Faith to Walk on Water

By Toni Weisz/Spiritual Disciplines

Scriptures: Matthew 14: 22-33

We see in Scripture right after Jesus feeds over five thousand men, not including women and children, the disciples are to go into the boat and go before Him to the other side. Then He sends the multitude away and goes up into the mountain to pray. But the boat, now in the middle of the sea, was caught in a treacherous storm that tossed the boat to and fro for the wind was against them.

Do you ever feel like the wind is against you when you are trying to serve God and trust Him through the storms of your life? It’s hard not to focus on the storm because it surrounds us and it causes us to fear, be anxious, and feel hopeless.

Then Jesus speaks to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Have you heard God speak those words to your heart?

Then bold and courageous Peter says, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” I want to have faith like Peter to step out of the boat to trust God when I am in the midst of a storm of uncertainty, fear, and even death.

Jesus says to us, “Come.” He wants us to grow in our faith and trust in Him.

How do we gain the confidence to step out? Through many trials and tribulations, we learn through time that God is faithful. He is working on things behind the scenes that we are not even aware of. We know that even the bad things we go through, He is working them all out for our good and His glory (Ref. Romans 8:28).

When Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus he starts to sink; the same is true for us. When we focus on the storm, we lose sight of God, and we become paralyzed by fear. Jesus is gently reminding us, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Questions to take to heart:

Are you in the midst of a storm right now?
What are you focusing on?
Is Jesus telling you it’s time to step out of the boat?
How can we pray for you?

I pray this topic was helpful for you. I have learned to trust God in the midst of the storm. He is my anchor, my refuge, and my deliverer. Please reach out if you need to talk: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

You are loved,

Toni

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Kelly’s Story of Redemption (audio)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbUBBBviMQs

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Idolatry and Codependency (Part 2)

By Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Scriptures: Philippians 4: 6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Idolatry is the act of putting something or someone before God in our hearts or minds. Idols are obsessions that consume us. An idol can be a job, money, a sport or hobby, a relationship, or a physical problem; anything that we put before God.

I find myself at least once per year picking up the book by Suellen McDolly, “Codependency No More.” It’s a quick read chock full of great insight, tips, and reminders to help me stay on my side of the street. Lately, I find myself jumping in and trying to control outcomes and situations in order to keep my home life more stable and comfortable. I don’t like hearing harsh and judgmental comments from an individual, so I try to control what is said to that person so that I don’t have to hear those harsh comments.

What? When I stopped to think about it, I again realized I cannot control another person’s conversation. What was I doing? Huge red flags were waving before my eyes. I felt so convicted that I was getting too intertwined in an unhealthy way. The Lord brought this to my mind. And the next day as I was journaling, He let me know what I was doing was a sin, it’s unhealthy and destructive, and it will rob me of my peace and joy.

The bottom line is when I don’t trust God to take care of things, and I jump into control things, I am telling God I can do better and I don’t need Your help. He knows I am feeling anxious and fearful. Look at Abraham and Sarah; she jumped in ahead of God’s plan and made a mess of her life and even the world because of her sin of not trusting God. I don’t want to make that same mistake.

I used to try to save, rescue, fix, and help other people too much, and it was extremely unhealthy. It was something I learned from my home of origin; it helped me cope with things I had no control over. Now I see that I have to be very careful that I don’t fall into those unhealthy behavioral patterns.

Lord, I recognize that I was trying to control things for my benefit so I could have peace in my home. That is wrong. I need to trust You and relinquish control to You completely. I surrender all to You. I pray You increase my faith and trust in You and leave the outcomes to You. I pray for this family member to have a soft heart and a desire to be in Your word daily. I believe a lot of this would change if he would do that, but I cannot control that either. All I can do is be an example of someone who is running hard after You, Lord. Help me, Lord, to keep my focus on You and You alone.

Questions to take to heart:

Are you fearful and anxious and trying to control things?
What is God leading you to do?
How can we pray for you?

Please reach out if you need to talk this week: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

To read Part 1 of Idolatry and Codependency:
https://myashestobeauty.com/idolatry-and-codependency-tonis-blog-abortion-recovery-and-abuse-support-group/

You are loved,
Toni

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The Cover Up

By Toni Weisz/Spiritual Disciplines

Scriptures: 2 Samuel 11 and Numbers 32:23c

Have you ever covered up sin with more sin like David did in 2 Samuel when he had Uriah the Hittite killed?

