calvinearl
Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2004
- Messages
- 50
I invite you to share your experience of being delivered from any type of bondage. The emphasis here is what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now. I'll share a brief personal testimony of my own experience with God, and His grace and mercy He showed me. For the complete story, if interested, you may visit www.geocities.com/mrcalvinearl
At the age of 13yrs. old I was introduced to alcohol. I liked the way it removed the pain of my troubled past. It wasn't long after this I was introduced to marijuana. Soon to follow was the pills and powder. I thought I had found the perfect solution to all of my problems, past, present and future.
In high school my behavior from my addiction became extremely reckless. My grades began to fall, I became involved in lucrative sexual conduct, and I was facing "normal" teenage problems. My addiction was running my life, and my life was out of control. At the age of 18yrs. old I had become familiar with "black-outs," but it never deterred me.
Suddenly, I began having nightmares, I would see a long black tunnel, but at the end of the tunnel was a light. I knew this was my life. As time went on the light got smaller and smaller, as if to be getting consumed by the dark surroundings. The light was almost totally engulfed, when I woke up one day in tears. On April 29,1996 the fear woke me up, I was crying, my body felt like all of its energy had been depleted, I knew I was now fighting for my life. I had always believed in God, but never knew God. For the first time in my life I went to my knees in prayer, all alone in my barren apartment, with a face full of tears, I cried out to God. I told Him I did not want to die, I asked Him to spare my life and help me do what I was unable to do myself, survive.
I did not know how I would live day-to-day being sober, I did not know how I would face life's pains and hurts sober, I did know how to conduct myself around people being sober, but I did have only the faith of a mustard seed. When I checked myself into the hospital I was drinking 1/5 of Crown Royal daily, every day. I don't know how much pot I was smoking, cocaine & pills.
I took my recovery as serious as I did my addiction. After 3 months I graduated from the half way & continued the recovery work. I continued attending meetings and began sponsoring others who were still suffering. My faith in God became strong, my self-esteem was restored, I finally felt joy and peace in my heart.
I then met and married my third wife, she accepted me and my recovery, but she had a surprise for me. One Sunday morning I agreed to attend church with her, here she introduced me to Jesus Christ, & I was slain in the Spirt. He accepted me with open arms, with no regard for my shaky past. I was intrigued by this, a new interest was sparked within me. I wanted to learn more about the Man, the more I learned the more I wanted to learn. The spark soon turned into a flame, a burning desire to follow Him. I realized that the void in my life can not be filled with drugs, alcohol or women, ironically quite the opposite, sobriety, love and a man, Jesus Christ.
By allowing God to take total control of my life He has blessed me with all of my dreams and desires, I have a beautiful, Godly wife and family, a nice home in the country, and the ability to share my experiences, strength and hope with those still suffering. It is my prayers that someone will be touched by this testimony and they too may enjoy a life filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for allowing me to share, may God's peace be with you.
At the age of 13yrs. old I was introduced to alcohol. I liked the way it removed the pain of my troubled past. It wasn't long after this I was introduced to marijuana. Soon to follow was the pills and powder. I thought I had found the perfect solution to all of my problems, past, present and future.
In high school my behavior from my addiction became extremely reckless. My grades began to fall, I became involved in lucrative sexual conduct, and I was facing "normal" teenage problems. My addiction was running my life, and my life was out of control. At the age of 18yrs. old I had become familiar with "black-outs," but it never deterred me.
Suddenly, I began having nightmares, I would see a long black tunnel, but at the end of the tunnel was a light. I knew this was my life. As time went on the light got smaller and smaller, as if to be getting consumed by the dark surroundings. The light was almost totally engulfed, when I woke up one day in tears. On April 29,1996 the fear woke me up, I was crying, my body felt like all of its energy had been depleted, I knew I was now fighting for my life. I had always believed in God, but never knew God. For the first time in my life I went to my knees in prayer, all alone in my barren apartment, with a face full of tears, I cried out to God. I told Him I did not want to die, I asked Him to spare my life and help me do what I was unable to do myself, survive.
I did not know how I would live day-to-day being sober, I did not know how I would face life's pains and hurts sober, I did know how to conduct myself around people being sober, but I did have only the faith of a mustard seed. When I checked myself into the hospital I was drinking 1/5 of Crown Royal daily, every day. I don't know how much pot I was smoking, cocaine & pills.
I took my recovery as serious as I did my addiction. After 3 months I graduated from the half way & continued the recovery work. I continued attending meetings and began sponsoring others who were still suffering. My faith in God became strong, my self-esteem was restored, I finally felt joy and peace in my heart.
I then met and married my third wife, she accepted me and my recovery, but she had a surprise for me. One Sunday morning I agreed to attend church with her, here she introduced me to Jesus Christ, & I was slain in the Spirt. He accepted me with open arms, with no regard for my shaky past. I was intrigued by this, a new interest was sparked within me. I wanted to learn more about the Man, the more I learned the more I wanted to learn. The spark soon turned into a flame, a burning desire to follow Him. I realized that the void in my life can not be filled with drugs, alcohol or women, ironically quite the opposite, sobriety, love and a man, Jesus Christ.
By allowing God to take total control of my life He has blessed me with all of my dreams and desires, I have a beautiful, Godly wife and family, a nice home in the country, and the ability to share my experiences, strength and hope with those still suffering. It is my prayers that someone will be touched by this testimony and they too may enjoy a life filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for allowing me to share, may God's peace be with you.
