I have always been a believer. I went to church when I was a teen and went on summer camp trips with the church. I enjoyed singing, worship, and hanging with my friends and bible study. As I became an adult, you could say, I traveled down a dark path and my relationship with God kind of dwindled away. I was still a believer but was no longer living the life that God wanted me to live.
I joined the military when I was eighteen. I was called upon to go to war when a helicopter was shot down over Iraq. I remember being sad that some of the people that I was fighting with could possibly not make it back home to their families. But at the same time I remember being excited and jumping for joy when we would launch aircraft with ordinance, and they would come back with nothing. I even remember writing a note on a bomb that said, “to you from my family", but with more colorful language. I drank a lot, partied, got into fights, was addicted to porn and spoke words I had no business speaking. In fact, I did this so much, it became a daily event for me for the next 7 years. The curse words became my first language.
I settled down with my wife, who already had two children, and a few years later we had one together. I would pray for things and even worked toward my prayers, but nothing would happen, or so I thought. Matthew 19:25-26 “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, Who then can be saved?. Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God All things are possible.” I had forgotten all about my love for God that had dwindled.
My brother would talk to me often about how he wanted to become a pastor. He would send me articles that he had been writing and felt might help me. He would read books and then pass them on to me. He wouldn’t push his beliefs on me, but he would say things to get the hamster wheel spinning. The words in those books would also help. The problem was, I still wasn’t getting the message being sent. Then, God sent another individual into my life.
I was at work when a guy came to us from a neighboring fire department. He seemed like a good person and knew the job well. I began to work with him at his station more and more over time. We gave him a nickname at the fire station, “Baby Jesus”. He started sending me videos about prophecy. It was the prophecy videos that got me thinking about my dark path that I had traveled down, and how I had wandered away from God.
It was September 16, 2017, and as I laid my head down to sleep, I reached out to God. I apologized for straying away from him and living a life that I realize was not for me or him. I asked for forgiveness for all my sins and that he help me get back on the right path, which was to him. I have lived in “ruins”, much like many others. I have prayed to rebuild my ruins, and with my actions towards my prayers, my belief, my planning, and the expectations of the opposition that I will encounter, I have had some prayers answered. Life is looking a lot better for me and I have three individuals to thank for that; my brother, my co-worker, and most importantly, my Father, Lord, and Savior. I know it was Him working through those close to me, to return me to the right path.
