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.
When people have stagnation, the greatest battle they have is not the opposition or the great mountain, but the battle within themselves and doubt. Zerubbabel started to search himself – Am I the cause?
The question is HOW CAN WE BREAK THE CURSE OF STAGNANCY AND FINISH WHAT WE STARTED?
1. FOCUS ON THE PROMISE AND NOT THE PROBLEM
To break the curse of stagnancy and finish your project, you have to remember the vision. If is the Lord that said it, it will come to pass because His words are yes and amen. Is 55:11 says” so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Remind yourself of the word, that before He formed you in the belly, He knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb He sanctified you, he call you and ordained you as a prophet unto the nation. Remember that He has set you over nations and kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant. Remember that He has promise to perfect all that concerns you and to finish what he started in you. He has promise and he will never fail you. Remember all His promises and focus on them not the problem. He is great and mightier that your mightiest problem.
2. ATTACK YOUR CONSCIENCE
If you are to break the barrier of stagnancy and finish your project you have to stop felling sorry for yourself. Declare a spiritual warfare and attack your conscience. Stop living at Regret city and change your address to onward march city.
Stop condemning yourself.
Stop judging yourself.
It’s not your fault; it’s not your business partners or your employees’ fault. It’s nobody’s fault, it is part of the plan because the vision has to die, and the seed has to die before rebirth.
3. HAVE POSITIVE ATTITUDE NOT NEGATIVE.
If you have to finish what you finish, you’ve got to have a very right attitude and not negative, live by faith and not by sight. Have a right attitude towards yourself that you can do all things through Jesus Christ that strengthen me. Look at yourself and see who you are, you are more than conqueror, you are an overcomer through the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimonies.
4. For you to finish the assignment, you have to see it the way God sees it – FINISH.
5. GOD IS IN CONTROL
To finish your God ordained predetermined destiny, you have to see that God is in control. The task of the temple will be accomplished.
It’s not by cleverness!
It’s not by strengths!
It’s not religion!
It’s not by denomination!
It’s not by collective strength!
But by the SPIRIT OF GOD.
That did not imply that you wouldn’t do your bit. Yes you will have to do your part by putting all efforts and taking all steps but the success of the project will entirely depend on God’s Spirit.(Amen)
7] Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto
This is the word of God for those of you that are at the verge of given up on your dreams and goals because of obstacles and barriers - Who are you great mountain in front of us, you will become plain. Prophet Isaiah prophesy that ‘every mountain and hills will be made low’ and I decree that to your life today. Whatsoever your mountain may be, they shall become plain and you will shout Grace, Grace of it.
Keep to your dreams and goals. You may start slowly but the Lord said ‘do not despise the days of small things’. Just take a step at a time; you will see yourself finishing what you started. Many today have broken and dead vision, but I challenge you today to put the end in mind – You will finish. God will restore your vision and breath new life into your dream. Not only that you will finish but also it will be your hand that will finish it.
I see you putting head stone on your project!
I see you accomplishing your goal.
DON’T GIVE UP. FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED.
God bless you.
Altar call
