Tiffany Favors is a remarkable woman whose journey is a testament to resilience and faith. Having endured profound personal losses and traumatic experiences, Tiffany has emerged as a beacon of hope and an advocate for healing and transformation.
Her story is one of overcoming the darkest moments with unwavering faith, relentless determination, and a passion for helping others find their voice and path to freedom. Through her advocacy and ministry, Tiffany inspires countless individuals to confront their own traumas, seek spiritual revelations, and embrace the healing process.
Tiffany welcome to the Becoming Article!
We are so excited to have you join us on today! Lets get started....
CAN YOU RECALL A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE THAT WAS DEEPLY HEARTBREAKING, A MOMENT THAT SHATTERED THE VERY CORE OF WHO YOU WERE, ERASING THE PERSON YOU ONCE KNEW YOURSELF TO BE?
It was June 15, 2016, when life shifted for me. I received a call that my 26-year-old sister-in-law had been in a head-on collision that ultimately changed my life and took hers. I was 33 years old, and that was the first death that close to me I had ever experienced, which shattered me into pieces. Two years later, following that death, on June 15, 2018, I lost my biological brother to murder in Georgia. On the exact same day, June 15, 2018, I received a call that my first cousin had committed suicide. Both of them left this world at the young age of 33 years old! To think that wasn’t enough, on June 15, 2020, I was on my routine walk and out of nowhere, I was hit by a car! It was in that moment I began to question the significance of this date. I cried out to the Lord, asking Him to reveal Himself to me because I just couldn’t wrap my head around all that had happened! What am I missing? Why is all this stuff happening? Lord, I need answers. During this time, I was attending a prayer course, and I remember so clearly we were studying a topic called the Courts of Heaven. We began to learn strategies on how to pray for revelation, repent, renounce, and replace any and all open doors that had been tampered with in our bloodline, which the enemy had legal rights to. I began to use these strategies, incorporating them with fasting and prayer, believing that God would show me where the open door was in my life. And lo and behold, that same week, I remember being on the phone with my eldest cousin talking business, and it landed on us talking about our family line, which ultimately ended with my strong cousin releasing that she had been molested by my uncle when she was a little girl, as early as eleven years old.
This was also the father of my late cousin who passed away by suicide, and out of this, five children were born. When I say that God didn’t take any time answering my prayers, He literally laid it out right in front of me. It was at that moment that I realized that I was the bloodline breaker for my family. My heart was in pieces. Who I grew up to be, born and raised in the Apostolic Faith, I knew God but didn’t know Him. This strong dominant Christian culture, of wearing no pants, no makeup, jewelry, etc., and no socialization outside of the cultish community. Everyone appeared to be saved, sanctified, filled up with the Holy Ghost, while all along many of the children were being sexually assaulted and abused by the hands of people who we were supposed to trust. This had hit too close to home. I knew God had something so big in mind for me to destroy and dismantle on behalf of my bloodline, but I didn’t know that it would come by way of me losing my brother and cousin on the same day due to the sins of our forefathers before us! And this is what erased the person I once knew. The life I once knew became a life of questions: Who am I? Has my life been a lie?
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT THIS MOMENT HAD GROWN WITH YOU, EXERTING A SILENT YET POWERFUL CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE, HOLDING YOU HOSTAGE WITHIN ITS GRIP?
I knew this had grown with me once the truth was released. A lot of offense, bitterness, and unforgiveness began to rise up in me. I had reverted back to my childhood, going down memory lane. I began to have flashbacks of many uncomfortable conversations and situations I was put in as a child/adolescent that I suppressed because of family. My teen years were full of anger and rage. Being told to keep my mouth closed vs. nurturing the discernment in me. My great-grandfather was the Bishop and founder of this ministry, and we know how all that goes. We have to look and be the part and just keep quiet! This muzzled me. For years, I had struggled with using my voice. And to think that all I asked God for was an unusual revelation/understanding of why I lost all my loved ones on the same day, not knowing that He was digging up a faulty foundation that had been laid, which led to getting to the root of my inner childhood trauma. All while being an advocate for others who have been silent because of secrets, which has created a path for freedom for my whole family.
