The Story: A Conversation I Can’t Forget

A few months ago, I sat across from a friend let’s call her “T.” She was tense, voice low, eyes fixed on the table. “I’m just being obedient,” she whispered. “But every time I speak, the room tightens.”

She wasn’t exaggerating. Her voice carried weight, and she felt it. “I’ve started watering it down,” she admitted. “Just enough to keep the peace.”

I placed a hand over hers and said, “Maybe it’s not that you’re too much. Maybe your voice wasn’t meant to blend  it was meant to break through.

Her eyes lifted. “Break what?”

“Silence. Systems. Structures that thrive when you stay quiet. Your sound shakes what’s dormant, it wasn’t meant to settle. It was meant to shake.”

Her tension softened. She wasn’t shrinking from pride; she was shrinking from pressure. But her roar? Not rebellion. Revelation. And the discomfort? Just proof that her voice was moving what needed to move.

 What Does It Mean to RISE and ROAR?

To RISE is to stand in the space God called you to, even when comfort says sit down.

To ROAR is to release the sound He put in you, even when silence feels safer.

Why Must You Rise?

• Because your gift wasn’t made for the shadows, it’s meant to shape systems.
• Because the mountain, whether media, business, education, or government, needs your voice on it.
• Because private prayer must meet public power.
• Because hiding may feel safe, but it costs you territory.
• Because your fruit feeds more than feelings it fuels nations.
• Because the world doesn’t just need revival in church it needs reform in culture.

 Why Must You Roar?

• Because silence in warfare isn’t wisdom, it’s surrender.
• Because heaven’s shifts start with sound, ask Jericho.
• Because your voice doesn’t just echo, it evicts.
• Because the enemy banks on your silence to keep his grip.
• Because a muzzled mouth can’t move mountains.

The Cost of Staying Silent

•  You’ll normalize bondage and label it “being humble.”
•  You’ll let counterfeit voices write the script you were born to lead.
• You’ll walk in survival when you are called to reign in authority.

What’s Holding You Back?

• Fear of being misunderstood?
• Still nursing wounds from past rejection?
• Tired of carrying weight no one sees?

Let’s get honest, it’s not that your roar disappeared. You’ve just been waiting for permission…

God already gave it.

Firebrand Prayer of the Month

Lord,
Reignite the fire I’ve let flicker. Restore my roar. Break the muzzle, lift the weight. Let this month mark my rising. In clarity, in courage, in unshakable authority. Make me bold in stance and unstoppable in sound. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 Reflection Questions

1. Where have I been silent to keep the peace?
2. What truth do I need to speak about, even if it’s unpopular?
3. What would rising and roaring look like in my current season?

Wrapping It Up

Firebrand,
This is your rise and roar moment. You’ve survived the pressing. You’ve matured in the middle. Now heaven is calling your sound forward.

The same God who met you in the silence is now commissioning your voice. The world doesn’t need another echo. It needs your roar.
So rise. And let it be known you didn’t survive the crushing just to stay silent.

Firebrand,
Don’t let this month slip by with your mouth muted and your stance unsure.
What God placed in you isn’t background noise , it’s a battle cry.
The roar isn’t optional. It’s your assignment.

So, rise. Roar. Repeat.

Loud. Unapologetic. Unstoppable.

With fire,
Dora Mensah
Founder, Firebrand Global Network
Unmuzzled. Unapologetic. Unstoppable.

The Story: The Day I Almost Whispered When I Was Meant to Roar

After a long season of hiddenness, I finally felt a shift. Doors opened. Opportunities aligned. The fog was lifting. But instead of roaring, I hesitated.

Why? Because I had gotten so used to surviving quietly, I forgot I was allowed to show up boldly. I had embraced the crushing… but now God was asking me to speak. To shake atmospheres again. And that was harder than I expected. But the Spirit whispered: “You weren’t crushed to stay quiet. You were pressed to carry power. Now roar.”

 The Enemy Loves a Silenced Firebrand

If the enemy can’t kill your calling, he’ll convince you to mute it. Here’s how:

• You’ll second-guess what God already affirmed.
• You’ll shrink in spaces you’re called to shift.
• You’ll play nice with fear instead of stepping up in fire.

But this is not the month to be muzzled. August is your activation. The sound of heaven is waiting on the rise of your roar.

• Your “yes” stops glowing but gains grit.

This is sacred ground where purpose is processed, not postponed. The danger? Mistaking the making for the breaking. You’ll call it punishment (when it’s preparation), failure (when it’s formation), silence (when it’s sanctification).

But this isn’t abandonment. This is the Potter at work. Your crown isn’t found in applause; it’s forged in the crush. The pressure isn’t burying you. It’s building your legacy. You’re not stuck, you’re being shaped. And one day, you’ll trace the oil on your life back to this very place.

 The Cost of Staying Silent in a Season That Requires Sound

• Delayed Destiny: Your roar might be the key that unlocks someone else’s breakthrough.
• Muted Influence: What you won’t say can become what someone else won’t hear.
• Unstirred Atmospheres: There are rooms waiting for your sound—not your silence.
• False Peace: Avoiding the roar to keep peace only empowers what should’ve been rebuked.

Ask Yourself:

1. Have I allowed fear, fatigue, or false humility to muzzle me?
2. What part of my story—or sound—have I been hiding because of shame or insecurity?
3. Who or what have I been waiting for permission from… that God already gave me authority over?

