May 9, 2025 • 27 mins
What happens when a cocaine smuggler finds Jesus through a mysterious picture that neither he nor his wife remember owning? Pastor Mike McLeod's journey from addiction to redemption showcases the transformative power of grace in even the darkest circumstances.
Mike's story begins with teenage experimentation that spiraled into a dangerous double life. By his twenties, he was transporting hundreds of pounds of cocaine across state lines while maintaining a respectable job at Chevron and hiding his addiction from his family. "I love the high better than I love my wife. I love the high better than I love my daughter," Mike confesses about his former mindset, a painful truth that eventually cost him his marriage.
The turning point came after a night of heavy substance abuse when Mike woke up stuck to his carpet from his own vomit, bloodied fists from punching walls, and a loaded shotgun nearby—evidence of contemplated suicide. While cleaning his house, he discovered an unrecognized framed picture of Jesus with sheep by a river. This unexpected find broke him completely, leading to a sincere cry for help that marked the beginning of his salvation journey. Within three months, his ex-wife also found faith, and remarkably, they remarried with Christ at the center of their relationship.
Today, Mike pastors Magnolia Springs Assembly of God in Hurley, Mississippi, and works closely with Mercy House rehabilitation program. His past has become his greatest ministry asset, allowing him to connect authentically with those battling similar demons. "God is not against you; God is for you," he assures those still struggling, emphasizing that transformation begins with submission to God and resistance to destructive patterns. If you're feeling beyond redemption, Mike's testimony stands as powerful evidence that no one is too far gone for divine intervention. Your darkest chapters might just be preparation for your greatest purpose.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I am Mike McLeod and I do pastor in Hurley,
mississippi, magnolia Springs,assembly of God.
But my story began at an earlyage of trying different things,
following the wrong crowds.
At around 13, 14 years old, myfirst try of marijuana and
(00:20):
that's the gateway drug theycall to other things, and of
course it led me down a prettydark path.
I'd be knowing that it was dark.
You know, the Bible teachesthere's pleasure in sin for a
season, and I would lie to youand to all the listeners if I
didn't say that there was joy insome of that lifestyle that I
(00:42):
lived and, throughout the yearsof growing up in high school,
started trying other types ofdrugs, started drinking real,
real heavily.
In my high school years, aboutthe 11th grade, I tried cocaine
and enjoyed it.
I liked the feeling.
Of course you know you have toto keep doing it and so I become
(01:08):
an addict.
I would snort it, shoot it,smoke it.
However, to get high and in myI guess, around 20, I started
running drugs out of anotherstate through a father and son
that hid behind a constructionbusiness and literally would
take flatbed trucks that lookedlike would haul welding machines
(01:30):
on it, would have a falsebottom in it and I would run 100
, 200 pounds of cocaine acrossstate lines delivering.
It Got married.
I married to my wife and we hada daughter, did she?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
know you were doing this.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh, absolutely not.
You know, I worked a job, afull-time job, at Chevron oil
refinery in Pascagoula andworked every day with the help
of drugs kept me going and shewould find things around the
house that would cause her toquestion and of course I would
lie and convince her.
(02:07):
I guess I would convince hersomewhat that I wouldn't do
anything.
Like I said, I livedpractically a normal life and I
started really making lots ofmoney running the drugs, some
money running the drugs, thecoke, some marijuana.
And our lives spiraled out ofcontrol my marriage, I was more
(02:37):
focused on my pleasures, mydesire, than my wife and
daughter.
I started a book sometime back.
The title of it was I Love theHigh Better, and it's sad now
looking back, but the reality ofit is that I love the high
better than I love my wife.
I love the high better than Ilove my daughter.
Because I put it before them.
It causes me to choke up now tothink that I was so selfish, it
(02:59):
was all about me and neverabout them, and so we divorced.
She left me and she divorced meand I ended up in some pretty
bad, dark situations.
Neither was criminals, you know,and I was a criminal and I was
hauling quite a bit of drugsacross state line and I was in
(03:19):
Louisiana and got pulled over.
