by Sis. Josie Manrique
As I sit and think of the goodness of the Lord, I will never forget what He has done for me. I love the way He brings to my remembrance what He has delivered me from. As I sit and ponder my life, just three years ago until now, it's amazing what has happened. Although I have been saved for over six years, there was a period about three years ago that I kind of went back into some of my old habits. 
I now know that when Pastor Pruitte tells us that we need to be in church faithfully, it is not because he wants the seats to be filled, but it is for our own good. I had moved and started a new job and it required me to work weekends, so I was missing Sunday services and sometimes Bible study during the week. Even though I read the Bible daily, it still wasn’t enough to keep the flesh under subjection. I started back hanging out with the partying crowd and trying to fit in. God had already delivered me from drinking but because my spirit was not getting fed, the flesh took over and I started drinking again. I had convinced myself that I didn’t do it that often and I wasn’t getting drunk so it’s okay (the devil is a liar).
After doing this for about five or six months, I was sitting in church and my pastor in North Carolina was talking about God being able to see everything, this really didn’t mean anything to me until she singled me out and said, “Josie even though you are living in another city and I can’t see you, God can!” God had used her to speak directly to me, so right then I knew it was Him talking. This made me do a self evaluation. I looked into the mirror and did not like what was looking back at me. It was at that time I had to ask God for forgiveness and straighten up, but this wasn’t like the previous times whenever I had asked for forgiveness I was more sincere and I know that God honored that. I started taking advantage of the slow time on Sundays and asking my boss could I leave early to go to church, I noticed that when I made time for God, He made a way for me, which was easier than my own way. I then prayed to God that if He blessed me with Sundays off that I would go to church every Sunday. Soon after I was granted Sundays off and I made sure I was at church every Sunday and every other opportunity I could go. I had to be faithful to my word because God had been faithful to His, and I must admit that sometimes I really didn’t feel like going, but something I had heard got stuck in my spirit, “THE BLESSING IS IN THE PRESSING”. From then until now, God has blessed me with positions that I am not required to work Sundays. He is just so amazing, awesome and magnificent!
If I could give the readers a few words to live by, they would be that God is a faithful God. As you have witnessed through my testimony, when you are sincere with God and acknowledge your wrong doing, He can help you to make it right. I just thank God that He has never took His hand off of me, even when I turned my back on Him. I thank God for my testimony.