I was born the youngest of five children. My sisters and brothers were much older than me. My father died when I was two years old. My mother worked very hard as a waitress, often times, at two different restaurants to support us. My brothers left for the Air Force right out of high school. My sisters helped a lot around the house and were very good to me. However, I was influenced as a small child by their peers to use alcohol and pot.
From a young age, I was very spoiled. I was used to getting anything that I wanted. My mother would give me material things to make up for being gone. There were no rules set and no one to discipline me. My behavior was out of control, and I was expelled from two private elementary schools.
When I was 11 years old, my mom was remarried and we moved to a new home. Shortly after, my step father took his own life. This tragic event left me alone again while my mother was working. I was hanging with the wrong crowd, mostly older kids, at the local pool hall. I began gambling, drinking, light drug use, smoking, and having sex. I even began selling drugs to other kids. I lost all interest in school and only desired to become a pro pool player and party with my friends.
I dropped out of high school after 9th grade. My interest was in staying out all night with friends. Often, I did not come home. I began to get in trouble with the law and ended up in jail on more than one occasion. I was placed on juvenile probation, and I spent time in drug rehab. I would have violent fits of anger at home and would either get kicked out or run away. I slept at friends’ houses, at hotels, and in cars. I even spent many nights sleeping outside when I had nowhere else to go. I worked off and on doing construction and other jobs to make money, but I never stayed on the same job for long.
When I was 19, I pulled into a car lot with a girl I was dating and acted like I was going to buy a car. The sales manager was a man by the name of Roland. I did not know at the time, but he was also a minister. I didn’t have two nickels to rub together, and I did not buy a car. I did, however, convince him to give me a job as a car salesman. I was eager to learn this new profession, and it seemed to be a perfect fit. Just like playing pool for money, I got a rush out of selling cars and a feeling of self-worth and accomplishment in doing it.
There was a lot of downtime at that little car lot, so besides teaching me about the car business, Pastor Roland begin to share his faith in God with me. It was the first time I was exposed to the Word of God, and Roland was the first example of a real Christian man that I had ever encountered.
Soon after I started working, I was invited to a “Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames” play at a local church. I answered the altar call for salvation. At 19 years old, standing there in that church, I felt the presence of God like never before. The Holy Spirit convicted me that I was a horrible sinner and in need of a savior. I repented and asked Jesus to come into my heart. I got saved! I was very excited and couldn’t wait to tell people what had happened! I went to church on and off for a period of time, and I began to read the Bible. I claimed to be a Christian, but like the fig tree there was no fruit. Because of my own selfish, fleshly desires I slid away from God and went back to a destructive lifestyle. 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. real life stories.
I was confident in my sales ability, and I applied at a large volume car dealership in Chicago. The excessive amount of money I made there contributed to cycles of partying. Girls, bars, and drugs were the nightly norm. I became heavily addicted to cocaine and other hard drugs. I would make up elaborate stories to get women to sleep with me. I told so many lies; I didn’t even know who I really was. Soon my cocaine addiction turned into a crack addiction. I hopped from car dealership to car dealership. I lost jobs, ruined relationships, and almost overdosed on drugs several times. The long hours and partying were beginning to take their toll. A door was opened in my career to be a traveling car salesman for big event sales. I had all the right connections to become very successful by the world’s standards. I had multi-millionaire investors that helped me start profitable businesses, but I always messed up, blew the money, and lost my focus.
My career led me to Arkansas where I met the love of my life. Right off the bat, she said, “You don’t have to lie to me.” She knew who I was. I did not have her fooled because she was living the same life that I was. She truly loved and accepted me for who I really was! I shared my faith in God with her, and on occasion we would attend church. We had a son together, but I soon turned to crystal meth. At some point, my girlfriend had enough. She began to seek the Lord through His Word and cry out to Him for help. She felt like the Lord told her to pack up and move us back to my hometown in Indiana.
