Joy Instead of Drugs!

Gordon - Perth, Scotland

When I became a Christian I had been taking drugs for about 3 years. I was smoking cannabis on a daily basis and if I had to go without, I suffered from stress and tension, becoming easily upset. I was also using other drugs such as speed, ecstasy, acid and magic mushrooms. My life reached an all time low, as I just got deeper into drugs, mixing them and usually drinking at the same time. Gradually my physical health deteriorated and I did not know how I could get off the drugs, having tried everything that was in my power to break the habit and finding the addiction too strong. I was desperate to get off them, knowing if I kept going the way I was going my life would be cut short.

Then I met a friend of mine whom I had not seen for a while. I had heard that he was a Christian and was intrigued to hear what he believed, so I invited him up to my apartment for a cup of tea. Several weeks earlier I had met someone who had preached about hell to me, which I found quite outrageous at the time. However, I often thought about this experience, so I asked my friend about his church and what he believed. He told me something I had never heard before, about receiving the Holy Spirit, and about other drug addicts who had had their addictions broken by turning to God. He was in a Christian assembly with people who have had such experiences and have been fully healed of their addictions. I was a bit sceptical but was open-minded about it all.

I decided that if this was all true, then I would do what God wanted me to do. So the following Wednesday I went along to a meeting which was amazing ― I had never experienced this feeling of joy before. There was singing and dancing in which I was able to participate, and that was the first time in a long time that I had really enjoyed myself. I could feel the presence of God’s Spirit. At the end of the evening I was asked if I had enjoyed myself and all I could reply was that I would love to come again and that I wanted to be a part of this Assembly.

The following evening I was invited for a meal to a young couple’s house. At the end of the evening we went through to the living room and went into prayer. During this prayer I repented before God, asking Him for His grace and to fill me with His Holy Spirit. Then I spoke in tongues, which is the sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. Before this my heart felt black and I could not smile naturally. The Lord changed all this in a second… I tried to stand up then but couldn’t as my legs and arms were shaking with divine power. That same evening I was baptised in the bathtub, which meant that all my sins were washed away.

Over the last year and a half, my life has completely changed. The night I was baptised, my addiction to drugs was broken. I have the joy of the Lord with me all the time, even when times get a bit tough. I thank the Lord for breaking the addiction, and for the joy that I have through Him.

Love in Jesus Christ,

Gordon