May 30, 2025 • 49 mins
In this inspiring episode of Living Testimonies, we sit down with Steve Hopper—a man whose life journey proves it’s never too late for a comeback. At just 17, Steve found himself confined behind prison walls. Two years later, still incarcerated, he met Jesus and accepted salvation—but his true breakthrough didn’t come until he was 47, when he experienced full, radical surrender to God’s calling on his life.
Today, Steve is one of the most sought-after speakers in the professional circuit. He’s delivered hundreds of powerful keynotes and workshops at corporate events, leadership conferences, schools, churches—and even correctional facilities. As the author of From Prison to Purpose, he’s shared his story on TV, radio, and in leading publications, challenging audiences to turn their setbacks into comebacks and to win life’s most important game.
Join us as Steve unpacks how he transformed decades of pain into a purpose-driven mission, how he maintains momentum in his faith-filled walk, and how you too can step into God’s plan for your life—no matter your past. If you’ve ever wondered whether your mistakes define you, this episode will remind you that freedom and purpose await when you fully surrender.
Link to connect with Steve Hopper:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Israel Caminero (00:04):
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(00:24):
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(00:46):
The link is on the page.
Thanks again for listening, andI'll catch you in the next
episode.
Welcome to Living Testimony,Stories of Faith and Redemption.
(01:13):
I'm your host, Israel Caminero,and I hope everyone that's
listening is blessed and doingwell.
With me today, I have mybrother in Christ, and his name
is Steve Hopper.
Can you introduce and say alittle bit about yourself to
everybody?
Steve Hopper (01:27):
Hey Israel, hey everybody.
Just super blessed and honoredto be here.
My name is Steve Hopper.
I'm based out of Tampa,Florida.
I am an international speaker,author, and influence coach.
Um, and so I'm just excited,humbled, and honored to be here
with you, brother.
Israel Caminero (01:44):
Hey man.
Hey man, thank you.
Thank you for taking the timeto be here.
And you're in sunny side,Florida, and I'm in cold, cold
Cleveland, Ohio.
It can't make up his mindwhether it wants to be cold or
hot.
Steve Hopper (01:58):
Oh my goodness.
Oh man.
We're in the 30s.
Yeah, we're we're about to goin that miserable hot season
down here, though, bro.
So it's gonna be we're gonna bewishing we were in cooler
weather here in a few months.
But yeah, it's pa it's it'sparadise down here.
We can't complain.
Israel Caminero (02:13):
Yeah, I don't know about that.
We're in our thirties today,thirty, low thirties.
So I don't know if you wantthat type of weather, but I
don't.
Steve Hopper (02:21):
I don't.
All right.
Israel Caminero (02:23):
Well, he's here to share his testimony, but
before he does, I'd like to prayover us, uh him specifically,
and I'd like to say, HeavenlyFather, I thank you for this
opportunity to come together andlift up the name of Jesus.
I thank you for Steve and thejourney you've brought him
through.
You've been present in everymoment, guiding, protecting, and
(02:43):
preparing him for such a timeas this.
Lord, I pray that you wouldfill him with your peace and
boldness as he shares his story.
Let your Holy Spirit speakthrough him, by touching hearts
and drawing people closer toyou.
Let every word bring glory toyour name and hope to those who
are listening.
May this testimony be a lightin the darkness, a reminder that
(03:03):
no one is too far from yourlove.
Bless this time and use it foryour kingdom and your purpose.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
All right.
No problem.
So, all right, Steve.
Let's jump right in.
Can you take us back and sharea little bit about what your
life was like growing up?
Steve Hopper (03:23):
Yes, absolutely.
With pleasure.
So I grew up uh here in Tampa,Florida, started playing
football when I was probablyabout five years old.
It was what I wanted to do withmy life.
I didn't want to grow and be afireman, policeman, doctor.
I wanted to be a footballplayer, and I had natural
talent, skill, and all that goodstuff, and throughout the
(03:45):
years, uh uh, you know, gainedthat additional skill to match
the natural talent and you know,got into high school, and you
know, the opportunities werewere there for the taking to you
know, possibly go to the nextlevel, etc.
Uh but one night, my senioryear in high school, I would
make a split-second decisionthat would change the course of
(04:08):
my life forever.
I got invited to a high schoolkeg party down on a private
beach uh here in Tampa.
Uh showed up at this beach,hundreds of teenagers, uh
drinking, partying, doing whatwe had no business doing at 16,
17 years old.
