THE LABAN SYNDROME
24 March – 15 April
SUMMARY
“The Laban Syndrome” is a fascinating book that explores a system designed by the world to use all your talents, skills, connections, and more for its own benefit. In a nutshell, it is a system that traps you into commitments that greatly benefit “Laban,” but not you. This syndrome and its pattern are highlighted throughout the book, as Laban traps Jacob into working for him for 20 years. During these years, Jacob was deceived—having worked seven years for a wife, only for Laban to trick him into marrying the wrong daughter, forcing him to work another seven years for the woman he asked for. All of this was so that the blessing of God operating through Jacob could benefit Laban.
But God has a plan for our lives. He has a divinely designed path—a constellation of purposes—for us to walk in, filled with parts and elements for us fulfill His plans for our lives. If we’re being honest, we’ve all been influenced by the Laban Syndrome at some point in our lives. The wonderful news is that God is the God of restoration. In this book, we see God’s plan for deliverance revealed through key strategies that we can apply to your own life—such as identifying your spiritual father, being planted in the place God has called you to, your birthright, speaking your covenant language, and framing your world through words. What ministered to me in this book is that although we have been influenced by Laban God still has a plan, God still is the God of restoration and he has made it simple for to come back to true north.
WHERE I HAVE SPOTTED LABAN IN MY OWN LIFE
I have seen Laban wanting to operate in my life through the schooling system and the glamour of university. Although I was privileged to be homeschooled and have wonderful parents who, with me, sought the will of God for my life, we walked in the light we had and did schooling at home. This means I have an IEB matric and had to do everything a normal school student would do, but was taught through an online platform. Although I had a personal journey of walking with God, and God really showed Himself strong on my behalf in regards to my schooling, one still sees firsthand that the system promises glamour, career, money, and success.
One of the aspects of Laban that Ps John speaks about in the book is that Laban was neutral towards God. Laban did not believe or disbelieve; he was just focused on who Jacob was and how Jacob could benefit him. “Can you see that Laban had a recognition that God was involved, but chose to remain neutral? He understood that he could not take a position against God, but he did not want to take a position for God.” That is really the image we see in the world system: you can be a Christian and profess God, but it does not matter because you are still subjected to the flow and way of the system—come whoever you are and let your God-given gifts work for us and benefit us.
What you compromise to keep, you will eventually lose, and who you associate with, you will become. Working in a system that is neutral, you will be influenced to become neutral, and if you are neutral towards God, “you become an interference to His plans and to the constellation that God had for your life.” By walking in this manner, the parts and elements for your life cannot come together because the element of neutrality is against the order of God’s operations.
GOD’S CONSTELLATION IN MY OWN LIFE
My life has been filled with great events that are marker moments to me. One of these significant events is that my parents decided to drive to Witbank and receive the call of God to be planted in Witbank. What this entailed for me, from the age of seven until I joined iXchange at the age of nineteen, was that we would drive from our farm to Witbank each Sunday, which was about 240 kilometers of driving in total. This obedience opened the door where I was raised in a house that was shepherded and fathered by a spiritual leader. Because of our plantedness, God spoke through His messengers that He would take the children, and God called me to come to iXchange—where I find myself now, adventuring with God in faith.
I praise God for parents who sought the life of God and the ways of God for us as a family because their obedience is what propelled me to live the life I have now, where I can follow God and walk out His plans and purposes for my life. “Jacob’s constellation began when he understood that he could get the birthright.”
Although we would not have been able to word it like that in the beginning, coming to Witbank—Heritage of Faith—has connected us to our spiritual father. “You can only have the birthright when you are connected to a father.” The father is the source of life for the future. There is a grace, anointing, and power that comes from God by the Holy Spirit to become something you wouldn’t have otherwise become because there is a spiritual father. A big part of our constellation has been being planted by God at Heritage of Faith because it is our connection to our inheritance. It was a marker moment in our lives because you will only step out into your purpose if you recognize who your father is. Because of this part of our constellation, God is able to reveal the future—because He reveals it to sons.
Ps John has spoken these Words to our family because of the decision to be planted – You’ve shown hunger, God is answering your hunger. Every day He’s answering your hunger. He’s not only saved you today, but He is saving you in generations to come. Salvation has come to your household; salvation has come to your household in generations to come. Praise the Lord! Our connection to our father is what made a pull on these words which I now creating our futures.