Day 1: CHAINS OFF — Acknowledge the Bondage
Scripture Focus:
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32 (NLT)
Welcome to the Work of Freedom
Juneteenth was never just a day — it was a reckoning.
On June 19, 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform over 250,000 enslaved people that they were already free. Imagine it: freedom had been declared… but they were still living in chains.
That moment mirrors the spiritual reality for many of us today.
Jesus already declared us free — from addiction, shame, trauma, abuse, fear, guilt, and our past — but too many of us are still living like we’re enslaved.
We’re still stuck in survival mode.
Still chained to the need to be liked.
Still bound by what they did to us.
Still carrying what we were never created to hold.
Freedom may have been declared, but has it been received?
What Are You Still Carrying?
The truth is, we don’t heal what we won’t face.
We don’t break free from what we won’t admit.
We don’t rise into purpose while pretending we’re already whole.
That’s what Jesus was confronting in John 8:32.
He wasn’t just offering information — He was offering transformation.
But transformation starts with truth.
Not just the truth about God — but the truth about you.
Are you still pretending you’re okay while silently suffocating?
Are you still wearing the mask of “strong Black woman” while silently bleeding?
Are you still making excuses for the chains you’ve learned to function in?
Maybe it’s the chain of people-pleasing — constantly overextending yourself to feel worthy.
Maybe it’s the chain of unforgiveness — clinging to bitterness because you never got an apology.
Maybe it’s the chain of shame — believing the lie that because of what you’ve done or what was done to you, you’ll never be enough.
But Sis, hear this loud and clear:
God is not asking you to be perfect. He is asking you to be honest.
Because what you won’t confront, you’ll continue to carry.
The Woman of Encouraging Her Resilience
You didn’t survive everything you’ve been through just to remain emotionally imprisoned.
You didn’t come through addiction, abuse, grief, and loss just to sit quietly in church while still spiritually stuck.
You are the woman who fights in silence, prays in the dark, and smiles through the tears.
But now… it’s time to tell the truth — and walk out of the prison you’ve normalized.
This workbook isn’t about perfection.
It’s about liberation.
Just like our ancestors, you may have lived years unaware that freedom had already been signed into your destiny.
But today is your Juneteenth moment — your spiritual emancipation proclamation.
Today’s Reflection Questions:
- What truth about your story have you been avoiding?
- What are the chains that still grip your heart?
- What are the behaviors or beliefs you call “normal” that are really just survival tools?
Stop hiding the pain in your performance.
Stop dressing your wounds in silence.
Stop shrinking in rooms you were born to take up space in.
Action Step — “Today I name my chains, so they no longer name me.”
Write it down. Speak it aloud. Call it what it is.
Because when you name it, you strip it of power.
Chains don’t break by accident.
They break when a woman stands in truth and declares:
“Enough is enough. My healing starts NOW.”
You are no longer a slave to survival.
You are no longer just a victim of your past.
You are CHOSEN.
You are CALLED.
You are FREE — and now you’re learning to live like it.
This is Day 1. Let the chains fall.
Welcome to Your Juneteenth Journey: From Chains to Chosen
Because you were never meant to stay bound.
This week, we step into something sacred.
Juneteenth is more than a date on the calendar — it’s a divine reminder that freedom may be declared before it is delivered. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally told they were free — over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had already been signed.
What does that tell us?
It tells us that freedom can exist long before we walk in it.
It reminds us that truth delayed is not truth denied.
And for every woman who has survived addiction, abuse, abandonment, or anything that tried to bury her — this is your time.
Welcome to “From Chains to Chosen” — a sacred 5-day workbook created for women like you: women who have survived much, and are ready to walk boldly in the freedom God has already declared over your life.
Whether you’re still wrestling with old wounds or rising from the ashes of trauma, this journey is your personal declaration of liberty. Over the next five days, you’ll:
- Confront the hidden bondage that’s kept you stuck
- Break spiritual strongholds that no longer serve you
- Claim the identity of a CHOSEN daughter of the Most High
- Begin rewriting your story — not as a victim, but as a vessel of victory
Let this week be a holy rebellion against every lie that told you you were still in chains.
Because you are no longer bound.
You are no longer broken.
You are no longer overlooked.
You are chosen. You are called. You are free.
And this is only the beginning.
Let the journey begin.
Welcome to your freedom walk.
Welcome to From Chains to Chosen.
God, I’m Letting Go—Again.
Scripture Focus:
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
Sis, let’s start today with honesty.
You’ve been strong for too long.
You’ve carried the weight of what happened, what hurt, what never healed—and you’ve done it with a smile no one questioned.
But inside? You’ve been screaming for release.
Not just once—but daily.
And that’s okay. Because surrender isn’t a one-time thing—it’s a lifestyle.
Devotional Thought:
God never asked you to carry what you’re carrying.
Not the guilt.
Not the shame.
Not the burden to be everything for everybody.
He’s calling you today to do something radical in a world that says “push through”:
Let go.
1 Peter 5:7 says:
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
Not just some. Not just what’s convenient.
Give Him all of it.
Why?
Because He cares.
Because He knows.
Because He’s capable of holding what’s crushing you.
You don’t have to carry what Jesus already died to take off your back.
Think About This:
- What are you trying to manage that’s actually managing you?
- What emotions are you burying instead of surrendering?
- What would your day look like if you truly believed God is for you—not against you?
