09/23/2025
I Have Something I Need to Confess -
As many of you know, I have been helping people with grief & loss for more than 28+ years now. It would be an understatement to say, "I've seen and heard it all" -
The key point that I will get to is actually a root cause. Grief is SPIRITUAL - So many people cannot see it yet, but I promise you it is and I have lived it.
I took some breaks from it because of a conversation I had with God while I was outside, smoking a cigar. (I know, smoking is gross - more on this later) I joking called my time outside, "Smoking Ci**rs with God" - I recall talking with him and saying, "One day, you will set me free from this bo***ge."
I will never forget the words inside of my head one day ...
"The Devil's Been Studying You ..."
I put my cigar down, sipped my coffee and took another puff and said, "Tell me more"
"He knows every heartbreak, the trauma you never healed from." I sat back in my chair, and said, "But I have gone through an array of recovery, I have certifications of all kinds and I have helped so many people heal ... "
The voice interrupted and said, "Yet here you are, sitting before The Creator of all life forms, smoking a cigar and taking it so lightly that with every puff, you are being robbed from life itself ... the enemy of your soul, the devil, the father of lies, is using your past against you ... triggering anxiety, depression, shame - waiting on you to give up."
"I know" I replied. "I sometimes feel like giving up on this calling about helping others with their grief. Nobody seems to want my gifts and callings. I confess that I have been feeling pretty defeated over the past year."
The Holy Spirit began to speak again, "Your mind is the battlefield. If the enemy can confuse you, he controls you. You are still numbing yourself with ni****ne."
I confessed, "I get what you're saying, and yes, it is true. But I have tried to stop so many times and failed. I feel defeated now. I don't even know why I started smoking to be honest."
Again, The Holy Spirit began to gently guide me back in time through my past. I recalled the first time I smoked, a Marlboro Red 100. I literally got sick to my stomach, but I was determined to finish it ... I ran to the bathroom and literally looked green in the face. I just wanted to 'Fit In' with all my friends. Everyone I knew was doing it. I got picked on because I didn't ... I didn't smoke, drink, do drugs, and was basically classified as a straight-laced nerd.
Well, the next thought was mind-blowing. "So, now you are not so cool, and nobody smokes anymore ... Would you like for me to break this stronghold the enemy has on you? You've tried everything the world offered you to stop, and here you are, still smoking."
"Yes. I want to be set free from this stronghold. How do we do this?"
"Renew Your Mind" - was what I heard. Renew my mind? How?
"I need you to mean it, and set a quit date on your calendar." I saw the date of 08/08/2025. I figured it would be an easy date to remember. "Now, you can renew your mind by stating today, "I am not a smoker."
"That's it?" I replied. "Yes, that's it. Try me on it." So I did. Even when I was lighting a cigar, I said with each and every puff, "I am not a smoker."
The quit date arrived. I felt some anxiety about it when I woke up. I recalled the night before, at 7:03 p.m. when I smoked my last cigar. Today, as of 09/23/2025, I am 46 days into my non-smoker mentality.
You see, it was as simple as renewing my mind. The Bible points this out that renewing your mind means aligning your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes with God's truth, rejecting worldly patterns, and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform you into a new person.
This transformation enables you to understand and live out God's perfect will. Key Bible verses include Romans 12:2, which instructs believers not to conform to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds, and Ephesians 4:23-24, which speaks of being "renewed in the spirit of your mind".
I can honestly proclaim today, My Chains are Gone! I've Been Set Free!
I have heard people say, 'I don't know how to hear from God.' Let me know if I can help you. I Promise, He is still talking to us!
Welcome to The Great Awakening! Healing is a choice, and it is your choice. So, I will start asking you again, "Do you want to be well?"
Comment below and share if you have had what I call a God Encounter. I love hearing about them!!
