Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us.- Hebrews 12:1 AMP

Warrior;

The snake saw the porcupine and thought it had found an easy victory. The creature was small, slow and vulnerable.  So it wrapped itself around the porcupine and began to squeeze. Harder and harder, it squeezed to defeat this enemy. But the harder it squeezed, the deeper the quills pierced. The snake believed pressure would solve the problem, so it tightened again, and again, and again, until the porcupine died… and so did the snake. The snake didn’t die because of the porcupine. It died because it wouldn’t let go of what was killing it. This battle is in the mind!  We are reminded by our enemy, the world and our flesh of our shortcomings, our past mistakes and our FOO (Family of Origin) issues. In Revelation 12:10 our enemy is called THE ACCUSER of the brethren, accusing us constantly. It is time to put on the Helmet of Salvation and the Breastplate of Righteousness and…’to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Leader, when we accepted the ‘blood of the Lamb’, when we became IN CHRIST, the Word of God tells us we are a new creation; ‘the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]’. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is the battlefield of identity.  In this warfare that is waged in the Spirit realm some enemies are not defeated by force or working harder; they are defeated by release. They succumb to the ‘let go, let God’ strategy. Dr. King would say, “You can’t drive out darkness with darkness; only light can do that.  You can’t drive out hate with hate; only love can do that”. And you can’t conquer bitterness by holding on to it and squeezing it. You can’t overcome resentment by rehearsing it, presenting your case before the judge 1000 times in cognition. You cannot defeat shame by rolling around with it. We cannot win the battle for our identity and become more useful to Abba Father- while holding onto old lies about who we are, and what we’re called to do! Our identity is where all behavior comes from. We cannot win the battle for our identity, while holding onto old beliefs that puncture our souls. When we don’t know WHO we are, then we don’t know what TO DO.  When we know WHOSE WE ARE, then our identity aligns. 

Conduit, what if we dropped what is stabbing our spirit, and quenching the HOLY SPIRIT? We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 never quench the Holy Spirit.  When we don’t believe who we are IN CHRIST, then we QUENCH the HOLY SPIRIT. Paul is telling the church in Thessalonica: The Holy Spirit is a fire, don’t throw water on Him. This is not about losing salvation. It’s about losing usage, opportunity, Divine appointments, and alignment. All because we can’t step into our NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST, because we are stuck in the lies of the past being spewed at us by the enemy of our souls. This is not about missing heaven. It’s about shutting down the Spirit’s activity in your life by missing many things because we don’t believe who we are, or what God has done, or says. Leadership is not just about what we carry, it’s about what we refuse to carry any longer. Jesus told us: “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) A leader IN CHRIST knows when to release old narratives, toxic loyalties, ego-driven battles, old identities that no longer serve the mission, and maybe- responsibilities God never assigned. Lead by letting go. Release the battles that drain your authority. Release the burdens that distort your clarity. Release the identities that sabotage your influence. Your leadership expands when your grip loosens. Let go and Let God- for the battle belongs to the LORD, soldier! Our life is not about possession; it is about transmission. Our identity is not about accumulation; it is about distribution. Our purpose is not about control: it is about surrender! Let go, let GOD and let’s go!