Sis. Gallo Testimony:
Joy based on status or an item is a falsity. It is temporary. What happens when it is gone? What happens when the Lord decides He wants to be the object of your Joy? I am oh so familiar with this scenario. I'm only sharing this because I need people to truly understand how good God really is. You have to praise Him through your circumstance.
Over the past 5 years I've gone from living in a 2 1/2 bath four bedroom house to an apartment, to a hotel. I had 2 brand new cars to having 1 to none and back to 1. I was driving and sitting pretty to walking 4 miles for 2 weeks; to get my son to school. I graduated with my Master's (M. Ed with honors) to having no job for 6 long months. I had the utmost joy and confidence (so I thought) to being completely depressed. During the 5 year span, I sought everything to fill my void except for God. I was half heartedly going to church then going home and drinking a bottle of wine within a 2 hour time. The church was not feeding my spirit and I was not taking any initiative on my own. I was smoking cigarettes like I had lost my mind (which I had). I was going further and further into the hole. The enemy had his hand all on me. I was miserable. I ate, drank, smoked, sexed and whatever else I thought would fill the void but the hole never seemed to fill up. I didn't want to be seen by anyone. I wanted to run and hide but I couldn't. I have responsibilities there are people who depend on me. It got to the point that I couldn't even pretend to keep it together.
All the while someone was praying for me even when I didn't pray for myself. Finally I got mad! Mad at myself, mad at the enemy, mad at God for not pulling me up. For letting me go so far down to where I felt that I couldn't get back up. So I decided to confront Him by going into His house. That was all "He" wrote then; exactly what He had been waiting for. I cried so hard and released so much that day. I had stepped into the right doors that day. All that I had prayed for, I received. A small, loving, attentive, supportive, patient, teaching, ministry awaited me with open arms and I was ready to receive. Ever since that day back at the end of March when I walked into Greater Hope Ministries doors, I've been growing in my spirit. Getting whole again. Getting bold and courageous. Getting my glow back on 1000! I've gotten intimate with Jesus. I've fellowshipped in His honor. I've been obedient and diligent. I've put my flesh under subjection and my pain has disappeared.
That hole that I was unable to fill before has been filled up and sealed with the armor. The blessings have been visible; the proof has been in the Holy Spirit. I've been filled and there is no return now. The desire for liquor dried up, the obsession with cigarettes that bonded me for 15 years is gone. I didn't need AA or a patch. I have my Lord and Savior. No I do not think I'm perfect. As a matter of fact the war is even bigger now that I know what the enemy knew all along. No I am not judging anyone else for what they may or may not do, or for their ways of coping. I'm simply sharing my testimony for those who are open enough to receive. It is my responsibility to testify so that all of God's children know who He is. It is not about me. For so long people have told me how strong I am and how much they admire me to the point that it started to make me mad because I had no shoulder to lean on. Everyone was confident that I would be alright but I felt so alone. Now I know it too because what I didn't know is those people could always see the God in me whether they recognized it or not. All praises be to God. Without Him I do not exist.
September 29, 2010
The month of September we had two souls restored back to the Lord. One of the souls was restored on Wonderful Wednesday Bible Study, September 29th. Greater Hope Ministries believe in getting around the altar and praying. Prayer is the key. The other soul was restored on September 19th.We have people out in the world that are scared to come back to the Lord because of fear of what people may say. Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Paul never says that it is a normal fact of life that Christians sin. We have been called to a higher walk. We have been called to walk in the Spirit and not to do the old dead works of the flesh. And yet, it is a normal fact of life that Christians sin. The qualification for having a ministry of restoration is that you first be spiritual. Here is the point. You cannot restore someone to a Spiritual walk if you yourself are not walking by that same Spirit. You cannot dispense what you do not have. And if you try, you will be like a blind guide who tries to lead another blind man through a series of pitfalls. You are both going to end up taking a nasty fall. If we are harsh when we are attempting to restore, the result will be that we drive people away instead of bringing them back to Jesus. Our example is Jesus. He called sinners to repent, but when they did, He did not beat them over the head with their sin. Instead He loved them. We must never come into the restoration process believing that we are immune to the temptations which caused another to fall. Pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 10:18; 1 Corinthians 10:12). When Paul said that those who are spiritual are to do the work of restoration, he means that those who are spiritual at that particular time. But that same person who is spiritual now might need to be restored at a later time. It is so obvious that it almost doesn't need to be said, except that far too many churches have ignored that the church is supposed to be in the restoration business.
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