Grew up knowing about God

I grew up knowing about God, but not having any sense of having a relationship with Jesus Christ. I lived with great convictions until my first drink at 18 and my life spun totally out of control with that one decision. I abandoned myself to the world and all the fun it presented me. I loved intoxication and spent the next 8 years of my life in rampant sin and many consequences for my choices.

I regret what I allowed myself to see/hear and do during that time. Memories can never be erased, even though God is an amazing healer of the soul. I was not a binge user, but a 24/7 user and my life was coming to a devastating end in late 1990.

I could no longer mentally function and my physical body was ruined by all the many ways I abused it. At that time, I started visiting pastors at churches during the day and of 12 different pastors, only one seemed to think I could be well. The rest all told me I needed to go to the hospital and that they couldn't help me.

The one who! believed in the power of Jesus Christ spoke to me fervently about his amazing God who heals. My mind was so unable to understand him that I told him I simply couldn't keep up mentally with anything he was saying. He said, "Jesus Christ can cut right through that." I heard that very clearly. He prayed with me and I went away.

I still hadn't surrendered myself to Jesus and my mental torment continued for 2 more days until I took more chemicals than I could live through. In that state, I was arrested for driving intoxicated and the police called my sister to come and take me to the hospital because of the condition I was in. She took me back to this same pastor who had his wife pray for me. She was weeping and praying with me on the floor. I barely remember any of this day and only have her story of what happened. She said she had never seen anything like me before. She simply knew that if Jesus didn't come help, I was going to die.

She started praying in the spirit and all I know is that I could hear her saying something I couldn't understand, but in my mind, I could hear, "Come to me, little girl" over and over and over. I must have answered that in my heart because that was the defining moment of my life. She said she asked me to verbally repeat after her, "Satan, I renounce you" two times. I went limp and she couldn't even tell if I was breathing I was so still after saying that. She let me lie there until my sister returned which was a few hours later. She woke me up and I was totally sound of mind; I was completely sober; I was peaceful; I never went through any type of withdrawal; I never cursed continuously after that; I never smoked again ( I didn't even remember what a smoker I was until 6 months later).

I have never had one craving for anything intoxicating since that day. I was and remain FREE! That was February 16, 1991. I am still living in the passion of that amazing resurrection. I have never known anything like the peace that I was given that day. I have pursued my Lord Jesus Christ ever since. I love Him as much as He gives me the ability to. I can do nothing without Him giving me the grace and ability to do it. He is the only source of good in me. What an amazing life this has been.

I encountered Teen Challenge students about 1.5 years after this happened. I cried as I listened to them tell stories of their freedom. I finally found people who understood my story. They had felt it, too!! I went to work for them in 1999. I spent a year with the teenagers and then the director allowed me to pursue my passion which were those who were incarcerated. I have been taking Jesus Christ into the jails around Minnesota ever since then. I love to give hope to those who feel they are beyond help, much like I was. There is no greater joy than walking with Jesus. He has done exceedingly and abundantly above all I could ever hope or ask for in my life. I have over 10 years with Teen Challenge and plan to stay amongst the hopeless. "The most He could do was die for me; the least I can do is live for Him."