Devotional by Tiffany Solomon, Tower of Hope Academy Student

Reference:  Numbers 22:21-23:30

In today’s One Year Bible reading, the Children of Israel (COI) are in the wilderness and come under attack by the King of Moab, Balak. The King of Moab and his people were terrified of the COI having seen what God had done for them.

So King Balak asks Balaam, a man of God, to curse the COI. However, the scripture tells us Balaam could only say what God has said. 

God has done and is doing great things for us all! The enemy knows it and will bring doubt to try and stop us from saying what God says.

What has God promised you? What are you saying?

When the enemy tries to put doubt in our mind, we just need to speak the truth of God’s Word.

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If He promised healing then speak healing.

“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.”  Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If He promised promotion then speak the favor of God and stand on His plans.

“Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.” Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.” They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.“ Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If He promised peace then speak His Word of peace.

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.” ‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God doesn’t lie and can’t go back on what He said. Our part involves standing in agreement and saying what He has said.

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!“ Numbers‬ ‭23‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Prayer

Father, please forgive me for saying things that are contrary to Your promises and Word. Please give me the strategy to focus on what You say only.  Please heal my mind and give me the ability to memorize and apply Your Word at the right time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Declaration

All of God’s promises in my life will be fulfilled. God will finish what He started in me for His glory.

Devotional by Shaquia Reed, 2018 graduate of Tower of Hope Academy

Let’s take a look at Numbers 13. We read about the 12 spies that were sent out to survey the Promised Land. Only 2 came back with a good report, while the majority came back with a negative report.

As childhood trauma survivors it is easier to follow, focus on, live out, and respond in patterns of trauma. It takes intentional shifting to speak out and live in God’s abundant life for you.

Pastor Blunt has been teaching us at Church on the Rock that GOD HAS MORE IN STORE!

We are the exceptions, not the rule! The ways of the world and our traumatic experiences say we have no reason to have hope, no reason to heal. It says we have no reason to fight, it says we have no reason to rebuild our walls from the damage of our past, BUT WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?

The WORD SAYS…

• “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬
• “God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it.” Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬
• “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
• “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV

Pastor Blunt says we must guard ourselves from…

• Negative talk
• Small (negative) thinking
• Negative people
• Negative environments (social media, TV, etc.)

These things steal our praise. If they steal our praise by keeping us focused on our circumstances, they can also steal our hope. And without hope we have no anchor for our souls. And without an anchor for our souls we stay focused on our past, circumstances and feelings which prevent us from walking into the future God has for us.

We no longer have to listen to the voices of complaint, pessimism, cynicism, doubt, fear, lack, trauma or rejection.

Let us all declare: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭13‬:‭30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Declaration: I AM WELL ABLE! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED! GOD IS WITH ME AND FOR ME! I WILL POSSESS THIS LAND OF PROMISE!

Prayer: Lord Thank you for the victory! Forgive me for listening to negative influences and the pressure of my circumstances. I praise you in spite of my circumstances. You are good and You promised, so I know I WILL POSSESS THE LAND! With you I am WELL ABLE, MORE THAN ABLE, and ABUNDANTLY ABLE to possess this land. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Devotional by Angela Jackson, 2021 graduate of Tower of Hope Academy 

Negative thoughts take over many people’s minds every day. Most don’t even know they’re plagued by them because they are so used to having them. 

Such as:

• I’ll never be able to do that
• I’ll never have that
• I’m not good enough
• I’m too old
• I’m too young

There’s no better way to override the disparity of ringing negative thoughts than fixing our minds on who God is and the things He’s already done. To God be the glory for the things He has done!

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Demolish those negative thoughts and replace them!

For example:

• I can do all things through Christ. Philippians 4:13
• I will delight myself in the Lord and He will give the desires of my heart. Psalm 37:4-5
• My confidence is in God. Proverbs 3:26
• It’s not too late for me. Genesis 21:5
• It’s not too early for me. 1 Timothy 4:12

For every negative thought there’s a truth from God’s Word.

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, thank you for all You’ve done for me. When I take the time to remember Your goodness, I realize the negative thoughts I have are not from You. Help me to be more intentional about thinking about who You are and what You’ve already done. Then, I won’t be overtaken by negative thoughts. You are good. In Jesus’ name! Amen!

Devotional by Dr. Dora Washington

Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’
Exodus 14:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.14.12.NLT

When the Israelites became afraid, they said and did things without thinking. They spoke fear, breathed fear, and lived in fear. Although God heard their cry and sent them help, miraculously delivered them, guarded them Himself with a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, they still refused to trust Him. They wanted to go back to slavery.

