Sade Jenkins: 0:13

Welcome to GDIA Podcast. I am so excited to have on this amazing guest. Her testimony is life-changing. It's going to shift you. It's going to honestly just change your point of view on so many things. So go ahead and introduce yourself and let us know who you are.

Alma Thomas: 0:31

My name is Minnistah, I'm a Thomas, I'm from Long Island, new York, I'm the mother of two children one in heaven and I'm a motivational speaker. I'm an author and, most of all, I love God.

Sade Jenkins: 0:50

Amen. So I am so excited to honestly just have everyone hear your story and just hear how God has shifted you and just how you were introduced to God. So let us know a little bit how were you introduced to God? I?

Alma Thomas: 1:04

was introduced to God because there were some evangelists that were working around my neighborhood and they came to my mom and asked us if we could come to Sunday School on Sunday morning. So we began going to Sunday School and we started going to service, but then the church moved from right around the corner to another town and so we were still going, but they were picking us up in the morning on Sunday morning and they would pick us up about seven. We'd come home about 11. So my mom decided that that was too long, so we stopped going to church.

Alma Thomas: 1:47

But there was always something missing, Like I never got any satisfaction from smoking, drinking sex. Nothing would fill that void that was in my life until I discovered God and I didn't really form a real relationship with him. Until my son was about two years old and I was worrying about something. He said to me Mommy, don't worry, God got us. And then we were really going to church then and I remember going into a store and the lady asked me did we go to church? And I was like no, and she was like get that baby in church because there's a call on his life. So that's when I started going to church, because I believe that there was a call on my son's life, Amen.

Sade Jenkins: 2:41

So I would also love to know what shift that you've had in your life, because I do feel like we all have those moments in our life where God either shifts us and he brings us closer, or either we start to reconnect with God, because we always have that moment sometimes Not everyone, but we do have those moments where we may have lost our way, and then we come back, or either we're just introduced to him, and it could be any time in our life. So what was that moment for you?

Alma Thomas: 3:12

I was reconnected with God. I knew of God but, um, I didn't have a real one-on-one relationship with him until my son passed away at 18 years old and I went through what no parent wants to go through bearing in your child and when I even seen the hand of God and that that would make me get closer to God. Because I saw the hand of God even in his death. Because, you know, at 18 years old, most parents don't think about putting their child in an insurance, so I didn't have insurance on him and I had to come up with $15,000 and a span of a few days and the people in my community and my family came together and in two days they raised $10,000. And then the funeral home itself was so impressed by people calling and talking about what kind of boy my son was that he took off all course that he encouraged. He only charged us for things that he had to charge other people to do. So I even seen the hand of God working in that. I even recall he will never leave us or forsake us, even in our darkest moments. And that was one of my darkest moments because for a moment I lost faith, because on April 17th he died on February 13th 2009.

Alma Thomas: 4:59

April 17th 2009 was his first birthday in heaven and I was thinking naturally not spirited, and I was wondering if anybody was saying happy birthday to him, giving him a cake, all the things that we do as moms for our kids and I said, well, today is the day that I'm gonna go be with my son.

Alma Thomas: 5:26

I wasn't thinking about being spiritual then, I was thinking about being with my baby and I poured all my blood pressure pills into my hand and I was about to take them and a still voice said to me if you take them, you'll never see him again, because he was 18 years old. But he was saved, sanctified and filled with God, holy ghost. He fulfilled God's purpose in his life and he was in heaven and God said you're not ready to leave yet. There's some things that you have to do before you're ready. And I put those pills down and that's when I decided that I wasn't just gonna survive, but I was giving myself permission to live again. I started a scholarship and my son's honor to continue his legacy. To date, I have given out 17 scholarships to African American boys who wanna go to college, and they can pay for their books, their transportation, anything that their regular scholarships don't cover this little bit that we give out enables them to buy things that they need to go to college.

Sade Jenkins: 6:50

Oh my gosh, oh, that's amazing Hearing that. It just kinda it hit home. But I understand how God uses us in such amazing ways Anytime. We just don't see that right then. So I would love to know what happened next, because he wasn't done using you, yeah, so what?

