In June of 2018, I stepped down from a job I love and began rethinking the next move of my career. God was prompting me for many months to write a book, and at one point I felt He was saying, “If you don’t write this book, you are going to lose you job.”
Well, sure enough the prophecy was self-fulfilled, and God has orchestrated a three month sabbatical where I did nothing but write. The result is a new book of 150 short devotionals taken from the life of Jacob that will form a book entitled, The Jacob Generation, A guide for pioneers.
People ask me what the book is about, so I have decided to blog a sample chapter for you to enjoy for free. Just join me over the next two weeks, and we learn about the 12 names of Jacob’s sons and how they represent seasons we encounter on our journey with God.
The book is really about prayer, so I pray you enjoy these short devotions and share them with others who need encouragement for their next phase of life, work, and ministry.
Fording our most treacherous obstacles sets us on the path to destiny. In the days of Jacob, there were not bridges and highways to move a family easily across country. The journey back home required significant risks in stepping out, fording, and traveling with little ones and livestock.
When Jacob crosses the river, he cannot go back. We all need to have moments of commitment that solidify our future and put us in the position of complete dependence on God.
Ever since I have known Troy, which is over 20 years, he has had a heart for the nations. When we first became acquainted, we would gather weekly in a large prayer room with a map of the world rolled out on the wall. Looking up to this map, we would intercede for the nations of the world, call out for God’s purposes, bind the devil, and long for massive mission movements to fill the world with His purposes.
Troy longed to be a part of this movement, but at the time, his commitments to his job and family made it impossible for him to go. He knew what he wanted from his previous travels with Youth With A Mission where he was introduced to cross-cultural missions, but now was not the time.
Patiently waiting, but still praying, Troy and his family endured some difficult times of preparation as this dream of his was tested again and again.
Here Leah expresses her delight after her maid, Zilpah has given Jacob another son. The name Gad can be translated to mean either fortunate or a troop, which are both welcome responses after a season of wrestling.
In your walk with God, your ministry will experience some of the most blessed seasons of favor and fortune immediately after some of your most pressing wrestling moments. The devil knows his time is short, and he will throw his forces of hell against you just before the break of day.
The lesson Jacob and Leah are celebrating here is that they are not alone but have the resources of an entire troop surrounding them in the battle. The revelation of the power of numbers and the multitude that are with us propels our ministries into a position of favor, strength, and victory rather than being buffeted at the hands of the enemy.
There is strength, exponential strength, in numbers. “A strand of three cords is not easily broken,” Ecclesiastes 4:12 summarizes the power of a company of people, a troop. In my 25 years of doing battle, there are a few seasoned warriors who I know will lift my hands during the battle and come to my rescue like a cavalry. These trusted brothers and sisters are our secret to lasting success in ministry.
Ecclesiastes elaborates, “Woe to him who is alone when he falls. For he has no one to help him up.” (4:10) Israelite armies, Egyptian armies, Roman legions all recognized the power of a unified army in standing against the enemy. God sent Gideon and his group of 300 as “one man” against the Midianites and won the battle. This unity and comradery is a treasure of warfare that makes the struggle sweet to the warriors.
Says my brother, Randy, “Pleasure doing battle with you.” We instantly remember and instinctively know the many times God had come through for us when we gripped hands in prayer against the enemy. In your desire to plant a work of God, you will inevitably face battles and demonic powers that are beyond the ability of one person to defeat.
Developing a troop mentality is the key to overcoming regional principalities. No one person is left on the wall alone, but we are connected to one another in the work, and at the sound of the trumpet, everyone runs to the battle.
Whoever is surrounded by such a troop is truly fortunate. I consider myself exponentially blessed by the band of brothers God has surrounded me with for the battle. Together, we are Gad and we are glad to fight alongside one another.
The Joseph Factor 