Addiction, Abuse, Abandonment - Maria Durso's Powerful Testimony

This week on Worship Is My Weapon, Rita sits down with Maria Durso.
Maria lost her mother at a young age, and her father, not knowing what to do, entrusted her to a boarding school.
While there, Maria was abused and repeatedly called a child of the devil. Told that she did not deserve to have a mother.
Join the conversation and hear how God redeemed Maria's story.
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Chapter Markers:
00:00 Coming Up
00:52 Chance Meeting
03:49 Music Gives Pain a Language
04:27 The Story of Maria’s Grandson
06:25 Subscribe to Rita’s Newsletter
07:18 The Voice of a True Mother
09:44 Maria’s Early Days
14:20 Abused by Nuns
21:17 The Things That God Allows
22:55 Escaping Into Drugs
24:23 Mentorship Program
26:13 Meeting the Man of Her Dreams
29:28 Feeling Empty and Finding God
34:54 God Is a Prayer Answering God
37:14 Only God Can Change People
39:27 Going to the Brooklyn Tabernacle
41:07 Becoming a Prayer Warrior
46:41 The Power of Intercession
48:39 Wearing Justice
48:56 Have We Lost the Epicenter of Prayer?
53:20 There’s a New Spiritual Hunger Now
55:24 Mother of Israel
01:00:40 We All Need Each Other
01:02:59 Obedience
01:04:23 How Do You Find Peace
01:06:04 Intercession As a Weapon
Musicbed ID: MB01BZBLH5GLVBU

[@RitaSpringer]

What part of Maria's testimony do you connect with?

[@angeleav]

"Christianity has become cool, but we're not supposed to be cool."

[@abbasjoy4785]

The need for Prayer, the boiler room. And I was impacted when she said, I have no dreams. Thank you for allowing us to experience her story. God bless

[@godsbell]

Digging into intersession. I loved the whole thing❤Thank you! I’ve shared it with the women in my life.

[@lovelao7615]

When she said God called her name out.

[@gidge]

The clock , the boiler, and also how worship and prayer are often separated within the Church services. I appreciate the brave honesty of your life before you came to the Lord. Thank you and God bless and keep you.🙏💕😘

[@davidandshera744]

God led me to this interview. It just popped up into my feed. I wasn’t looking for it. I am on my knees drinking in every word. My husband and I are born again believers married for 26 years. He’s an Italian New Yorker and I’m a Swedish Norwegian from Washington State. My husband and I couldn’t be more different. Only in Christ do we find peace together. Right now every time my husband begins to share the Word in a small group he “feels” disrespected by me. He is very easily offended. I love intercessory prayer but it seems every time I ask the Lord to use us things get worse between my husband and I. I’m confused and God is not the author of confusion! Please pray for us. My husband also loves to lead worship through praise music in small groups. I love worship and praise music as well! But again every time we begin to walk in our gifting together something happens. We aren’t even meeting in a church gathering on Sundays anymore. We are in a Bible study on Mondays and Thursdays. I am crying out to the Lord but I do believe in strength and power through prayer among His believers. 🙏🙌🏻 I am definitely the Dead Sea, not much flowing out.

[@desiree8476]

Holy Spirit I pray that your spirit covers this couple & baptism them in your new love & surround them with your presence father ! We love you and thank you in advance for this family

[@davidandshera744]

@@desiree8476 Thank you so much and Amen 🙏 I receive all you prayed for us in Jesus’s Name 🙌🏻🦋

[@tracycarter4529]

I was watching another video and I don’t know what happened, but God switched it to this, and this impartation truly truly truly blessed my soul my Dad got killed when I was very young and I was my mother‘s oops child so I’ve never felt loved, but God has been wooing me showing me how deep his love is thank you ladies so much ❤

[@marieemazzeo]

This is absolutely my favorite interview so far in this series!! Genuine GOLD!! Thank you, Rita. Thank you, Maria! I was actually just reading through my journal from 2004 and found the notes from when you lead worship at Christ's Tabernacle on 2.28.04. And Maria spoke on Chronicles! That was such an amazing weekend for me as I drove down from Syracuse with a few other women. Actually had my only encounter I know of with a flesh and bone angel! I absolutely love and cherish what was shared about "no pretense" being willing to share about both our strengths and weaknesses on this video. The church NEEDS this kind of authenticity!!!❤❤ Thank you, thank you!!

