Devotional by Dr. Dora Washington

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭57‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God wants us to fight because the fight is rigged. Imagine a fight where you just have to show up and do whatever the ringmaster says because you’ve already won.
That’s us. We show up, study God’s Word, do our assignments and we are guaranteed to win our fight for freedom.

F- Far-reaching. This fights affects everyone close to you.

I- Inspire. Inspire everyone as they watch you come through this.  It will lift up Jesus.

G- Grit. You must have grit to endure the healing process.

H- Heal. Take time to heal from past hurts and pain.

T- Thankful. Research continues to support better mental health by those who practice gratitude.

Written by Dr. Washington
Tower of Hope Ministries
Copyright © 2023

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

It’s seems so much easier to choose the easy way out, but sometimes we have to do the hard thing.

Every people pleaser will have to come to a crossroad. One direction will send you on a path of inauthenticity, inability, low self esteem, constant vacillation, and possible death.

The other direction, the opposite of the above mentioned result in deliverance and peace in knowing you’ve obeyed God.

Unfortunately, there will be more than one opportunity.

Take a look at I Samuel 3:15‭-‬19 NKJV. So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He answered, “Here I am.” And he said, “What is the word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.” Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”

Just imagine what would have happened to Samuel had he held back the word of the Lord. Although, he was afraid he didn’t hold back anything the Lord had spoken.

As Samuel grew up God was with him and everything he said proved to be reliable. This was all because he chose to do the hard thing.

I want to encourage you today to do the hard thing. Be honest, break away from that infectious relationship, be authentic, trust, and obey.

Freedom is on the other side of fear. God is with you. Do the hard thing!

Devotional by Shaquia Reed, 2018 Tower of Hope Ministries Graduate

(Judges 8:23, 9:2, 7-15, Psalm 99:1-9, Luke 23:46-49, 24:5-7)

So we read about Abimelech, a son of Gideon, who for selfish gain tries to usurp the kingdom that’s supposed to be ruled by God himself. This prideful, wicked, murderous man asks a question, “Would you rather be ruled by one man (me) or by 70 (the remaining sons of Gideon)?”

He did not give Israel the option which was the best choice for themselves—The I AM, THE GOD OF ISRAEL.

But there rose up a prophetic voice, another son of Gideon to alert the people! “Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!”

From the mountain he spoke of a parable describing the people choosing so many things incapable of being their true king. Even Gideon said “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!” (Judges 8:23)

So as I thought about things that we sometimes give permission and at times even INVITE to rule over us, whether the ONE (Pride, Fear, Lust, Deception, Trauma) or the SEVENTY (Cares of the world, daily tasks/responsibilities, or the needs and opinions of others), the Lord reminded me that we were only ever suppose to have ONE RULER, ONE KING!

Psalms tells us, “Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭99‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We don’t have a wicked king that will rule over us unjustly, we have the mighty King who proved himself on the cross and gave his life for us and rose to all glory over every system of oppression and evil!

Prayer: Father forgive me for being ruled by the wicked king—sins and failures. Forgive me for even wanting to be ruled by the seventy—all of my cares and worries of life. I denounce these other rulers and kings. I make You and You alone my King, Savior, Leader, Defender, and Protector! You’re above all rulers, powers, and authorities. May my heart, mind, body, soul, and actions walk in that today and evermore. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Devotional by Dr. Dora Washington

John 12:1-8

This is the holiest week of the year because our Savior was preparing to take the sins of the world upon His shoulders. While most are busy focusing on Easter Sunday, what to wear, cook, and do, we will focus on the significance and power of Holy Week.

As we reflect, let us remember how Jesus suffered for us. He suffered and died from the hands of those He came to rescue. People seek to destroy what and who they don’t understand.

Each day of this Holy Week we will reflect on the significance of Holy Week. Today is the day Mary anointed Jesus’ feet in preparation for burial while His own disciple Judas rebuked her for doing so. Our lesson for today is not everyone will celebrate your worth.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for suffering for me. Teach me how to suffer as you suffered with grace, mercy, forgiveness, patience and hope.

