February 2026: The Crucible
- Thaddaeus Alexander
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
February has been a roller coaster. God has been doing a lot in both my life and in the lives of my students—especially during this final week of the month. This past week we taught and practiced inner healing and deliverance. I had many expectations going into it, because deliverance week is always significant. It’s powerful to witness students stepping into freedom.
The first time I ever received a real lesson on deliverance was last year during my leadership track. Before that, my understanding came mostly from popular culture—movies like The Exorcist. I assumed deliverance meant shouting, “The power of Christ compels you!” until a demon left. Culturally, coming from a WASP background, the demonic simply wasn’t talked about much. Before coming to Africa, I rarely thought about it outside of the biblical text.
In the African context, where witchcraft and ancestral worship are more openly acknowledged, the spiritual realm feels very real and very present. I found myself wrestling with what is and isn’t demonic. One thing that helped me overcome this cultural gap was a word the Lord gave me during my DTS. At the time, I was struggling with my testimony—not feeling like it was as “crazy” or “wild” as others—and I felt disconnected from people because of it. I remember the Lord clearly saying, “I didn’t ask you to relate to people, but to show them My love.”
That has become my posture in moments like these. I don’t fully understand the demonic world, but I do know that I have authority over it through Christ Jesus. Deliverance can sometimes look like what we see in movies—screaming or physical manifestations—but it can also look as simple as someone taking a deep breath and being set free. The demonic isn’t my favorite topic, so I’ll leave it there.
One consistent blessing this month has been my team. They are on fire and full of zeal. Because of them, my confidence about going to Burundi has doubled. Both during team times and in everyday moments, I get to see them grow—deepening friendships and learning how to function as a unified team. Having a team with a high baseline of morale makes my role much easier. It’s also incredibly encouraging to see that I’m making a difference in their lives and that I get to walk alongside them as they grow in their relationship with Jesus.
I titled this newsletter The Crucible because I sense that the Lord is placing me in a season of refinement—both personally and professionally.
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