Sam's Testimony

in Jesus and I'm in recovery from a drug addiction. Let's open with the word of prayer. Dear many Father and Lord, I just thank you for this opportunity, Lord, and I pray that this message goes out to whoever hears that Lord Father, that it can help bring change and healing in their lives, as just as it did, has done for me, Lord Father. I thank you for this opportunity and Jesus' name, Lord, I pray, amen. I was born in a little town called Odie, Tennessee. I'm the youngest of four, the two brothers and a sister. We were all involved in church and sports and school. My dad pushed us to be good in everything we done to be the best we could be. And that's the time he seemed very hard on us and I always done things the hard way. And I was the youngest and was a black sheep. He was a good man in a lot of ways. He sent us values, good standards to always tell the truth and to always keep our word and to love the Lord. His father, my granddaddy, went to the first Baptist church in Madison. He was a deacon there and we'd catch the joy bus and all of us and our cousins and my cousins and we all went to church. There were times I'd go to my pom-poms house, my mom's dad and he went to the first Baptist church in Hendersonville. And I can remember the pastor of that church

was Reverend Courtney Wilson. He would always come by to my pom-poms and visit. We lived in Old Hickory and we got involved in the first Baptist church there. I got into the royal ambassadors and in Sunday school, me and my brother would cut the grass so we could be able to go to vacation Bible school each year. And I received Jesus into my heart at the age of 12. Proverbs 22.6 says, "Train the child in the ways he should go when he gets hold here would not depart from it." I loved my dad. I mean, I really loved him. I looked up to him. I wanted to be just like him. He kept me close and taught me everything. Right from wrong, how to be respectful and how to stand up for myself and how to be a good man. But when I, and when I lose my temper, he would laugh and say, "Boy, you're just like your daddy." And that would make me so proud. There was another side, another side that I didn't understand. My father struggled with drinking. He didn't drink every day, but when he did, he became someone different. And I remember being confused because the man I love is the same man who would drink and abuse my mother. I didn't know how to process that

because I loved him, but I knew it wasn't right. So in my mind, I think that became the definition of a man, strong and in control and respected, but at the same time, something was broken. When my parents separated, everything changed. My oldest brother went into the military and my sister stayed with my grandparents, trying to finish school. My mom took me and my brother to Texas. She worked two jobs. She fought hard for us to keep food on the table, root for our heads and to put us through school. She loved us and pointed us to God, always reading the Bible and praying with us. But now my dad was gone and I didn't just lose my dad. I lost his authority in my life. And at the age of 12, I was trying to figure it out on my own. And I didn't figure it out the right way. I started pushing back against authority, doing whatever I wanted, but really I was just trying to fit in. I started going to parties, hanging out with the wrong crowd, smoking weed and skipping school. And before I knew it, I was getting into fights, running in the streets. Soon I dropped out of school and I went to work. I thought I was a man at the age of 16. I worked hard and I had nice things. Good jobs, good relationships.

But I've lost a lot of good jobs and I've lost some really good relationships as well. I've been married twice and divorced twice. Never working on my relationship with Jesus. Only praying to God when times were bad, praying and asking Him to help me once again. And He always did. But I never give up the drugs in that lifestyle. My life revolved around drugs, putting them first in my life. Looking back now, I had made drugs an idol I used when times were good, when times were bad, whether without money, and in my relationships as well. It was my whole life that getting and having and doing it. or my family that loved me was there for me the whole time. John 10, 10 says, "The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy." But Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. My life consisted of working hard and partying hard. And that led me to be in an out of trouble with the law. I was arrested and put in jail since the five years probation. And then that five years I went in and out of jail three more times due to relapsing. Praying to God to help me once again. But this time, not just to get out of trouble but to change my life and show me how to live

and please take Lord, take the desire for drugs away from me. This time was different because I had nothing left. I had lost everything and I didn't have the will to fight anymore. I wasn't about trying harder. It came down to me and God and a choice. And at that moment, I was coming to God with strength. I was coming to God broken. Psalms 51-17 reads, "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and a repented heart. Oh God, that's exactly what I had. A broken spirit and a heart ready to surrender." And at that moment, in that jail cell, I truly believed God came and met me there. Because I was running, I wasn't running. I had quit running from him and I turned to him. The truth is he was there all along. And I shouldn't be here today. Psalms 1-18-17 says, "I will not die and said I will live to tell what the Lord has done." And that's exactly what God did for me because not long after that, God answered my prayer with people like Danny and Allen. Men that are willing to walk into the place, most people won't go and bring the love of Jesus and celebrate recovery to a people the world has given up on. That's God working through people. At first, I was worried because I had tried before giving in half an effort