Today’s Prayer:
God, I’ve been carrying what You never asked me to. I’ve held on to fear, control, shame, and pressure. But today, I surrender again. I give You the things I don’t understand, the questions I haven’t had answered, and the weight I can’t name. I trust that You care for me, even in the places no one else sees. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Faith Declaration:
“I am letting go. Not because I’m weak, but because He is strong. I trust that God cares deeply for me—and He’s working even when I don’t see it.”
Let today be a gentle reset.
Not one where you strive—
But one where you surrender again.
Because every time you let go, God steps in.
And today, He’s not just watching you—
He’s carrying you.
The Breakthrough Is Closer Than You Think — Don’t You Dare Give Up
Monday, May 12, 2025
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” — Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)
Sis, don’t scroll past this. God wants to speak to your spirit right now.
This is for the woman who has been on the edge of giving up.
You’ve been pressing in, showing up, trusting God — but lately it feels like nothing is changing.
You’ve been praying, fasting, crying in your pillow, worshiping through the pain — yet your breakthrough still hasn’t come.
And you’re starting to wonder:
“God, did You forget me?”
“Did I miss something?”
“Is this really worth it?”
Let me speak life over you right now:
You are not forgotten. You are not forsaken. And you are not failing.
You are right at the edge of your breakthrough.
The most dangerous moment in a woman’s walk with God isn’t when she’s broken — it’s when she’s tired of hoping.
Because when the hope starts to fade, your vision gets cloudy.
You start entertaining lies.
You start questioning the promise.
And the enemy steps in with the same old whisper:
“It’s never going to happen for you.”
But today, we shut that lie down with the fire of God’s truth.
You WILL see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Don’t you DARE give up. Not now. Not this close. Not after everything you’ve survived.
Don’t stop five minutes before your miracle.
Don’t silence your praise just because the pressure increased.
Pressure always precedes the breakthrough.
Warfare always intensifies before the release.
Delay is often the evidence that destiny is about to break loose.
You are in labor. This is spiritual delivery.
God didn’t bring you this far just to leave you.
He didn’t allow the fire just to watch you burn.
He allowed it to refine you, prepare you, and birth something unstoppable through you.
The promise is still alive.
The breakthrough is still coming.
The shift is still in motion.
You might be exhausted, but you are anointed.
You might feel empty, but you are full of purpose.
You might feel forgotten, but Heaven is watching you, fighting for you, moving things on your behalf right now.
So plant your feet. Wipe your tears. Square your shoulders in the Spirit. And declare: I will NOT give up.
Sis, if you knew what was on the other side of this test, you’d be dancing right now.
God is not a man that He should lie. If He said breakthrough — it’s coming.
If He said healing — it’s yours.
If He said restoration — get ready to see it with your own eyes.
Hold on, woman of resilience. Heaven is backing you up.
With fire and faith,
Dashonia Marie
Founder, Encouraging Her Resilience
Don’t Get Weary By Doing Good
Written by: Dashonia Marie | Encouraging Her Resilience
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” — Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
This week…I was tired.
Not physically, but spiritually. Emotionally. Mentally.
I showed up. I poured out. I encouraged. I prayed. I smiled. I ministered.
But behind closed doors, I was weary.
Not weary of God — but weary in purpose.
Weary from helping others heal while I still had my own wounds.
Weary from holding others up while silently feeling like I was falling apart.
Weary from doing what’s right and still feeling like the results weren’t coming fast enough.
And in the middle of my weariness, God whispered something powerful into my spirit:
“Don’t get weary when doing good.”
I knew that voice. I knew that Word. It hit my soul like fire and flooded my eyes with tears.
Galatians 6:9 is more than a sweet verse to quote — it’s a lifeline to those of us on the battlefield of purpose.
It’s a message to the tired mother still praying for her child.
To the counselor helping others while silently asking God, “What about me?”
To the woman trying to rebuild her life from the ruins of addiction, trauma, or heartbreak — and still showing up with love and faith.
Here’s what God wants us to understand, sis:
Doing good will cost you.
It will cost you time, energy, tears, and sometimes your peace.
But it is not in vain.
Spiritually, this scripture is a reminder of two things:
1. The seed you’re sowing is working — even if you can’t see it yet.
2. There is a due season for your harvest, and it will not be delayed.
But here’s the challenge:
The enemy attacks you hardest when you’re closest to the breakthrough.
He wants to make you give up in the middle — to stop the flow of good works because he knows your obedience is shaking hell.
Your love is restoring lives.
Your honesty is healing hearts.
Your purpose is shaking chains loose.
And that’s exactly why you feel so tired.
But sis, DON’T QUIT.
Don’t let your weariness outweigh your faith.
Don’t let the discouragement make you forget why you started.
You are walking in purpose. You are a vessel. You are chosen.
Even when you feel weak — God’s strength is made perfect in you.
Even when you feel unseen — Heaven sees you.
Even when your heart is breaking — you are still being used by God to heal others.
That is a divine assignment. And it’s not easy.
But the reward…oh, sis — the reward is coming. Don’t give up before the harvest.
So today, I write this not just for you — but for us.
For every woman who is serving others while silently hurting.
For every woman who is holding on by faith.
For every woman who needed this reminder just like I did:
You are doing good. You are making impact. You are building legacy.
Don’t get weary — the harvest is coming.
With love and resilience,
Dashonia Marie
Founder, Encouraging Her Resilience
