“How Long can You Last in a Burning Building”

How long can you survive in a burning building before you lose your breath, your strength, and yourself? That’s the question we sit with, and we do not soften it. We use the burning building as a clear metaphor for toxic relationships, addictive patterns, and any connection that keeps pulling you in even while it burns you.

We talk about why trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship and how life feels when that foundation turns to rubble. From there, we draw a line in the sand: stop renting rooms in burning buildings. When someone repeatedly shows you dishonesty, unfaithfulness, or disrespect, we challenge you to believe what they show you, not what they say. We also dig into the fear that keeps people stuck, fear of being alone, fear of starting over, fear fueled by manipulation and emotional abuse that whispers you are not enough.

One of the most memorable moments is the “two to five minute” survival window. In a real fire, that can be the difference between escape and collapse, yet many of us stay in harmful relationships for years. We name the excuses, the cover-ups, the quiet nights of torment, and the way toxic soul ties can tighten when you are already depleted. Then we flip the script: exit is not failure. Exit is choosing oxygen, healing, and the space to become who you were created to be.

If this conversation sparks something in you, share it with a friend who needs strength, then subscribe and leave a review so more people find the words that help them walk out.

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Transcript

How Long Will You Last?

SPEAKER_01 0:02

How long? How long? Think about it. How long can you or will you last in a burning building? How long can you survive being inside a burning building? Burning building is the metaphor we've been using for quite some time now, uh, referring to relationships that go up in smoke, any type of addictive behavior, anything we may be addicted to, but those things that attract you. If we revisit our mantra, is how to survive the flame, when what attracts you, what draws you to it, what at uh what you attach yourself to, whether it's a person, uh a substance, a thing, uh, what you attract yourself to, what you're attracted to, how to survive that flame when what attracts you burns. How long can you survive? How long will you last in a burning building?

Meet The Hosts And The Theme

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I am your host, Dr. Lydia Michelle Young, here with my whole co-host, my co-host, again, none other than intercessor Janine Nicole. Appreciate her life, her lifestyle, her dedication, her commitment. She's here with me here in the studio today. This is Wednesday, it's the middle of the week. Wednesday, we refer to this day as midweek refreshing fire, where we use words and terms and uh metaphors and ideas, and we give revelation on words that will refresh you and not only refresh you, we are here today to remind you of your worth. So, now come on, intercessor, jump in, greet the people, and let's get into this topic today.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Good evening, everyone. Excited to be back for another dynamic episode. How long will you survive that burning building? How long will you survive that burning building? That's a powerful question to cause each and every one of us because none of us is exempt, none of us have it, you know, go going on, you know, just all around. There's some areas, I believe, in each and every one of our lives where we can actually take a moment, sit back, be still, reflect on that question, and ask ourselves how long? How long? Because even with asking ourselves that question, we may find that there are some areas in our lives that are considered, you know, to be burning, and we need to make some changes. How long? I know, I know I've had to visit that question a time or two throughout my life, right? You know, because those burning buildings are what? They're coming down, they're coming down. So definitely looking forward to jumping into this topic of discussion on this evening. And once again, good evening to each and every one of you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Uh, the burning building, uh, the relationship, it's it's coming down, it's coming down.

When Relationships Become Rubble

SPEAKER_01 3:20

You you said it's coming down, right? Intercessor, it's going up in smoke and it's coming down. Yes. Oh my goodness, in flame, it's coming down in ashes. There's rubble. We talked about the rubble, that's unstable ground. Right. You can't rebuild, uh, you can't rebuild any type of building property structure on rubble. We have to have a good solid foundation. And we talked about the foundation of trust being uh so critical in a relationship. Trust is the foundation that will cause a relationship to stand. Right. But with the lack of relationship, with the lack of trust, excuse me, in a relationship, believe me, it's going up in smoke. And so uh what we really want to pour into you today, the thought that we uh desire to share with you and pour into you is uh the idea for you, uh those of you who are listening, and those of you who are in this place, it's not uh an attack against you, it's not this is to encourage you and to

