Freed from Captivity

When we were in captivity, we did not even look like we would ever get out. Who knew that the children of Israel would be free from the captivity of Egypt? Who knew that the children of Israel would be free from the captivity of the Babylonians? The Bible says that when they got out of captivity it was like a dream to them.

Psalm 126 (AMP)

When the Lord brought back the captives [who returned] to Zion, we were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal]. ² Then were our mouths filled with laughter, and our tongues with singing. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. ³ The Lord has done great things for us! We are glad! ⁴ Turn to freedom our captivity and restore our fortunes, O Lord, as the streams in the South (the Negeb) [are restored by the torrents]. ⁵ They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing. ⁶ He who goes forth bearing seed and weeping [at needing his precious supply of grain for sowing] shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Attach yourself to only your God, who is able to remove you from captivity. The worst captivity is that of sin. If your heart has not acknowledged the Lord as Saviour, and you’re still in the captivity of sin, you’re in the worst captivity ever. When the Lord gets us out of captivity, He turns our lives around. The first step to getting out of captivity is getting freed from the bondage ofsin. From that moment, there is a relationship that every one of us needs to have with God. From that time that we got born again, many people have continued to remain and go back to sin, thus going back to captivity.

Being born again and confessing Jesus is a release from captivity, and one won’t go to hell as you’ve acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Yet in order to represent heaven on earth, we have to detach from anything that has to do with fulfilling the lust of the flesh. From the Amplified version, our opening verse says that of the captives there were those who returned. This means that there are some who were left in captivity. Let us be of those who returned, leaving the captivity of lying, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, hatred, etc. and such sins completely behind, and refusing to be among those who remained.

The Lord wants us to be among the ones who returned to Zion, free from captivity, so much so that the devil won’t have any reason to accuse us. It may seem that what we are doing in the darkness is a secret, but in the spiritual realm it is as broad as daylight. Time has come that the church becomes what the Lord wants it to be, by His grace.

When the Lord gets you out of captivity, it is like a dream. The Lord is a Gentleman, He won’t force you. Once you allow Him to get you out of captivity, He’ll move at your pace. If you want to enjoy fullness of being His, tell Him to take over your life completely. He loves you and will help you to let go of those things one by one, by His grace.

Just as we have seen in verse 2 of our opening verse, the nations outside the children of Israel, who did not know God, stood and testified of the Lord doing great things for the children of Israel. God is not glorified when we are in captivity. He is glorified when we get out of captivity and walk in freedom, He is glorified, when others see and say that the Lord has done it for us. When we leave our captivity behind and make a decision to walk in freedom, leaving the things that used to hold us in captivity behind, then God is glorified, as from then on He will be seen in our lives, and our freedom from captivity will be seen by many.

Hebrews 12:22-24

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, ²³ to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

It is time to give thanks, for the Lord has released us from captivity. When God brought us back from captivity, it was like we were dreaming. But now we have come to the mountain of the Lord. The Lord does not take us from somewhere to a vacuum; He took us from captivity, to Mount Zion, to His mountain, to Jesus Christ, the great Mediator. He brought us from captivity (of sin, misery etc.) to liberty, to Jesus, as He who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36).

Hebrews 12:24

…to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

He got us from captivity to a place where the blood speaks for us. The old covenant would not have favored us; in this new covenant we are favored, and the blood of Jesus constantly speaks for us, against the accusations of the devil and our enemies, against everything that is against us. When the devil stood to accuse us of things that we did in the past, of our things we do not deserve or are not qualified for, Jesus our Mediator stands and defends us, mediating for us, since He paid it all for us. We get it all because He paid it al for us. When Jesus speaks, no one can speak contrary.

Give thanks because you belong to a new covenant, one that cannot be broken. Do not say that you will give thanks when you get this or that, or when you get here or there. Give thanks right now, that you are in a new covenant. The guilt is no more; we have come rejoicing, for the freedom the Lord has given us. We are giving thanks for the completed work of the cross. We are complete.

I prophesy into your life, that people around you will start seeing what the Lord has done for you, and talking about it, now that you are out of captivity, as you give thanks for freedom and walk in it.

We have a reason to truly give thanks to the Lord for restoration has come. Restoration of the church has truly come. When God restores you, you think more of what God thinks about you, rather than what men think about you. For many days the church walked in deception, but God has restored His church from the captivity of deception. When the church walks in liberty, the whole nation will walk in liberty.

This is the season for harvest. I am prophesying into your life manifestation of whatever seed you sowed in the name of the Lord. In this month there are key things that you will see happening, and you will eat the things. Whatever things you sowed in tears, you will reap in joy. There are people you loved, served, ministered to, preached to, prayed for etc. in tears, and it seemed like it never bore fruit. This is the season for reaping in joy, you seeing manifestation of everything you sowed, for the glory of the Father. People will love you, come back to give thanks and appreciate you for the prayer, service you did for them. Still in this season of harvest, if you are reminded of a bad seed you planted that the fruit is not appealing, deal with it immediately and approve it. The Bible tells us that whatever we sow, we shall reap (Gal. 6:7). Uproot any negative seeds you have planted in your life too, and enjoy the harvest of good seeds you have planted.

Enjoy your blessings in this season. People will see you walk in your blessings and will know that God has done it for you. Remember, being blessed is more than just material things; peace, joy, and other things that money cannot even buy, that you could not have enjoyed while in captivity. Anything you lost while in captivity is being restored in this season.

Look at what the Lord has done for this nation, bringing us from times and seasons of fear, not knowing which public vehicle to get into, mall to enter in and so on, helping us go through the ups and downs of life, and get us here. It is time to give thanks.

Blessings.

-- Pastor Mary Mugo. 


(01/08/14 Kesha Service Sermon, Teaching Transformation Ministry.) 


Pastor Mary is the Senior Pastor at Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./ Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.