At one point the Children of Israel (COI) said, “It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness.” I say the opposite that it’s better to be a corpse in the wilderness than to be a slave in Egypt. To me a free corpse beats an enslaved body because the corpse knew freedom at least once, but a slave will never experience it.

How does this apply to trauma survivors? We know some things and people are not good for us, but we choose them anyway. That’s us saying, “I want to go back to Egypt.” That’s us saying, like the COI, “Leave us alone. We want to go back to Egypt. I like the abuse, rejection, low self-esteem, poverty, and heartache. At least I have someone.”

Prayer
Lord, thank You for sending me help. Deliver me from this slave mentality of always being in bondage to my flesh, emotions, debt, things and people. You are freeing me. Help me to stay calm and let You fight for me.

Written by Dr. Dora Washington
Tower of Hope Ministries
Copyright © 2024

Devotional by Tiffany Thompson, 2019 graduate of Tower of Hope Academy

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”“‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today in our One Year Bible, we read about a Roman soldier’s great need of Jesus’ healing power for his servant. When Jesus offered to come to his house, the soldier’s response was no need — all You have to do is say the word!

This response from the Centurion left Jesus amazed! Can you imagine that, a response from a man that left the Creator in awe?! Jesus marveled at the centurion’s faith and immediate recognition of His authority.

The centurion trusted and believed that Jesus possessed such great, final authority that he didn’t even need Jesus to come to his house to heal his servant. The centurion recognized that all Jesus had to do was SAY THE WORD and immediately things had to obey.

Just like the Centurion had earthly authority to say “Go”, “Come” and “Do this” and those under his command had to obey him, so it is with us.

Because Jesus has given us ALL power and authority over the enemy (Luke 10:19) all we have to do is say “Go” to every evil spirit attacking our family and it has to go. We can say “Come” to blessings and they will come. We can tell our circumstances to “do this” and they have to obey a command made in Jesus’ Name.

Today, I pray we become like the centurion. Let us recognize Jesus’ authority over everything and say His Word in His Name.

Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize and trust Jesus’ authority over all things, even when it looks like things are out of His control. Empower me to believe in and use the spiritual authority You’ve given me. Help me to trust that everything must obey Your power and the authority You’ve given me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Devotional by Dr. Dora Washington

Happy New Year, my TOHM Family! I am looking forward to celebrating the great things God will do for and through you in 2024.

I want to pray and speak blessings over you this New Year. I decree that this will be another unprecedented year of God’s favor, blessings, healing, growth, humility, and maturity for you.

I also pray that your eyes will be opened in the knowledge and wisdom of God, and that you will have all that God has for you, and not settle for what you think is enough for you.

I pray that the world will be able to see God in your actions, not just hear Him in your words. I pray you learn to love everyone in the world, but not be a part of everything in the world.

I pray you will not be overcome by your struggles, but you will overcome your struggles through your faith in God. I pray for exponential growth in your desire to study God’s Word.

I pray that you will decrease so that Jesus Christ can increase in you. Finally, may God bless you, enlarge your territory, favor you, grace you with humility, exalt your head above your enemies, give you a heart of compassion, and a desire to serve Him wholeheartedly all the days of your life and your seed’s life.

Outpour of More in 2024 of God’s Wisdom, discernment, favor, miracles, signs and wonders to you and your family! I love you all!

Dr. Dora Washington

Founder & Executive Director
Tower of Hope Ministries
Copyright © 2024

Devotional by Shaneice Miller Thomas, 2020 graduate of Tower of Hope Ministries

Romans 5:1-4 NIV, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Suffering is a hard concept to grasp. How can glory come from suffering? How is it possible that pain can bring gain?

Jesus is our perfect example. 2 Timothy 2:12 says, ‘if we suffer with him then we will also reign with him.’ We often want to reign without the rain.

It is important to stay focused on the benefits of suffering and not just the burdens.

In Romans 5:1-4, we have been given 3 benefits that will come from our suffering:

1. Perseverance – enduring patience
2. Character – proven faith under trial
3. Hope – confidence and expectation

So today, I encourage you to glory (rejoice, boast, and have joy) that suffering is a blessing with benefits.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for allowing me to share in the suffering of the Savior. I know that the benefits will outweigh the burdens and others will come to know Jesus because I surrendered.

Declaration:
I will leave others with my gain, not my pain.