Stop Renting Rooms In Flames

SPEAKER_01 4:18

lift you to stop renting rooms in burning buildings. Yes, stop renting rooms in burning buildings, stop. I'm gonna say it again, renting rooms in burning buildings. Um, you're buying time in a stranger's story. That person who you're with, it feels like you know them. You know, you know the the side of them that's awkward. You know the side at first it was loving and kind, but but the time has passed, and you're and you're still buying time with that individual because you're attracted, you're attached to that individual. How to survive the flame with what attracts you burns is so powerful of a thought. You're in that situation, but but you're renting a room in a building. You're renting a room in a burning building, you're buying time in that person's uh story so that you can be a part of their life, so that you can be a part of what they have going on when you have your own purpose, you have your own destiny, you have your own creativity, you have your own dynamic you within you. Come on, jump in on

Believe What They Show You

SPEAKER_01 5:28

that.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Yeah, I like that. And you know, uh, when you raise that uh that profound question, you know, or that profound statement rather about stop renting runes from out of a burning building, the thought came to me, you know, and some of you have heard this. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them. They've showed you that you can't trust them, believe them. They showed you that they're not gonna be faithful to you, believe them. You know, believe what they have showed you already. That's a burning building. That relationship is up in smoke, and it's only a matter of time before it comes down, it falls into pieces and becomes that rubble. Believe what they have showed you. And going back to what you said about um uh uh trying to fit yourself into somebody else's story, you try to fit your value, your worth into somebody else's story. You know, they don't, they may see your worth. We've talked about it here before. They may see your worth, but it's not enough for them because they want to do it their way, they want to live how they want to live, and yet you're trying to fit your yourself into their story. You're that peace, and you're trying to fit yourself in to you know, into into their puzzle. Right, the call life. Right, you know, remove yourself from that. They're not worth your value, they're not worth you, they're not worth your time. Believe what they have showed you. Believe, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Believe what a person, that individual, has shown you. Believe what they show you. Um, because people say, that's the problem. We believe what people say, and we all know, as we've heard this saying, actions speak louder than words than words. Absolutely so believe, like you said, intercessor, what they show you. Yeah, they've shown you who they are. Yes,

Fear, Lies, And The Comfort Trap

SPEAKER_01 7:44

believe it. Yes, and that's the thing too, I just coming to mind right now. You see who they are and you believe who they are, but there's that attraction is so strong. And then there's a fear, I'm sensing a fear uh to walk away, a fear to leave so that you can live, a fear of what you'll be without that person because now you're in it for comfort. Now you're in it because you're used to that individual, you know, and and they've tried to convince you, like you talked about the lies intercessor, that you're nobody, nobody wants you, nobody loves you. I'm the one who made you right all lies. Stop renting a room in that person's space, stop renting a room in that person's building. That building is in flames, and it's time for you to make your exit. It's time for you to make your escape. Let me ask you again how long can you last in that burning building? How

The Two To Five Minute Window

SPEAKER_01 8:38

long do you think you can survive? Now let's look at the reality of it. In a burning building, intercessor, we we studied this, right? It takes how long for a person to pass out or to die or to fade away or to lose consciousness? How long does it take?

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Come on. Two to five minutes. Two to five minutes. Two to five minutes. Do you hear that time? Two to five minutes. Two to five minutes. Two to five minutes. That that's the survival window for an individual to escape a burning building. Two to five minutes.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

But you've been in it for two years, you've been in it for five years. Yes, you've been in it for ten years. When you you knew it from the jump, God is good, and I'm gonna say this. We can say this. He will give us the signs, the red signs, the signals to let us know this is not it. But what do we do? We choose to walk into that building anyway. We choose to walk into that situation anyway. Why? Because of our own weakness, because of the the attraction, because of lust, because of the different the emotions, right? You know, not wanting to be alone, not wanting to experience a life, you know, of our own. So we we're attracted to those types of relationships, those types of people. Two to five minutes, two, two to five minutes for you to escape safely. Yeah, two to five minutes. That's some real stuff right there. Yeah, come