And at this party, a fightbroke out.
(04:28):
Uh an hour argument broke outbetween uh one of my friends
that came with me to the partyand a teenager from a rival high
school.
Uh, within moments, a hugefight broke out.
Um I engaged in that fight.
Somebody yells cops, everybodyruns to their cars and takes
off.
We didn't didn't think anythingof it again.
(04:49):
It was another Friday night,another party, like we had been
in those situations before, butthis one was going to be
different because three dayslater, the local sheriff's
department showed up at myparents' home with a warrant for
my arrest.
One of the teens that I had hitduring that Friday night
(05:10):
altercation had slipped into acoma.
And at that moment, Israel,everything changed.
It was like the clock stoppedticking in my life.
My father took me down, turnedme into county jail, you know,
thinking ultimately that, youknow, that they were gonna, my
parents were gonna be able tobond me out and and and that we
(05:30):
would, you know, attorney up andand and be able to figure it
all out and get it all workedout.
Uh, but what my dad didn't knowand I didn't know at that time
was that uh the next morning thejudge was actually gonna revoke
my bond because they didn'tknow if this young man was going
to live or if he was gonna die.
(05:51):
They didn't know if they weregonna charge me with murder or
attempted murder.
And so I sat in the county jailfor 90 days, my senior year,
waiting to find out um what wasgonna happen.
Um he was in a coma for threemonths, but after that
three-month period, I calledhome one night, my mom answered
(06:14):
the phone, she informed me thatthat he had come out of the coma
and that he was gonna live, andit was the best news I'd ever
heard in my life.
But as a speaker, when I speakat our high schools and our
middle schools and our colleges,I always try to impart on our
youth that when you make badchoices in life, there are
almost always gonna be badconsequences that come along
(06:37):
with them.
And to make a long story shortfor your listeners, for that one
split-second decision, for thatone swing, that one lapse in
judgment that Friday night at 17years old, uh, the consequences
were gonna be great.
Um they sentenced me to 10years in Florida State prison at
(06:59):
17 years old.
Israel Caminero (07:00):
Wow.
Ten years.
Yeah.
Steve Hopper (07:04):
Wow.
Yeah.
And you know, nothing in lifehad prepared me for the world
that I was entering.
I got sent to one of the worstprisons in the state of Florida
at the time.
The gang violence was daily,the riots were almost weekly.
They've since then shut thatplace down.
You know, I watched peoplestabbed to death, beat to death
(07:27):
right in front of me.
It was a far cry from you knowanything I'd experienced growing
up.
And uh, you know, I foughtfought for my life on numerous
occasions, you know, during thatfirst uh year of that
incarceration.
It was about a year in my in myincarceration that it was
lights out time, it was 9 p.m.
and the steel door closed,slammed shut on that prison
(07:50):
cell, sealing, sealing me in forthe night.
And it was so dark in the cell,you you really couldn't see a
foot in front of your face.
And this particular night, theweight of the world just came
crashing in on me.
I felt every emotion that youcould imagine.
It just coming in on me andconsuming me to the point that I
(08:11):
crouched down in the corner ofthe cell and just pulled my
knees tight to my chest andbegan to cry.
And it was, you know, I wasfeeling every emotion from
hopelessness, helplessness,fear, regret, remorse, like I
mean, you name it, it was justweighing on me.
And for the first time in mylife, the thought of suicide
(08:35):
crossed my mind as I sat therein the corner of the cell, you
know, contemplating like mylife, the fact that everything
I'd hoped for, worked for,dreamed for, thought I was gonna
do what my life was gone, wasnever gonna return.
I was one year into a 10-yearsentence that had been held.
I didn't think I was gonnasurvive the next nine.
You know, I just uh as I satthere, I felt like my life had
(08:58):
no meaning and it had nopurpose.
And so for the first time in mylife, the thought of suicide
crossed my mind.
And as I was sitting therecontemplating how I was gonna do
it, um, I remembered something.
It was something that mygrandfather had said to me when
I was a kid.
I used to spend my summers atmy grandparents' house.
(09:19):
My grandfather and grandmotherowned a bunch of property in
North Florida, and I would spendmy summers there, and during
those summer visits, mygrandfather was always preaching
at me, trying to talk somewisdom into me.
He was a Christian.
I'll never forget he would getup at breakfast every morning
and open that daily devotionaland read it, and I would just
sit there like, oh, here we goagain, you know, like uh, you
(09:41):
know, one ear and out the other.