Alma Thomas: 7:11

happened next. Then I went through, my apartment didn't burn, but a row of apartments burned. So I went through being homeless for about four months until I found the place to live and you would think, okay, ooh, um, she's been through enough. But then and 2021, I suffered a massive stroke and I couldn't use the right side of my body. But, glory be to God, I can still use my voice, I still have my cognizance skills.

Alma Thomas: 7:47

I'm still preaching on virtual stages. I'm still talking on platforms like this to let people know don't give up, don't give out, because God still has a plan and a purpose for your life. I can pay my life to that clown at the carnival that you throw a ball at it and you hit it as hard as you can and you're knocking down. But just when you getting ready to jump up and Claim the grand prize, that joke of sit back up again. And that's what I'm like. When the enemy yeah, those are curveball at me and it knocks the wind out of me and he thinks that I'm almost out. He thinks that he got me, that I'll never preach again, I'll never teach again. I'm just like that clown. Just when the enemy thinks he can claim his grand prize. I bounce back up again because you see, they put something in that clown and makes it bounce back again. Well, god has placed deep in my belly that every time the enemy thinks that he has me, that he has knocked the wind out of me, he has shut me up, I bounce back back again and I'm running for Jesus and I'm sure not tired yet.

Alma Thomas: 9:11

Like I said, god has placed something in me that I just can't give up now that I've come too far from where I started from. So I can't give up now. Whatever I go through I know it's not for me, but it's for God to get to glory is for somebody else who does not know him To know that if you have a friend in Jesus, he's a friend to the friend list. He's hope to the hopeless that he can be everything, that anything that's impossible with man is Possible with God. He is not a respect of person. So what he's done for me, he'll do for you, you and you. He's not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he shall repent, but every word that proceeds out of his mouth will not return void, whatever dream that God has placed in your body. Don't wait till tomorrow.

Alma Thomas: 10:12

Before my stroke I used to say I can do everything tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow, but Tomorrow is not promised to you. I never knew that on April 23rd when I laid down that I would wake up With my whole right side Paralyzed. But that didn't make me give up, even in the rehab. I was in a rehab for two years. Even in the rehab I was preaching. Yeah, I was teaching Bible school. Even in the rehab, when things happen that was adverse, I prayed and called on the name of God and God told me I know this will.

Alma Thomas: 10:52

This is a wilderness Experience. You're away from home, away from the people you love, but I needed you there. I needed you in the wilderness Because I did some things that I wanted you to do and you couldn't hear my voice Because of all the noise that is around you. But now that you're in a quiet place, you can hear my voice and hear my instructions. So I thank God for the wilderness because even in the wilderness so I was sustained. Even in the wilderness, I never lost my home. Even in the wilderness, my bills were taken care of. I had everything that I needed. God provided for me, even in the wilderness, and God will do the same for you.

Alma Thomas: 11:37

If you don't know God, you don't know God in the partner of your sins. You don't have a one-on-one relationship with him. That you heard of him? Uh, you danced around with him, ah yeah, you've been his side check. But God wants you Play to just an audience of one.

Alma Thomas: 11:56

You can repent of your sins right now, say you're godly Sorry, you're not gonna do it, no more You're gonna be a bridegroom Of his. All you have to do is just become sorry, repent, find yourself a Bible, believe in church and form your relationship with God. It's not gonna happen overnight. It's a process. But if you're trying, if you're trying to live right, you're trying to do right, god will help you, he will show you the way, he will lead and guide you. And all Understanding. So if you don't know God, get to know him, because when you go through things, I'm not gonna promise you that every day is gonna be rosy. I'm not gonna promise you every day is gonna be sunshine. No, it's gonna be rain, because God reigns on the justice. Rest as well as the unjust. But you won't have to go through it alone, because God said he'll never leave you or forsake you. He'll be with you even till the ends of time. Who wouldn't want a friend like that? Then, no matter what you go through, he's gonna have your back.