The cops run my license and mylicense was suspended, a few
other charges, so they took meto jail in Louisiana and I had
100-plus pounds of cocaine inthis vehicle.
I called the guys thatconnected with and in my mind
(03:39):
the phones were bugged, I wouldthink in the jail, and I
wouldn't let them say that.
I just told them that I gotcalled over.
I'm in jail.
This is the address.
I need somebody to bring finemoney, bond money and get the
truck and get me out of jail soI can.
You know, my thing was becauseit looked like a welding truck,
because I know we need thiswelding truck on the job to haul
(04:00):
some welding machines.
And they came.
Two guys came in the in thecompound that held the truck was
right next door to thejailhouse and they drove.
The cop drove the truck out andand we were walking out and two
cops come out behind us andhollered hold up.
And uh, we spun around.
My heart, oh, wow, completelystopped, spun around and they
(04:22):
said make sure he don't drivebecause his license is still
suspended.
And we drove away with over100-something pounds of coke in
our truck.
Wow, about three or four weekslater.
Of course I'm divorced now andI'd done a lot of coke one night
, drank a lot of alcohol rightby myself and woke up the next
morning stuck to the carpetwhere I'd vomited.
(04:44):
And woke up the next morningstuck to the carpet where I'd
vomit I hate to sound like thatbut where I'd throw up and threw
up and laid in it all nightlong.
My fists were all swollen,busted, blood on my hands.
I looked and blood was on thedoor facing between the living
room and kitchen area.
Where I undoubtedly stood andpunched the wall, there was a
(05:06):
shotgun loaded with buckshot,laying on the floor where I
contemplated committing suicideand I got up and went to the
bathroom, got sick again, got atowel wet, it went in the living
room, went to clean the floorup.
And I'm sitting there, ron, andthis is the thought I had in my
mind Not quit drugs, not quitalcohol, but quit drinking so
(05:28):
much and quit doing drugs somuch.
You know, that was the thoughtin my mind.
You know, kind of back off, andmy little girl I never.
When my wife left, I locked mydaughter's door in her bedroom
because it was just too hard forme to go in there and see, you
know, her room, her toys, someof her toys were left and I went
in our bedroom and I said I'mgoing to clean the house up.
(05:50):
You know, I'm going to startdoing better.
And I had shoe boxes in thefloor of the bedroom and I
stacked them up by the closetdoor.
We had a big closet and I satdown in the door facing so the
closet went, stacking shoe boxesin the closet, and at the end
of the closet was a pictureabout I don't know, two foot by
two foot framed, facing the wall, and I didn't recognize the
(06:14):
frame and I crawled down andgrabbed it, crawled back out and
spun it around.
It was a picture of jesusholding a sheep and a flock of
sheep following him by the river.
To this day my wife or I,either one, know where that
picture came from and I brokedown right there and said God, I
need help.
Wow, and that's where I prayedthrough to salvation, started
(06:36):
going to church and about threemonths later my wife got saved
and God restored our marriage.
We got remarried and we startedthat journey.
I will say this you know, to meI don't have a testimony.
I know people may think that Ido, but to me you know what a
great testimony is Ron.
(06:57):
It's someone that can say I gotsaved when I was 10, 11, 12, 13
years old and hung on all thoseyears and faithfully lived for
God, because they wasn't weak,they didn't give in like I did.
They stood the test of time andthey lived for the Lord.
But when me and my wife wasdivorced and this is what I'd
like for people to hear becauseit's important she got saved and
(07:20):
we just started talkingcasually talking, because I put
Christ first in my life.
I didn't put her or my child, Iput him first.
She asked me one day.
She said do you think we'llever get remarried.
And I said, terry, not until Iknow Jesus Christ is your best
friend, he's my best friend andsecond to that, I'm your best
(07:42):
friend and you're my best friend.
You know, we talk about loveand love.
The agape love is the greatestlove of all.
That's the Jesus love.
But then we talk about love,but true love is never really
created unless there's a truefriendship first.
And we began to work on thatand 33 years later I can
(08:03):
honestly tell you, besides JesusChrist, she's my best friend
and I'm hers, and God justradically turned our lives
around.