[@pattijohnson1424]

Wow, what a powerful testimony!! She really spoke encouragement to me that I needed in a time of feeling "stuck", feeling like everyone else is "going places" and I'm going nowhere. I lead a small group in my home of young adult women the ages of my grown children. I've allowed the enemy to use my age and the age gap to discourage me. "Stop with the young, the old - we need each other! If we stop giving out, we'll dry up. We need to share our strengths and weaknesses." Amen! Thank you both so much for this episode!

[@godsbell]

This is just SO powerful for me. Just what I needed at this time in my journey. I’m so thankful that I have “rediscovered” you❤Your music has always touched the deep places of my heart.

[@loriphillips811]

Powerful… will listen again… and share with others…Thank you Maria! Thank you Rita!

[@suzannew4239]

Same!

[@AmberJade815]

Oh wow im only 6 minutes in and already know why the Lord wanted me to watch this episode right now at this exact time.. My son is almost 3 and has a speech delay along with some other delays... weve been going through a journey of getting him some help for the last year and so many doors have been shut and its been one of the hardest things we have been walking through, we suspect he might be put on the spectrum of austism at his nect evaluation next week. His name is River and hes a miracle baby for us, he also loves worship and ive had many dreams from the Lord of him worshipping and interceding. This gives me hope in his healing. The Lord is moving on us and we are praying and beleiving and pressing forward in this battle. Tonight im getting ready to go to church and pray for healing for him and our family and how timely this is for us. Thank you for sharing and being transparent.. now ill continue to listen. ❤

[@frostyneal4081]

This interview really impacted me. So grateful for the raw honesty.

[@pauljungck1643]

This was one of the most encouraging casts I've hear in a long time. So much wisdom and life flowed. No clichés, just life giving testimony of lives changed and the authentic lived out. The discussion on prayer was both convicting and encouraging. Thanks.

[@annedavismusic]

WOW. Another absolutely beautiful God love story where He does what He does best. Breathes His LIFE into us and resurrects the dead. Heals the broken. What a powerful story. Love looks like something.💜

[@maryinrome]

POWERFUL! I PRAY this video/message will go viral. That it will REACH more than you could ever imagine! It's so PROFOUND. Thank you both, and THANK YOU GOD!

[@janetwatkins1316]

Excellent. Such a great interview. And a wonderful testimony of Gods grace. So much to soak in. Maria is a precious woman of God. Blessings Rita. ❤

[@saralacey8879]

Incredible testimony! Glory to God! 🙏🏼🔥

[@donnademas613]

The church died when Leaders started to look to each other to know what God was doing instead of looking to God. We brought idolatry and the worldliness into the church.

[@linetteruffino9576]

Or He is leading us back to reset the tone. Some (Chosen by Him, himself) come with an anointing we may not even realize we have. His majestic work is around us, if we allow ourselves to receive and give back to others, just as he teaches us. Keep positivity alive, it will rekindle your Faith. Have a blessed Sabbath Day🕯️🙏🏽❤️‍🔥

[@janas6361]

This series has ministered to me greatly! Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your testimonies. Your podcast is a God send!

[@abbymorgan6247]

What confirmation. Thank you. So many times I say “God says do and I do” or something similar and people just seem as though I am striving or off or something. No. I’m just obedient. 🙌🏾 Thank you for confirming this is our life and it can look like this. 🙏🏽

[@kcsinging555]

One of the best interviews I have seen in a long time! So powerful and challenging. Also, I understand much better my weapon of worship as intercession! Thank you very much! I'm so blessed by this, Rita! Thank you again!

