Mensa Otabil - Arise and Depart (09/26/2025)
Well, as I indicated, I am doing a series with the word «rise» or «arise» in it. I have spoken about «Let God arise,» I’ve spoken about «Rise up and walk,» and last week I spoke on «Rise above your shortcomings.» Today, my message is titled «Rise and depart.» Rise and depart! Somebody say, «I’m rising; I’m departing!»
One of the most destructive circumstances of life happens when you find yourself stuck in the wrong place, in a place that is not good for you, but you are unable to move away from it. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation that is wrong for us because we were born into it; other times, it’s because other people made decisions that landed us in a bad place, or we could find ourselves in a bad place because of decisions we made ourselves. So when you find yourself in a bad spot, what do you do? I say that you rise and depart.
That does not mean that any time you find yourself in a difficult situation, you must arise and depart. If you do that, you will become an unstable person who cannot stand, fight, and win their battles. That’s not what I’m talking about. Life generally has tough spots— in our marriage, at work, in school, in relationships, in church, and in politics. In life, you will encounter tough decisions. It doesn’t mean that any time you come across a tough decision, you rise up and depart. That’s not what I’m talking about.
But there are places that you don’t have to stay. There are moments in our lives when we need to arise and depart, and these moments do not happen every day; it may happen once, twice, or three times in our lives. But there are special moments when we must get out from a certain place that life has locked us in, and those are the moments we are discussing today.
I’m going to start by referencing Micah chapter 2. For those of you who are not familiar with all the books in the Bible, Micah is one of them. Micah chapter 2— just to give you a little background: Micah was a prophet to the kingdom of Judah. Israel was divided into two after Rehoboam; there was the northern kingdom, generally known as Israel, and the southern kingdom called Judah. Micah was a prophet that God raised for Judah. His time of ministry coincided with that of Isaiah, so both were prophets around the same time.
Micah’s ministry spanned the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Let’s go to Micah chapter 2, verse 10; it says, «Arise and depart, for this is not your rest because it is defiled. It shall destroy you, yes, with utter destruction.» I’ll read it again: «Arise and depart, for this is not your rest because it is defiled. It shall destroy you, yes, with utter destruction.»
This prophecy that God spoke through Micah occurred at a time when the southern kingdom and the whole of Israel were going through a bad situation— where powerful people were dominating the weak, and there were false prophets in the land. So the land had become a very bad place; the people were in a bad spot in their lives. God raised Micah to address this situation, and when Micah started prophesying, he spoke many harsh words to the people. But in this particular segment of his prophecy, he is addressing the people who had settled for all this disruption, deception, and false prophecy. The people had just settled, and God spoke to Micah to announce to the people, «Don’t sit here; don’t settle here.» He says, «Arise and depart!» Someone say, «I’m rising; I’m moving!»
The reason He says they should arise and depart is that the place they were in was defiled. So let me just define the word for us: What does it mean to be defiled? When Micah said the place was defiled, he meant, first, that the place was unclean. A defiled place is unclean; it means it is not wholesome, something that is unhealthy—not good for your well-being. So God says the people must not rest here because it is unclean; it is not wholesome; it’s not a good place to be.
The second definition of «defiled» is corrupted—something that has lost its purpose. When we say something is corrupted, it means it used to have a good purpose, but now it’s lost that purpose; it served a good purpose but is no longer serving one. It’s corrupted. Thirdly, «defiled» refers to something that has been degraded, something that has lost its power. It used to have value, but now it has no value; it has become cheap. That is what God is saying to Israel— to His people: «Arise and depart, for where you are is defiled; it’s unclean, it’s corrupted, it’s degraded. It’s not a good place; it’s not a wholesome place to stay.» And that is why He says, «Arise and depart.» A defiled place is a destructive place, and God warns the people, saying, «If you stay there, it will destroy you.»
There are many things that can defile a place. A place can be defiled by idolatry— where people are worshiping false gods— or it can be defiled by oppression, bitterness, envy, sin, lust, or bad friends. When we find ourselves in a defiled place, we must not settle there; we must rise and depart. That is what God is saying to His people: «The place you are is bad for you; it’s not where you should stay.»
I will illustrate this concept of rising and departing with three biblical stories, and I will run through them quickly. The first story is about Abraham, whom God told to arise and depart. Abraham departed from a world of idolatry— Genesis chapter 12, verse 1: «Now the Lord had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.'» Just listen to the instruction: «Get out, arise, depart, move away from your country, your family, your father’s house.» Verse 4 of Genesis 12 says, «So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him.» He departed because God said to depart. Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldeans; that was his native land, his culture.
He lived among his people and family; typically, when you live among your people in your country, with your family, it’s a place to feel comfortable—a place to rest. But Abraham’s family was living in a land of idolatry, and God wanted to start something new with Abraham. For that new thing to happen, Abraham had to depart. The thing to note about Abraham is that he entered idolatry simply because he was born into it; he didn’t know any better; he worshipped the gods of his people and believed what his people believed. But God had a different purpose for him; He wanted to reveal Himself to Abraham, and Abraham could not have the revelation of God while remaining in the same place where he was born. He had to arise and depart.