A year later, after being saved,the Lord called me to
evangelize One of the scariestmoments in my life.
I started to evangelize andthen pastor along the way.
I pastored some churches alongthe way, of course, the one that
(08:25):
you spoke at up in Lousetownyears ago.
But now I'm in Hurley, pastorMagnus Springs.
To me it's the greatest churchin the world.
We own a restaurant in TannerWilliams.
It's out in the country and Godhas just amazingly blessed our
business.
(08:46):
We pastor a great church.
Every day I wake up I realizethat if it had not been for the
Lord who was on my side, wherewould I have been?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So, mike, do you regret the past?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
There's certain things, ron, that you look back,
that you regret.
I mean, everybody has things intheir past that they regret
that they've done.
I regret hurting my family,putting them through the things
that I did in my early childhoodmy mom, then, of course, my
wife and my child.
But I'll say this out of thatpast that I lived, I did make
(09:24):
connections with people that Iwouldn't have if I hadn't lived
that lifestyle.
And one particular story is aguy that I had met growing up,
that we endorsed in a lot ofwrong, a lot of sin.
That after I got saved and wasministering, pastoring, I got a
phone call from him one day andhe was crying.
(09:47):
He owned a company and he wascrying on the phone.
He was crying so hard that Icouldn't hardly understand what
he was saying and he asked mewhat I was doing.
And I told him what I was doing.
I was at home and he said Iwant to come see you.
So I invited him and a fewhours later he showed up at my
house and walked in tearsrunning down his face and I said
(10:09):
you know what's going on,what's wrong?
And he looked at me and he said, with tears in his eyes.
He said I want what you've got.
He said I've been watching,I've seen how the Lord's
radically changed you.
And he said I want what you got.
So we made the coffee table outof an altar and knelt down and
(10:32):
said the sinner's prayer withthis guy.
So to say I regret everything.
I can't say that becausethere's a lot of things that I
lived through that when Godchanged my life and I began to
be a Jesus follower and peopleseemed to change that.
The Lord, because when I livedin sin I was one of the best
changed at.
The Lord.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Because when I lived in sin I was one of the best,
amen.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
So, yeah, there's things that I regret, but
there's things that I don'tregret because I see how God
used it for his glory.
God does not, does not have aplan.
God has a perfect plan, amen.
We make plans, we make plans,our plans succeed and our plans
fail.
God's perfect plan does not Getin the will of his perfect plan
and life will be great.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You know what?
And that's why I wanted to askyou that I had a feeling that
would be your answer, because Itell people that a lot of people
that have this walk and they'regoing through things they think
because of their past that Godcould never use them.
They're just terrible.
And I try to tell them that,hey, I had a shady past too, but
God takes that old and when wecome to him, we have a relatable
(11:39):
story now to other people thatare going through the same thing
and we can say he did it for me, he'll do it for you and it's
you know.
If there's somebody that walkedinto your church on Sunday
morning and said, hey, I'm anaddict, I'm doing drugs and I
need help, man, you're the onethat could help him and talk to
(11:59):
him, because you're going totalk his language Right, we have
a rehab.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
It's called the Mercy House here in the community.
It houses men that are goingthrough bad past drugs, alcohol
abuse, whatever criminal charges.
They come every Wednesday nightto our services and there's 20,
35 men every Wednesday nightthat show up here and you know,
every now and then I'llinterject a little bit of my
(12:25):
past in those services to letthem know that they're not
looking at an angel.
Amen, he's got his wings, theyopen up.
There's these guys.
You know they'll come in afterservice and just thank me for
being real with them.
Transparent.
Our past can be used for theglory of God, I agree.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Absolutely.
And you know, you saidsomething a minute ago and I'm
finding this because I talk toeverybody when I'm out and about
people that don't go to achurch or they are turned off by
a church.
They said well, we just, wewant some authentic Jesus, we
want some real Jesus.
It seems like we go to churchand we're signing up for
committees and we're doing allthis kind of stuff, but you know
(13:08):
, I need to know more aboutJesus.