[@rutwibechehofsdegard8457]

Thank you, both of you! Wow, what a story! Our God is really a GOOD God!!❤

[@jeaniekim9951]

I get so filled when I see and hear others brimming with worship and they won’t contain it! 🔥 …I bet the lasagna was good, too! 😊

[@evelynolsen6090]

I have always been touched by you and your ministry. Met you back in 2003 at Bethany Church.

[@QuinaBuh]

All of this… all is a strong message. So many take aways…. I love how Maria’s message brings it home: What is my intercession? It is the breaking through the walls and what/how do I do this for the sake of others? “Where I thought I lost me, You knew where to find me.”

[@marthaarnold6763]

We have to get back to Jesus! He is our rock and salvation and ONLY through HIM we will be save!🙏🏼 Praise The Lord for this wonderful testimony.🙏🏼🙏🏼 Thank you Rita!💐💐🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@susansumner2476]

Love this. I relate to her offer to stay in the world, right after her encounter with Righteousness. As a back up singer in Nashville in that same era, i had a Damascus Road experience, then almost immediately get a call to tour with an award-winning artist at the time. I, too, knew it was the enemy. It was so obvious that I had no problem saying no. I'm so glad Maria said no to the temptor also. It was a mutual friend who prophesied to her about intercession. I rejoice in God's love and grace and power to guide!

[@RCGWho]

Why did she change so dramatically? She got genuinely saved. The Holy Spirit delivered her and renewed her conscience. When my husband got saved, it was the same. He knew intuitively the drinking, drugging, partying, secular music, sleeping around, cussing had to go. They just fell off of him like chains. No one had to preach at him. The emergent church came along in the early 2000s with this progressive, artsy, self-centered false gospel: keep the drink, keep the smoking, get the tats, keep cussing, keep dressing immodestly, keep doing yoga, keep doing you. She gave ALL glory to God, is humble, and a servant. Love her.

[@katrinasamson8593]

Awesome!!! Powerful ❤ Loved this ladies!! Thank you for pouring out 😘

[@Liviasantos9]

Prayer is everything

[@desiraegomez9790]

Nothing else is fulfilling. We need Jesus.

[@liontribe555]

Wow, her life needs to be made into a movie , wow

[@Moley5025]

Thank you for sharing your testimony. It has blessed me and encouraged to reach out more to others.

[@user-pj3ni2iq6b]

Thank you!

[@julesadventurer2111]

Prayers for you. I understand this was my journey. 🙏 Rom 8:28

[@abbasjoy4785]

I can't wait!

[@charlottebarclay4631]

Powerful

[@olgasalinas2208]

I love your honesty your testimony and everything that you're sharing about being all cuz it looks like they put the old woman aside

[@Liviasantos9]

Amazing

[@user-pw8my7en2l]

I want a (zoom?!) prayer band! Cast All your cares…for He Cares…

[@lovelao7615]

Great testimony brought me to tears, I was listening whilst driving. One thing I couldn’t stand was all the yeah, yeahs, yeah. Please stop lol

[@darlaheflin9227]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@h.g.vandebunt9694]

I recognised a lot. A mother with a tumor and a father who looked after her ofcourse. I was three years old and was sent to an uncle and aunt. Here I was sexual and ritual abused. I recognise the great emptiness inside. Even rejected by the church, i was forbidden to attend church. An enormous wrestle with God , still wrestling and fighting suicidal thoughts every other day. Feeling like a peace of shit / trash and being unable to accept Gosd's love. By the way I am a male and 64 years old now and live in the Netherlands

[@Liviasantos9]

Stop carrying what He told you to cast 🔥

[@elizabethgould994]

Wow. The part about the breast feeding is incredible

[@lindaheidt178]

I wonder if as "the world" we are living out the book of Job.

[@ot1974]

I had a dream last night we had an air Invasion and there were black and red airplanes