. Isn't that amazing? There were devoted things in the house, and Jacob didn't know. But it didn't matter; nothing happened. It's good to be like Jacob; no one can curse you, no one can do anything to you, and even if people take advantage of you, it doesn't matter. God can control everything, and nothing can take away the blessing God wants to give you. The most important thing is whether you are that Jacob or not. If you are not that Jacob, it's useless.

Brothers and sisters must know that learning Jacob's ways comes at a price; it's not easy to learn. Is the path of faith easy to learn? The path of faith depends on whether you have the Mingding Destiny for it. Some people do not have this Mingding Destiny and become upset at the slightest setback. If we have the opportunity, let's ask Jacob why he can walk this path. Why can Jacob walk this path, but many of us cannot? Because Jacob's hope is in heaven.

Jacob's life was not easy. He left home with only a staff, came here, and herded sheep for twenty years. Twenty years is truly not easy! Why could he persevere? Because his hope was in heaven. If a person's hope is not in heaven, the path in this world is difficult to walk. If you truly want to be like Jacob, then you must know that your hope cannot be on earth. If your hope is on earth, you will freak out as soon as your core interests are touched. That's why I don't want you to put your hope on earth, because once you put your hope in this world, you cannot withstand any setbacks.

For example, some people value their families very much. If a mistress tries to seduce your husband, even before she succeeds, you will freak out. Many of our sisters are like this, aren't they? You want to tear her apart. If you value money, you're finished as soon as someone touches your money. If you value your sheep, you're finished as soon as someone touches your sheep. If a person wants to be emotionally stable, they really need to put their hope in heaven. Jacob's mother's brother, his uncle Laban, was quite bad.

Ten Times He Changed His Wages

The Jacob recorded in the Bible is quite interesting. He said to Laban, "Take away all the speckled and spotted ones, and what remains will be my wages." Do you know why he said that? Because after Jacob had worked for 14 years, Laban said, "Okay, I'll give you wages, and you work for me." Laban offered him a wage to keep Jacob, but after thinking about it, he changed it because it wasn't cost-effective. He initially promised ten thousand, but when it came time to pay, it became eight thousand, and the next month it became six thousand.

Is it easy to change like this? Very easy. Why? Laban said to him, "You're not doing well because I'm doing performance evaluations on you, and I'm not satisfied with the results." Don't we have performance evaluations every month at work? Some people who develop human resources systems don't understand what this evaluation is. Evaluation is to see if you have reached your goals. Laban set the goals very high. If you are a salesperson, you have to sell 1 million, but you work hard and only sell 600,000. That's not up to standard! Salary reduced by 40%. In those days, it was not easy to find a job. Fortunately, Jacob did not change jobs, but his wages were changed ten times. By the tenth month, it was only one thousand. It was originally agreed to be ten thousand, but by the tenth month, it was only one thousand. How can you live like this?

You must understand a logic: don't think that God doesn't know; God knows. As a result, by the tenth month, there was only one thousand left, and Jacob did not fight for himself. God appeared to Jacob in a dream, and he went to his uncle and said, "If you keep doing this, I won't get a penny next month, so I won't work for you anymore." His uncle heard this and said, "No, you still have to work. Let's talk about wages." God gave Jacob an idea, which was to show him in a dream the speckled and spotted ones. When Laban heard this, he took away all the speckled and spotted ones, and then any speckled and spotted ones would belong to Jacob. You can't mess with this.

After Laban changed his wages ten times, God gave Jacob an idea, and he reached an agreement with his uncle. Did his uncle Laban take full advantage of this agreement? He changed his wages ten times, but can he take away God's blessing? Nothing can take away God's blessing. Never rely on your own hands or live by the sword, because that is a curse! Don't be upset all the time, don't fight for it. Can God see these things? God can definitely see them.

You must persevere with faith. Even if your wages are changed ten times, you must see that God will give you a way out. How good it is to have God! How can you live without God? Without God, you just desperately fight for it yourself! You must read the Bible clearly. These ten changes in wages later became such a contract. This is the contract that God gave him. See what the Bible says:

And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. (Genesis 31:12-13)

If Laban had said at that time, "The white sheep are yours, and the speckled and spotted ones belong to me, Laban," then all the sheep born would have been white. If Laban had said, "The spotted ones are yours, and the speckled ones are not yours," then all the sheep born would have been spotted. If Laban had said, "The speckled ones are mine, and the spotted ones are yours," then all the sheep born would have been spotted. If Laban had also said, "This spot is that kind of spot." You've seen the kind of dog whose fur is partly yellow and partly white. There are spotted dogs, patterned dogs, all kinds of dogs. If Laban had said, "The spots on our sheep should all look like leopards," do you believe that all the sheep would look like leopards and belong to Jacob? If our sheep all look like black spotted dogs, then our sheep will all grow up like that, like cows and pandas. With Laban's little tricks, ten Labans could not outsmart God.

