Toni Ford

By Toni Ford Have you ever been burdened by something you see or hear and have become so passionate about wanting to “fix” it, yet you know you cannot by your own efforts? In the book of Nehemiah, in Chapter 1, we read about a man named Nehemiah who was faced with this exact situation.

By Toni Ford Have you ever heard the saying, “I am too much in my head”? Well, that was me this past week. When I get too much in my own head, it usually leads to fear, anxiety, worrying about all the “what if’s” in the days ahead and on and on. The most harmful

By Toni Ford Two of Paul’s earliest letters were written to a church of young believers that he helped start in Thessalonica, along with Timothy and Silas. These two letters were written to real people who were experiencing real problems. Most of us would say that we can identify with these people because we are

By Toni Ford I think many would agree that we are definitely living in unique times. Lately, instead of waking up each morning with a not-a-worry-in-the-world mindset, it seems as if I wake up with a battle-ready mindset of preparing for the unknowns of the day ahead. I remember praying this past week, “Lord, please

By Toni Ford When things in the world seem crazy or when my own situations in life seem to be in chaos, the first two places I go for the Lord’s peace and comfort are worship and the Word of God. Over the past month, there is a song that I have had on repeat:

By Toni Ford January 1, 2020 marked the beginning of a brand-new decade. Many people were hopeful and excited about what the new decade could bring. We’re now six months in, and many folks are wondering if things can get any worse and worrying if what has passed thus far could be an indicator of

By Toni Ford Recently while reading in Isaiah 51 and 52, the words “listen, “look” and “wake up” kept popping up. I’ve learned over time when I continue to see the same word or phrase repeatedly in a section of Scripture that it is wise to pay closer attention. The words are there over and

By Toni Ford Over the last six to eight weeks, I have encouraged many people to join the Unite714 prayer movement that began the first week of the coronavirus pandemic. If you have not joined, it is definitely not too late! Simply visit www.unite714.com. Unite714 began one afternoon with 25 ministry leaders on a conference

By Toni Ford As our state begins to loosen restrictions in regard to COVID-19, I have had several friends ask me multiple questions concerning how I will handle visiting public places more often and how I feel after I’ve been out in public. To be honest, there have been times when I felt very safe

By Toni Ford Lately I have been reading in the Book of Numbers, and I must say that I have fallen in love with this book of the Bible all over again. Found in the fifth word of the Book of Numbers, ‘Bamidbar’ is a Hebrew word meaning “in the desert.” The Book of Numbers

This past week I heard a news broadcaster report that people are beginning to experience “shelter in place fatigue.” I interpreted this as saying that people are “over it” and ready to be “released” from the shelter in place orders their state has put in place. Within the last couple of weeks, states are beginning

By Toni Ford I saw a post on one of my Facebook friend’s page this week that started my interest on the number 40. I am borrowing some of those thoughts for this week’s devotional. The official quarantine from COVID-19 began for many people on March 23, and it appears to be ending to some

By Toni Ford Both Passover and Easter were celebrated this past week by Jews and Christians from around the world. One of the beautiful traditions the Jewish people practice at the beginning of Passover is a ritual feast called the Passover Seder. The Seder marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover and is

By Toni Ford I’m not sure what your favorite time of the year might be or what your favorite holiday is, but springtime and Easter are by far my favorite. The month we call April the Hebrew calendar calls “Nisan.” Nisan means “beginning” and is the month of new life. It is no coincidence that

By Toni Ford Each week, we are watching our world, our nation, and even our own state change as a result of COVID-19. Each day, whether on the television or through the internet, we can easily be overcome by all the information regarding COVID-19. While most of this news is not very positive, there are

By Toni Ford I pray that each of you reading this article is safe and healthy. Each week, I continue to pray Psalm 91 over you and your families, especially verses 9-11, which say, “If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no

By Toni Ford Last week our nation was called to a “Day of Prayer” concerning the coronavirus that has since been identified as a pandemic. Many churches across our country sent out a message encouraging everyone to pray Psalm 91. While praying that psalm over my family, our country and our nation as a whole,

By Toni Ford I do not normally watch the news on a regular basis. Based on all that is happening around the world regarding the coronavirus, however, I decided to watch both the local and national news yesterday. If I was not alarmed or anxious before the news, I definitely was afterwards. Throughout the day,

By Toni Ford I struggled this week with the title of this teaching. I wanted to title it something more positive and life-giving, but I kept coming back to this question I ask myself often when I let my circumstances become bigger than my God. It is so easy to let our circumstances and the

By Toni Ford In the Gospels Matthew and Mark, the first parable mentioned is of the farmer scattering seed. This more often referred is to as the parable of the soils, since the emphasis of the teaching is placed primarily on the different soils in which the seed falls. The setting for how Jesus begins

By Toni Ford In the 15th chapter of Luke, Jesus shares three of His greatest parables ever told. Before He begins, He is approached by the Pharisees and other religious leaders, who are upset with the crowd Jesus is hanging out with. Not only did Jesus welcome the outcasts and teach them, He went a

By Toni Ford Over the past few weeks, I have found myself in several conversations with friends and co-workers about the difference between head knowledge and heart truths, what we know in our head verses what is rooted in our hearts. It is often easy to read God’s Word, and listen to teachings about God

By Toni Ford Have you ever experienced real and true hunger? I heard a story of a young couple who were struggling to pay bills. As they sat down one evening to eat a meager meal of a single hamburger patty and a glass of milk, the young husband gave thanks and offered up a

By Toni Ford I love beginning a New Year by reading the Book of Genesis, the very first book in the Bible. The Hebrew meaning for Genesis is “Bereshit,” which means “in the beginning of.” This year, the Lord opened my eyes to something I had never seen before in the first five verses of

By Toni Ford Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This is one of the many reasons I love the Word of

By Toni Ford This week’s devotion is actually one I saw written by Sylvia Gunter with “The Father’s Business.” Sylvia is an incredible woman of God and has written several books and Bible study curriculum. You can read more about Sylvia and her ministry at www.thefathersbusiness.com. I love Genesis 1:27 and personally believe it is

By Toni Ford  One of the methods Jesus used in communicating His message to the people and to His disciples was through parables, which basically are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. His disciples asked Him in Matthew 13:10, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus basically replied in Matthew 13: 11, 14-15,

By Toni Ford  As we prepare for a new year, we often start by making a list of all the many ways we are going to improve our lives and do more by working smarter and not harder, which then leads to us creating all our New Year resolutions for the coming year. I would

By Toni Ford This might be a bit different from my usual articles, so hang in there with me if you will. After reading the gospel accounts on the birth of Jesus, my mind and thoughts began to shift to, “What happened after the birth of Jesus, and how should my own thoughts and focus

During this Christmas season, one of my favorite things to do is take time and read and reflect on the birth of Jesus. I love to read about the story of His birth, as well as all the events that took place before and after His birth. Each year as I am reading, the Lord