We did move to Indiana but continued to take prescription drugs. My girlfriend had an Adderall overdose, and she called the police. The next thing I knew, the state was present and they took our kids away from us. My girlfriend’s daughter was sent to her dad in Arkansas, and my son was sent to my mother’s house for almost a year. We got married, and my wife submitted herself to God. She was set free of drugs indefinitely. I continued drug use when I was away on business. Two days before the state returned our son, I had a drug relapse. By the grace of God, my son was returned to my wife.
A few months later I flew to Seattle, Washington on a business trip. While I was there, I had an overwhelming urge to get high. I found a place where I could buy crystal meth. I borrowed a business
associate’s rental car then went to purchase the drug. I had a horrible feeling inside that this was all wrong and I should definitely not do it. The urge was too strong, and what happened next completely changed my life. I proceeded to get high and almost instantly felt the presence of evil all around me. I was scared and paranoid. I drove through the Canadian border thinking that it was a toll plaza. I ended up in a high speed pursuit with police chasing me from every side. I ran from them for miles. The police stopped my car with road spikes. They broke all the windows out of the car, violently pulled me out, and held me at gunpoint. It was only by the grace of God that I was not killed that night!
The Canadian police took me to the hospital. The doctors had to medicate me to slow down my heartrate. They told me I was lucky that I did not overdose. I spent the night in the hospital, and then the police escorted me to the local jail. There I was alone, in complete despair, facing several felony charges and the loss of my family. I remember feeling guilty for all the bad things I had done in my life and all I had put my wife and family through. Here I was locked up in a jail cell, in a foreign country, while my wife was at home pregnant with our daughter! I fell to my knees and cried to the Lord wholeheartedly. I repented and asked God for forgiveness. I promised Him that if He would once again get me out of this mess, I would serve Him every day for the rest of my life. This time, I meant it! A couple of days later, I went to court and found favor with the judge. They released me, and I flew home.
I became a completely new creation! 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”
This time, I meant business! When I got home I finally held to my word with God. After years of rebellion and chasing after my own selfish desires, I gave up. I surrendered my will over to God and began to wholeheartedly seek His will for my life. I changed my job, the places I hung out, and the people that I spent time with. I separated myself from anyone who was living a sinful lifestyle. I surrounded myself with people who loved God and kept themselves from sin. I prayed, read the Bible, and went to church regularly. I grew to love God gospel tracts and to know Him as the loving father that I had always been searching for My own heart’s desires began to change from the selfish pursuit of obtaining material wealth to the desire to serve God and to serve others at all costs. My entire outlook on life has changed. I have come to realize that everything I went through in life was to bring God glory and to testify of His greatness, His mercy, and His grace. I am grateful that the Lord never left me. He stood by my side through every storm in life, and I know for certain now that He always will be by my side. The Bible says that God will never leave you nor forsake you.
Years have gone by, and I am completely set free from all addictions. I no longer live in the bondage of sin. God has not only restored all that I lost in life, He has added every single blessing that you can imagine. I share my life with a beautiful, loyal, loving woman who also shares the same desire to serve God. My wife is my best friend and soulmate. We have been blessed with two happy, healthy children. Our house is full of love and definitely full of God. Everyone that has known me can see a tremendous positive transformation in my life, and I praise God for that!
My career is going better than ever, and we have been blessed financially. God always prospers everything that my hand is put to do. Since making Jesus Christ the Lord of my life, things have never been better, and I truly lack nothing! Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
If you’re reading this, it is definitely not by chance. God does everything for a reason! God loves you no matter where you have been or what you have done. He desires to have a relationship with you! God wants to set you free right now so that you can walk with him in the fullness of life for eternity. John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Everything God did for me, He will definitely do for you! The Bible says He is no respecter of persons! Your story in life may not be exactly like mine, but I know one thing for sure, God will meet you right where you are. Your life will never again be the same! God loves you!
Call out to Him now. Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Call out to Jesus now. He is waiting for you. Pray this simple prayer, and mean it from your heart. God will forgive all of your sins, and you will not die but will live forever!
“Dear Jesus, right now I ask You to be my Lord and Savior. I believe You are the Son of God! I believe that You died on the cross, and that on the third
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