Tag: Hurt

  • Next Level, Next Devil

    Be Careful What You’re Asking For. Everybody wants next-level favor. Everybody wants next-level blessings. Everybody prays, God, take me higher. Use me more. Expand my territory.

    But here’s the question nobody asks:
    Are you ready for what comes with it? Because another level… always brings another devil.

    Some doors you’re asking God to open aren’t just paved with opportunity, they’re surrounded by spiritual warfare. Some blessings you’re begging for come hand-in-hand with betrayal, abandonment, heartbreak, and loneliness. Some platforms you want will expose you to wounds you never thought you’d have to feel.

    Favor looks good from a distance.
    It sounds powerful when you’re praying for it.
    But real favor, the kind that shakes the gates of hell, costs something.

    You might lose friends. You might lose family.
    You might lose the approval of the crowd you were trying so hard to fit into. You might have nights where you’re weeping on the floor, wondering why the very people you loved the most are the first ones who turned their backs when you started to rise.

    You want the blessing, but are you ready for the burden? You want the calling, but can you handle the crushing? See, everyone wants the crown, but few are willing to endure the cross.

    God will never give you favor that your character can’t carry. He’s not just blessing you, He’s building you also. He’s teaching you how to have thicker skin and carry a softer heart. He’s teaching you how to walk alone and not crumble. He’s teaching you how to stay humble when you have every reason to brag.
    He’s teaching you how to hold onto Him tighter when everything else falls apart.

    Sometimes that next-level favor you’re praying for will cost you comfort. It’ll cost you convenience. It’ll cost you approval. It might even cost you the version of yourself that wasn’t ready for it.

    So before you beg God for the next level, ask Him to build your foundation deeper. Ask Him to strengthen your spirit first. Because promotion without preparation is a setup for destruction. And favor without fortitude will break you instead of bless you.

    If you’re asking for next level favor, you better be ready for next level warfare. If you’re asking for next level blessings, you better be ready for next level loneliness. If you’re asking for next level purpose, you better be ready for next level hurt.

    If you’re ready, and if you’re willing to endure the pain for the promise, then stand tall, armor up, and walk through the fire.

    Because the same God who gives the favor will also give the strength to carry it. The same God who brings the blessing will walk you through the battle. The same God who calls you higher will never leave you lower. You were made for this. But first, be ready.

  • The Past Doesn’t Define You

    I don’t even know how to explain all that I’ve been through. I’ve walked through fire that left me scarred in ways that no one could ever see. I’ve smiled through pain just to survive the day. I’ve been in rooms full of people and felt completely alone. I’ve lied and said I’m okay more than I’d care to admit. Behind closed doors, I’ve cried out to God with nothing but brokenness in my hands. I was left wondering if He was even still listening.

    I’ve done things I wish I could undo. Seen things I wish I could unsee. Said things in anger, in pain, out of fear. Many things that still echo in my mind, reminding me of who I was when I was just trying to hold myself together.

    I’ve been brought to my knees more than once. And not in worship, but in utter defeat. With absolute regret. Also with complete exhaustion. I’ve looked in the mirror and barely recognized the person staring back. I’ve asked God to just let it end. Just let the pain stop. But he had different plans, because I’m still here. And that’s not just a sentence, it’s a miracle.

    The devil came for me hard. First, he tried to destroy my mind when he came at me and caused me anxiety, and the shame. Most of all, the constant voices telling me I wasn’t enough. Then he came for my body, with sickness, fatigue, and chronic pain that doesn’t stop. When that wasn’t enough, he came for both, hoping I’d finally break.

    What the enemy didn’t know is that God had already put something in me that couldn’t be killed. He put a purpose. He gave me a calling. He gave me a reason to rise again. Even when I had no strength of my own. I’m here for such a time as this.

    I’m not who I used to be. I’m also not who I’m going to be. But I am here, wiser, stronger, and more aware of the fight I’m in. I’m also more confident in the God who’s kept me through it all. I’m not done. I’m not out. I refuse to let the darkness that tried to take me out win.

    You can’t kill what God planted. You can’t silence what He raised up for this generation. I may be bruised, but I am not broken. I may carry around scars physically and emotionally, but they are the proof that I survived. That I overcame because the grace of God.

    For anyone that is reading this who’s barely holding on, hear me when I say this, You are not alone, And this isn’t the end. God’s not done with you either. This is just the beginning.

  • Why didn’t God Help?

    A question many of us have whispered in pain, shouted in anger, or quietly pondered in silence.

    When tragedy strikes, when suffering feels overwhelming, or when the world feels unfair, this is often our first question. Why didn’t God step in? Where was He?

    But what if He asks us the same question?

    “Why didn’t you help?”

    Think about the homeless person you passed today. You saw them. Maybe you looked away quickly, maybe you judged, or maybe you just told yourself you couldn’t do anything. But they were there, cold, hungry, human.

    Think about that coworker or classmate who looked like they were barely holding it together. You noticed. You felt something was off. But you didn’t ask. You didn’t stop. It wasn’t your business, you told yourself.