When God wants to do something new for you, He will demand something new from you. When God wants to do something new for you, He will demand something new from you. So He told Abraham, «I’m going to do something new for you; therefore, I am asking you to do something new, and that new thing is to rise up from your familiar place and depart.» There are many Christians who have not yet departed from the idols of their fathers— the spiritual worldviews of their fathers. You know, nowadays, many Christians respond to God the way their fathers used to respond to idols. They respond to men of God the way they used to respond to fetish priests.
At one point, it looks as if we are Christians, but we have not departed. Our worldview is still tied to African traditional religion. That’s why people can’t simply believe in the name of Jesus; they want the name of Jesus plus something else. People say, «Sometimes when you go to church, you have to 'do' something.» That is African traditional religion, where you go and the priest must perform something—some magic. In Christianity, we don’t go to a man of God to do something; we go to hear the word of God. That is the difference between Christianity and other religions. It’s not about doing something; it’s about hearing what God says.
Every revelation of God in the Bible comes with God saying something—telling people something, telling them what will be, what to depart from, and what to change. Abraham had to depart from idolatry; that’s the first story of a person rising and departing.
The second illustration of rising and departing is about Israel, the nation of Israel, departing from living under oppression in Egypt. Numbers chapter 33, verse 3 says, «They departed from Ramses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover. The children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians.» They went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. Unlike Abraham, who was in Ur of the Chaldeans merely because he was born there, the children of Israel were not born into a wrong environment. They entered bondage because of choices made by their ancestors.
Their fathers made choices for them; a previous generation made choices for them. Going to Egypt was the best choice at that time because there was food there—Joseph was in Egypt, and he had become the second most powerful person there. So when they initially went to Egypt, it was a wise decision, saving them from famine. In Egypt, they had a privileged position because Joseph was there. They received the best land; Pharaoh favored and respected them. It looked like a good decision had landed them in Egypt, but then the Bible says a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph.
It doesn’t mean that he didn’t know Joseph existed; it simply means that he didn’t care about Joseph. He owed Joseph no favors and decided to treat the Israelites differently. I’ve always wondered, when a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, did the people know it? If they did, why didn’t they leave? But I’m sure they thought, «Well, the days of Joseph will come again; someday we will be favored again.» And so they stayed in bondage for a long time. Abraham was born into his situation, but the Israelites got there because something that started right became bad.
Sometimes, something that starts well can still contain God, and you can end up stuck because, «Oh, it used to be good here—in the good old days!» The reality is that those days are gone. Your father is no longer who he used to be. You may have been born rich, but now you are broke. Don’t continue talking about how things used to be: «When we lived in London, when we lived in Paris, when we lived in Australia, when we lived in America, my father was this, my mother was that.» My friend, you’re no longer in that situation; you are in Egypt, in bondage.
If you keep living on your past heritage, you will remain in bondage for a very long time. I came to announce to somebody: stop dreaming, arise, and depart from that situation. Stop talking about how things used to be! That was Israel’s problem; things had changed, but they were still stuck. God says, «Arise and depart!» Somebody say, «I rise and I’m departing!»
I like how God told them to arise and depart; He instructed them to eat their bread before it had risen. They had to eat meat with bitter herbs; when they departed, they did so at night, not in the day. Because when it’s time to rise and depart, you don’t waste time. Somebody say, «I’m rising and departing!»
The third example of someone who had to rise and depart is the familiar story of the prodigal son. The prodigal son departed from a low and miserable life. Luke chapter 15, verses 17 and 18 states, «But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.'»
The prodigal son is not like Abraham; he was not born into misery. The prodigal son is not like Israel; nobody made choices for him that got him to where he is. The prodigal son got into misery by his own choices and actions. So we are looking at three categories: one, you were born into it; two, somebody’s decision got you into it; or three, your own decision got you there.
Whether you were born into it, somebody got you there, or you got yourself there, the instruction is still the same: arise and depart. It’s time to rise up; it’s time to depart! Many times we think we are the cause of our own walls; we got ourselves where we are. You know, when people feel that they caused their own situation, they feel they deserve it: «I brought it upon myself; it’s okay, I made a mistake.»
By the way, karma is not a Christian philosophy because between action and reaction, there is God, grace, mercy, favor, and forgiveness. Karma does not have that inside. That’s an Eastern philosophy. But in Christian philosophy, you can hit the ball against the wall, but before it gets to you, God can catch it. Between sowing and reaping, God can intervene.
So, don’t just say, «I did it, so it must happen to me.» You may have messed up, but God didn’t mess up. You made a mistake; God didn’t make a mistake, and God is a redeemer. The whole of the Bible is about redemption. The prodigal son got into the mess, and by the laws of karma, he should suffer, wait to die, and perhaps come back as a monkey. But he came to himself and said, «I messed up; I put myself here; it’s my fault. But I remember my father; I will arise and go to my father.»
I don’t know where you stand in these three examples—maybe you were born into it, maybe it was a decision that was made that originally looked good but has turned bad, or maybe you made the decision yourself. In any of these three categories, the instruction is the same: arise and depart! God can deliver you from what you were born into, from where people took you to, and God can deliver you from where you took yourself to.
Don’t sit down and say, «This is my lot; this is my destiny; this is how it is in my family; this is my father’s house; they all go through this; everybody in my ancestral line goes through that.» You are Abraham! Even though everybody in your family is sitting in that place, God says, «Arise and depart!» You are like Israel; somebody made a decision that, at the time, looked good but has now gone bad. Don’t stay there—arise and depart!
You are like the prodigal son; you made the decision yourself and got into the mess. But you will arise and depart because this place is not your resting place! This is not your resting place! Don’t remain there. Sometimes we allow ourselves to stay in places God wants us to depart from— our defiled places. Don’t stay in a defiled place!
Many of us have allowed ourselves to stay in defiled places. We are living in a defiled place— a place defiled with envy like Cain, disobedience like Saul, bitterness like Judas, or greed like Achan. We may be bitter and seeking vengeance like Absalom. Each of these people did not end well because they stayed in a defiled place.
Listen, don’t harbor bitterness no matter what has happened to you. Don’t remain in bitterness; it will destroy you. Don’t let your heart be filled with vengeance— seething with vengeance will kill you! You must rise from vengeance, rise from bitterness, rise from anything toxic.
I want it; I want it! He has it; I will get it! That is greed; it will defile you, and it will destroy you. Don’t stay in that place! Somebody say, «I’m rising and I’m departing!»
What happens to those who do not settle in the wrong path and who depart? The same Micah, and I’m concluding now— Micah 2:12–13. This is what God promises them after He says, «Arise and depart»: «I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I’ll put them together like the sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture. They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. The One who breaks open will come up before them; they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it. Their King shall pass before them, with the Lord at their head.»
So this is what God promises us—three things I want to highlight: First, God says, «I will help you to break out.» If you want to rise and depart, God says, «I will help you to do it.» This morning, somebody will rise and depart; you are breaking out from whatever situation you find yourself in—whether you were born into it, got into it by someone else’s decision, or you made the decision yourself. You are breaking out; somebody say, «I’m breaking out!»
Secondly, God says, «I will take you through the gate.» He is your waymaker; where doors are shut, the Lord will lead you out into a good place. He will take you through the gate.
And the final thing God says to them is, «I will be your head.» When the Lord is with you, you are never alone; He is your head, your guide.
So, I came here this morning to tell somebody: Arise and depart! The place you are is defiled; it is polluted. If you keep staying there, it will destroy you. Maybe it’s a sinful life you need to arise and depart from. Maybe it’s envy and bitterness; you must arise from that. Perhaps it’s a heart of vengeance; arise from it! Maybe it’s greed; arise from it! Maybe it’s a bad relationship you’ve gotten yourself into, and you know, «This is not where God wants me to be.» You must arise from it!
Don’t stay in a place God doesn’t want you to be. When your own heart condemns you, and you know within that this is not what God has planned for you, this is not the life He wants you to have, this is not a place God has for you. If you know that— don’t stay there! Don’t entertain it! Don’t say, «I was born into it.» Don’t say, «I can’t do anything about it because some people brought me here.» Don’t say, «My own mistake brought me here.» You are going to rise and depart!
And this morning, if you truly desire to rise and depart, I am going to pray with you. I am coming into agreement with you that God will break you out— He will break you out, and you will get out of that situation. This morning, a miracle will happen in your life— a breakthrough miracle; a full transformation in your life. If you believe there is something in your life you’ve been in for too long, and you know this is not where God wants me to be— God will break you out!
Let’s all rise together; I don’t want anyone to do it alone— just rise together! Now, put your hand on your heart. Father, You have not called us to defilement. You have not called us to destruction; You have not called us to be prisoners of our father’s house. You have not called us to be prisoners of bad situations we find ourselves in. You have not called us to be prisoners of our own bad choices and actions. You’ve called us to be free, and to be free indeed!
So, Father, I stand in Your name and in the name of Jesus before Your throne on behalf of Your children, that anyone who has found themselves in a defiled place and desires to be free today, in this moment, break them out of it, Lord! Anyone who desires to be free from a defiled place, open the gate for them, O Lord! Anyone who says, «I need help,» Lord, be their help, be their head, and take them out from today.
In this place, at this morning, I speak liberty to your spirit! I speak liberty to your soul! I speak liberty to your spirit! I speak liberty to your soul, to your mind, to your emotions, to your will, to your purposes in the name of Jesus! In the defiled place you find yourself, you are breaking loose from it! You will not be destroyed in this place, and this situation will not destroy you! I speak life to you! I speak health to you! I speak strength to you! I speak favor to you! I speak the fullness of God’s purposes; you will arise and you will depart!
In Jesus' name, amen and amen! Somebody say, «I rise and I depart!» In Jesus' name, give the Lord some praise this morning!