Permission to Shine

“You have permission to shine.” That one line stopped me. Permission? You mean… I don’t have to ask?

Immediately, I thought about the game Mother, May I? You remember that game? You’re told to move forward. But if you forget to say, “Mother, may I?”—you go back. It’s a good game. It teaches obedience. It teaches asking. But somewhere along the way… we didn’t stop playing. We carried it into adulthood.

• May I do this?

• May I say this?

• May I step into this calling?

And the real question becomes: Who are you asking for permission? Your family? Your church? Society? One says, “You can’t.” Another says, “That’s not how it’s done.” Another says, “That’s not appropriate.” So you sit back. You shrink. You hesitate. You stay quiet. Not because God said no— but because people did.

Then I heard it again: “You have permission to shine.” And something shifted. Wait. If I already have permission… then why am I asking? And, more importantly, who gave permission?

In my writing group, we are taught something powerful: Sit with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him: What do You want me to say? What message do you want me to carry? And it hit me. That’s who I ask. Not people. Not systems. Not opinions. The Holy Spirit. 5 And here’s the truth: He is not far away. He lives within you. Your Counselor, Your Comforter, Your Helper, Your Ezer* (the Hebrew word), your divine help. So now the question changes.

Not: Do I have permission?

But: Am I listening?

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

There is freedom here. Not reckless freedom. Not “do whatever you want” freedom. But Spirit-led freedom. I understood this deeply because I was raised in a culture where change itself was seen as dangerous. I remember asking my father once if I could do something new. He said, "No."

I asked, “Why?”

His reply was, “Because this is the way we’ve always done it.”

That belief runs deep. If you change… You must be drifting from God. Because God never changes. But let’s tell the whole truth. Yes—God does not change. But He changes us.

• “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” — Romans 12:2

• “We… are changed into the same image from glory to glory…” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

• “From faith to faith…” (Romans 1:17).

We are not called to stay the same. We are called to be transformed. To grow. To deepen. To become more like Jesus. That requires movement. That requires obedience. That requires permission. So let’s make this clear: You do need permission. But not from the crowd. Not from tradition. Not from fear.

You get permission from the Holy Spirit.

And it will always: Align with the Word of God; Produce peace, not confusion; Lead you into truth, not compromise. And when it does...

There is freedom.

There is liberty.

There is boldness.

You don’t need to shrink anymore.

You don’t need to keep asking voices that were never assigned to lead you.

Activation

Take a moment today and ask yourself: Whose permission have I been waiting for?

What step have you delayed because you feared: rejection, misunderstanding, criticism, or tradition?

Now sit quietly with the Holy Spirit and ask: “Lord, what are You giving me permission to do in this season?”

Write down what comes to your heart.

Then take one small step of obedience.

Not because people approved it.

But because God spoke.

Sit with Him.

Listen.

Obey.

And then, Shine.

Thank You, Jesus.