We had been waiting to meet with the pastor for a whole week – but when you’ve been thinking about doing something for so long, it felt like forever.

There were things he and his wife had been saying behind the pulpit that my husband and I found alarming. 

So the day came, and there we sat. 

We prayed it would be a great conversation. But as we asked about the worrisome statements they’d been making about people outside of their church (called them poisonous among other things), the pastor used Scripture, out of context, to support what he and his wife were saying.

The meeting came to a close, we got up and started moving toward the door. 

As the pastor went to open the door, he paused, turned and looked at us.

“Now going forward, if you have any concerns, I trust you’ll pray about it and then trust my leadership.”

Okay, here’s the deal.

Many times we hate what’s happened to us, or others. Can we delete that part of our lives? We envy others who seem to have lived without our pain.

We want to erase difficult things from our lives – and why?

Because we view our wounds as weakness.

But – here’s the thing.

What if our wounds are our biggest weapon in the Kingdom?

Wounds don’t have to be synonymous with weakness.

In fact, what we’ve lived through is evidence that we aren’t weak. 

And now?

Your wounds have become your weapons in the Kingdom! 

Think about it! Here are some of the things I’ve noticed in my own life and in the many lives of women I sit across from:

1. You have discernment where you were once deceived.

You don’t fall for counterfeits anymore.

What once confused you? Now you see it clearly.

Your wound is now a weapon of spiritual awareness you didn’t have before, and most others don’t carry. (Hebrews 5:14)

2. You have compassion rooted in experience.

You don’t just understand pain—you feel it, because you’ve been there.

All you’ve carried now gives you a compassion that breaks walls and builds trust with others looking for a safe place.

Your wound is now a weapon of connection for the wounded (Isaiah 1:17)

3. You hold courage that’s been born in the fire.

Fear tried to bury you, and now it no longer bosses you around.

Your boldness is palpable because you’ve walked through the hardest places and you’ve survived.

Your wound is now a weapon of courage. (Psalm 23:4)

4. You implement boundaries that reflect Kingdom identity.

The places you were once walked on are now places you walk in authority.

You know your value now and you’re unwilling to give unsafe people access to your life and peace. (Matthew 7:6)

Your wound is now a weapon of self-worth you once didn’t have.

5. You own a testimony that silences shame.

The enemy counts on secrecy, but you learned to speak.

Your story sets others free to speak too. (Revelation 12:11)

Your wound is now a weapon of freedom.

Nothing you’ve walked through is wasted.

We left the pastor’s office that day, grateful.

We had only been there a year and the red flags were evident early on. 

I am certain that had I not walked through so much in my life already, we wouldn’t have noticed. Just like so many others, we would’ve stayed and been more deceived by the spiritual manipulation happening there.

And that is just one example.

• How have your wounds been a weapon in the Kingdom?
• How have what you’ve learned in the fire helped you or others?

       Spend time today thinking about that!

Every tear, every heartbreak, every season that made you question if you’d make it—God saw it, held you through it, and is now using it to build His Kingdom.

And also – if today feels heavy, or if your past still echoes louder than you’d like, take heart. God is not done weaving good from what tried to break you. Your story is still unfolding, and the strength you carry didn’t come cheap—and that’s exactly why it’s powerful.

Again…

Nothing we’ve walked through is wasted.

Prayer:

God of Redemption,

Help us believe you can take what’s shattered and make it whole.

Lift our heads.

Heal our hearts.

Make us powerful where we are, for your glory.

In Jesus’ name, amen.