They want that real.
You know, because they'vealready scared to go into church
.
I think the roof's going tofall in on them and when we can
be just authentic and real andtransparent that's the whole
point of this show is to showpeople to let all people we all
have issues to show people tolet all people we all have
(13:29):
issues.
All of us have problems.
That's why Jesus came to thisworld and we can come to him and
have a new heart, a new life.
And now look at this.
I remember the Mercy House.
Now, I'm so glad you broughtthat up.
Yeah, the Mercy.
House that's an incredibleprogram over in Jackson.
Is that Jackson County orGeorge County?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Jackson County.
Yeah, Right here in Hurley.
Yes, I remember that's where Ithink I came and spoke at the
Mercy House.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
There are a lot of people listening right now and I
buy time on non-Christian radioand they're saying, man, that
man sounds like me, but you know, god just loved him more.
What would you tell that personthat thinks that, well, you
know, first just loved him more.
What would you tell that personthat thinks that?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Well, you know, first of all, god's no respecter
person.
When he looks at us, he seessomething that he created, not
man.
Man didn't create no one Godcreated.
Just Easter Sunday stood in thepulpit by the worship team.
I stopped the worship team fromsinging and I stood in the
pulpit the worship team.
I stopped the worship team fromsinging and I stood in the
pulpit and I said somebody needsto hear this that God is not
(14:34):
against you, god is for you, nomatter where you're at in life's
walk.
God's for you and God's notthrowing you away.
You may be throwing yourselfaway, but God stands with open
arms, with love and passion andmercy and grace, ready to help
you, ready to turn your lifearound, ready to show you that
agape love, that God love, thesame love that he showed me.
(14:57):
I'm counseling a 20-year-oldyoung guy right now.
He's really growing in the Lord.
But you know a 20-year-oldyoung man.
He struggles and just met withhim yesterday and carried him
out to eat at Bozo's I'll givethem a plug and we set out and I
just I told him the same thingI said you know, the Bible says
(15:20):
the righteous man falls seventimes, but he keeps getting back
up.
The key to him not beingdeclared a cripple is he keeps
getting back up, and that's thekey to success in our walk with
Christ is when we do fail,because we will fail.
All is sin and come short ofthe glory of God.
Just get back up, dust yourselfoff, forgive yourself, forgive
(15:41):
yourself.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
I'm going to ask you one other thing.
I always like to ask my gueststhis the title of this show is
called Get the Hell Out of yourLife.
So, Pastor, how do you get thehell out?
Speaker 1 (15:52):
of your life.
Number one by submitting.
The Bible says in James 4 and7,.
It says submit yourself,therefore, unto God.
Resist the devil and he willflee from you.
Submit, submit to the Lord,surrender.
That's one of the hardestthings for people to do, because
we're so self-sufficient, wethink we know it all, we can do
(16:14):
it all, but at the end everyonewas created to rely on God.
Amen, trust God.
And so, submitting to the Lordand put up a resistance that I'm
not going to live like this, nomore.
I'm not going to walk this path, no more.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I'm going to find that path in Christ and I'm
going to walk, that yourcongregation is a very blessed
congregation to have a leaderlike you, your past, your
authenticity and your just lovefor the fellow human out there.
And God bless you.
And before we go, will you prayfor our listeners?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Amen, father, in the name of Jesus, I come to you as
humbly as I know how, as Paulmade the statement, that I feel
that I'm the least among theleast.
But I am so blessed and sothankful to be able to worship
you, to have a relationship withyou, and I send up the highest
(17:13):
praise that's ever been given toyou.
Hallelujah, lord.
I just pray for all those thatare listening right now by radio
, by whatever means that theyhave, lord, there's one that
don't know you as Lord andSavior?
Lord, I pray that the HolySpirit touch their heart and
life right now and let them knowthat that did happen upon the
(17:35):
cross.
The life that was given, theblood that was shed through
Jesus Christ, is able to washtheir sins away.
Lord, that they can walk in thenewness of life.
Lord, through your Holy Spirit,god, lord, have that
resurrection power enter intotheir life and one day, lord, at
the end of this life, they'llhear you say well done thou,
(17:56):
good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joys of the Lord.
Lord, for that individual that'sstruggling with drugs, alcohol
and addictions, lord, I praythat you break those addictions
from their life, god, that youtransform their mind, their
spirit, god into the newness oflife.
Lord, I pray, god, that youhelp them.
Lord, that family that'sdealing with marital problems,
(18:18):
children problems.
God, I pray that the that youhelp them.
Lord, that family that'sdealing with marital problems,
children problems.
God, I pray that the love andthe grace and the mercy of God
come down and intervene in theirlives.
Lord, we give you praise andglory in advance for what you're
going to do.
In Jesus' mighty name, we prayAmen, thank you.
I am Mike McLeod and I do pastor in Hurley,
mississippi, magnolia Springs,assembly of God.
But my story began at an earlyage of trying different things,
following the wrong crowds.
At around 13, 14 years old, myfirst try of marijuana and
(00:20):
that's the gateway drug theycall to other things, and of
course it led me down a prettydark path.
I'd be knowing that it was dark.
You know, the Bible teachesthere's pleasure in sin for a
season, and I would lie to youand to all the listeners if I
didn't say that there was joy insome of that lifestyle that I
(00:42):
lived and, throughout the yearsof growing up in high school,
started trying other types ofdrugs, started drinking real,
real heavily.
In my high school years, aboutthe 11th grade, I tried cocaine
and enjoyed it.
I liked the feeling.
Of course you know you have toto keep doing it and so I become
(01:08):
an addict.
I would snort it, shoot it,smoke it.
However, to get high and in myI guess, around 20, I started
running drugs out of anotherstate through a father and son
that hid behind a constructionbusiness and literally would
take flatbed trucks that lookedlike would haul welding machines
(01:30):
on it, would have a falsebottom in it and I would run 100
, 200 pounds of cocaine acrossstate lines delivering.
It Got married.
I married to my wife and we hada daughter, did she?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
know you were doing this.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh, absolutely not.
You know, I worked a job, afull-time job, at Chevron oil
refinery in Pascagoula andworked every day with the help
of drugs kept me going and shewould find things around the
house that would cause her toquestion and of course I would
lie and convince her.
(02:07):
I guess I would convince hersomewhat that I wouldn't do
anything.
Like I said, I livedpractically a normal life and I
started really making lots ofmoney running the drugs, some
money running the drugs, thecoke, some marijuana.
And our lives spiraled out ofcontrol my marriage, I was more
(02:37):
focused on my pleasures, mydesire, than my wife and
daughter.
I started a book sometime back.
The title of it was I Love theHigh Better, and it's sad now
looking back, but the reality ofit is that I love the high
better than I love my wife.
I love the high better than Ilove my daughter.
Because I put it before them.
It causes me to choke up now tothink that I was so selfish, it
(02:59):
was all about me and neverabout them, and so we divorced.
She left me and she divorced meand I ended up in some pretty
bad, dark situations.
Neither was criminals, you know,and I was a criminal and I was
hauling quite a bit of drugsacross state line and I was in
(03:19):
Louisiana and got pulled over.
The cops run my license and mylicense was suspended, a few
other charges, so they took meto jail in Louisiana and I had
100-plus pounds of cocaine inthis vehicle.
I called the guys thatconnected with and in my mind
(03:39):
the phones were bugged, I wouldthink in the jail, and I
wouldn't let them say that.
I just told them that I gotcalled over.
I'm in jail.
This is the address.
I need somebody to bring finemoney, bond money and get the
truck and get me out of jail soI can.
You know, my thing was becauseit looked like a welding truck,
because I know we need thiswelding truck on the job to haul
(04:00):
some welding machines.
And they came.
Two guys came in the in thecompound that held the truck was
right next door to thejailhouse and they drove.
The cop drove the truck out andand we were walking out and two
cops come out behind us andhollered hold up.
And uh, we spun around.
