✨ HOLD YOUR HEAD UP… SQUARE YOUR SHOULDERS

It Won’t Always Be Like This

There are seasons in life when the weight feels almost unbearable—when the battles aren’t just external, but internal. Moments when you look in the mirror and barely recognize the woman staring back at you.

And yet, in those very moments, God whispers:

“Lift your head. Square your shoulders. You were built for this.”

This morning, as I was getting ready, the Lord dropped VaShawn Mitchell’s “Turning Around for Me” in my spirit. Something leaped inside of me. Because sometimes all you have is a song… but a song can carry a testimony, a prophecy, and a breakthrough all at the same time.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…”

Yet the fight is real.

The pressure is real.

The tears are real.

But so is the power of God—the power that pulls down strongholds, breaks cycles, destroys yokes, and lifts your head when life tries to bow you down.

Before I share my testimony, hear this clearly:

It won’t always be like this.

God is perfecting some things in you—even the things you don’t talk about… even the things you thought were too broken to be fixed.

Your “sooner or later” is about to become right now.

And what the enemy meant for evil, God is already turning—yes, turning—in your favor.

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A Divine Wake-Up Call

There are moments when God interrupts your routine—not to condemn you, but to correct you, strengthen you, and awaken something inside you. I will never forget one of those moments.

I was walking through a basement hallway at work, weighed down by quiet battles and unspoken exhaustion. Out of nowhere, the Lord said:

“Hold your head up!”

I straightened immediately. But later, the truth broke me—

I didn’t even realize my head was down.

God saw the posture of my spirit, not just my body.

And because He is a loving Father, He spoke directly to my broken place.

That evening at Bible study, my former pastor stopped mid-teaching and said:

“Stop walking around with your head down—lift your head up!”

I froze.

The same message God whispered in the hallway, He confirmed publicly.

That was God.

That was love.

That was confirmation.

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The Questions That Followed

After that moment, the real questions rose inside me:

• Why was I walking with my head down?

• How long had I been doing it?

• What heaviness was so deep that even my posture testified of defeat?

I still don’t fully know the answer.

But I do know this:

I had been carrying painful tests and trials—things so heavy that words couldn’t explain them. God saw the weight before I ever acknowledged it. He saw me silently shrinking under burdens never meant for my shoulders.

It reminded me of childhood moments when my mother would gently lift my chin and ask:

“Why is your head down?”

Back then, I didn’t know.

And even as an adult, I didn’t see how life had slowly bent me, bowed me, and broken my posture.

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The Battle Begins in the Mind

The enemy hopes you never learn this:

A bowed head becomes a bowed spirit.

A bowed spirit becomes silent warfare.

Silent warfare becomes defeat.

This is where 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 becomes alive:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds…”

The enemy attacks the mind first—with:

• doubt

• fear

• heaviness

• old trauma

• quiet battles

• secret wounds

• unspoken grief

And if you aren’t spiritually alert, you will begin to carry those battles in your body, your voice, your confidence, your walk, your posture… even in the way you hold your head.

But God walked into that hallway to tell me:

Your posture is spiritual.

Your warfare is spiritual.

And your victory is spiritual.

When He said, “Hold your head up,” He wasn’t just correcting my walk—

He was reminding me of the power, weapon, and authority inside me.

Because no matter how heavy the season…

It won’t always be like this.

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How to Square Your Shoulders & Hold Your Head Up

Here are strong, practical, spiritual steps to shift your posture from defeat to authority:

1. Speak to Your Spirit Before the Enemy Does

Your words set the tone for your day.

Say out loud:

“I will not bow to fear. I walk in power.”

2. Replace Thoughts, Don’t Chase Them

When negative thoughts rise, replace them immediately with Scripture.

The mind responds to truth, not silence.

3. Lift Your Head Physically

A spiritual shift often begins with a natural action.

Look up.

Straighten your back.

Square your shoulders.

Your body signals your spirit.

4. Reject Shame Immediately

Shame bends the head.

Grace lifts it.

If God forgave you, forgive yourself.

5. Pray in Warfare Mode, Not Weakness Mode

Pray like someone who carries divine authority—because you do.

Declare God’s Word, not your worry.

6. Surround Yourself With Voices That Lift You

Isolation bows the head.

Encouragement strengthens the shoulders.

Stay connected.

7. Remember Who You Are

You are chosen.

You are equipped.

You are covered.

And the enemy knows it.

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Your Turning Point Has Come

God is turning some things.

God is lifting some things.

God is breaking some things.

God is exposing lies and pulling down every stronghold that tried to bow your spirit in defeat.

This is where your story turns.

This is where your strength returns.

This is where your head lifts again.

Because God said so.

Conclusion

When God tells you to hold your head up, it is never about pride—it’s about identity. It is His reminder that you are not defeated, not forgotten, and not overlooked. It is His way of lifting your chin so you can see beyond your pain, beyond your past, and beyond the warfare surrounding you.

The enemy will always try to bow your spirit before he ever bows your body.

But God’s Word declares that you walk in divine authority, armed with weapons that are mighty through God—weapons that dismantle strongholds, silence lies, and restore confidence to your soul.

So today, square your shoulders.

Lift your head.

Walk like a daughter who has survived seasons meant to destroy her.

Walk like someone whose story is turning—because God is the One turning it.

It won’t always be like this.

And sooner or later… by God’s own hand…

it will turn in your favor.

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Closing Prayer

Father in the name of Jesus,

I thank You for being the God who sees us—even in the moments when we don’t see ourselves. Thank You for speaking to us in hallways, in basements, in quiet places, and through people who don’t even know You are using them.

Lord, lift every bowed head today.

Break every stronghold that has held Your people captive.

Pull down every imagination, fear, lie, and burden that has whispered defeat into the hearts of Your sons and daughters.

Restore confidence.

Restore strength.

Restore identity.

And Father, when life gets heavy, remind us that the battle is not fought in our own power, but through the divine weapons You have given us. Let victory rise. Let peace stand tall. And let Your people walk with heads lifted—knowing You have already gone before them.

In Jesus’ mighty name—Amen.

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Author Bio (Short, Strong & Professional)

Lauretta Scott is a faith-filled author, storyteller, and founder of iPublishub-Books, a platform dedicated to inspiring, uplifting, and restoring the hearts of readers through powerful, transparent writing. Known for her honesty, spiritual depth, and real-life testimony, Lauretta writes devotional reflections and Christian-based stories that illuminate the hope, healing, and strength found in God. Her books and blogs encourage believers to stand firm, walk in purpose, and trust God in every season—especially the unexpected ones.