I had my own agenda.
Yeah, I didn't want to hear anyof that.
I didn't want to hear any ofthat religious stuff.
And um, but one summer duringone of those visits, my
grandfather got my attention andhe said, Son, just promise me
one thing.
And I said, Yeah, granddaddy,what is it?
He said, Just promise me thatif you're ever at a dark moment
(10:04):
in your life, your back'sagainst the wall, you don't feel
like you have any way out.
Just promise me that you willdrop to your knees and cry out
for Jesus.
And I said, Okay, granddaddy,sure, whatever you say.
And at that time, I thought Iwas just pacifying him, um, and
(10:25):
then it had just you know gonein one ear and out the other.
Israel Caminero (10:28):
Right.
Steve Hopper (10:29):
But that night, as I was sitting in the corner of
that cell, Israel, contemplatingtaking my own life, I
remembered what my grandfatherhad said to me.
And I was there, I was in adark place, my back was against
the wall, man.
I felt like there was no lightat the end of the tunnel.
I felt like I had any way out.
At that point, what did I haveto lose?
(10:50):
And so I took his advice thatnight and I spun around on my
knees, laid my face on thatdirty concrete prison floor, and
cried like I never cried beforein my life.
And when I called out his hisname in an instant, uh, all of
those other feelings that I wasfeeling, they just subsided, and
(11:11):
those feelings were replacedwith feelings of peace, joy, and
purpose.
Like I knew in that moment thatGod did have a plan for my
life, and he had a purpose formy life.
And so I went to sleep thatnight, man.
I slept like a baby, woke upthe next morning, had a new
(11:33):
lease on life, but unfortunatelythey didn't come and open the
gates and and say, Hey, greatjob.
You know, you gave your life toChrist, we're gonna go and let
you out of prison.
No, right.
I still had nine years to do.
And so I just uh, you know, Ibegan to really deep dive into a
lot of personal developmentstuff and ended up doing seven
(11:54):
years on the 10-year sentence.
So I went in to prison at 17,got out when I was 24, and I can
tell you that you know,throughout that entire
incarceration, God was just Hewas with me every step of the
way, protecting me, you know,guiding me.
Israel Caminero (12:10):
That's good.
Definitely.
I had a question.
So were you tried as an adultat 17?
Steve Hopper (12:17):
Uh yeah, absolutely.
Uh, because it was a violentcrime, because I was, you know,
so close to the age of 18, theydefinitely adjudicated me as an
adult.
Yep.
Yeah, man.
Threw the book at me.
Yeah, there have been a lot ofuh I mean ultimately, you know,
I mean, we're not gonnadiscredit the situation here at
all.
You know, I put right anotherteenager in a coma and uh
(12:39):
ultimately, you know, hurt him,hurt his family, and I mean it
was not in my mind.
I was not trying to kill him oranything to that effect, you
know, it was a it was a highschool fight.
Yeah.
But there had been a lot ofthat going on at the time, and
um they were making an exampleout of somebody, and and I
became that example.
Israel Caminero (12:59):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean that's why I was askingbecause at 17 usually you go to
juvenile jail, but or detention,I should say.
But you were saying you went toprison, so they were definitely
trying to show probably some ofyour friends or something,
like, hey, we're not gonnatolerate this.
Yeah, yeah.
So absolutely.
(13:20):
So when you were backed up inthat corner at 17 and you
surrendered your life to Christ,were you radically changed at
that time?
Did you follow God even afteryou got out of prison at 24?
Steve Hopper (13:33):
This is uh this is such a great question, man.
And and I love that you askedthis question because it leads
me into the second part of mytestimony, you know.
Uh, was there a radical changethat night?
Yes, absolutely, in the sensethat I felt God's presence,
which is something I had neverfelt before.
I I felt his peace, uh, I feltuh the joy and understood in
(13:59):
that moment that he had a planand purpose for my life.
So that in itself was was wasdefinitely a radical change.
Now, when I got out of prison,I would love to tell you that I
just continued on my path withthe Lord.
But Israel, I got out back outinto the world, and you know,
(14:23):
the devil never shows up with apitchfork and a red cape and
horns.
He shows up as all of thethings that look good, look
appealing, seem okay, you know,and I began to uh you know chase
all of the things that theworld had to offer.
(14:45):
And the more and more uh Ibegan to chase and focus on the
things of this world, myrelationship with him, his
voice, the the feeling of hispresence got more and more
distant.