We cannot live without God; we can only live with God. Don't always try to protect yourself; you can't protect yourself. When people try to protect themselves, they not only can't protect themselves but also receive a curse. So why bother? Brothers and sisters, if your wages are changed ten times, can it change God's blessing? It can't be changed. But if you fight for your own wages, then it's bad. You fight for your own fairness, fighting and fighting, how tiring! Sometimes I see some people living very hard lives. Recently, I saw news about the Prince Milk incident. Prince Milk was a small brand in a city in Hunan, and it was brought down by another high-tech dairy company and some public security bureaus. People were also killed, and many things happened. It was very tragic. Without God, can you solve the problem by just making Prince Milk? It's best if this doesn't happen to us; it's best not to encounter this.

How good it is to have God's protection! Brothers and sisters, you must trust in God well and understand how mighty God is! You must understand how mighty God is! Several people died in just one Prince Milk enterprise. It was forced confession! Then the whole enterprise was gone, bankrupt. This time, when this matter was brought out, it made headlines again. It's best if we don't encounter this kind of thing! If you encounter it, what can you fight back for? We must live a life with God, a life of relying on God. Nothing can take away the blessing that God gives us.

I can tell which side you are on as soon as I hear you. Are you on the side of trusting God or on the side of trusting yourself? If you want to avenge yourself, then go ahead! You can appeal to Prince Milk or Prince Ye, but that's not fun. Everyone must gradually know that no one can take away God's blessing to you!

Laban Thought Everything Was His

Laban thought his daughter was his, and everything was his. Is this person's logic clear? Although his daughter married you, she is still her father's little padded jacket and usually has a good relationship with her father. Laban thought his daughter was his, his grandson was his, Jacob was his, and even Jacob's sheep, cattle, and donkeys were his. You say, "Is Laban bad?" You say, "How do you know?" I can read it to you!

And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? (Genesis 31:43)

What nonsense is this! How can someone be so shameless? What do you do when you encounter such a shameless father-in-law? He just thinks it's all his. This is a domineering father-in-law! Who can you reason with? That's just what he thinks. If you say to Prince Milk, "That's mine," it doesn't matter. But if you say that to Jacob, it won't work. Saying that to Jacob is like kicking a steel plate. According to Laban's logic, it would be good if the whole world belonged to him. This domineering father-in-law is too domineering, but it doesn't work with Jacob. As a result, God gave Laban a dream at night, telling him to be careful and not to speak well or ill to Jacob. As a result, one dream solved the problem.

You say that one dream can solve such a big problem. If there is no God, who will solve it for you? How can you solve it? Anyway, I don't know how to solve it. Laban thinks it's all his! If Laban had weapons in his hands and people under him, if a group of people went up and tied Jacob up, took him back, and treated Jacob as a slave, could Laban do this? Yes, Laban was originally planning to do this. He was originally thinking of bringing Jacob back and locking him in prison, not letting him leave. In this era, people can do anything for money! But this time, he kicked a steel plate. If Laban really did these things to Jacob, speaking well or ill, I tell you, Laban might fall to the ground on the spot or have a cerebral infarction or myocardial infarction, or he might just have a stroke.

Jacob is amazing! Who can curse Jacob? Those who curse Jacob will be cursed, and those who curse Abraham will be cursed, and those who curse Isaac will be cursed! The problem now with you and me is, are you Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob? I am crying out to everyone to testify to be such a person! It's good to be such a person!

Speaking of this, I have many stories. Let them take advantage, it doesn't matter. If you change my wages ten times, God can protect me, and I won't rely on myself to fight. It doesn't matter if you catch up with me and think my things are all yours. Even if you catch up, it doesn't matter.

It's Useless for Laban to Catch Up with You

It's useless for Laban to catch up with you, and he can't take it away. If God wants to protect you, does it matter? Let's assume that this time he really caught up and really took it away. You say, "What will happen?" I tell you, after a while, Jacob will become an extremely wealthy person again because God is with him. Don't care so much; God will definitely protect you.

Can everyone live a life with God? But some people like to arm-wrestle with God, thinking that God can't control them. When Jacob saw his uncle chasing after him, did he say, "It's over, it's over?" What's over? It's far from over. Moreover, our hope is not in this world at all; our hope is in heaven. This time, God personally said to Jacob, "Go back, return to your land, your kindred, and your father's house."

And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. (Genesis 31:3)

Can't God protect you? Yes. The next two chapters are even more amazing. Originally, his brother Esau was going to kill him because his brother Esau had not yet swallowed that breath, but in the end, he didn't kill him. No one can mess with a person who has God. I tell you, it's really good to have God! If you want to exchange something with me, I won't exchange my God with you because my God is the best. Wherever I go, I'm like a man of God, and things get better as soon as I touch them. How good it is to have God's presence!

