Alumna Danette Crawford Shares about God’s Faithfulness
Danette Crawford, a Regent alumna who graduated with a master’s in counseling, ministers to thousands through her full-time healing ministry, Danette Crawford Ministries. She is the founder and president of Joy Ministries, the community outreach arm of Danette Crawford Ministries, where she serves as the executive director of their 23 community outreach programs. Danette’s television program, Joy with Danette Crawford, is broadcast weekly into millions of homes and across ten different networks including Daystar and CBS. She is a bestselling author and is currently writing her eighth book. She has a national headquarters building and phone center, where she receives over 260 phone calls during a 30-minute television program. Crawford notes that all of this is possible through the hand of God alone.
“I remember when I preached my first revival, years ago, and this little old man was staring me down the whole time I was preaching. He came up to me afterward and said, ‘I ain’t never believed in them women preachers, but there was just something about you. Just keep on preaching.’ What the Lord was showing me was the power of anointing.” Crawford believed that the Lord had called her to this work, so she leaned on Him and kept preaching His truth to all who would listen. This reliance on God has been evident throughout her life, especially when she continued working full-time while raising her daughter as a single mother.
At the beginning of her motherhood journey, Crawford was determined to continue her ministry. She commented that it was all about obedience. “For me, I am called to ministry full-time, and that calling did not change when my circumstances changed.” She acknowledged that, while it was incredibly challenging as a single mom, her daughter and she got creative and made their lifestyle work. Crawford recalled homeschooling her daughter and how they would take exams on airplanes while they flew around the country. Remembering all she’s been through and accomplished, Crawford was quick to point out that “we have to be determined. We don’t need easy, we like easy, but we just need possible. And with God, all things are possible.”
Crawford noted that Regent played a huge role in helping her start her career and establish a good mentality. Dr. Robertson taught her how to do everything with a standard of excellence. While attending Regent, she was going through a time of deep healing with the Lord. She had grown up in a denomination that did not believe in women preachers and she needed healing in her “mindset, emotions, and thinking for me to be able to do what the Lord had called me to do.” Crawford also highlighted the significance of television for her ministry and pointed out that Regent was her first exposure to televangelism. She is incredibly grateful for all that she learned at Regent and the way it prepared her for going into ministry.
Though she now has a flourishing ministry, Crawford didn’t always know where the Lord was leading, and her advice to students trying to discern God’s call is daily obedience. “I had no clue how I was going to fulfill all the promises but God said to me, ‘You’re going to do it one step of obedience at a time.’ So, each day, do what He tells you to do that day and be faithful that day.” It is also crucial to remember that it is not through you but God that promises are fulfilled. Crawford also encourages students to dream big and rely on the Lord for everything. Circumstances change but your God does not. She stresses the importance of keeping Christ as your first love and allowing everything else to fall in place around that. “Jesus wants to be your first love, and if you allow Him to be, then that gives you the fuel, faith, and stamina to go through every life season.”
If you are interested in learning more about Crawford’s ministry and books, check out her website.
Image credit: Joy Ministries