My heart, oh, wow, completelystopped, spun around and they
(04:22):
said make sure he don't drivebecause his license is still
suspended.
And we drove away with over100-something pounds of coke in
our truck.
Wow, about three or four weekslater.
Of course I'm divorced now andI'd done a lot of coke one night
, drank a lot of alcohol rightby myself and woke up the next
morning stuck to the carpetwhere I'd vomited.
(04:44):
And woke up the next morningstuck to the carpet where I'd
vomit I hate to sound like thatbut where I'd throw up and threw
up and laid in it all nightlong.
My fists were all swollen,busted, blood on my hands.
I looked and blood was on thedoor facing between the living
room and kitchen area.
Where I undoubtedly stood andpunched the wall, there was a
(05:06):
shotgun loaded with buckshot,laying on the floor where I
contemplated committing suicideand I got up and went to the
bathroom, got sick again, got atowel wet, it went in the living
room, went to clean the floorup.
And I'm sitting there, ron, andthis is the thought I had in my
mind Not quit drugs, not quitalcohol, but quit drinking so
(05:28):
much and quit doing drugs somuch.
You know, that was the thoughtin my mind.
You know, kind of back off, andmy little girl I never.
When my wife left, I locked mydaughter's door in her bedroom
because it was just too hard forme to go in there and see, you
know, her room, her toys, someof her toys were left and I went
in our bedroom and I said I'mgoing to clean the house up.
(05:50):
You know, I'm going to startdoing better.
And I had shoe boxes in thefloor of the bedroom and I
stacked them up by the closetdoor.
We had a big closet and I satdown in the door facing so the
closet went, stacking shoe boxesin the closet, and at the end
of the closet was a pictureabout I don't know, two foot by
two foot framed, facing the wall, and I didn't recognize the
(06:14):
frame and I crawled down andgrabbed it, crawled back out and
spun it around.
It was a picture of jesusholding a sheep and a flock of
sheep following him by the river.
To this day my wife or I,either one, know where that
picture came from and I brokedown right there and said God, I
need help.
Wow, and that's where I prayedthrough to salvation, started
(06:36):
going to church and about threemonths later my wife got saved
and God restored our marriage.
We got remarried and we startedthat journey.
I will say this you know, to meI don't have a testimony.
I know people may think that Ido, but to me you know what a
great testimony is Ron.
(06:57):
It's someone that can say I gotsaved when I was 10, 11, 12, 13
years old and hung on all thoseyears and faithfully lived for
God, because they wasn't weak,they didn't give in like I did.
They stood the test of time andthey lived for the Lord.
But when me and my wife wasdivorced and this is what I'd
like for people to hear becauseit's important she got saved and
(07:20):
we just started talkingcasually talking, because I put
Christ first in my life.
I didn't put her or my child, Iput him first.
She asked me one day.
She said do you think we'llever get remarried.
And I said, terry, not until Iknow Jesus Christ is your best
friend, he's my best friend andsecond to that, I'm your best
(07:42):
friend and you're my best friend.
You know, we talk about loveand love.
The agape love is the greatestlove of all.
That's the Jesus love.
But then we talk about love,but true love is never really
created unless there's a truefriendship first.
And we began to work on thatand 33 years later I can
(08:03):
honestly tell you, besides JesusChrist, she's my best friend
and I'm hers, and God justradically turned our lives
around.
A year later, after being saved,the Lord called me to
evangelize One of the scariestmoments in my life.
I started to evangelize andthen pastor along the way.
I pastored some churches alongthe way, of course, the one that
(08:25):
you spoke at up in Lousetownyears ago.
But now I'm in Hurley, pastorMagnus Springs.
To me it's the greatest churchin the world.
We own a restaurant in TannerWilliams.
It's out in the country and Godhas just amazingly blessed our
business.
(08:46):
We pastor a great church.
Every day I wake up I realizethat if it had not been for the
Lord who was on my side, wherewould I have been?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So, mike, do you regret the past?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
There's certain things, ron, that you look back,
that you regret.
I mean, everybody has things intheir past that they regret
that they've done.
