TRUE

One thing that you will find out about me is that I DO NOT LIKE RELIGION. See I grew up teething on church pew's. I was in church every day the doors were open.

As I grew up I saw that people in the church were no different than most people I would see in the world. As a matter of a fact I can remember after the "offering" most of the "Deacons" would go outside to puff on a Marlboro. I had a friend whose dad was a deacon. Always came to church on Sunday to pass the plate. Well every time he would pass the aisle you could smell that he turned in Jesus for Jack the night before. Things like this at an early age turned me off from church. It started to feel like an obligation more that it did something that I wanted.






As I got older and started to drive me and most of the other kids in the "Youth Group" would take off during church. We would drive to the local store to buy some glue. We would then go to the park and HUFF away. This mixture, this potion of disaster turned my life into a spiraling road to "hell".

Did I know God? Well I knew who he was. I knew about him..I could find a bible verse quicker than most pastors. But I was LOST! I was angry and full of DOUBT! Doubt is the first thing that the Devil will use against a New Believer. Why? Because doubt is the seed to confusion, confusion the sprout of the seed will soon turn into a flower called Hate. Hate in its purest form when ingested will kill you and others around you.

Why am I telling you all this?? Because I looked for this "God" in other people, and I found nothing but a fraud and disappointment. It was not until my life spun out of control and death was the only option for me. The days of huffing turned into pt, pot into coke, coke into well you get the picture. It got to the point where I was so tired of hurting myself and others that I wanted to just extinguish my life.

The night that I had planned to do just that I went out to get as much of drugs as I could get my hands on so that I could take them and end my life. I went to pick up a few of my best friends and hang out one last time. They had no idea what I was planning on doing. We were at a strip club and I had taken enough mushrooms to vomit for over an hour. So there I was in the restroom face first in pee and pubic hair puking my guts out. I got up and looked into the mirror. I didn't even know who I was.


I walked out into the bar and grabbed my keys. I told my friends if you are coming you better come because I am leaving. So they all drank the remaining beer and reluctantly got into the car and we took off keep in mind I had enough acid alone in my car to put me away for decades.

My plan was to drop them off at home and I was planning on driving my car into a tree. Why would I choose that way? Because I wanted to die a painful death, I wanted to suffer like I made my family and other people suffer over the years. I hated my very self.






As we pulled out of the strip club my car was illuminated by police lights. Great! This is what I want!! I want to die and now I am going to spend the next 30 years in prison for possession. The policeman comes up to the car and asked me to get out of the car. Keep in mind also that I drank enough to be arrested for DUI. He looked at me and at that moment the world stopped. I cannot explain it but his presence was illuminated. I thought it was maybe the affect of the drugs but felt like something was happening.





He said "Sir are you ok?" I replied yes I am. He said " Listen to me, take these guys home and you go home now, get off the road". As he was talking to me I could hear a dog barking and barking. I looked over and saw the bright [K-9 ]on the side of his patrol car! All he had to do is pat me down and I was done. But he told me to leave.

I turned around and thought maybe my brain isn't hearing him right. So I got into my car he turned his lights off and turned around and took off. My friends just LOST IT! They thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Me? I lost it all right… I started to cry like a baby. I had not cried in years.

I took my friends home and thought, you know something just happened and I did not know what to do. I knew that something just gave me a break like none other. So I drove to my parent's house and was laying in their yard and looking up into the sky. As the sky turned like a merry go round. I screamed in tears" IF YOU ARE UP THERE, IF YOU REALLY DO EXIST AND CAN FIX THIS PILE OF JUNK I CALL LIFE, I WILL SERVE YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!". At that moment I felt a thud and the world around me stopped spinning. The drug and alcohol affects on my body were ripped out in a split second. I knew then that second that HE was real and HE was doing something in me.



That whole night I rolled on my parent's yard while God cleaned my body from the demons that ruled over me. As the morning sun came out I realized it was a Sunday. I said to myself " If you are going to do this then you need to find a church and get help. So I drove my car to the biggest church in the city to prove that I was going to change my ways.



I walked in and the church service was already in progress. I found a seat in the back and sat down. I still had the crust of the vomit on my shoulder from the hours before. I looked like death in clothes. As the pastor preached the message it hit home he said If you have recently committed yourself to Christ then you need to come up here and proclaim it publicly. As they sang one song and then two.. I was like man there is no way I am walking up there looking like this.

The song stopped and the pastor said folks before we dismiss lets just sing one more verse because I know that there is someone in here that God is dealing with and I want to give them one more chance. As they sang I felt like a hand pulled me out of my seat and before I knew it I was walking down the aisle while the congregation looked at me. I went to the altar and fell before God and wept and shook. My journey was over I was ready to give it all. As I prayed and cried I felt a hand touch my shoulder and a mans voice was praying for me. I felt kind of odd I was not used to that. So I sat up and turned around .As I turned around and looked at the man my hazy tear filled eyes realized who I was looking at. IT WAS THE K-9 COP FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE!!!! He didn't realize until then that it was me either. At that point so much emotion overtook my body I collapsed in his arms. We both held on to each other and cried. He said "listen to me I knew who you were last night, I have been watching you for months" (for drugs apparently) "When I pulled you over last night God told me that there was a war for your soul. He told me to let you go and pray specifically for your soul. He said I went against my training, my career and listened to the voice of God. Against my best judgment, because I knew you were under the influence I let you go and prayed for your soul.


After that I told him what happened that night and we just sat at that alter for 2 hours and prayed together. We soon became friends and he became my spiritual father. He helped me get my life clean, he held me accountable and within 6 months I was eating dinner with him and his family. We then visited rehabs and jails sharing the amazing transformation that God had done in my life. The dog that should have out me in prison I was now playing fetch with. Since that day my life has never been the same. I have been free from drugs and the life that I once lived. I will never be the same again. God is real and I found him on my own.. Not from looking at others around me. He fixed my life and blessed me with a wife and 4 children, and with another day so that I could sit here and tell you.. THAT HE LIVES! GOD IS REAL, HE CAN HEAL YOU, HE CAN DELIVER YOU if you just ask.


"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, [you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9)



IT IS THAT SIMPLE! CONFESS IT AND BELIEVE IT AND HE WILL DO THE REST… IF ANY OF YOU NEED A PRAYER OF JUST SOMEONE TO TALK TO!! IF THIS STORY HAS TOUCHED YOUR LIFE AND YOU FEEL GOD CALLING LET US KNOW AND WE WILL RESPOND TO YOU. WE WILL BE THERE FOR YOU AS OTHERS WERE THERE FOR US.. OUR LIFE IS LIVED FOR THIS REASON.

YOU ARE ALL LOVED!!
Chad Smith
www.myspace.com_get_your_fill