Brethren, it’s the tenth month of the year and you have been busy with one issue or another.   It’s unlikely that anyone would fold his or her arms doing nothing in ten months. 

However, there are exceptions.  These are people who have gotten tired of doing some things without any results to show for it.

Such people may be described as people who have been in labour without favour.

That would not be your portion in Jesus name.

Let’s be realistic sometimes it isn’t the fault of those people.  It could either be that they are held down by people stronger than them or forces  beyond the physical.

Sometimes, a person’s progress is halted by people who are supposed to be his well-wishers.

You will not labour in vain in Jesus name.

We must bear in mind however that this unpleasant situation didn’t start with us.

Jacob labored for Laban his uncle but Laban cheated him. Let’s see the agreement of Jacob and his uncle in Genesis 30vs.31&32:” And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything: if thou will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock.

I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.”.

Laban then took steps to cheat Jacob.  Verse 35:” And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and everyone that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons”.

They  planned to cheat Jacob but God gave Jacob the wisdom to outsmart them.

Genesis 30 vs. 37-39: “ And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

And he set the rods, which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted”.

Remember the ringstraked, speckled and spotted were meant for Jacob.

 May the Lord give you the secret to overcome every evil plan of the enemy in your life, in Jesus name.

God turned labour to favour for Jacob.

When this happened see  the reaction of the  sons of Laban said and the attitude of Laban.

Genesis 31 vs. 1&2: “ And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob  hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all his glory.

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before”.

When God favours you, bear in mind that it isn’t everyone that would rejoice with you.

This season, God will change your story from  labour to favour in Jesus name.

Another person that we can’t stop discussing when it concerns child bearing is Hannah.

We all know she wasn’t the first barren woman in the Bible but she addressed the issue in a different and unique way.

Hannah was in a form of bondage.   She had a rival that regularly tormented her because she was barren.

So we needn’t be told that this woman often went to bed in tears. She was worried and according to the Bible “in bitterness of soul”.  Were it to be today, she would have been diagnosed of high blood pressure.

Let’s assume that Hannah was prayerful. So she must have prayed over and over again without an answer.  She had no praying partner.  She only had a husband who regularly confessed that he loved her but his love didn’t give her  the children that she wanted.

Hannah labored in prayer and worship but she didn’t have a child.

Then she went to the LORD in prayer but this time she made a vow that the child would be returned to the Lord to serve him.

It was not until then that God turned her labour to favour with the birth of Samuel.

Brethren if a farmer fails to plant, he would never have a harvest.

It is the same principle in the spiritual world, sow nothing, and get nothing.   Sow something get a bountiful harvest.

Sowing  is not about money  only.

Examine yourself.  What are you sowing and what are  your expectations?

You might have  decided to sow seeds with praises and worship .  You may also decided to increase the hours of your prayer.

Or you could even make a vow or render services to the LORD.

Invisible seeds bring visible joy to your life in a manner that even your mockers would congratulate you.

Jacob whose story we mentioned earlier was led by the Spirit of God to take certain steps.  The result of his action is found in Genesis 30  verse 43: “ And the man ( Jacob)  increased exceedingly  and had much cattle, and maidservants, and men servants, and camels, and assess.”.

The Holy Spirit could only have led Jacob because he was prayerful.   We have no record that he served any other god except the God of his fathers.  The God of Abraham and Isaac.

Sister Hannah asked for a son but God gave her more children.

Her vow was so significant that Pastor Eli also couldn’t ignore her.

1st Samuel 2 vs 20&21: “ And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said,  the LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD.  And they went  unto their own. home.

And the LORD visited Hannah , so that she conceived , and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD”.

Brethren what have you done differently in the house of God that your pastor has acknowledged?

Another person that moved from labour  to favour was Joseph.

His brothers plotted to kill him but God intervened and he was sold into slavery.

Brethren, anyone in any form of slavery cannot be happy.   Joseph was in Portiphar’s house and Portiphar’s wife tempted him persistently putting pressure on Joseph to sleep with her.

See what saved Joseph.

Genesis 39 vs. 9 “ There is none  greater in this house than I; neither  hath he kept  back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how   then can I do this great wickedness , and sin against God?

Joseph  rejected the woman’s adulterous advances because he feared God and  would rather keep the commandments of the invisible God.

Brethren, do you fear God? Are you keeping his commandments?

Joseph paid a price for his obedience of God’s words .  He was put in prison but from a prisoner, he received the favour of God and became a prime minister.

Brethren,  whatever is your heart’s desire, you need to put in something to get something.

Hannah would have loved to keep Samuel with her after so many years of waiting but she chose to honour her vow.

Brethren we cannot overemphasize that to move from labour to favour comes with some input from the receiver.

Be prepared to sacrifice something.  It could be time, it could be money, it could be your labour in the vineyard of the Lord, whichever you chose to make as your input,  you are simply getting prepared for a miracle.

Your labour shall end with LORD’s favour.

Labour in vain isn’t your portion.

Stay with the LORD, there is no alternative.