And uh and ultimately the enemywas able to, you know, to get
(15:07):
that foot in the door andultimately lead me down some
pass.
Um I ended up you know having,you know, I was chasing money
and success and women and youknow, all the things ultimately
that I had you know missed outon for so long, right?
Israel Caminero (15:23):
Right.
Steve Hopper (15:24):
And you know, I ended up you know having you
know success, I ended up havingfailure in the business world, I
ended up having, you know, uhtwo failed marriages.
Um I was definitely, you know,God will bless us in the midst
of our chaos and our baddecision making.
Uh, but you know, I had gotfour beautiful children out of
(15:47):
uh of those two uh failedmarriages.
But um, you know, after thatlast failed marriage, um I
really, you know, the divorcewas was brutal.
Uh uh it was it was just areally, really difficult
situation.
And I found myself at the endof myself.
(16:08):
You know, that divorce was wasnot only financially
devastating, it uh affected myrelationship with my children,
and uh it wasn't it wasn't aclean break.
And ultimately I came to theend of myself, and it was at
that point when I came to fullsurrender, bro, where I said,
(16:34):
you know, God, I have goneastray, I have done it my way, I
have changed, I have chased thethings of this world, I have
walked in my own understanding,I have done things in my will
and not your will for me.
Um I haven't read your word, Ihaven't, you know, I just
(16:57):
haven't been in relationship,and and and I'm just I am I'm at
the end of myself, and I fullysurrender my life to you,
everything.
I don't want to make any moredecisions without your guidance,
I don't want to make any morerelationship choices without
your guidance, I don't want tomake any more business decisions
(17:19):
without your guidance.
God, I'm giving you myrelationship with my children,
I'm giving you my finances, I'mgiving you everything.
I did I just want to walk inyour will for my life.
And when I did that, thespiritual blindness was removed
from my eyes, bro.
Like I began to gain a anunderstanding and a you know
(17:47):
that the you know that peacethat I felt that night in that
cell, it came back, but it cameback tenfold, bro.
Um, and and and I and whataccompanied it was just a just
complete desire in my heart tojust know him more, to know him
better, to live for him, to walkin his will and purpose for my
(18:09):
life.
And just amazing things beganto happen after that moment.
Israel Caminero (18:13):
That's so good.
Looking back, how do you seeGod's hand through all the years
in between salvation andsurrender versus when you were
living in the world?
Steve Hopper (18:25):
You know, I see God's hand everywhere in all
things.
You know, when I made that fullsurrender, he ultimately really
just brought my purpose, mycalling, all of it.
Just he he just he just made itcrystal clear for me, which was
something that you know I hadreally you know searched for and
(18:46):
seeked most of my life.
It's what most people wonderand seek and search for.
You know, ultimately, you know,if we want to know our purpose
in life, you know, we go to theperson that gave it to us, you
know, the one that created it,created us.
And hey, yeah.
And so, you know, when I madethat full surrender, um he he he
(19:06):
really just began to just makeit clear what it was that that I
was gonna go and do and um youknow my purpose in being here.
And you know, as I look back onmy life, I realized that even
as I was out there making thedecisions that I was making and
not in relationship with him,and not you know, living by his
(19:29):
word and living in his will formy life, he was doing things and
preparing me in ways that wereultimately going to get me ready
for my purpose, for thatsurrender moment, etc.
You know, he was uh just allalong.
(19:52):
I mean, he was there, he henever left, bro.
Right, even though I was in arelationship with him, he was he
was.
There.
He was protecting meultimately.
You know, we have this thingcalled free will, right?
You know, God doesn't want, uh,he didn't create us to be
robots, uh, you know, in anyway, shape, or form, and he gave
(20:15):
us free will and because hewanted us to be in genuine
relationship with him.
He wanted us to love him out ofout of our own choice and out
of our own out of our heart, youknow, and you know, he put that
desire in all every singleperson created to know him, and
that's why people go down somany roads uh in religion, and
(20:38):
they go down so many uh pathsseeking uh purpose, and because
you know we're all created withthis, you know, this underlying
desire to be in connection witha with our creator.
That's right.
And and so many people go downso many different paths trying
to find it, bro.
And uh, you know, we we we havea podcast as well called You
(21:01):
know Kingdom Influence, andwe're constantly interviewing
people on our podcast that youknow went went through all sorts
of stuff trying to seek thisentity that they knew was there
all along.