When I found myself pregnant at 21, I panicked and thought, “I have to keep this a secret. How can I get rid of this problem quickly?” I made the plan, but I finally did not have my abortion until December 10, 1980, after I botched my first abortion appointment by not following protocol. This caused me to have to go home for Thanksgiving from college pregnant. God gave me several ways to escape my abortion, but I did not take them. I was convinced by the evil one that this was my only option.

Devising evil plans to cover up sin never has a good outcome. Look what happened to David’s baby with Bathsheba, and Uriah and the men who died with him, as a result of David’s sin. What about all the servants that knew about David’s adulterous affair? He caused many to stumble spiritually and to participate in his plans, and even Joab the commander of his army helped to secure Uriah’s death in battle.

Sin is all consuming, and if we allow it, it will destroy us and many other people.

“And be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23c)

God sees everything. So, when we think we are getting away with something, we are not; it is a lie from the devil, because God knows.

The best thing we can do is go running to God immediately and confess and repent. Perhaps even before we fall into sin and temptation, stop for a moment and pray. Consider the outcome of our decision.
Is it a good one? Does it glorify God or the evil one? Ask for help.

Questions to take to heart:

When have you sinned and tried to cover it up with another sin?
What was the outcome?
How did God restore you afterwards?
How can we pray for you?

Please reach out if you need prayer or help overcoming the sins from your past and the destruction it has left behind in your life and in the lives of others. You can email me at: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

You are loved,
Toni

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A Time to Praise the Lord

by Toni Weisz/Recovery Tools

Scriptures: Joshua 4:6b-7, Revelation 12:11, Psalm 118:29, 28:7, 40:3, 150:6, and Isaiah 43:18-19

In the Book of Joshua, Chapter 4, we see God commanded the children of Israel to set up a memorial of remembrance for what He had done for them. These memorials were to be shared with future generations so they could see what amazing miraculous things God had done for them. I believe it is important for us to look back as well to see where we’ve come from and remember all the wondrous things the Lord has done for us.

Let’s look back over this past year, and let’s share all the wonderful things God has done for us and our families. There is power in our testimonies. We read in Revelation 12:11a, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Tell others the wondrous and amazing things that God has done for you. There is power in your testimony. We don’t know how our testimony can encourage someone else who is feeling hopeless, alone, and defeated. Your words can be the very thing they need to hear to encourage them and help them through a very dark time.

Let’s share some Scriptures that speak about our thanks to God for all His blessings.

Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good! For his mercy endures forever! Psalm 118:29

The Lord is my strength and my shield: my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. Therefore, my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. Psalm 28:7

And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6

I could go on and on praising the Lord with more Scriptures that speak about His wonderful attributes and His great love for us, but now I would like to share a brief testimony.

God gave me this verse for 2025 from Isaiah 43:18-19, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

In January, during a time of fasting and prayer, I started a new prayer journal, different from all previous years. I was desperate to hear from God, and we needed Him to move mightily on the behalf of my family. I wrote down 20 petitions with Scriptures for each one. I thanked God in advance for answering my prayers, and I signed my name and dated each one.

Slowly over the past year, God has answered many of my petitions which has been so humbling and has brought me to tears. In September, my son was strong enough to travel on an airplane with his wife to see my parents. He finally received a diagnosis on October 10, 2025, for the illness he’s had for four years.. My daughter, a single mom, has been blessed financially with a new job that started on November 9, 2025. God provided me with a part-time job this Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

In the ministry, we did two STS post-abortion studies and two Overcomers abuse studies. God raised up an army of godly courageous facilitators to help with our Bible studies this year. Thank you, ladies, for that. We’ve had 19 women on the call this year, which was our highest number ever. We just celebrated our 12^th year of conference calls. We have over 3000 people from all over the world visit our website monthly. We had the opportunity to share our ministry at several churches and events here in Palm Beach, FL, in VA and NC. On Saturday, November 8, 2025, Grace and her new husband, Matthew, were at Love Life’s 40^th week and she shared her miraculous redemption story. Matthew is the father of her aborted baby. Seven years after the abortion, they married on October 24, 2025.

God has given us at My Ashes to Beauty the distinct honor to walk with women who have felt all alone and tormented by the evil one. They come into our safe community and they feel the love of Jesus in our actions and words. God’s Holy Spirit is present on our conference calls and in our Bible studies. His fingerprints are all over this ministry, because it is His.

Please share a Scripture verse and a brief testimony about 3-5 minutes of what God has done in your life this year. We want to praise the Lord and thank Him for His abundant blessings.

To those who’ve been on the conference calls and also those reading online, thank you. I am so grateful to God for all of you.

I wish you and your families a very Blessed Thanksgiving.

You can reach out to me via email at:
toni@myashestobeauty.com

You are loved,
Toni

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