This muzzled me, for years I had struggled with Using My Voice
HOW DID THIS TRAUMA BUILD IN YOUR LIFE, AFFECTING YOUR DECISION-MAKING, APPETITE, RELATIONSHIPS, PERSPECTIVE, AND CONFIDENCE? WHAT DID IT HINDER, AND HOW DID YOU COPE WITH ITS OVERWHELMING PRESENCE? REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS.
Many may ask, what does your family passing and cousin's story have to do with all this? And my answer is everything! Had none of this been exposed, I would have spent the rest of my life walking around as if all was well! When in reality, my wounded heart for 33-plus years had been crying, "Tiffany, who are you and where did you come from?" All my life, I knew I was different; however, I lacked the proper guidance and encouragement to remind me who I was in God! All my choices were poor, ignorant, and immature. The trauma made me resentful, harsh, short-tempered, just plain mean. I dealt with anxiety, depression, procrastination, and control. I was wounding myself by carrying the doctrines and beliefs that I had grown up listening to. I was sabotaging myself, and it began to create problems in my daily life and started to interfere with my future. I began to self-medicate by using drugs, popping prescribed pills, and drinking alcohol. I indulged in comfort eating, and I even became suicidal. The relationships I had, I allowed people to walk all over me, even at the tender age of 18, meeting a man who was over 12 years older than me. I was speaking as if I didn’t have daddy issues, but my actions were saying different. I was the oldest of seven children; I had to grow up quickly. The addiction to drugs had my dad pretty bad. I was not connected with my mom the way we should have been as mother and daughter. My relationship with my parents was very estranged. Much of my life, I was raised in a one-parent household, making my mom a single parent. I would pray for hours that these feelings would go away, but it wasn’t that simple. I would be okay for days, then out of nowhere, instantly, I would go back into this deep dark place of insecurities. It can become very easy to replay what you’ve been through, especially when you are alone. I had to learn how to worship God and not allow the darkness to pull me back
WHAT WAS THE TURNING POINT FOR YOU, THE MOMENT WHEN YOU DECIDED TO LIVE AGAIN? WHEN DID YOU MUSTER THE COURAGE TO SAY, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH," AND TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD MOVING FORWARD? YOU ARE INCREDIBLY BRAVE.
The turning point for me was when I had to surrender to the will that God had on my life. I rededicated my life on August 21, 2018. I was rebaptized, and I gave God a yes. What can I say? Jesus and therapy brought me a long way. Deciding to go to counseling was hard for me. Why? I knew I was giving up my control. I was submitting to something I knew I needed but didn’t want. All my life, I knew I was different. I didn’t know that God would use me in this magnitude to break the barriers down in my family. He exposed generational patterns, generational decisions, generational curses. God knew that people would continue to be quiet about the things that took place in my family. Later, I found out that my cousin took her life because of the many things she knew as a child that were happening to her sister. It took her death and my brother’s death for her sister and her five children to be free. And in order for me to help those that were still alive, I had to do some healing of my own: the forgiving, the letting go, and learning how to be an advocate for myself by owning my truth. It took the death of my loved ones to tap into a place of healing that I did not know I needed. Therapy helped me dive into the most sacred places of my soul. Finding a godly Christian counselor who more so mothered me was one of the best decisions I made. I found myself laughing, crying, and being embraced by the presence of God. I was being forgiven and restored. I was conquering things I had made myself forget about because of the pain I did not want to resurface. I found my joy.
Therapy help me dive into the most sacred places of my soul
WERE YOU HESITANT TO LET GO OF THE PAIN BECAUSE IT HAD BECOME FAMILIAR, ALMOST COMFORTING IN ITS FAMILIARITY? WERE YOU AFRAID OF THE FREEDOM THAT LETTING GO MIGHT BRING, AFRAID TO STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN AND BECOME SOMEONE NEW THAT YOUR COURAGE IS COMMENDABLE.