I tell everyone that with God's presence, you can walk around with your arms swinging in the spiritual realm. It's great. Laban caught up with Jacob, but what can he do to someone protected by God? He can't do anything. In the end, one dream solved the problem. If he hadn't had a dream, what would have happened? When Laban raised his hand and lifted his knife, his arm would have withered. God made his arm wither when he lifted the knife. You have to have God for this. It's amazing to have God. But then again, no matter what, what is Jacob's strength? If God hasn't taken action when this happens, what should he do? It doesn't matter if he hasn't taken action. It doesn't matter if his wages are changed ten times, and it doesn't matter if Laban thinks it's all his. There's no need to worry and be afraid when Laban catches up.

Even Devoted Things Cannot Take Away God's Protection

Who took the devoted things? Everyone must know that devoted things are quite powerful. But devoted things are only powerful on what kind of people? They are powerful on people without God, but they are useless on people like Jacob. In this large group of people, Jacob was leading his whole family, and his most beloved wife, Rachel, was holding her father Laban's idols. Rachel was quite ignorant, thinking that her father's idols were effective, so she stole them from her father's house. But she didn't know that those were devoted things, and after stealing them, Rachel died because of these devoted things.

But these devoted things could not affect Jacob. Logically speaking, Jacob should have been affected and suffered misfortune, but Jacob was not affected. Some of our brothers and sisters get very worried when they hear about devoted things, saying, "Teacher! My father worships something, what should I do?" I say, "It's your father's, what should you do?" "Teacher, I live in my father's house." If you live in his house, just live there. The question is, are you Jacob? Do you have that Mingding Destiny? Do you have a heavenly pursuit? Is your hope on earth or in heaven? That makes a big difference.

Some people say, "Didn't Rachel die?" That's because she took the devoted things. So, this thing is very powerful. Where can Rachel's death be traced back to? It can be traced back to Jacob saying, "The one with your idols will not live."

But if you find your gods with anyone here, that person will not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether I have anything of yours with me, and take it back.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. (Genesis 31:32)

As soon as this sentence was spoken, it was bad, and Rachel had to die. He didn't know that Rachel had taken the idol. Did it affect Jacob? It didn't affect anything, only the person who took the devoted things. So, we must know who the curse is for? The curse is for those who do not love God. The key to solving the problem is whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. If you are not a person who loves the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, even without devoted things, you are as good as devoted.

Who can curse Jacob, Abraham, Isaac? No one can curse them. What kind of environment can take away God's blessing? No environment can take it away. Because these people's hope is in heaven, they love God, and they pursue what God wants them to pursue.

No One Can Curse a Person with Mingding Destiny

No one can curse a person with Mingding Destiny. This is the main theme of the Bible, of course, this Mingding Destiny is given to you by God. That's why I say there is no blessing outside of Mingding Destiny. Many people still live in a human and worldly logical system, which is itself a curse.

Let me summarise again. First point: God knows everything. Don't think that God doesn't know. Don't ever say: Why isn't it getting better yet? God, why is it like this? There is no why. You really need to tear down the worldly value system inside you. Never worship God with your lips while your heart is far from God. Second point: Changing the wages ten times cannot take away your blessing. In the end, did God solve the problem with one move? He solved the problem. Laban thought these things were all his, could he take them away? He couldn't take them away, even if he thought they were his, it didn't work. Even if Laban aggressively chased after him with a large group of people, each carrying knives and weapons, surrounding Jacob, it was useless.

If you have seen enough of the tragedies of this generation, you will know how good it is to have God. A person without God is simply a tragedy. If he catches up with you, you will suffer enough. But a person with Mingding Destiny lives in God's presence and in God's protection, and no one can do anything to you. You may be very tired and scared at the time, but later you will find that one dream got rid of Laban. Are there devoted things? Yes. But devoted things cannot stop God's protection. Be a person with Mingding Destiny, and no one can curse you.

May God bless everyone!

Genesis Chapter 31 Scripture

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”
31:2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.
31:3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
31:4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were.
31:5 He said to them, “I can see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.
31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,
31:7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me.
31:8 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.
31:9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.
31:10 “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.
31:11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’
31:12 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.
31:13 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.’”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate?
31:15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.
31:16 Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”
31:17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,
31:18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.
31:20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.
31:21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had run away.
31:23 Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.
31:24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
31:25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too.
31:26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.
31:27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing, with timbrels and harps?
31:28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing.
31:29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
31:30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s house. But why did you steal my gods?”
31:31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.
31:32 But if you find your gods with anyone here, that person will not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether I have anything of yours with me, and take it back.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
31:33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tents of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent.
31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.
31:35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.
31:36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “What wrong have I done that you hunt me down like this?
31:37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to you? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between us.
31:38 “I have been with you for twenty years now; your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.
31:39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or stolen by night.
31:40 This was my life: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the frost at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
31:41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.
31:42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”
31:43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do to these daughters of mine, or to the children they have borne?
31:44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”
31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
31:46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap.
31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.
31:48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why it was called Galeed.
31:49 It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.
31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, understand that no one else is with us; but God is a witness between you and me.”
31:51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me.
31:52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me.
31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.
31:54 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.
31:55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.