hope – Fortress of Hope Ministries

While the world’s scientists scramble to discover a vaccine for the Coronavirus, as believers, we are equipped with something more powerful, and stronger than any man-made vaccination. We have the completed work of Christ on the cross, the blood He shed by His stripes is for our healing, and we have HIS Word on it. By confessing God’s Word, it activates its intended purposes so the Word accomplishes the reason God gave it to us (Isaiah 55:11). I’m not opposed…

Scriptures and Declarations to Conquer Fear Over CoronaVirus

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope, Prayer

A Virus More Deadly than COVID-19

Shonda Savage Whitworth

Biblical Living, hope

The following opinion piece was submitted by Tommy an inmate in a Texas prison. ~~~ The times we are living in right now are very troublesome. The fear that mainstream media is pushing out daily has not only our cities and state at a standstill, but the whole world is living in fear. As Christians, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). As I…

Experience God’s Perfect Love

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope, Prayer

The Lord is a personal God. He desires a personal relationship with each and every one of us. Jesus, God’s Son, was the Lamb who was slain so that we may have a personal relationship with the Father. If you did not have a healthy relationship with your earthly father, this may be a difficult concept to understand. However, the Lord desires to show His unconditional love as a perfect Father to you. The Lord desires for us to be…

Recognized for the Good

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

What do you think of when you think about Moses? Some common thoughts may be … He led the Israelites out of Egypt. He parted the Red Sea. He wrote the first five books of the Bible. The Lord gave him the Ten Commandments. Yes, we remember Moses for the great things he accomplished in his life. Moses is recognized as a man of great faith (Hebrews 11:23-29). Moses’ testimony is so powerful, especially when you know all of it.…

Grace Transforms Lives

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

God’s grace is amazing. He is faithful to answer us when we call out to Him. When we call Him, we will never get His voicemail. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NKJV). I came across a prisoner testimony of God answering a man’s call from solitary confinement. Because this man cried out to God, God poured out His grace in this man’s…

Find Hope When in Despair

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

My dreams for my family’s future shattered when my oldest son was sentenced to prison. His conviction demolished the good mother image I erected in my mind. With this image decimated, my emotions spiraled into a dark abyss. After my son began his life in state prison, my life of being held captive by guilt, shame, and condemnation started. Despair enveloped me like a heavy fog keeping the light from shining in my life. Proverbs 13:12 reads, “Hope deferred makes the…

Sufficient Grace

Shonda Savage Whitworth

Biblical Living, hope

Do you realize that God gives us sufficient grace to make it through each day? I remember how this revelation came to me years ago when my husband was away from home for an extended period of time for work. I had to pick up the slack around the home. We had two young boys and I worked full time outside the home. Interestingly enough, problems did not wait until my husband came home. Life continued in his absence. We…

Become a Prisoner of Hope

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

Just weeks after our son’s arrest, a colleague told me, “Shonda, be sure you put your hope in God because man will fail you.” That sounded like good advice and I really intended to practice it. As the investigation continued, we hired an attorney and we learned more about the situation. The attorney shared information with us that gave us hope. In hindsight, I can honestly say I put my hope in the attorney and the justice system instead of…

Fellow Sojourners

Shonda Savage Whitworth

Biblical Living, hope

We’re all sojourners, just passing through this phase of life. James described our lives as being like a mist that appears for a moment, but then it’s gone (James 4:14). Life on earth is temporary. One day sometime after my son’s incarceration, it hit me—if my life here is temporary, why do I dwell on myself too much on this life? I’m not talking about neglecting myself, but moving out of self-pity into focusing on God’s promises. I began to…