Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai‘ God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. Genesis 35:11‭-‬13 NLT

Such powerful and profound blessings that God spoke over Jacob! Interestingly, like so many of us, Jacob's story didn't start from the blessing cited above; he went through a process of refinement and transformation. Let's take a little peep into his backstory:

Jacob's Journey

Jacob's life story is a vivid testament to God's "process of making." His journey from a "rogue dad" to a revered patriarch was anything but smooth, marked by decisions that positioned him initially as a schemer and deceiver.

• He negotiated his brother out of his birthright with a bowl of stew, demonstrating an early cunning.

  
  

• He stole his brother's blessing through impersonation, a deceitful act that led directly to his self-imposed exile.

  
  

• He endured 14 years of toil and deception under his father-in-law, Laban, all for his beloved Rachel, a taste of his own medicine.

  
  

• He navigated the challenging dynamics of two sisters' rivalry, enduring their competition as they sought to have children, sometimes reducing him to a "seed-producing" role within their marital strategies (Genesis 30:1-24).

  
  

• He was a victim of unfair wages and shifting terms while working for his father-in-law, all while raising 11 children.

  
  

• Ultimately, through a divine encounter and a profound shift, he was able to reconcile with his estranged brother, Esau.

Through these arduous experiences and divine encounters, Jacob came to a profound realization: he was not merely a survivor of circumstance, but a "God-made," "God-prospered man." He understood that God's hand was guiding his journey, refining him through every trial.

This deep understanding spurred him to take deliberate, transformative action in establishing his family in God's ways:

1. He reinstated his altar of worship, acknowledging the God of his fathers who had been his constant help and provider. This act was a public declaration of his renewed faith and commitment, echoing the call to "serve the Lord" with one's household (Joshua 24:15).

2. He led his family in repentance, commanding them to discard their idols and purify themselves. He urged them to rid their lives of the "garbage of lies, sorcery, anger, fighting, gossip, and all our secret sins," promoting a cleansing both spiritual and personal. This aligns with the biblical principle, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

3. He guided them to acknowledge and worship the God of his fathers, ensuring that the spiritual legacy would continue through his descendants. As fathers, we are called to "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

By allowing God to take him through this transformative process, Jacob repented, reconciled with his brother, and successfully led his family into a relationship with God. At the end, we see a deceiver transformed into a patriarch, stepping into God's profound and abundant blessing.

God's profound blessing is available to every father, like Jacob, who will step out of their past failures and into the finished works of Christ.

God is raising men, Fathers, who will rise from their past into His blessing and abundance. These are fathers who will embrace their roles as priests over their households, leading them into repentance and the worship of El-Shaddai, so He can show Himself as the God who fights their battles. Remember the promise: "The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes" (Deuteronomy 1:30).

Perhaps you're battling unforgiveness, pride, alcoholism, adultery, drug abuse, pornography, a lifestyle of fraud, being abusive to your spouse and children, failure, poverty or feeling inadequate as a father. The same God who met Jacob the deceiver is calling you to a place where He can fight on your behalf, to give you the life He intended when He called you into fatherhood. (Genesis 18:19, Deuteronomy 1:31, Proverbs 4:11-13, Jeremiah 31:1-3).

He stands at the door of your heart today, ready to meet you. Speak those words of surrender, and let His Spirit take over your heart now! Be set free in the mighty name of Jesus!

"Whosoever the Son sets free, is free indeed" (John 8:36). His sacrifice was once and for all. He went to that cross so fathers like you can rise into your place of blessing and increase. His going to the cross was to lay to rest every charge the enemy could ever bring up to disqualify you from the blessing! You have been set free; step into your freedom and live triumphantly in the blessing of the Father.

As another Fathers' Day approaches, we rise to celebrate all fathers, men of courage who step away from the inadequacies of the past to embrace God's blessing and lead their families in strength. We celebrate you!