A Prayer for the Firebrand Ready to Roar

Lord,
Thank You for what You’ve done in the crushing, but now—help me rise. Break every internal muzzle. Uproot every lie that tells me I’m not ready.
I silence shame. I reject fear. I choose courage. I choose boldness. Give me the sound of the Spirit—unfiltered and unashamed.
Let my voice be a weapon, my story be oil, and my obedience be fire. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wrapping It Up

Firebrand,
This is your rise and roar moment. You’ve survived the pressing. You’ve matured in the middle. Now heaven is calling your sound forward.

The same God who met you in the silence is now commissioning your voice. The world doesn’t need another echo. It needs your roar.
So rise. And let it be known you didn’t survive the crushing just to stay silent.

Key Takeaways

✅ “You were not pressed to stay passive. You were crushed to carry power.”
✅ “Rising isn’t just about visibility—it’s about victory.”
✅ “What muzzles you now may master you later. Break it.”
✅ “Don’t whisper where God has called you to roar.”
✅ “August requires boldness. Obedience has a sound.”

The Story: When I Almost Missed the Gift Wrapped in Grit

Last month, I shared a grocery store meltdown with a metaphor for life’s frustrating delays. This month let’s go deeper.

Years ago, I was in a wilderness season where obedience felt like a joke. Doors stayed shut. Prayers hit the ceiling. Meanwhile, others thrived on shortcuts. One night, I snapped: “God, is this even worth it?”

His reply wrecked me: “Don’t curse this season. This is where I’m making you.” Not promoting you. Making you. The silence wasn’t abandonment, it was sanctification. The pressure wasn’t punishment, it was preparation. I almost cursed the very ground where my oil was forming.

The Sacred Strain of the In-Between

We celebrate beginnings. We shout about breakthroughs. But the in-between? That quiet, stretching space of not yet?
That’s where the real transformation happens. The in-between is where:

• Vision feels blurry not because God left, but because He’s refining your focus.
• Old identities fall off, but new ones feel unfamiliar.
• Rest feels like a struggle because growth is demanding.
• Your “yes” stops glowing but gains grit.

This is sacred ground where purpose is processed, not postponed. The danger? Mistaking the making for the breaking. You’ll call it punishment (when it’s preparation), failure (when it’s formation), silence (when it’s sanctification).

But this isn’t abandonment. This is the Potter at work. Your crown isn’t found in applause; it’s forged in the crush. The pressure isn’t burying you. It’s building your legacy.

You’re not stuck, you’re being shaped. And one day, you’ll trace the oil on your life back to this very place.

The Cost of Cursing the Process

Calling your wilderness worthless blinds you to its work. When you curse the middle:

• You reject sacred shaping. Calling it “barren” when God’s still molding you

• You mute your transformation. Going through motions without expectation

• You extend your wilderness. Like Israel’s 40-year detour, their words trapped them.

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” — Matthew 12:34.

Firebrand: Your words in the waiting forge your future. Don’t call it wasted when you’re being weaponized.

Why the Middle Matters (Shortened Version)

The middle doesn’t look like breakthrough or feel like victory but it’s holy ground. It’s where God shapes you to carry what He’s promised.

Let’s be real:

• Oil doesn’t come from ease.
• Stamina isn’t built through shortcuts.
• You can’t wear a crown if you can’t carry weight.

The middle exposes what the start ignored insecurity, pride, impatience and forges the character your calling needs. You’re not just waiting for you to be made ready. The pressing? Painful. The pause? Crushing. But it’s producing oil that won’t fade when applause does.

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Reflective Questions for the Firebrand in the Middle

Take 15 minutes this week. Journal. Reflect. Ask:

• What have I stopped praying for that I know God still wants to do?
• What lie have I believed about this season?
• Who do I need to invite into my healing and help hold me accountable?
• If I believed God still has something good planned for me what would I do differently this week?

A Prayer for the Weary in the Middle

God,

We admit we’re weary. Not just in body, but deep in soul. Tired of the waiting, the silence, the weight. But today, we trade frustration for fresh faith.
Forgive us for calling this pressure punishment, when it’s been preparation all along. Even when it feels slow, you’re moving. Even when it feels hidden, you’re working. Even when it feels heavy, you’re holding us.

Anchor us. Give us grace for the pain and joy for the journey. Remind us of what You’re building in us is worth the wait. We won’t curse the middle. We won’t waste the oil. We won’t die in delay. We’ll finish with fire.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wrapping It Up: Don’t Curse the Crushing

Firebrand,

The middle is messy. The timing feels off. But what seems like delay is divine design. This tension? It’s training. This pressure? Its purpose. This silence? It’s sacred. Don’t curse it. Don’t quit it. Your crown is formed in the crushing. One day, you’ll say: “That wasn’t punishment. That was my making.”

So, hold your ground. Guard your oil. Heaven is still moving, even here. “We’re not dying here. We’re going through.” The same God who saw you in January will crown you in December. The story isn’t over. The miracle is still moving. And your middle is about to make sense.

Key Takeaways: Truth for the Tension

✅Don’t curse the wait, it’s making you weighty.

✅Don’t fear the fire, it’s where the oil forms.

✅Delay isn’t denial, it’s divine development.

✅You’re not stuck, you’re being set apart.

✅What feels like a stretch is setting up your strength.

✅What God is crowning later, He is crushing now. Don’t curse it.