I regret hurting my family,putting them through the things
that I did in my early childhoodmy mom, then, of course, my
wife and my child.
But I'll say this out of thatpast that I lived, I did make
(09:24):
connections with people that Iwouldn't have if I hadn't lived
that lifestyle.
And one particular story is aguy that I had met growing up,
that we endorsed in a lot ofwrong, a lot of sin.
That after I got saved and wasministering, pastoring, I got a
phone call from him one day andhe was crying.
(09:47):
He owned a company and he wascrying on the phone.
He was crying so hard that Icouldn't hardly understand what
he was saying and he asked mewhat I was doing.
And I told him what I was doing.
I was at home and he said Iwant to come see you.
So I invited him and a fewhours later he showed up at my
house and walked in tearsrunning down his face and I said
(10:09):
you know what's going on,what's wrong?
And he looked at me and he said, with tears in his eyes.
He said I want what you've got.
He said I've been watching,I've seen how the Lord's
radically changed you.
And he said I want what you got.
So we made the coffee table outof an altar and knelt down and
(10:32):
said the sinner's prayer withthis guy.
So to say I regret everything.
I can't say that becausethere's a lot of things that I
lived through that when Godchanged my life and I began to
be a Jesus follower and peopleseemed to change that.
The Lord, because when I livedin sin I was one of the best
changed at.
The Lord.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Because when I lived in sin I was one of the best,
amen.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
So, yeah, there's things that I regret, but
there's things that I don'tregret because I see how God
used it for his glory.
God does not, does not have aplan.
God has a perfect plan, amen.
We make plans, we make plans,our plans succeed and our plans
fail.
God's perfect plan does not Getin the will of his perfect plan
and life will be great.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You know what?
And that's why I wanted to askyou that I had a feeling that
would be your answer, because Itell people that a lot of people
that have this walk and they'regoing through things they think
because of their past that Godcould never use them.
They're just terrible.
And I try to tell them that,hey, I had a shady past too, but
God takes that old and when wecome to him, we have a relatable
(11:39):
story now to other people thatare going through the same thing
and we can say he did it for me, he'll do it for you and it's
you know.
If there's somebody that walkedinto your church on Sunday
morning and said, hey, I'm anaddict, I'm doing drugs and I
need help, man, you're the onethat could help him and talk to
(11:59):
him, because you're going totalk his language Right, we have
a rehab.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
It's called the Mercy House here in the community.
It houses men that are goingthrough bad past drugs, alcohol
abuse, whatever criminal charges.
They come every Wednesday nightto our services and there's 20,
35 men every Wednesday nightthat show up here and you know,
every now and then I'llinterject a little bit of my
(12:25):
past in those services to letthem know that they're not
looking at an angel.
Amen, he's got his wings, theyopen up.
There's these guys.
You know they'll come in afterservice and just thank me for
being real with them.
Transparent.
Our past can be used for theglory of God, I agree.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Absolutely.
And you know, you saidsomething a minute ago and I'm
finding this because I talk toeverybody when I'm out and about
people that don't go to achurch or they are turned off by
a church.
They said well, we just, wewant some authentic Jesus, we
want some real Jesus.
It seems like we go to churchand we're signing up for
committees and we're doing allthis kind of stuff, but you know
(13:08):
, I need to know more aboutJesus.
They want that real.
You know, because they'vealready scared to go into church
.
I think the roof's going tofall in on them and when we can
be just authentic and real andtransparent that's the whole
point of this show is to showpeople to let all people we all
have issues to show people tolet all people we all have
(13:29):
issues.
All of us have problems.
That's why Jesus came to thisworld and we can come to him and
have a new heart, a new life.
And now look at this.
I remember the Mercy House.
Now, I'm so glad you broughtthat up.
Yeah, the Mercy.
House that's an incredibleprogram over in Jackson.
Is that Jackson County orGeorge County?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Jackson County.
Yeah, Right here in Hurley.
Yes, I remember that's where Ithink I came and spoke at the
Mercy House.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
There are a lot of people listening right now and I
buy time on non-Christian radioand they're saying, man, that
man sounds like me, but you know, god just loved him more.