    Think about the person you love who’s been distant lately. You figured they needed space. Or maybe you didn’t want to deal with their weight when your own shoulders already felt heavy. But you sensed it. You felt it.

    What about the friend who hinted at needing help but never said the words? The kid who gets picked on while others laugh? The person online who posted something dark or cryptic and you just kept scrolling?

    We say, “Why didn’t God intervene?”
    But maybe He placed that person in your path because you were supposed to.

    Maybe we are His hands and feet, His heart in action.

    Maybe God’s help doesn’t come from lightning bolts or grand gestures, but from everyday people choosing kindness, choosing presence, choosing to care.

    So before we ask, “Where was God?”,
    He might gently ask, “Where were you?”

    Let’s stop waiting for divine intervention when we have been given the power to be divine love in someone’s life.

    Help when you can. Speak when you should. Show up when it matters.
    Because someone is praying for a miracle, and maybe, just maybe, that miracle is you.

  • Let Judas Be Judas

    Let Judas Be Judas: Embracing Betrayal as Part of Your Purpose

    We all want loyalty. We want to surround ourselves with people who will ride with us through the highs and the lows, who will support us, uplift us, and never turn their backs on us. But life doesn’t always work that way. There comes a time when someone you trust, someone you thought would always be in your corner, betrays you. And when that moment comes, it shakes you to your core.

    The natural reaction is to be hurt, to be angry, to question everything. “How could they do this to me? After all we’ve been through?” But I’ve come to realize something powerful: even Jesus needed a Judas.

    Think about that for a moment. Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, chose Judas as one of His twelve disciples, knowing full well that he would betray Him. He didn’t make a mistake. He didn’t misjudge Judas’ character. He didn’t fail to see the red flags. He knew. And yet, He still allowed Judas to walk with Him, to break bread with Him, to be part of His inner circle.

    Why? Because Judas was necessary for the mission.

    Without Judas’ betrayal, there would be no cross. Without the cross, there would be no resurrection. And without the resurrection, there would be no salvation. The pain of betrayal was the very thing that propelled Jesus into fulfilling His ultimate purpose.

    And the same goes for us.

    When someone you trust betrays you, it’s not the end of your story, it’s the turning point. That heartbreak, that disappointment, that feeling of being stabbed in the back isn’t happening to you; it’s happening for you. Because maybe, just maybe, that betrayal is the very thing pushing you toward your destiny.

    I know this is true for me.

    Had certain things not happened in my life, had certain people not betrayed my trust, I’d still be sitting on a pew, staying silent. I’d still be keeping everything God has done for me locked inside, afraid to share it with the world. But their betrayal was the catalyst that got me to where I am today. It woke me up. It pushed me out. It forced me to step into what God was calling me to do.

    And that’s why I’ve started this blog. Not because I’m special, not because I have it all figured out, but because I know what it feels like to be hurt, to be blindsided, to wonder why God allowed this to happen. And if my story, my experiences, and my testimony can help even one person see that their betrayal wasn’t the end, it was the beginning, then it’s all been worth it.

    So if you’re going through a season of betrayal right now, if you’ve been wounded by someone you thought would always be in your corner, let Judas be Judas.

    Keep your circle small. Guard your heart. But also understand that sometimes, the ones who hurt you the most are the ones who push you into your purpose. Judas didn’t win. God did. And if you stay faithful, if you keep trusting, if you refuse to let the pain make you bitter, you’ll see that this was never about them.

    It was always about what God was preparing you for.

    So, thank Judas, and keep moving forward. Your purpose is waiting.

  • Healing Begins When Lies End

    Healing Starts with Truth. It’s no surprise that people aren’t healing when they’re holding on to a false narrative that was handed to them. You can’t heal from what you don’t understand, and you can’t move forward when you’re standing on a foundation built on lies. Healing requires truth, even when that truth is painful.

    Many people spend years, even decades, believing something that was never meant to serve them, whether it’s a lie about their worth, their past, or their potential. They were told who they are, what they can be, and how they should think, and they accepted it without question. But how can you heal when the version of reality you were given is distorted? How can you move forward when you don’t even know the full weight of what you’re carrying?

    The truth is uncomfortable. It forces you to see things for what they really are, not what you wish they were. And yes, it will hurt. It will shake you, break you, and maybe even make you feel like you’re worse off than before. But that pain is the beginning of something real. It’s the start of actual healing, not the illusion of it.

    Healing isn’t just about getting over something; it’s about facing it, understanding it, and rebuilding with honesty. It means tearing down the lies, unlearning the conditioning, and choosing to see things as they are, even when it’s not what you want to see. You can’t fix what you refuse to acknowledge.

    So if you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself: what false stories have I been carrying? What version of reality have I been living that isn’t really mine? Healing starts when you stop running from the truth. It starts when you stop numbing yourself with distractions and finally confront what’s real.

    Yes, it will hurt. But pain isn’t the enemy, lies are. And the moment you start embracing the truth, no matter how difficult, is the moment you open the door to real healing.