Trespassing, Excuses, And Private Pain

SPEAKER_01 10:08

on, jump in.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yeah, and now you're trespassing. Yeah, now you now you're trespassing. You've seen, you know, who they are. You you have made a thousand and one excuses to be able to stick around, to justify your choices, to justify your reasons. They have showed you that you are not worth them even attempting or even faking the change. They've showed you that you're not even worth them to fake the change. And you you have chosen to stick around and to even justify your reasons for sticking around, and now you are trespassing. You're trespassing again. We have said this and we're gonna continue to say this. You are worth you, you are worth investing in you, and not only have you justified your reasons to stick around in that toxic relationship, but you have even made you have even gone as far as to cover up for that one, to make excuses for that one, to try to paint a picture for everybody else's eye appeal, but then you go home and you are in torment, you're in complete and utter devastation. You cry yourself to sleep at night. Why? Because you're trespassing, your window of escape, your window of survival, that time is now, that time is now to make your exit before you completely lose you.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Why?

Surviving The Fire For Real

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Oh my goodness, and why? Why would we choose such a topic? Why would we choose this area uh to go into to share with you? Because we've been there, yes, we've done that, yes, and oh my goodness, thank goodness we survived it. Yes, I was in relationships, if I could say so myself, uh that uh, you know, a certain type of lifestyle in relationships where I I almost died in that situation because I was so my heart was so engaged and so involved. I suffered suicidal ideations, I made two uh attempts uh to take my own life. Why? Because I was in a burning building and I didn't know how to escape. Yeah, I didn't know my way out. I I wanted to stay in it because I was so attracted, but don't you know those attractions? Uh if if you're beyond your two to five, that's a trick. Yeah, if you're beyond your two to five minutes, you got caught up in some mess. And we're only here today and every Wednesday to empower and to encourage you, to exhort you, to push you to come out so that you can live, come out so you can survive, come out so you can thrive, come

Toxic Soul Ties And The Exit Plan

SPEAKER_01 13:10

out so you can be everything that you were created to be, so that you can accomplish the dreams and the visions and the goals and the aspirations that you see inside of yourself, your worth, your value. You're worth it. You're worth it. There are too many people in burning buildings, in relationships that have no purpose, in relationships that are not intended for them. Soul ties, soul ties that are designed to take you out of here. Come on, jump in.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Those toxic soul ties, toxic soul ties that are designed to take you out, and that fear, as we're preparing to close, that fear that you are experiencing, that fear that that causes you to justify sticking around, that fear that that brings up those emotions of insecurities, that brings up those, you know, thoughts, those doubts that you uh you're not gonna make it without them. You're not gonna be anything without them. Those fearful questions that that play over and over and over and over and over within your mind, that's a trick. Those are snares, those are entrapments set in place to keep you in that toxic, that burning building so that you completely lose you, therefore losing your life, losing your worth, losing your value, losing your confidence, losing your identity. Don't give in to those thoughts. Don't give in. Well, actually, yeah, respond to those thoughts by exiting. You know, flip the script on those thoughts, flip the scripts on uh on that doubt and exit that burning building. You are worth fighting for, you are worth you, you are valuable.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

You're valuable, and um, on on a final note, uh as we prepare to to close out on a final note, um, you have two to five, two to five minutes. Many are beyond that time frame, and once you start inhaling the smoke, you're not getting enough oxygen, you're not getting the life, the air that you need to breathe, to move, uh, to function, to be motivated to live. And so we admonish you to get the strength that you need and to remember that you are worth it, you're valuable, the strength that you need uh to walk away so that you can heal, and so that you have room and time to be prepared for that individual that is really meant to be in your life. Peace be to you, peace be to your house, and peace be to all of you.