The Stripped Life: Naked and Unashamed
Leonard Ravenhill once said, “Everyone wants to be clothed with power, but no one wants to be stripped of self.”
That statement pierced me because it’s the truth of this walk with God. We all want His anointing, His glory, His favor — but few want to go through the process that requires being stripped.
Now, I know some of you may be saying, “Marie, how can you possibly equate a stripper with a calling from God?” But stay with me for a moment.
By the world’s definition, a stripper is someone who earns money by taking off their clothes — slowly, intimately, piece by piece — exposing what’s underneath for a reward.
When I was a young college student, struggling with a newborn and no financial support, I knew that kind of stripping up close. I had relatives who danced in clubs. One day, I didn’t even have money for pampers. I remember humbling myself and asking one of them for a few dollars just so I could buy diapers for my son. She said, “No, but I’ll get you a show with us.”
My answer was immediate — No.
Something in me knew that was not the path God had for me. I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew there had to be another way. I stayed in school, even when it was hard. I figured things out when I didn’t have much help. And though I didn’t become a stripper then, little did I know that one day, God Himself would call me to be one — just not the kind the world recognizes.
You see, in the Kingdom, God is calling His people to be stripped — not for shame, but for restoration.
In Genesis 2:25, it says, “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
God never intended for us to live hidden behind fear, pride, or masks. He wants us naked and unashamed before Him — vulnerable, transparent, and real. From the time I was young, I’ve always been an open book. I didn’t understand it then, but transparency was my spiritual DNA. It’s what God has used to heal me and to help others.
Being stripped in the Kingdom means allowing God to take off every false layer — the bitterness, the anger, the envy, the mistrust, the fear, the pride, the pain. It means exposing what’s underneath, not to be humiliated, but to be healed.
Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves after they sinned, hiding from the presence of God. And so do we. We hide behind achievements, relationships, busyness, and even ministry. But God is calling us back to the garden — to the place of nakedness and unashamed intimacy.
When you strip yourself before God, He can clothe you with His power. When you are willing to be vulnerable, He can trust you with greater responsibility. When you allow Him to see your scars, He can make you a testimony of healing and grace.
So yes, God has called me to be a stripper — one who takes off every layer that doesn’t look like Him. And He’s calling you too. Will you let Him strip away everything that’s hiding the true you? Will you let Him uncover what’s been buried beneath shame so He can clothe you in His glory?
God is raising a generation of people who will live naked and unashamed — transparent in love, vulnerable in truth, and powerful in spirit. It’s time to be stripped so that you can be clothed in His power.