Letting go of the pain was very hard. I found it soothing, and I found it rewarding to blame others for what I had gone through, especially when I didn’t understand what the pain was for. It was like the pain had become a part of me, my life, my story. I wore it daily, and I often would manipulate others with the story of what I had been through. I often would keep people around me because of the pity I wanted others to have for me. I was afraid of the unknown. Afraid of the place of freedom because of the narrative that I would have to change. I had become so used to the pain. It was the one thing I could rely on. The one thing I had control over. The one thing that was mine. I had allowed the pain to define me. I had allowed the trauma to dictate how I lived. This pain was the very thing that held me together for so long. I couldn’t see myself living without it. I couldn’t see myself being free from it. The pain became my best friend. It became the one thing I could always depend on. It was the one thing that I knew would always be there. I was scared to let it go because I didn’t know who I was without it. I didn’t know how to live without it. It had become my identity. I had to relearn who I was. I had to find out who Tiffany was without the pain. And that was the hardest part. Finding myself without the trauma. Learning to live without the pain. But in the end, it was the best decision I ever made. I found my joy. I found my peace. I found my purpose.
HOW CHALLENGING WAS IT TO RELEASE THE HURT THAT HAD BEEN A PART OF YOU FOR SO LONG? WHAT HELPED YOU RECOGNIZE THAT IT WAS TIME TO BEGIN THE HEALING PROCESS? YOU ARE UNDENIABLY A STRONG WOMAN.
It was very challenging to release the hurt. If I can be honest, who always wants to be the bigger person! But when you view things from God’s perspective, you understand that the assignment was never about you. I started to focus on the assignment; I stopped taking things personally and realized it was spiritual. I stopped being upset with my parents and became thankful that God used them as vessels to bring me into this world. I accepted that life had to go on, even if I never received what I felt I needed from anybody in my family. And it all started with that big word: forgiveness.
WHERE DID FORGIVENESS BEGIN FOR YOU? DID IT START WITHIN YOURSELF, OR DID IT BEGIN WITH FORGIVING OTHERS WHO MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR PAIN? REMEMBER, FORGIVENESS IS A PROCESS, AND IT'S OKAY IF IT UNFOLDS GRADUALLY. YOUR JOURNEY IS PRICELESS.
After God helped me unpack the truth and the roots of my trauma, I realized that the way I navigated 30+ years of my life was a result of my childhood exposure. Forgiveness started with me. It started with change, changing from within. I started practicing self-reflection, making myself accountable to address my past actions and issues, and noticed the impact they had on me and those around me. I had to forgive myself for becoming the parent I never wanted to be. Meaning my behavior as a parent lacked love and support, but God and His grace and mercy helped me. I took full responsibility, realizing that sometimes we choose to continue carrying things that are not our burdens. It often seems easier to hold onto the offense when someone has offended us than to let it go. Forgiveness has been one of the most powerful tools that has helped me overcome and inspired me to move on from the past. Those who may have caused heartache often don’t know they’re hurting us; many of them bleed on us because someone else bled on them in many cases. Remember, something eventually has to break, something eventually has to change, and that change begins with you. All throughout the Bible, those who were desperate and yearning for change did everything they could to get to Jesus, and His reply was, "Your sins are forgiven, and your faith has made you whole." Forgiveness is powerful, but unforgiveness can also be powerful. One can impact life in a good way, and the other can negatively impact life. When we refuse to forgive those who have wronged us, we can negatively impact our own well-being when we continue to carry the hurt. And, we can also hurt others out of a bitter place in our hearts. Forgiving is the only way to be fair to yourself. Would it be acceptable to you if the person who hurt you once goes on hurting you for the rest of your life? When you refuse to forgive, you are giving the person who battered you the privilege of hurting you again because you choose to replay it in your memory and your heart. So what I did was choose to let it go.
