Today’s witnesses are from Matthew West’s website, popwe.org. If you don’t know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today, I chose a few testimonies from the Addictions and Deliverance Category. Often, we can hear our own story in someone else’s story. When we listen to others tell their story, it helps us see that we are not alone. When we hear how God worked in their situation, it gives us hope that He will work in ours, too! I pray that when you hear these testimonies, you get the faith and hope to believe that miracles can happen in your situation, also. I pray you know that God is there with you, and if you invite Him into your situation, He can help. I hope you enjoy these testimonies. We have all seen God working in our lives. However, we might not all be aware it is God working in our lives. This is why it is so important we start talking about it more. The more we share our experiences, the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us. If you would be willing to share any experience of how God has worked or is working in your life, please email me at catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com or click here. It won’t take up much of your time, and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today. Prayerfully consider sharing. Everyone has a story, and the world needs to hear them. Music:"Adding the Sun"fine us. It is not fun, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today’s witnesses are from Matthew West’s website, popwe.org. If you don’t know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today, I chose a few testimonies from the Addictions and Deliverance Category. Often, we can hear our own story in someone else’s story. When we listen to others tell their story, it helps us see that we are not alone. When we hear how God worked in their situation, it gives us hope that He will work in ours, too! I pray that when you hear these testimonies, you get the faith and hope to believe that miracles can happen in your situation, also. I pray you know that God is there with you, and if you invite Him into your situation, He can help. I hope you enjoy these testimonies.
Jim: The story I have is 100% God!!! In the darkest days of my opiate addiction, I went to jail. Then, I received a three-year sentence. I had never been in trouble as a teenager or a young adult.
At one point, I overdosed and if God had not put air in my lungs, I would have died. Nobody was around and nobody would have been there for days.
God knows our hearts and I went to Greater Cleveland Teen Challenge and completed that phase. Then, I went on to Cape Girardeau Missouri where I completed an additional ten-month program.
Jesus Christ set me free from the bondage of drugs and alcohol!
Thank you, Lord, for your sovereignty and for calling me out of the darkness and into Your marvelous light!
Thomas: For years I was struggling with what everyone else thought about me. I was also struggling with a bad pornography addiction. But then I moved to Florida and during the North Florida Youth Revival I got saved.
But after that, for years I bounced between that line of doing what God wanted me to do, and I wanted to do. I realized that I needed to stay on the path of righteousness.
Then God brought my amazing girlfriend into my life. With her help I was able to crush my addiction and live a happy life with her and God by my side.
But I also want to share a message we all need to hear and that is, God’s not dead.
He is alive. Through God anything is possible.
Now I know at times it’s hard to see it. But trust me God will do everything He promised us in time. We just have to be patient. God will do everything through his Son Jesus.
Jennifer: I wanted to share some of my testimony, since Matthew’s music has been a crucial part of my story. I met his father 3 years ago in Dallas and told him how much Matthew’s song “Strong Enough” had an impact on my life. In November 2013, I was facing my 3rd DWI and time in prison. I constantly had this song playing because I didn’t know what God had in his plans for me, but I didn’t think I could handle prison. I would cry, work out, and praise God while listening to this song. I shouldn’t even be alive with all the abuse I put my body through. But here I am, praising God through it.
My attorney told me I was looking at 6-9 months prison time, and I had my 2 year-old son at home. I finally submitted to the Lord. While driving home from the attorney’s office, I told God that if his plan was prison, then “Ok.” I completely submitted for the first time ever. Within 10 minutes of being home, my attorney called me and told me that he’s not sure how, but the district attorney called him and said, he’d give me drug court, which meant tons of counseling and self work, but no prison time!!! I know now, that was GOD stepping in!!!
This was the start of me changing EVERYTHING! I was able to become a sober mom, a sober wife, and a beacon of light for others who feel that darkness is all they can see. I started a blog and a website to help others and I now am over 6 years sober, with two sons and a wonderful marriage!!
So many of Matthew’s songs touch my heart as they talk about forgiveness, grace, and our amazing God, who saves us no matter what. Even when we feel like we are lost, He doesn’t feel that way.
Matthew, this is only a very, very small portion of my story, but I wanted to share how much of an impact you and your songs have made in my life. Thank you for expressing my heart and my words in all of your music. Now I can share your songs with my sons and they can feel the Lord through them as well. Thank you for sharing your heart and God’s spirit in all you do.
Brandy: My God moment was over 17 years ago. It started with a bad drug addiction my husband had to cocaine. He was so hooked that when he would finally come home, it was with no money left from his paycheck, and with people he owed money to knocking on our door. He had bad asthma, so when doing the drugs, many times he would have an asthma attack, until one day it was much worse.
We had no house phone or cell phone, so I would have to go across the road to my neighbor’s house to use a phone. This particular time he was having trouble breathing. He tried using the breathing machine, but he noticed it wasn’t working. He said “call 911.” We had 3 little kids asleep at the time, so I took our littlest one with me across the road, beating on our neighbor’s door. When I got back to my house, I saw my husband lying on our kitchen floor with the breathing machine still hooked to his face. His bowels had moved, he had vomited on the floor, and his lips were blue. “Scared” is an understatement, but I knew I had to push through the tears and pray for the Lord to help him. God stepped in and saved his life.
The drug problem wasn’t gone. Once again we would face this same situation. When the ambulance got to our house, they told my husband “if it wasn’t for your wife standing out on the porch flagging us down, you probably wouldn’t have made it.” I take no credit. I’ve always told him, and will continue to say it was God and God only. I wish I could say that was enough to get his attention, but it didn’t. He just got better at hiding it.
Part of our story is adultery, leaving, coming back, then making the decision not to leave again. I decided to trust God, and to fight for my marriage and deliverance for my husband. I started praying over him, sometimes when he was sleeping. I wasn’t going to give up on something I knew God could do. It didn’t come easy, but little by little he was set free from all drugs. In the process, God not only delivered him from drugs, but he also healed our marriage.
Fast forward – we are in church, serving the Lord. Over the years, God has used what brought so much hurt and pain to encourage and show others that if God can heal, restore, and deliver us, He can do it for them as well.
Thank you all for sharing your stories. I am sure your story is going to help others know that they are not alone and that wherever they are right now, that doesn’t have to be their ending.