In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says “therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
I don’t even know where to begin. I look at myself now and I look at myself from only a few years ago, and I just see two different people. The transformation in me from before I started going to prayer ministry compared to who I am today is such a real transformation. I now read that verse and I see how literal the meaning of that verse is. I am a living testimony to this truth thanks to Grace Restoration Home.
Growing up it was just my brother, my mom and me. My mom raised us without the help of my father. My dad was an abusive alcoholic towards my mom and these situations were common in my house. My dad was gone for almost 8 years before I saw him again, and I always longed for a father who was present in my life. I always felt different from my friends and my other family members. Growing up without another parent’s income, I knew that my mother was financially struggling to pay the bills. This left me fearful and resentful towards people.
In my teenage years I was angry, stubborn, selfish, insecure, and I hated everything about myself. I got caught up in the sins of this world including bad relationships, sex, and drugs like pot and eventually steroids. I would hide my insecurities, hurt and pain by covering them up with my obsession in bodybuilding. I eventually got into illegal steroid use, and I thought that I needed to use them to feel accepted. By this time I had no idea who I was or what my purpose in life was.
I tried to find the truth anywhere that it was being offered. I had a general idea of God, but I had no relationship with God the Father who I desperately needed and longed for. I experimented with other religions and spiritual practices, but nothing satisfied the emptiness inside me. I felt lost more than ever.
It wasn’t until I went to a Christian church for the first time that I realized the God that created me was also my Heavenly Father. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and from there the healing began.
I was introduced to Grace Restoration Home through my girlfriend (now wife). At first I was skeptical about this type of prayer ministry because I didn’t want to face the reality of spiritual warfare and our fight against the devil’s schemes. Through Grace Restoration Home I have learned to have an intimate relationship with God. I prayed through the traumas in my life and Jesus broke the chains of my sin along with the shame and guilt. My relationship with my mother has been restored and I have started a new friendship with my dad. Through repentance I was able to see my dad through the eyes of God’s grace. Even though forgiving him for what he did in the past wasn’t easy, it freed me from the anger I had built up for so long.
My heart has been softened and restored through this ministry. I look back to where I came from and I am amazed at God’s work in my life. I know now that God is my Father who will never leave me or abandon me. I now realize that He never left my side throughout my whole life. The healing that I went through at Grace Restoration Home has made me a better son, brother, friend and husband. I am truly a new creation in Christ.
Mike Remmers