Toni Ford

By Toni Ford It is so easy to let our circumstances and the challenges we face each day take over our thoughts and actions. We often forget that God wants to give us His best and that He is always working good on our behalf. These days, I find myself praying much more often, that

By Toni Ford Lately, I have been reading in the Book of First Samuel. I recently read Chapter 15, which is a pivotal chapter in the story of King Saul. The Lord gave Saul another opportunity to prove himself, but he failed again and lied about it and was judged. Saul had a habit of

By Toni Ford Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ life was like while growing up as a child? I often think about this and wonder if Jesus had siblings – how many brothers and sisters and what they thought of Jesus. In Matthew 13; 55-56 we see that Jesus did have both brothers and sisters.

By Toni Ford The word “faith” is a fairly common word in the Bible. If you were to ask people what faith means, you might hear answers such as, “trusting” or “believing in something.” To fully understand faith, a good place to study is in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as, “Now faith is

By Toni Ford The Book of First Samuel begins with the story of Elkanah and his family. Elkanah had two wives, one named Hannah and one named Peninnah. Peninnah had several children but Hannah was not able to have children. Peninnah would taunt and bully Hannah as a result. Although the harsh and cruel words

By Toni Ford Those who know me, know that I often speak about praying the Word of God. To me, this is one of the most important disciplines we as believers can do to strengthen our faith. Isaiah 55:11 says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces

By Toni Ford In the Book of Deuteronomy, God outlined the responsibilities of the nation of Israel, which were to love and obey Jehovah as the one and only true God, teach the children God’s laws, be thankful for God’s blessings and separate oneself from the worship of pagan gods in the land of Canaan.

By Toni Ford In March of this year as the world was experiencing the outbreak of COVID-19, several pastors from different nations and denominations joined together for a phone call. During the conversation, it became clear they all shared one heart – to unite and activate the worldwide Body of Christ to pray for both

By Toni Ford Have you ever heard of the book of Esther in the Bible? It is a short book with only 10 chapters and yet a very powerful book about God’s faithfulness to protect Israel and the Jewish people. In the third chapter of Esther, we find Haman, the king’s second-in-command, casting lots in

By Toni Ford Throughout this month, I have been reading the Book of Joshua. Joshua is a historical book, and although at times it seems to give a grim account of battles and wars, it is also about new beginnings for the people of Israel. Today, we might be not be experiencing a literal war,

We all know that two main staples in life are bread and water. Our bodies literally cannot live without water, and if we had to choose one food source to keep us alive, bread would be one of the best sources, if not the best source. When bread is mentioned in both in the Old

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