What would you tell that personthat thinks that, well, you
know, first just loved him more.
What would you tell that personthat thinks that?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Well, you know, first of all, god's no respecter
person.
When he looks at us, he seessomething that he created, not
man.
Man didn't create no one Godcreated.
Just Easter Sunday stood in thepulpit by the worship team.
I stopped the worship team fromsinging and I stood in the
pulpit the worship team.
I stopped the worship team fromsinging and I stood in the
pulpit and I said somebody needsto hear this that God is not
(14:34):
against you, god is for you, nomatter where you're at in life's
walk.
God's for you and God's notthrowing you away.
You may be throwing yourselfaway, but God stands with open
arms, with love and passion andmercy and grace, ready to help
you, ready to turn your lifearound, ready to show you that
agape love, that God love, thesame love that he showed me.
(14:57):
I'm counseling a 20-year-oldyoung guy right now.
He's really growing in the Lord.
But you know a 20-year-oldyoung man.
He struggles and just met withhim yesterday and carried him
out to eat at Bozo's I'll givethem a plug and we set out and I
just I told him the same thingI said you know, the Bible says
(15:20):
the righteous man falls seventimes, but he keeps getting back
up.
The key to him not beingdeclared a cripple is he keeps
getting back up, and that's thekey to success in our walk with
Christ is when we do fail,because we will fail.
All is sin and come short ofthe glory of God.
Just get back up, dust yourselfoff, forgive yourself, forgive
(15:41):
yourself.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
I'm going to ask you one other thing.
I always like to ask my gueststhis the title of this show is
called Get the Hell Out of yourLife.
So, Pastor, how do you get thehell out?
Speaker 1 (15:52):
of your life.
Number one by submitting.
The Bible says in James 4 and7,.
It says submit yourself,therefore, unto God.
Resist the devil and he willflee from you.
Submit, submit to the Lord,surrender.
That's one of the hardestthings for people to do, because
we're so self-sufficient, wethink we know it all, we can do
(16:14):
it all, but at the end everyonewas created to rely on God.
Amen, trust God.
And so, submitting to the Lordand put up a resistance that I'm
not going to live like this, nomore.
I'm not going to walk this path, no more.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I'm going to find that path in Christ and I'm
going to walk, that yourcongregation is a very blessed
congregation to have a leaderlike you, your past, your
authenticity and your just lovefor the fellow human out there.
And God bless you.
And before we go, will you prayfor our listeners?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Amen, father, in the name of Jesus, I come to you as
humbly as I know how, as Paulmade the statement, that I feel
that I'm the least among theleast.
But I am so blessed and sothankful to be able to worship
you, to have a relationship withyou, and I send up the highest
(17:13):
praise that's ever been given toyou.
Hallelujah, lord.
I just pray for all those thatare listening right now by radio
, by whatever means that theyhave, lord, there's one that
don't know you as Lord andSavior?
Lord, I pray that the HolySpirit touch their heart and
life right now and let them knowthat that did happen upon the
(17:35):
cross.
The life that was given, theblood that was shed through
Jesus Christ, is able to washtheir sins away.
Lord, that they can walk in thenewness of life.
Lord, through your Holy Spirit,god, lord, have that
resurrection power enter intotheir life and one day, lord, at
the end of this life, they'llhear you say well done thou,
(17:56):
good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joys of the Lord.
Lord, for that individual that'sstruggling with drugs, alcohol
and addictions, lord, I praythat you break those addictions
from their life, god, that youtransform their mind, their
spirit, god into the newness oflife.
Lord, I pray, god, that youhelp them.
Lord, that family that'sdealing with marital problems,
(18:18):
children problems.
God, I pray that the that youhelp them.
Lord, that family that'sdealing with marital problems,
children problems.
God, I pray that the love andthe grace and the mercy of God
come down and intervene in theirlives.
Lord, we give you praise andglory in advance for what you're
going to do.
In Jesus' mighty name, we prayAmen, thank you.
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