Thank you for valuing me so much to die for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Written by Dr. Washington

Tower of Hope Ministries

Copyright © 2023

Devotional by Dr. Dora J. Washington

“When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” Luke 4:13 NLT

Sometimes I think, what if we had the same perseverance our enemy has? Satan tempted Jesus three times before leaving Him. Even after Satan left Him, the scripture said, “he departed until the next opportunity came.” If he looked and waited for the next opportunity to tempt Jesus, how much more is he looking for one to tempt us?

Prayer: Lord, give me the strength to persevere when I want to give up and courage to speak Your Word when the flesh is tired, hungry and weak. Open my eyes to his strategies to deceive me and help me to overcome them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Written by Dr. Washington

Tower of Hope Ministries

Copyright © 2023

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

I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever. I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.

Psalms 119:44‭-‬45 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.119.44-45.NLT

It’s a good thing to choose right when caught between good and bad. Sometimes we may catch ourselves bragging about how we didn’t allow ourselves to “go there” with a person when they crossed us. Sporadic choices to say no to temptation can make one feel pretty good.

However, it’s another thing when we commit, draw the line, or make “the decision” before quick decisions have to be made. This takes the wavering out. It’s saying before it happens I’ve already made up my mind I’m going to do what’s right in God’s sight.

Psalms 119:45 says, there is freedom when we choose to devote ourselves to God’s precepts.

The world says, doing whatever you want when you want, and how you want is freedom. We all know what the end of those kinds of choices looks like.

If we want true freedom, obedience can’t be an occasion or an act of convenience, but a commitment. Obedience is better than sacrifice. 1 Sam 15:22

Selah.

Get quiet. Let the Holy Spirit show you areas you oscillate in your obedience to Him. Agree Repent. Yield.

Devotional by Tiffany Thompson, 2019 Tower of Hope Ministries Graduate

In today’s reading in our One Year Bible (OYB), we read how the Israelites’ bondage began.

Exodus 1:8 says a new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph. He surveyed the land and saw that God’s Chosen People outnumbered the Egyptians and were stronger and more powerful than them. Even though they were stronger and greater than the Egyptians, Pharaoh devised a plan to enslave the Children of Israel because they were such a threat to him and his kingdom.

It’s interesting to me that when the enemy is afraid, he seeks to enslave and dominate. But oftentimes when Christians are afraid, we tend to run and hide and let the spirit of fear control us.

The difference is one party knows something the other doesn’t.

The enemy is afraid of you because he knows you have power and authority over him. We are afraid of the enemy because we think he has power and authority over us – but he doesn’t.

Jesus explained in Matthew 12:29 that in order to rob a strong man (a person stronger than you), you first have to tie up or bind the strong man, otherwise he will be able to overpower you because his strength is greater than yours. In other words, you can’t do damage to someone who is stronger than you unless you hinder him in some way.

Because of the power and authority Jesus gave to us when He defeated death, hell and the grave, we are actually stronger than the enemy. The enemy knows he cannot overpower us, so he seeks to outsmart us and “tie us up” in our minds with deception – believing lies. If we think we can’t defeat him, we won’t because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

Satan can always enslave you whenever you don’t know the Truth about something because the Truth is what makes you free (John 8:32). That’s why it’s important to read God’s Word everyday because that is our Source of Truth for every situation.

Allow us at TOHM to encourage you with the Truth today: The Truth is, you are greater and stronger than your enemies because the GREATER ONE lives within you and has given you POWER and AUTHORITY over them!

The Truth is you have unstoppable power when you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you! (Acts 1:8) Don’t let the enemy enslave you in your thinking any longer. Resist him and believe that because God is for you, you have a guaranteed victory, even when it doesn’t look or feel like it.

Prayer:

Lord, Thank You that Your power defeated any and everything the enemy will ever bring my way. Help me to resist the enemy and know that I don’t answer to him, but he answers to the Name above all names, Jesus Christ, who lives within me!

Declaration:

Today, I tell my enemies of shame, fear, regret, defeat, lack, discouragement, poverty, pride, illnesses, generational strongmen, etc (make it personal) that I know the Truth and I am free in Jesus Name!!!

Devotional by Dr. Dora J. Washington

Genesis 3:1 NKJV
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
‭‭
The first conversation man had with the enemy was over God’s word. Think it not strange that we are still having the same conversations with Satan today over His Word.

