š„ Releasing the Fire of God in Your Original Design
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by Cass
From the very beginning, your originality has been the target.
Not your gifting.
Not your assignment.
Your design.
If the enemy can distort who you believe you are, he doesnāt have to stop what you do.
I know it probably feels like I talk about identity a lot ā¦ but itās because itās the very thing Iāve had to wrestle for myself.
Finding out who the Lord created me to be ā¦ the pure, original version before the world stamped its brand on me ā¦ has been holy work.
Hard work.
Healing work.
But absolutely worth it.
Because to fully be who He created you to be ā¦ you have to unlearn who you were told you needed to become.
(And unlearning is rude. Nobody warned us it would be this uncomfortable.)
You were designed before you were assigned.
When Identity Gets Hijacked by Titles
So many of us identify with what we do instead of who we are.
Iām a pastor. Iām a minister.
Thatās what I do ā¦ but it is not the totality of who I am.
I canāt get so caught up in the assignment that I lock my originality in a box ā¦ my quirks, my creativity, my silliness, my tenderness ā¦ just to fit a picture of what a pastor is supposed to look like.
And this isnāt just a ministry thing.
Many of us are:
mothers
homemakers
caregivers
business owners
leaders
helpers
builders
And while those callings are sacred, they are not your entire identity.
When motherhood becomes identity instead of assignment, life quietly becomes mundane.
You survive instead of live.
Somewhere along the way, you disappear behind the title.
And the Lord is calling us back.
Back to originality.
Back to joy.
Back to the parts of you He wrote into your blueprint.
Fire & Originality Go Together
Fire and originality donāt compete ā¦ they empower each other.
Fire in originality makes you a better leader.
Fire in originality makes you a healthier mom.
Fire in originality teaches your children how to live unashamed.
There is fire in childlikeness.
The Word talks about becoming like children to enter the Kingdom ā¦ not childish, but alive.
Itās okay to laugh.
Itās okay to cry.
Itās okay to enjoy your life.
Go to the movie.
Dance in the rain.
Love the simple things.
If joy feels irresponsible, congratulations ā¦ youāre probably doing it right.
Cass Confessions (because honesty matters)
I love simple things.
I love cozy.
I love cute.
I love coffee shops that feel like you could sit there for hoursā¦ itās the smell for me. And the feel. And the cups. And the music. Basically yes, letās visit them all. š
Apparently, none of this disqualifies me spiritually. Wild. šš„
I loveeeee fashion ā¦like, outfits have moods and I respect that.
I love creatingā¦ anything ā¦spaces, visuals, moments.
Sometimes Iām cheesy.
Iām a whole lot of awkwardness.
I start my day with my favorite coffee cup (and yes, it rotates š).
I cuddle my puppies like itās my job.
I dance in the kitchen.
I act silly to music.
I still play in the rain.
Popcorn ā¦ any kind ā¦ makes me unreasonably happy.
Kettle-cooked popcorn? Emotional support snack.
And recently, I realized I love cowgirl boots.
Like ā¦ a lot.
I wear them almost every day.
I donāt need another shoe. At all. š
Some people look at me funny ā¦ and Iām okay with that.
Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.
And none of this sounds spiritual enough to the mind that thinks only assignment is fireā¦
but this is who He created me to be before there was ever an assignment.
Can we just not be so uptight ...spiritually speaking and enjoy who God has created us to be?
Because I promiseā¦ joy isnāt unholy. š
A Wound That Tried to Rewrite Me
When I was 17, words spoken by a pastor wounded me deeply.
They were never meant for me.
She was consoling her daughter.
But I heard them anyway.
No need to worry ā¦ itās only Cassandra.
Those words lodged themselves in places I didnāt yet have language for.
And for years, the enemy used them as a whisper on repeat:
Itās only her.
She doesnāt compare.
She doesnāt stand a chance.
She doesnāt matter.
That sentence tried to shrink me.
It tried to convince me I wasnāt worth concern.
That my presence carried no weight.
Which is wild, because apparently one sentence can do damage ā¦ but healing takes years. Make it make sense, Lord.
But healing taught me this:
I am worth the worry.
I do stand a chance.
God never creates āonlyā people.
I didnāt need to become louder.
I didnāt need to outperform anyone in the room.
I simply had to stop agreeing with the lie.
I was never āonlyā anything.
I was always intentionally designed.
Real Moment (Because This Is Where We Live)
While planning graphics for the Altar Encounter, I felt the pull to go full womenās conference pink sparkle energy šāØ
And then I stopped.
Because while that might grab attention ā¦ it isnāt me.
My graphic came out more toned down.
More grounded.
More honest.
And I had to be okay with that.
Turns out āauthenticā doesnāt always trend. But it does last.
The Lord is grounding me in authenticity, not likes.
Faithfulness, not copying what works for everyone else.
When Fire Gets Imitated Instead of Inherited
Hereās something I had to confront.
Iāve stepped into spaces where everyone sounded the same.
Same fire language.
Same prayer tone.
Same delivery.
Without even realizing it, I started to mimic.
āThis is what fiery prayer sounds like, so Iāll pray like this.ā
āThis is how power sounds, so Iāll sound like that.ā
And suddenly, I wasnāt carrying fire ā¦ I was borrowing it.
Itās easy to imitate people who carry fire and power instead of carrying the heart of the Father through who He actually created you to be.
Authenticity wonāt always match the room.
It wonāt always sound familiar.
Sometimes being truly on fire means being brave enough to go against the grain and just ā¦ be you.
Borrowed fire burns out.
Original fire endures.
Let Me Say This Clearly
You donāt have to tone yourself down if youāre loud.
You donāt have to hype yourself up if youāre quiet.
Quiet people still have opinions. We just release them selectively.
You donāt have to become someone else when the room changes.
You donāt have to abandon yourself to fit a title, an assignment, or a location.
You are allowed to be you ā¦ fully, freely, unapologetically ā¦ as long as your desires are aligned with the heart of God.
Originality isnāt self-made.
Itās God-aligned.
Set Fire to What Was Never in Your Design
Set fire to expectations that were never spoken by God.
Set fire to labels that tried to shrink you.
Set fire to survival versions of yourself you had to become just to make it through.
We are complex beings.
I am:
a mother
a wife
a lover
a prophet
a pastor
a teacher
cheesy
creative
a dog lover
sometimes quiet
bold
quirky
And all of it belongs.
I am His design.
How to Set a Flame in Your Original Design
1. Let go of comparison ā¦ completely
You cannot discover who you are while measuring yourself against who you are not.
2. Stop editing yourself for rooms
If you have to shrink to fit, itās not alignment ā¦ itās survival.
3. Delight in how God designed you
Joy is not a distraction. It is often confirmation.
4. Let Him heal the places where you were fragmented
Unhealed wounds distort identity. Healing restores clarity.
5. Stay childlike on purpose
Play, laughter, curiosity, and wonder keep fire alive.
š„ A Prophetic Invitation
There is a fire the Father is releasing in this hour to call His sons and daughters back to themselves.
Not the version shaped by rejection.
Not the version edited to survive rooms.
Not the version molded by comparison, performance, or disappointment.
The Lord is setting fire to false identities.
He is burning away labels that never came from His mouth.
He is dismantling survival versions you had to become just to stay safe.
āCome out of hiding.
Come out of imitation.
Come out of agreement with smallness.
I am restoring the original design.ā
This is a season of return.
Return to joy.
Return to childlike faith.
Return to originality without shame.
You do not need to become louder to be powerful.
You do not need to become softer to be accepted.
You do not need to perform to be approved.
The fire of God is not asking you to change who you are ā¦
it is inviting you to come back to who youāve always been.
Let the fire fall on identity.
Let it purify without erasing.
Let it awaken without pressure.
Let it restore what was buried.
š„ One-Line Prophetic Declaration
I receive the fire of God to restore my original design..whole, unedited, and unashamed.
Prayer
Father,
set fire to everything that was never part of our original design.
Heal the places that learned to hide.
Restore joy where responsibility took over.
Awaken childlike faith without fear.
Call us back to who You created us to be ā¦
whole, alive, and free.
Amen.
Closing
Okay, Iāve officially said enough for one blog. š
But before you goā¦ tell me in the comments: whatās one part of you youāve been hiding or toning down that God is calling back to life?
Alsoā¦ shameless but joyful plugā¦ the tees are live, and every purchase helps support my mission trip to Uganda šŗš¬š„
Cute shirts. Real impact. Zero pressure. š¤