and always ending up right back where I started. But I was watching them and it wasn't just what they said. It was how they lived. And I knew that it was real. I remember thinking, "I see you, God, because I knew that it wasn't random." And I realized something, something I didn't have yet. Not now, easy because I knew the way that they had a life fully surrendered to Christ. I wasn't struggling because I didn't know what was right. I was struggling because I kept fighting God. And I knew it was time to stop. I also remember that Long Hollow brought a baptismal into jail and Danny baptized me. Second Corinthians 5-17, "Therefore, for anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The whole things have passed away and behold up, all things have become new." I knew it was God providing me what I would need before I ever got out, dying to my old life and being raised to a new life in Christ. I would get up in the morning and pray and have Bible studies with the men in the pot. And for that moment, I was happy. Once again, having a relationship with God and seeing his plan from my life. I'd say a 45, two, and three. I would go before you and I would level the exalted places. I would break in the pieces, the doors are bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

And I would give you the treasures out of darkness. I know that we live one day at a time, one moment at a time in the right hair and now. But when I looked at Danny and Alan, the Lord showed me what life and recovery is. Jeremiah 2911, "For I know the plans I have "for you to claves the Lord, plans to prosper you, "not to harm you, I plan to give you a hope in the future." Here was two men that has been fleeing for a number of years and was coming in jail. Doing the things that they had learned, how to get clean and stay clean. And it was in the getting and staying clean and close to God, working the program, helping others. I remember in jail, Alan shared his testimony and I felt drawn to him. I remember telling them, "I'm coming, guys." And as soon as I got out, I reached out to them and they invited me to church on Sunday and celebrate recovery on Monday. When I got there, Danny and Alan both held mine there and that made me feel real welcome. There's still time for you to get into a 12-step study class, and I believe that's what's next for you So I joined the study. I Remember we would meet on Saturday, and I was nervous at first to meet everyone But I would pray and I dug into the study and the Lord showed me a lot of things in my life Each week we'd meet and go over the study and after class was spent time discussing things They became my accountability partners. We do we would do group texts checking on each other and Some mornings would even go have breakfast. I remember one morning. I asked the Allen brother Would you be my sponsor and you look me straight in the face and said well brother? I thought I was

He is now one of my closest friends, and I call him and he never fails to answer He calls to check on me as well He calls me when he's caught usually calls me when he's coming in to Gallatin and we usually meet and eat and Hear recently we met and we wound up buying some breakfast and sharing Jesus with someone And what Jesus was doing in our lives and we invited him to see our I Never forget meeting with Danny one day And he says brother get your passport. We're going places and all I could think of is yep I'm going back to jail. He wants us to go on a mission trip to other countries. I'm on probation and can't leave the county Besides it's a mission trip for me to get the CR on Monday nights. I Remember when I was in jail There was no doubt that my life was unmanageable and I was obviously powerless to do anything about it I also knew that God was the only one that could help me and Right there in the and I turned my will and my life over the care of God and step study I took an inventory of my life and After praying about it. I sat down with my sponsor and I was able to go through my inventory And he was humble and kind and listened to every word not being judgmental We prayed and it felt so good to finally let go James 516 therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed and Lord knows I was entirely ready for God to remove all the defects of characters in my life Thinking of all the people I had armed and making amends to them Well, I told my family and friends. I'm sorry and forgive me more than once in my life The best amends I've made to them though. It's let them see life change My life changed with God and through the program celebrate recovery But I've also had to learn to forgive myself for my past Knowing that God has forgiven me through Jesus and to follow the example of those who have gone before me and give him back What was given to them? Each evening I try and sit down and take an inventory of my day checking my motives. Where did I go? What did I do? It was I hanging around Also, thinking about is there anyone I harmed is there any amends that I need to make to anyone I Try to I'm keeping the consciousness contact with God through prayer and meditation each morning and evening

Praying for the knowledge of Israel for me and the power to carry it out As a result having had a spiritual experience because of working these steps I'm able to carry this message to others and practice these principles Being a member of a long-hauled church and them having prison ministry I am now able to go back into jail and have church service and life group studies and celebrate recovery lessons with the men there Since the first of the year over 300 men and women either have given their lives your Christ or Repented and turned back to Christ and got baptized in jail Amen I'm honored to be part of the CR as a team Encourager and I applied for a passport and guess what I got it So now I've been on a mission trip to Costa Rica twice the most recent trip I Had the honor of helping train 50 pastors from 50 different churches Celebrate recovery. I'm not saying look at what I've done. What I am saying is look what the Lord has done every since that day in jail I Were pending to stop running stop fighting and I surrendered my life to Christ It is my hope that my testimony my story has touched someone Thank you