“You Are Now Free!”

Scripture: "Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." -Nahum 1:13, NIV

Within our beloved United States, February is deemed Black History Month. Within this month, we take time to celebrate the struggles and successes of the African-American race over the past four-plus centuries. One of the greatest successes of the African-American race was obtaining freedom. Back in the days of the U.S. Constitution, the African-American race was counted as 3/5 of a person towards the census and from there on, slave revolts took place, abolitionist movements kicked in, the Underground Railroad under Harriet Tubman led slaves to freedom in the North, and the eventual passing of the Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves everywhere on January 1, 1863. After this event took place, the fight continued on through the Jim Crow South and the works of great leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, Sr., Stokley Carmichael, Rosa Parks, and others. As we live in our country today, under the regime of President Barack Obama, we, as a people, continue to exercise our freedom and yet fight for it in various arenas. Just as we have obtained freedom and walk in freedom, God wants you to do the same spiritually! He wants to speak to your Spirit on today that "You are now free!" How can we make such a bold proclamation? Let's examine today's text.

Our main scripture of the day can be found in the book of Nahum, one of the twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. According to my research, Nahum wrote this book between 663 and 612 B.C. The purpose of the book of Nahum was to let the people of God in Judah know to not be in despair because God has announced judgment and that the Assyrians would be getting "their just desserts" for messing with His people. As this introductory chapter was written, its intent was to display God's anger against Nineveh. However, within His rage, God provided us some clarity to let us know that He wants you and I to know that you are now free.

Nahum writes in the first part of the text from God's mouth that "Now I will break their yoke from your neck". For those of you who grew up on or around a farm, a yoke was used around the necks of oxen in order for them to pull a load. Ladies and gentlemen, many of us on today have yokes around our necks. It may be the yoke of insecurity, the yoke of loneliness, the yoke of depression, the yoke of disappointment, the yoke of not being loved, the yoke of feeling mistreated, the yoke of being misunderstood, but God says to you on today that I will break your yoke from your neck! He is ready to loose your yoke so that you may look Heavenward and give Him praise and tell Him Thank You for freeing you!

Lastly, Nahum conveys that you are now free because God also tells him that He will "tear your shackles away". One of the best songs of the late 90's in the Gospel arena was Mary Mary's "Shackles". They told you that when God took the shackles off their feet, they were able to dance and give Him praise! Ladies and gentlemen, many of us have shackles on our feet. As God is ready to take the yoke off of your neck, He is also ready to tear the shackles off of your feet! He realizes that when you are free, you can give Him praise! When you are free, you can operate in what He has placed in your soul! When you are free, you do not care about the world and what they say! When you are free, you fight the enemy and let him know that no weapon formed against thee shall prosper! When you are free, you let your problems/situations know that whom the Son has set free, He is free indeed! When you are free, you can make the naysayers quiet and God will make them your footstools! When you are free, you will be able to rise above the situations of life! Let God take away your shackles so you can be free!

In closing, I bless God for our ancestors and fore parents who have fought the good fight of faith and graced us with freedom. This freedom allows us to watch movies in a theater, it allows us to eat lunch and/or dinner at five-star restaurants without going in the back door, it allows us to vote and give our ballots, and other things. Just as we are naturally free, God has spoken spiritual freedom into your atmosphere! He will break the yoke off of your neck and tear away the shackles! Wherever you are, you ought to praise God because He has given you your freedom!