WHEN DID YOU START FEELING THE CYCLE OF PAIN AND TRAUMA BREAKING WITHIN YOU? WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT YOU WERE NO LONGER DEFINED BY YOUR PAST, THAT YOU HAD NOT ONLY SURVIVED BUT THRIVED DESPITE IT ALL?
My isolation brought on my transformation. Once I understood that it was OK to be me, there was nothing that I faced that I couldn’t conquer. Because of my background, I suffered from imposter syndrome. I had identity issues. I was taken out of school at the early age of eight years old because of my culture. I lacked feeling love and acceptance. I felt rejection; I didn’t feel a part. I began to see myself through God's lenses and realized as I was shifting that I was not the same person anymore. The things I used to tolerate became intolerable. I stopped running my mouth, and I remained quiet in many situations that did not deserve a response. I started speaking my truth. Where I once battled and argued, now I’m choosing to remain silent. I began to understand the value of my voice and realized that some situations no longer deserved my time, my energy, or my focus. Each day brought new strength and another chance to see things in a new light. There was a time when I didn’t believe God could use me because of my past. Then one day, He opened my eyes to see that my history is what helped mold me into who I am today. The good, the bad, and the ugly, though not always easy, had a purpose for shaping the Tiffany who is writing to you today. My perspective finally shifted, and I challenge myself daily to open my mind to God’s possibilities for me. Once I did, God began to take me higher. I began to thrive in the forgiveness process. I began to pour into others. I discovered the real me. I started loving to be loved. I got a grip on my mind. I let the past go. I turned off that anxiety, and I started making meaning of my life. I had to upgrade my personality. I started dealing with my circumstances. And all of this, God allowed me to survive. It was the death of my loved ones that opened up the stagnation, the lies, the deceit, the brokenness, the rejection, the betrayal, the broken promises. He started this process by using me to help others be free. My favorite scripture is Genesis 50:20: "What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around for my good to save lives."
IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO SOMEONE WHO EXPERIENCED WHAT YOU’VE OVERCOME TODAY, ARMED WITH THE WISDOM AND STRENGTH YOU HAVE GAINED, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? HOW WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE YOURSELF TO KEEP PUSHING FORWARD, KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW? YOU ARE A TRUE CHAMPION.
Today, I want to encourage you to stop running. God doesn’t owe us details about what’s next. Your faith and obedience will open that door for you. Being open and transparent about your life is the language and the strength you need to keep pushing. Your existence has to give you the courage to adjust to a new chapter in your life, and you need to be OK with excelling to a greater purpose. I hope you decide to shift your mindset and tap into God’s best for your life. Remember that regardless of what happened in your past, God has deemed you worthy of His plans for you. He can use you. God allowed this 40-year-old woman to be born to two unwed instruments in this cold world, yet He still used me, and He can use you too. So be true to yourself, thank Him for keeping you through all of the past hurt, and ask Him to heal you completely. He will do it because He’s just good like that. Stop resisting that He has called you to be the one. You are the bloodline breaker. You are the generational curse breaker. You are the voice that is going to tear the kingdom of darkness down. You are the one that judges righteously. You are not fake; you are not weird.
God has equipped you to be different for a reason because you don’t just stand for anything. Be yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others because most people, if I can be honest, are not happy with themselves. Be OK with progressing through stages. Be OK with the process. God has got your back. And if you are like me and you feel like you’ve been living with a monkey on your back, go to your prayer closet, and ask God to reveal to you your genealogy: what has been in your bloodline that has caused poverty, that has caused the spirit of molestation to continue to rise in your family. Why do people stay in abusive relationships, whether mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually abusive? Ask God to reveal it to you. One of the things that I vowed to the Lord is that I refuse to allow my children to heal from having me as their parent. You owe it to yourself to be free, and you definitely owe it to your children to live a prosperous life. They should not go through life cleaning up a mess that you refuse to address. For He knows the plans that He has for you.
Tiffany Favors , we want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for coming to share your story with us. Your openness and courage in sharing your journey have touched us deeply, and we are truly honored to have had the opportunity to hear from you.
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