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My Journey From 'Crack' to Christ
I was born in 1956 to
a family of six other children, myself being the youngest.
I had a “normal” childhood and was a good student during most of
my school years.
When I was a
sophomore in High School, my peers and I began to smoke marijuana in
between classes and especially on the weekends, coupled with drinking
beer and wine.
Little did I know
that this would lead to heavier drug usage because I thought I was in
control and knew what I was doing.
Certainly adults and the media didn’t know anything really worth
our listening to when they warned us of the dangers of our rebellious
indulgences. We didn’t see
anything wrong with “having fun”.
It’s now the
mid-seventies and the slogan is, “If it feels good do it”.
My peers and I experimented with all sorts of drugs: 714’s (Sopors),
which are “downers”, speed, THC, Micro-Dot ( a hallucinogen) and a host
of others. How dangerously
close to death’s door we skated, but we never realized.
It’s that, “I’m too young to die” mentality that takes over one’s
mindset.
In the early 1980’s,
I was introduced to the drug, cocaine, which at that time was the “drug
of choice” for many of us.
For me, it was the ideal “diet pill”, because using it, and doing
aerobic exercise three times a week, helped me to shed some unwanted
pounds. This drug is very
deceptive, giving one a false sense of euphoria.
Later, I was
introduced to cocaine in yet another form, free-base, or what is
commonly known today as “crack”.
Hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of dollars were spent on
this mind-altering, quickly addictive drug.
You see, the enemy,
(Satan), had deceived me in to believing that I was in control of my
habit and that I could quit at any time I chose.
I bought in to that lie for a time because I reasoned that I went
to work every day, paid my bills on time, concealed my drug use from
family and friends who didn’t indulge, and so I had it all together.
One night, after
several hours of smoking crack, I sat alone on the sofa in my living
room, my heart racing and feeling as though it would beat right out of
my chest, when God began to speak to my heart.
He told me that I was on the fast track to Hell, which really got
my attention.
Many times prior to
this fateful night, I prayed that God would be patient with me and not
let me die without first making my peace with Him.
You see, I had been raised in a home where I’d had some exposure
to “church-going” and I’d been taught “about” Jesus, but hadn’t learned
what it meant to have a personal relationship with Him.
Nonetheless, I am thankful for the exposure to the church I had
for it placed within me the desire to know the Lord on a personal level.
I had gone through
the motions numerous times of ridding my life of all the paraphernalia
and telling myself that I was through with the drugs.
However I had not yet admitted to myself that I needed strength
stronger than that of my own self-will and determination.
That night, though, was different.
I told the Lord that I had a problem that I needed His help to
overcome. I first admitted
that I was a sinner in need of His grace and forgiveness.
That night, He helped me to realize that all the while I was
using drugs, drinking and living the life that goes along with those
things, that what I really had been searching for was unconditional love
and acceptance, but had taken the wrong road to find them.
I asked for His
forgiveness, and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.
I also asked to be set free of my addictions.
God, in His mercy, not only heard my prayer, but He also answered
my prayer. This is not an
exaggeration! Immediately a
peace came over me that I had never felt before and gone was the craving
for the drug (crack) that had nearly caused my demise.
The amazing thing in all of this is that God spared me from
having any withdrawal symptoms like I’d experienced when I tried to kick
the habit in my own strength.
Amazingly, I didn’t suffer any kind of mental or physical
impairments from the abuse that I had put my body through.
Praise His Holy Name!
He set me free in 1982, and I’ve been drug-free and serving the
Lord ever since.
Please know that this
same deliverance can be yours simply for the asking.
Maybe you don’t have a drug or alcohol problem but you’re
addicted to gambling, pornography or something else.
Maybe it’s just that you have never asked Jesus to come in to
your heart and life. The
bottom line is that we all need to know forgiveness and the saving grace
of Jesus because the Bible says in John 4:6, “I am the way, the truth
and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me”.
In other words, there
is no other way for us to get to Heaven to be with God except through
Jesus, and rightfully so since He paid our sin debt in full on the Cross
at
If you have never
accepted Jesus into your heart, please do it today, while there is still
time. His return is
imminent and your eternal destiny depends upon the choice you make
today.
Let me say that
knowing and serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, truly makes it “A
Wonderful Life” both here on the earth and someday in Heaven for all
eternity.
Blessings to you, |