Focus: You Have The Power!

Text: Zech.2:7

"DELIVER THYSELF, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon."

Are you born of God and filled with the Spirit? If 'yes' is your answer, then you have a God-given power to break free from whatever bondage and stay free for the rest of your life.

From our text, God is telling you to emancipate yourself from exile. You can't continue to live in a place not your own. You can't continue to live as a slave in a strange land. The power that is working in you cannot tolerate any form of bondage. Break free from the yoke of the enemy! Liberate yourself from every shackle that has held you down for long! 

No deliverance minister can deliver you from the enemy's grip until you first deliver yourself.

You must desire and determine to free yourself from the afflictions the enemy has imposed on you, and one way you can achieve that is by knowing the truth of God. Jesus Christ declares, "You shall KNOW the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jh.8:32). It is in your power to know the truth, and when you get to know the truth, then the truth will unleash its liberating power on you, and set you free. Truth is totally liberating and life-transforming.

You deliver yourself by knowing the truth of God and yielding to its power. Freedom comes when truth is known. The next thing after your deliverance is to stay free for the rest of your life. How do you stay free? Paul charges the redeemed, "STAND fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal.5:1). Break free and stay free. Stand in your liberty. Christ has set you free; so defend your freedom! Stand your ground! Make no room again in your life for the return of bondage! Kick the devil out of your space and keep him out forever! Keep away from things that invite bondage and expose you to danger, enslavement, and destruction.

Isaiah tells you what to do next. He says, "ARISE, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee" (Isa.60:1). Stop lying low! Your place is not down but up. The glory of God is risen upon you; so arise and let your light shine! Make impact on others with your light! The world is in the dark; they need your light. Deliver yourself by knowing the liberating power of the truth. Stand in your place of freedom and glow with God's glory! Wherever you find yourself, just shine! Illuminate your world!

Prophet Obadiah has another word for you. He says, "But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall POSSESS their possessions" (Obad.1:17). Child of God, it is a straightforward order: possess your possessions! Take back all that belongs to you! Don't let the devil cheat you out of your blessings! You're too blessed to go broke, too lifted to stay down, too wealthy to be a pauper, too strong to be weak, too healthy to be sick, and too anointed to be defeated. Zion is your home. It is the sacred place of freedom. You can't afford to live in Zion and be in bondage. The Scripture tells you that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The blind and the lame are not allowed to live in Zion, and no inhabitant of Zion shall say, I am weak. God lives with you in Zion. Rise up and take your place and enjoy Zion's peace and prosperity!

Finally, Isaiah declares, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt CONDEMN. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD" (Isa.54:17). Condemn every condemning tongue! You have the right of inheritance to condemn judgments that are not in line with what God has said concerning you. Condemn Satan's lies and deception! Stand on the truths of God's word! Say what God says and act accordingly!

I say to you in conclusion: deliver yourself! Know the truth and be set free by it! Stand in the place of your liberty! Arise and shine! Possess your possessions and condemn the tongue of unfair judgment - wicked, evil and malicious tongues! You have the power to be all that God wants you to be and achieve all that is in agreement with your God-assigned destiny.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter