Reflections from a Holy Place
It is one thing I know for sure and two things I know for certain. Number one, after the hardship, in flows ease, and after the storm, the sun shines, and the birds will certainly sing. Secondly, surrendering to God in the eye of your storm is not only deemed courageous, but it also signals that you understand that to be born again, you must welcome death. The death of old habits, the death of attachments, the death of the old self, and your old life. The Bible says this:
Romans 12:2 - “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
What I noticed since I welcomed the death of my old identity is that not only are the habits, thoughts, and words dying, but it is like a snake that has shed its old skin; you, too, shed the skin of what no longer serves you. You become new in every way. Your glow is different, and you have an undeniable divine calm that takes residence in your spirit.
My Personal Journey To Sobriety
When I began my sobriety journey, I was simultaneously learning and growing my relationship with God. It is also when I began researching this idea of fasting and denouncing strongholds to be completely and finally free from this old identity. I started seeing this transition from the lens of the spirit.
What if everything is just spiritual warfare? And if I wanted to break a habit, to leave a relationship, to become this new woman of God that I knew I wanted to be, then I would have to do some cleaning of the spirit. If I were going to fight a spiritual battle, then I would need to build the spiritual body.
I started fasting. Intentionally structuring my fast so that I could hold my promise with God. Fasting is how you break the spirits that are attached to you, feeding off your energy, and keeping you in the loop of being out of alignment with God’s will. My Aunt Tonya once told me that we must name the spirit for what it is, and we stand in authority to denounce these spirits. This verse speaks on it perfectly:
Mark 9:29 - “and he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus was explaining to the disciples why they couldn’t cast out a specific demon, teaching us that some strongholds require both fasting and prayer. It’s true. If you are fighting or working in the spiritual realm, why wouldn’t you need to make sure the SPIRIT is strong? Which can only be done through fasting.
So, if your goal is to kick the alcohol, cannabis, or whatever it may be, you must denounce the spirits attached to you that are bringing you to it. For example, you would denounce the spirit of addiction, the spirit of numbing, the spirit of fear, the spirit of sickness, the spirit of anxiety, of self-neglect, of self-harm, of death and destruction, and so on. You may have more that is more specific to you and your situation.
After you denounce, you must replace it with that of which you wish to fill your spirit, home, and mind. Look at this passage, Matthew 12:43-45 - “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. He saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he cometh, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first…” …so we denounce that of which we no longer give authority to, and welcome in that of which we wish to experience. For example, we would welcome in the spirit of clarity, of strength, of sobriety, of self-compassion and understanding, of forgiveness, of rest, of harmony, order, peace, grace, and gentleness. Again, the list could be added to depending on your situation. The work doesn’t stop there. You must trust that this is true.
Proverbs 23:7 - “for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…”
You must feel it in your heart that it is done. It does no good to just speak empty words, but it does wonders when you speak the words with authority, dominion, and trust that you will receive.
Matthew 7:7 - “Ask, and it shall be given; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
Welcoming A Renewed Spirit
In growing my knowledge of the spirit, I realized just how sensitive she is. I started, more intentionally, always operating on a level of “does this serve my spirit?” Look at it this way, if the spirit is the driver in this vehicle we call the flesh, then it is she who knows the directions and not the car itself. If you get what I’m saying. The spirit leads the flesh, not the other way around. So if this is true, why wouldn’t I make sure the driver was strong, capable, and confident? I mean, she is the one directly receiving information from God himself. We must also remember this: “what weakens the spirit, weakens the body. What strengthens the spirit, strengthens the body.” I’ll admit my journey with not only sobriety, but of strengthening the spirit, and renewing the mind to reflect that of the kingdom, is the greatest journey I have ever embarked on.
From this journey, I discovered other jewels of wisdom. Like being ok with surrendering. We must please God by operating and working through the spirit (that reflects his kingdom), not the flesh (that reflects the world). I think this came more naturally after I had a traumatic experience over a year ago, where I lost my very foundation right from underneath my feet.
Surrender
The art of surrendering is the act of believing that whatever God “takes” will be replaced with something of equal or greater value and that it will better serve you and your God-ordained calling. The act of surrendering is, in fact, something that you HAVE to look at through the lens of the spirit. “God’s Eye” is what I like to call it. This is where we view the situation from the top of the valley. Seeing it from a broadened view and understanding. Almost whenever you zoom out and look at it from this perspective, you notice that it was actually in your best interest for the situation to happen. And most of the time it comes when we ourselves didn’t take the initiative to, for example, leave a relationship, leave a job, relocate, or whatever it may be. So God took it upon himself and did it for you. When you surrender to it, allow him to do it, thank him, rejoice in the shedding and welcome the change, you will notice that in fact, he did it for your own good, and what ever left you was not for you and is not welcome in your next season. I spoke about this in my latest short film, “Seasons of Self.”
“This is my season of falling
apart and together
I am letting go of
What weighs me down
to be lighter and
closer to God
to be like God
I surrender to the creator’s plan
Like the trees surrender
I will let go, too.”
Reflection For The Reader
I want you to reflect and apply this to your life. Answer these questions in a journal or between some trusted friends.
What are some things you wish to denounce in your life right now? What would you replace it with?
What do you feel like God has been nudging you to change, but you’ve been ignoring it?
Can you think of the last time you had to surrender to God moving in your life? Write about the situation and the outcome.
What journey are you currently on right now? name it. claim it.
What are some ways you honor your spirit? How can you deepen those practices going into the new year?
