Don't Give Up, Finish What You Started

VICTORIA OLADIPUPO

Freedom of Christ Church

TOPIC: DON’T GIVE UP, FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 4: 6 -10

6] Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

[7] Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

[8] Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

[9] The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

[10] For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Summarising what happen before the vision. 70- years earlier Babylon had destroy Israel and all their cities, walls and temple were destroyed. Zerubbabel was given the assignment to rebuild the wall and the temple. God was leading them to rebuild the wall and the Temple that lay in ruins.

Zerubbabel assignment was to rebuild the Temple. Every one of us here has our assignment. We have a designer label assignment that we have to carry out. Our assignments are different from each other so for this reason we have to run own assignment. These people with Zerubbabel have the enthusiasm for the task, to rebuild the altar. They went through the first stage – rebuild the altar and the second stage – Laid the foundation of the Temple. Just after the second stage opposition came, the local residents oppose the building project and they were discouraging the workers from participating in the project. Zerubbabel started well but years after years he cannot finish what he started and he was stock for 70years. He started but now has stagnation.

Many of us in this room are in the same place with Zerubbabel. We have unfulfilled dream, uncompleted goal, dead visions and half-build project. You’ve laid the foundation of the project but you are stock but I’ve got news for you today. – FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED DON’T GIVE UP.

The message is that – Don’t give up, don’t close the business down, don’t sell off the contract, you started it and you have to finish it.

Don’t give up because you are there is no progress!

Don’t give up because customers are not coming!

Don’t give up because ther are no folks coming in!

Don’t give up because no one encourages you!

Don’t sell the company because you are stock!

Don’t give up no one appreciate your calling!

Don’t give up because of stagnancy!

Don’t give up because of financial difficulties!

Don’t give up because of oppositions and criticisms!

Be determined that you will finish what you stated not by your power, not by your might but by the Spirit of Living GOD! Nomattre what I am going through I am not given up - that is my song and my story!

The reason why people give up is because most people do not know the process of having a Vision – i.e. God ordained assignment.

Let me share the process with you.

1. The birth of the vision – when you are fill with inspiration and passion to accomplish that which God has ordained you to do.

2. The Foundation – Investing everything you can both spiritually and physically into the birth of the vision.

3. The Death – This is a stage no one wants. The stage that nothing is working.

4. The rebirth of the vision is when God step in with His mighty hand and power and turn the whole situation around and give you the strength.

Can I say this to you all that the 3rd stage is the stage of despair when you feel like giving up but if you can endure to go through this stage you are a success. If you haven’t been there, you better get ready and if you are there already, you better give God a praise because you are fulfilling your dream.

FOR A DREAM TO BE FULFILLED, IT FIRST HAS TO DIE. If you sow a seed , the seed will frst of all DIE. It will, yes, ask a farmer, it will die then start to germinate. If you don’t want your seed to die then you don’t want it to bring forth fruits. People like Joseph, Moses and Paul saw their dream died. Moses in front of the Red Sea, Pharaoh behind them and no where to run to said we are going to die here. Why do we have to have death vision you may ask me? - There are lessons to learn from dead visions. The period of death vision is the peroid of waiting on the Lord for what you don’t see. The period of dead vision is the season you keep believing the Lord for what seems impossible. Season of dead vision is when you realise that you don’t have any power of your own to make anything work, to make folks come to church, to make customers patronise you or to make your seed bring forth fruit when you want it but all depends on GOD who bring forth fruit at His own TIME.