Sade Jenkins: 13:07

Amen, and that leads me to this question. I would love to know what keeps you motivated, keeps you going every day, like, what things do you use on? You have those days that May not be your greatest day. What things do you do the word of God, amen word.

Alma Thomas: 13:27

And there's some people in the Bible that are Mon mentors, that I read their stories and what they went through and I say, okay, I can make it a another day. The first one is Joseph. I love the story of Joseph, that how he went. His brothers put him in the pit but God had prepared to pit for him. There was no water in the pit so he couldn't drown. And then they took him out of the pit and and sold him into slavery. But he had favor with God and favor with man and he became a leader in Potiphar's house. But old Potiphar's wife got jealous and we think, okay, okay. And he and she lied on him. How many times people gonna lie you and slander your name? But Joseph held on to his integrity, said, oh, your husband might not know if I lay with you, but my God knows. And he went into the prison and he had favor with the prison God. How many people know that God will give you favor wherever you go? And then there are some.

Alma Thomas: 14:33

Two men had a dream and he interpreted it for him and then he said remember me when y'all get out. But you know how we are sometimes we forget what God has done for us. He didn't remember until the time came that Pharaoh had a dream and nobody can interpret it, but he's oh, I know a fellow that I've told me everything that was gonna happen to me and to my friend. And it happened just as he said. And they called Joseph and he interpreted the dream. He told Fowler, you're going to have some good years. Huh, you're going to have seven good years, but don't eat up everything during those seven years. Put some things away, because you're going to have seven bad years. And Joseph became the second in command and when his family came and they apologized for what they had done to him as a young boy, as a young dreamer, and he said to them you're a minute for my bad, but God turned it around for my good. So every time I'm going through something, I remember that the enemy wants it for my bad, but God is turning it around for whoever is listening right now. God is turning around your situation. Glory be to God, hallelujah, thank you, jesus.

Alma Thomas: 15:51

We serve a God of a turnaround. When things are going bad in your life, don't give up because God's about to turn it around Just when you're about to give up, just when your breakthrough is around the corner. Glory be to God. God is turning your situation around. I see God turning around for right somebody right now, in the name of Jesus. You've been through some heartache, you've been through some disappointments in your life and you're about ready to throw in the white towel. You're about ready to surrender. But I came by here tonight to tell you don't throw in the towel. God is about to turn it around. He's about to turn your marriage around. He's about to turn your children around. He's about to turn your finances around. Glory be to God. Thank you Jesus. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh, god's about to turn it around. He's about to turn it around. Glory be to God. I wish I had some people who believed that God's about to do it. Thank you, jesus, amen.

Sade Jenkins: 17:14

Amen, yes, lord.

Alma Thomas: 17:16

Oh, thank you, Hallelujah.

Sade Jenkins: 17:18

Yes, like I told you, I already told y'all in the beginning that this story was going to shift you.

Sade Jenkins: 17:25

It was going to empower you and, honestly, just remind you just how amazing God is and that in circumstances those are just temporary. We may have those moments where God tries to show us something and he gives us a test, but, like she showed you through her story, he will help you through it and, if anything, it will turn out to a testimony and a blessing for you and for everyone connected to you. So I would love to just thank you honestly for just coming on here and just sharing your testimony, sharing how God has used you and just brought you into our lives in so many amazing ways, and I'm so grateful that granted, it was a hard circumstance, but I'm grateful that he used you in a way that you can help and bless so many people. I'm so grateful and I'm so grateful that you shared this with us, because I know it's going to make a huge change in somebody's heart and show them that God's not giving up on them. So thank you so much.

Alma Thomas: 18:37

Amen. Thank you, God be the glory. Thank you for having me on, You're showing, allowing me to share my testimony, because if it's what I went through just save one person then my living will not be in vain. Amen.

Sade Jenkins: 19:01

Well, that's it, you all. I hope that you enjoyed every second of that episode, because I definitely did so to make sure that you don't miss out on any new episodes. Click Like, follow or Subscribe so that you don't miss out on anything, and I will be back again next week. Bye, y'all.