I’ve lost track of the number of days I made the decision to follow the guidelines and submit to the Stay at Home orders given by Governor Mike DeWine. Has it been three weeks? Four? Seven? I honestly do not know, but there’s no need to panic.
Yea, I wish it were that easy.
It started slowly. Hearing of COVID-19 in January, moving to February, wondering if it would reach America. Excited to see my daughter, I traveled to Atlanta for an event coupled with spending time with my baby girl, who also doubles as my business partner. We laughed as we were setting up her new apartment. We talked a little about the coronavirus, but it seemed so far from us that we did not give it too much thought. As I departed Sunday afternoon on my drive back to Columbus, I was scrolling through my news feed and seeing article after article that COVID is here!
Arriving well after midnight into my driveway, I rushed into the house to turn on the television. I found story after story of how this virus is taking America by storm. It took me a moment to calm down. Once my heart stopped pounding, I remembered that I have a call of prayer on my life. I had to turn what was trying to become fear into prayer. There was a settling in my spirit, but I found myself in a tug of war vacillating between a spirit of fear and leaning into the scripture, “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Isn’t it interesting that you can read scripture over and over again, but then one day, you read it and find something you never connected before? Looking at, praying over, and studying 2 Timothy 1:7, my eyes landed on “God did not…” My spirit leaped.
God has not put upon us the spirit of fear. He did not give that to us. No! He has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. Some translations say, sound mind. Regardless of the interpretation, God did not give us a spirit of fear.
Fear is a stronghold that we must demolish.
No, God did not cause this pandemic. However, I do believe He is using it for His good. Stay with me. As it relates to my life, God had to bring me back to who He called me to be. I am an intercessor at the intersection of people, prayer, and politics. Everything that is going on right now has created a platform for me to move into what He called me to do. However, oftentimes we are faced with fear, insecurities, avoidance, lack, and asking questions. Some questions could be, “Am I operating in my godly position of power, authority, and anointing?” Have I abandoned my assignment? Have I allowed the enemy to distract me with his lies that push me in a place of hiding? Do I have what it takes? Can I use my voice?
Distractions are strongholds that we must demolish.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up again the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Time to fight with the correct weapons of divine power to demolish strongholds. Time to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Jesus. Time to rise and take a stand.
Distractions.
Insecurities.
Fear.
Avoidance.
Silence.
In the name of Jesus, all those strongholds must be demolished.
Yes, undressing myself in my last blog post released some old chains that I had placed around my neck. They were starting to choke the life out of my, yet today, I can breathe fully again. I preached, and I have taught Isaiah 52 many times which says,
Awake, awake, O Zion,
clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your garments of splendor,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
O captive Daughter of Zion.
I have freed myself from the chains around my neck. Now, it’s your turn. Do you have any chains that need to be removed?
Call to action. 1) Consider what chains need to be removed from your life. 2) Let me know how I might pray for you. 3) Share in the comment section what platform you have built so others can support. Yes, list your website. 4) Share how you are dealing with COVID-19 Stay at Home orders. 5) If you are led, consider sowing a seed. The PayPal link is on the right panel.
Schedule a free 15-minute time slot of inspiration, prayer, and spiritual direction with me during this time of COVID-19. Schedule here.
