Shay Samuels

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Activate the POWER, not follow the tradition! - Transformation Center

What they called "self-appointed" was really God ordained. - Coach Shay Samuels

I came across this picture while cleaning today...

And for a moment, I just stopped.

There was something about this little girl.

The way she stood.
The confidence in her posture.
The way she carried herself.

She had no idea what life would eventually bring her way.

She didn't know about the disappointments.
The heartbreak.
The losses.
The detours.
The prayers that would seem unanswered.

She also didn't know about the victories, the lives she would impact, or the purpose that God had already placed inside of her.

If I'm honest, these past few years have been some of the hardest years I've ever faced.

But they've also become some of the most transformative.

As I looked at this little girl, I wasn't reminded of who I used to be...

I was reminded of who I was always becoming.

Years ago, during marriage counseling, I learned something I'll never forget: Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning of a thing to remember why you started in the first place.

Today, this little girl reminded me of my dreams.

She reminded me that purpose was never something I had to find—it was something God placed inside of me long before I understood what it looked like.

Maybe that's your assignment today.

Go back to the beginning.

Pull out the old pictures.
Read the old journals.
Remember the dreams you had before life convinced you they were impossible.

You may discover that the person you're trying so hard to become... is the person God has been developing all along.

Don't let life make you forget what Heaven has always known about you.

— Coach Shay Samuels

There was a time in my ministry when something began to shift... and if I'm honest, it scared me.

I've always known that music was a gift from God. From the very beginning, I understood that He had called me to minister through song.

What I wasn't prepared for was what started happening while I was ministering.

People would walk up to me after services, and before I knew it, I was speaking directly into their lives. Things I couldn't have possibly known. I'd watch them begin to cry, and I'd be standing there thinking, "Lord... where did that come from?"

It felt like my ministry had entered another season.

Almost like a child growing into adulthood.

I didn't know who to tell. I didn't know how people would receive it. Part of me wanted to hide it because I didn't want to be misunderstood. But another part of me knew that if God trusted me with a word for someone, I couldn't let my fear rob them of what they needed.

I'll never forget one night after ministering in Savannah, Georgia in 2017.

My husband and I stopped at Waffle House after the event because... listen... I just wanted my waffle. 😂

As soon as we walked in, I noticed a young lady standing behind the counter.

Immediately, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me.

"Say something to her."

I looked away.

I ordered my food.

I tried to mind my business.

But the entire time we were there, the nudging never stopped.

Finally, I thought, "Lord, if I say everything You want me to say, she's probably going to forget half of it."

So I grabbed a napkin.

I wrote down what I believed God wanted her to know, handed it to her as we were leaving, and walked out.

A few days later, she found me on Facebook.

Her message confirmed what God had been trying to teach me all along.

Obedience is greater than sacrifice.

"To obey is better than sacrifice..." — 1 Samuel 15:22

That moment changed me.

It taught me that sometimes we're waiting for people to validate what God has already placed inside of us.

We're waiting for a title.
We're waiting for permission.
We're waiting for someone to announce what Heaven has already spoken.

If God has entrusted you with a gift, your responsibility isn't to hide it.

It's to steward it.

Today, that young woman and I are still connected, even though we're states apart. Every now and then, I look back at that moment and smile.

All because I decided to obey...
..even though I really just wanted my waffle.

— Coach Shay Samuels

Sometimes the reason you feel stuck is not because you are not growing… it’s because you are trying to grow in an environment that only recognizes who you used to be.

Growth requires change. And change can become uncomfortable when the people around you are familiar with your old mindset, your old habits, your old conversations, and your old responses.

The truth is, everyone will not know how to receive the person you are becoming because they only have memories of who you were.

The Bible says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became mature, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)

Maturity is not about age. It is about growth. It is about allowing God to transform you into who He has called you to be.

A seed can have everything inside of it to become something great, but if the soil is not right, it cannot flourish. Jesus showed us through the parable of the seeds that the condition of the ground matters.

You can have purpose inside of you and still struggle to grow if you continue planting yourself in spaces that are not prepared to nurture your transformation.

Sometimes God is not asking you to fight harder in the same environment… He is inviting you to recognize that you have outgrown the soil you are standing in.

Don’t be discouraged because people don’t recognize your growth. Keep growing. Keep becoming. Keep allowing God to cultivate the person He created you to be.

You cannot become who God called you to be while constantly trying to prove you are no longer who you used to be.

You never know who’s in the room.

Years ago, I created a profile on a music platform called ReverbNation. At the time, I wasn’t sure where it would lead, but I trusted the process and uploaded my music.

Years later, that same profile became the way the Mayor of Clayton County, Georgia found me to minister in song for the National Day of Prayer.

Fast forward to DistrofestNYC 2026… I met a music executive and discovered he was the founder of ReverbNation.

I shared my story, and his smile said it all. The work he poured into creating that platform helped an artist like me be found.

That moment reminded me:

Every seed you plant matters. Every step counts. Every connection has purpose.

To every artist who is ready to quit—keep creating. Keep showing up. Keep believing.

You never know when the thing you almost gave up on will become the very thing that opens a door.

— Shay Samuels
Inspirational Recording Artist

Some leaders have mastered the art of spiritual manipulation! - Coach Shay Samuels