It all started when I was a little kid, I grew up in a non-religious household, my birth parents abused me, used drugs, abandoned me, and even taught me how to use/make drugs and even taught me how to gangbang.
I was pulled out of that lifestyle from the 11 CPS calls that other people were calling about, and into a family with two loving parents who love and serve the Lord. I got baptized when I was 6 and gave my full life to Christ. But as soon as I went into my freshman year in high school, my connection with the Lord went from a 10 to a 0. I was trying to fit in at my school to try and be ¨popular¨ by involving myself in gangs, drugs, and sexual temptations with my friends. Whenever my friends did horrible things, we’d get caught and the police would be involved in every situation my friends and I were in.
A close friend of mine passed away from a drug OD at the age of 17 when I was in 7th grade. I remember the phone call I received in the middle of my 7th-grade science class about his death. When I went into 8th grade, I got pressured to vape and I remember taking my first hit of nicotine, I got addicted but I felt a tug on my heart telling me to stop. I never listened, I just kept feeding myself into sin.
A couple of years later, in my junior year of high school, I stopped vaping, and I stopped hanging out with the bad kids.
Another devastating incident occurred, 3 days before my birthday another close friend of mine died from suicide, I remember attending his funeral and I was speechless, I was mad at God for this happening to me, and that same night, I yelled out to the Lord, but I never listened, I would just shut Him out. But I lied to my parents for 9 months about having a girlfriend when I wasn´t supposed to. They found out and I ran out of the house, trespassed on private property, and got arrested. The look on my parents’ faces was heartbroken, I lost trust, and my connection with the Lord was broken.
But before my junior year of high school, when I was a sophomore, I was invited to a church camp by a friend. And the first time I stepped foot at the camp, I felt alone, and left out. There was a night at church camp where the Pastor had us drop chains and let go of our burdens. I sat in the back, but I felt a tug on my heart. I heard a voice call out to me to stand up and let everything go.
Mark, I was a junior in high school when I let go and gave my life to Christ. Your story made me recall that the girl I was going to the prom with committed suicide right before and that sent me into depression where I cried out to God and found Jesus Christ. You’ve got a great journey ahead. Immerse yourself in His word and hold fast to Him. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks be to God for His saving grace.
May you fulfill the purpose of God for creating you on the Earth in Jesus name.