From Islam to Jesus: Escaping Narcissism, Abuse & Finding True Freedom with Kenza Haddock
In this gripping episode of The Directed Life, Kap Chatfield sits down with licensed counselor Kenza Haddock to unpack her extraordinary journey from growing up in an Islamic household, through forced marriage, prison time, and spiritual oppression into the redeeming arms of Jesus Christ. Kenza vulnerably shares how she encountered God in dreams, wrestled with suicidal thoughts, endured family rejection, and faced deportation only to experience supernatural deliverance, radical salvation, and a call into Kingdom counseling. This episode dives deep into narcissism, spiritual abuse, and the counterfeit solutions the world offers compared to the freedom of the gospel. Kenza’s testimony will challenge you to see the power of God’s grace, the reality of spiritual warfare, and the hope of living free in Christ. 📲 Want to learn how to build a YouTube channel with God? Join my 3-day Kingdom Creator Challenge: thekingdomcreatorchallenge.com
Islam is a religion of submission, but Jesus is a King who offers sonship.
Most people view religion as a set of rules to appease a distant deity. They think that if they perform well enough, they might escape judgment. But for Kenza Haddock, this religious framework was a prison that almost cost her her life.
Religion without the Holy Spirit always leads to oppression. It relies on human effort and fear to keep people in line. When you live under that weight, you aren't just tired. You are spiritually suffocated.
The Prison of Religious Narcissism
Narcissism is not just a personality trait. It is a spiritual stronghold that uses control and manipulation to destroy the image of God in another person.
In many high-control religious environments, narcissism is the fuel that keeps the system running. Kenza experienced this through a forced marriage at the age of sixteen. She was treated as a commodity rather than a daughter of the Most High.
When a system values its reputation over the souls of its people, it becomes an incubator for abuse. Narcissistic systems demand total compliance and offer zero grace. This mirrors the nature of the enemy.
Satan is the ultimate narcissist. He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy anything that reflects the glory of God. If he can use a religious structure to do it, he will.
The Supernatural Strategy of the Father
God does not wait for us to find Him. He invades our darkness when we have no strength left to reach for the light.
Kenza found herself in a jail cell, facing deportation and drowning in shame. She had survived a miscarriage, family rejection, and the crushing weight of suicidal thoughts. That is exactly where the Father met her.
He used dreams to bypass her religious indoctrination. The mind can be clouded by false teaching, but the spirit is always hungry for the truth. God spoke to her in a language she could not ignore.
We see this pattern throughout the book of Acts. When the Gospel needs to break through a hard shell of tradition, the Holy Spirit uses supernatural encounters. Acts 2:17 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams."
Visions are not just for the "super-spiritual." They are a rescue mission for the lost. God used a vision of Jesus to show Kenza that she was not an orphan. She was a daughter who had been bought with a price.
Breaking the Cycle of Spiritual Abuse
Healing from narcissism requires more than just a therapist. It requires the surgical precision of the Holy Spirit to sever soul ties and break inner vows.
Abuse creates a distorted lens through which we view ourselves and God. Many people escape the physical abuser but stay locked in a mental prison for decades. They carry the "voice" of the abuser in their own heads.
That voice tells you that you are worthless. It tells you that God is angry with you. It convinces you that you must earn love through performance.
Standard counseling can identify the problem, but it cannot cast out the spirit of heaviness. You need the Word of God to renew the mind and the power of the Spirit to heal the heart.
Kenza’s journey into Kingdom counseling shows us that our greatest trauma often becomes our greatest territory. The enemy tried to use her pain to kill her. Now, she uses those same experiences to set other captives free.
---
The Mechanism of True Freedom
The world offers counterfeit solutions like the New Age or self-help to numb the pain of the past. But those are just new cages with prettier bars.
True freedom is found in the finished work of the Cross. It is the only place where justice and mercy meet. You cannot "self-care" your way out of a demonic stronghold.
You have to understand the legalities of the spirit realm. When you agree with a lie, you give the enemy a foothold. When you forgive and align with the Truth, you revoke his legal right to your life.
John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
This is not a metaphor. It is a spiritual reality. If you are struggling with the wounds of narcissism or the weight of a religious past, know this.
Jesus is not a taskmaster looking for a reason to punish you. He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find you in your darkest hour.
The same God who rescued Kenza from a jail cell and a life of bondage is ready to rescue you. Your past does not define your purpose. Your Father does.
Walk out of the prison and into the Kingdom.