By: Eglaide Seiber Barroso
Have you ever experienced a time when you felt the excitement of a life change that will move you to a better and happier life? What about that great expectation of good things happening soon, accelerating your heart from time to time, making you want to jump ahead of GOD to embrace the new season? If you did, you know that with those charged emotions also comes the feeling of being stuck, unable to move, and the unnerving stress that comes when impatience sets in. At this point, we no longer find joy or peace where we are physically placed. According to a Google search, Transition is the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. As the seasons of life suddenly change in the spiritual realm, a new reality also sets in our souls from where renewal, spiritual growth, and every fiber of our being responds with a command saying, GO, MOVE ON! But we don’t know where we are supposed to move, what the new season looks like, or even how to get there. Therefore, transition opens doors to fear, leading us to insecurities that are connected to failures of past experiences and traumas.
After a long season of medical challenges during these past years, life had become very settled for me. Before this past summer, I was looking forward to my second granddaughter’s first birthday celebration in July because of the opportunity of being together with our blended families. We did have a beautiful and joyful time as a family, leading us to a second family gathering for her baby dedication celebration in September. But by the time I was back home from that second event, my entire body was covered with hives which led me to the local emergency room twice in a week and leaving me without a clear path to the reasons why that was happening to my body, or to how I would heal from such a horrific attack. From there, I began to walk in the dark valley of doubt, unbelief, fear, and shame because of the lies satan was throwing my way. Using the prolonged past season of my physical health trials, he engaged in a barrage of accusations that was coming against a recent promise I received from the LORD. As a result, I became physically and emotionally weary and wondered if my destiny was to live with chronic illnesses.
In the past, I made it through the infirmities in my body, seeing and feeling the presence of my Heavenly Father holding my hand and assuring me that no evil would overtake me. I had come out of different surgeries and nine weeks of COVID-19, a near-death event, stronger and receiving truth from the LORD about HIS love, protection, and provision for my life. This time wasn’t different, but I had given room to doubt, and discouragement started to dominate my thoughts. As the mental battle fiercely tried to oppress my soul, I began to cry for the LORD’S help once again; that was when the presence of GOD increased, reinforcing me with His Word, reminding me of fulfilled past promises of deliverance and health miracles, and leading me to Christian songs that would take me from day to day. Occasionally, however, I felt as if I was the walking dead. Just doing what was in front of me, ministering to others out of desperation to believe that sooner or later, I would see a breakthrough in my own healing situation. But the long journey walking in the valley of the shadow of death made me forget about the promises of GOD for this new season in my life and how that promise had lifted my spirit with pure joy.
I was brought back on GOD’s path for my life through a personal revival on January 8th, when the LORD gave me the clear mandate from Isaiah 43:18-19 KJV, ” 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” After reading these verses, I was free to leave my past tribulations behind and let the LORD Himself dictate every move I needed to make and not miss what HE already had coming into my life. The first thing that happened next was HE moved me to my former Brazilian church and removed everything that was holding me captive to unbelief, doubt, fear, and toxic relationships. However, being obedient to HIS clear directions to move on didn’t change the insecurities that came with transitioning to the new things happening in my life because I had to let go of all the plans and strategies I had made for my future. In order to move on to this new thing HE was doing in me, I was not allowed to take with me the hindrances that belonged to my past. I had to stop going to familiar places and get rid of old clothes and gifts that had become a token of hardship. That also included the people I would have to let go of because they didn’t belong in my future, as they couldn’t see what GOD had for me. They were accustomed to my past failures, the financial lack that had accompanied me for decades, the sorrow that came with every hospitalization for my husband and me, seasons with losses of loved ones, and the grief that accompanied my mother’s death. They couldn’t see me without these events being part of my daily identity. My spiritual and emotional growth had become to them a sign of their own failure because I had moved on from the valley, and they hadn’t, and that was too painful for them to live with. In a subtle way, transitioning to the new me was unfair to them in their eyes and even offensive to them, creating an ill atmosphere where it was hurtful to all.
Realizing that these things were the playing field that filled the mind’s battleground with fear, rejection, and insecurities, the next sixty days were left for me to have a godly ordained and much-needed consecration time to seek the LORD about these things. Alone with GOD, as my husband left for Brazil, the LORD began to reveal to me that I had been a people-pleaser for decades, giving into manipulation, jealousy, competition, and envy, becoming defiled by a deceived covenant of disobedience to the LORD, agreeing with strange spirits and ungodly fire doctrines. HE continued to reveal to me that I had bought the wrong belief that I was responsible for changing people’s mindsets and behavior. HE led me to Revelation 2:20-23 KJV which showed me what had opened the door for witchcraft, fear of abandonment, rejection, judgment, entanglement with co-dependency, and controlling spirits. That the attacks on my body with many health issues were caused by the prolonged emotional stress related to these life events, toxic emotions, and relationships, and that the devil himself had used all possible means to stop the will of GOD for my family life, professional career, ministry, and financial life to become a reality.
As soon I began to walk, obeying what the LORD asked me to do, my life changed from having dark thoughts in my mind to feeling hope again. The New Thing promised by the verse in the book of Isaiah took place in my life on January 14th with the reality that during this season of transition, the devil had used every hardship from the past seven years to keep me in bondage to his lies and plans.
I also was reminded that the Bible says in Romans 8:28 KJV, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love GOD, to them who are called according to HIS purpose.” To know what that purpose was for this season in my life, I had to choose to walk to a place of freedom, leaving the past behind regardless of the pain that comes with not knowing where GOD was taking me. Having the faith that HE who started this wonderful work in my life is faithful to finish and that HIS plan is to prosper me, not to harm. That decision led me to pure joy and to dance and worship GOD again. I realized I had completely died to what was holding me prisoner of my past. I could feel freedom invading all areas of my life and see the promises of GOD becoming materialized. Today, I can’t not list and account for the true miracles happening in my family life and all around me. Thank you, JESUS, for bringing me to A PLACE OF FREEDOM!
Psalm 46:1 KJV “GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” | “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love GOD, to them who are the called according to HIS purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV
