Zombies Are Real
“Sharing in his death by our baptism means that we were co-buried and entombed with him, so that when the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead, we were also raised with him. We have been co-resurrected with him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life.”
- Romans 6:4 TPT
For years, I was plagued by nightmares of zombies. These recurring dreams would place me inside of dark, condemned houses with sealed doors and the undead angrily limping towards me from every direction. In some of these nightmares, I could hear the cries of my family members from upstairs somewhere, or from down in the basement behind a dead-bolted door. Fear would engulf me as I realized, horrified, that I was just as trapped as they were and had no way of helping them or myself. Because my biological father was violently abusive throughout my childhood, sometimes he would appear in these dreams as well. In one of them, he murdered my older brother in the hallway of our family home, and each night my brother would rise from the dead and drag himself inches and inches closer to the room where I slept. What he would do when he reached me, I didn’t know, but I did not want to find out either. These zombie-infested nightmares continued for years, even after I gave my life to Jesus.
After I was called into the ministry and began to preach, I started to notice a connection between these nightmares and my real life. For weeks at a time, I would sleep peacefully, but then suddenly, there those rotting limbs, lifeless stares, and snarling teeth would be. Slowly, I caught on - the zombies would return each time I shared my testimony.
I had been beaten and violated for the first 17 years of my life, but because I had survived it, I thought I was over it. The truth was, I had not healed from my past, I had buried it alive. Because the wounds caused by that abuse where never dealt with, they would claw their way up to the surface to torment me each time I spoke of them. I will never forget the words I heard the Lord speak into my spirit as I sought His help to kill these zombies once and for all: “The past will continue to haunt you until you dig it up with Me.”
I had been walking around with a rotting undead past buried inside me, and of course it relentlessly haunted me. Since then, I have embraced the powerful truth from Romans 6:4 which tells me: when Jesus died, my past sin and shame were nailed to cross. When Jesus arose from the dead, a new “me” rose up with Him! Now, He empowers me “to walk in the freshness of new life.” Through Christ, the abuse I went through can finally be a dead issue (and stay dead once and for all). I still talk about it when God prompts me to, but it doesn’t feel like I am “digging up old wounds.” The wounds have been healed. That trauma can finally rest in peace because God helped me to face it and make peace with it.
Your past will not rest peacefully until you make peace with it.
Dear sister, if you are haunted by anything in your past, please take this as a “sign” to face it with God. I know it’s scary, but your Savior is right there beside you, ready to show you just how “mighty to save” He is! Jesus left His tomb empty for our past sin, pain, and traumas to shrivel up and die in, once and for all! Don’t bury your past inside of you. Don’t push it down or ignore it. Surrender this rotting matter to Jesus, our unbeatable Zombie-Slayer, so you can enjoy the freshness of your new life with Him.
Today’s Declaration: “I am my Father’s Daughter, so I will do more than survive. Through the saving power of Jesus Christ, I will heal, thrive, and enjoy life!”
This was an entry from Kelly’s new devotional, I Am My Father’s Daughter. For more information, click the link below!