We need to know and to let the devil know that our conversation ends with God’s Word is the Final Word for my life. That’s it!

As Satan sought to remove God’s plan for his creation from the scene, he began with trying to replace God’s word with his word, and he still does this with us today.

God will give us a Word to stand on and Satan comes immediately with the conversation of, “Did God say, you know He won’t do it for you, you know He let you down before, you know He let bad things happen to you, you can’t depend on God to help you so you have to do it yourself, and that doesn’t even make sense. A big one is, God forgot about you.”

We need to do what our first parents did not do- end the conversation with Satan by saying, God’s Word says…. And that’s the Final Word. It is done!

Prayer
Lord, help me to not be passive with the enemy. Help me to speak your Word with boldness and authority and end the conversation him once and for all by speaking your Word.
Let Your Words be my final Words. In Jesus’ name.

Written by Dr. Dora Washington
Tower of Hope Ministries
Copyright © 2023

Devotional by Shaquia Reed, 2018 Tower of Hope Ministries Graduate

“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Remembering the promises he has kept all year, all of the ways he’s made, every answered prayer, and all the impossible situations made possible, it helps us praise God for what he has done, and gives us encouragement for what he is about to do in our life and in the lives of others!

We won’t be fearful, overwhelmed, or discouraged by our current circumstances or the future because HE is our help and our hope!

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! And and His Word says “HE KEEPS EVERY PROMISE FOREVER!”

Verses 6-9 declare He gives:

1. Justice to the oppressed

2. Food to the hungry

3. Freedom to prisoners

4. Opens blind eyes

5. Lifts the weighed down

6. Loves the godly

7. Protects the foreigners

8. Cares for the orphans and widows

9. Frustrates the plans of the wicked

Have you seen God fulfill these promises this year?

I encourage you today to write out the ways he has been faithful to keep these promises in your life and in others’ lives (whether personally or globally)!

Write out what you’re expecting for this new season! If he’s done it before, he will do it again!

Prayer: Father, Thank you for keeping every promise forever! Whatever I face next, I know that I have seen you continue to be faithful, consistent, and true! That will not change! So I rejoice in what you have done, and I joyfully, patiently, and fully expect you to do it again!

Devotional by Shaneice Thomas, 2020 Tower of Hope Ministries Graduate

I used to drive a school bus periodically when I was an assistant principal. It was hard getting substitutes when the regular driver was out, so I decided that I would get my commercial driver’s license to fill in when needed.

The most important part of driving the school bus was safety. One thing that was extremely important was railroad crossing safety. In rural, country areas there may or may not be a barrier gate at the crossings so extra precautions had to be taken.

Drivers were taught to stop, open the bus door, look both ways, and then listen for a train before proceeding across. I would ask the students to be quiet so I could hear. Then I would close the door and proceed.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, more than 400 people are killed every year at railroad crossings and the vast majority of these deaths are preventable.

Failing to stop, look, and listen has natural and spiritual consequences. In order to reach our destination safely, we must be able to hear the Spirit of God to avoid becoming a casualty of the enemy.

There are 3 things that we can do to learn how to hear the Spirit of God:

1. STOP. Constant movement and busyness keep us from hearing from the Spirit of God. All activity is not productivity. We need time to meditate on God’s Word and His wonders.‭‭ Job‬ ‭37:14‬ reads, “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.” We don’t want to cross any tracks without knowing that God’s safety precedes us.

2. LOOK. Use your senses. Look around. Have you ever been looking for a place you have never been to and as you get closer, you turn down the radio? Why? Because in order to maximize our senses we must devote all of our attention to it. It helps us to focus. To be single-minded. Look for signs that God is speaking to you. 1st Chronicles 16:11 reads, “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek his face always.”

3. LISTEN. Listen for that inner voice. Listening will bring guidance and direction. It will help us to avoid impending danger. There have been numerous times I have a feeling that I should go another way or slow down and not pass that car in front of me. Obedience is key after having heard the Spirit’s instructions. Like in James 1:22 we must not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. But also, do what it says.

So today take this lesson with you and apply it to every area of your life. Stop, look, and listen.