And ultimately, you know, Jesussays that I am the way, the
truth, and the life.
Um and uh you know, there isonly one God.
(21:22):
And uh and Jesus is the way toGod, uh, the only way to God,
um, based on what he did for usat the cross.
And so, yeah, man, it's uh soyeah, God's presence was there
all along.
I know it's a long answer toyour question, but as I look
back on my life, I can just see,man, you know, that every
(21:45):
situation, you know, like youknow, God doesn't put us in bad
places.
We put ourselves in bad places.
The enemy can entice us to godown the you know bad roads and
make bad choices, and uh, butultimately at the end of the
day, you know, God is theresaying, Oh, you know, I mean, I
(22:05):
could just imagine him sittingup there going, that is not what
I would like for you to bedoing right now, but you know
what?
Let me see what I can do toteach you from this, you know,
to get to to better get youprepared and and and ultimately
uh you know come back to me.
Israel Caminero (22:24):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (22:25):
You know, the the you know, the source of your
life.
And so, yeah, man, he was thereall along.
He was there all along.
And and you know, so I would Iwould sum up that whole journey,
man, like the prodigal son, youknow.
Um, he was there waiting for meto come back and and say,
(22:46):
Father, I screwed up, I did itmy way, it didn't work, you
know.
I don't deserve to be in yourpresence.
I don't deserve to be takencare of by you, but I'm I'm
here.
And he's and he's going, Areyou kidding me?
You know, you're my child.
Israel Caminero (23:03):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (23:04):
You know, here's a ring.
Let me put this ring on yourfinger, let me put this robe,
let me put some new sandals onyour feet.
You know, go grab that, go grabthat you the the fattened calf.
Let's have a feast.
Israel Caminero (23:16):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (23:17):
Because my child is home, my child has returned.
And that goes for everybodythat's listening out there.
It doesn't matter where you'vegone, what you've done, what
decisions you've made, how faraway you have strayed.
He is there at the top of thehill, waiting for you to come
(23:39):
back.
Israel Caminero (23:40):
That's right.
You know, I I I say that allthe time too.
And it's you know, fromexperience, he is there.
He is there all the time.
But like you said, we do havefree will, and he does prepare
us for things to come.
But he's waiting, like you alsosaid, for us to surrender,
(24:06):
surrender to him, and he's neverleft our side.
Could you imagine if wesurrendered and he would be
like, nope, you know, like I'mnot accepting it.
But he's waiting there withopen arms, open arms, like you
said.
You know, so that's right.
So that's what's right.
God is just wonderful.
Steve Hopper (24:27):
And you know, the enemy, you know, he is such a
liar because you know, he wantsus.
I mean, ultimately, if he cankeep us from making that
decision, then he wins, right?
If he can keep us from goingback, and you know, if he can
keep us from coming to to knowthe Lord, receiving salvation,
surrendering our lives.
(24:48):
I mean, he can he can keep us,you know, and and and and so he
he'll he'll entice us withstuff, and then he'll condemn us
for the bad choices that wemake.
And and really, you know, withthe intention of of making us
think that we're not worthy orthat God is not gonna receive us
(25:09):
or or whatever, you know.
But God's love, man.
I mean, you can't even do Imean you it it's hard to, I
mean, it's hard to put his loveinto words.
Jesus was the best example thatwe can just of God's love for
us, man.
To lay down his own life forus, for all of us.
Israel Caminero (25:31):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (25:32):
So that we would overcome death.
That we'd be free from sicknessand poverty and all of the
things that have plagued ussince the fall of Adam and Eve.
Israel Caminero (25:43):
That's right.
I think that this is what Ithink.
Let's say you were Christianand you gave life to God and you
backslide.
I think we beat ourselves upmore than God does, you know,
because we already know thegoodness.
Even though we backslid, wealready know the goodness of
(26:05):
God.
So we we're, you know, we feelshameful and we feel like we let
him down and things like that.
And I think we beat ourselvesup more because of that.
But he like I s like both of ussaid earlier, he's not gonna
never accept us back.
Steve Hopper (26:23):
Right.
So Yeah, I mean it's it's it'sas simple as calling out his
name.
Israel Caminero (26:29):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (26:30):
And just and just asking him.
Israel Caminero (26:33):
Absolutely.
Steve Hopper (26:34):
Yeah, I mean, yeah.
Israel Caminero (26:37):
So I know you're doing big things now.
My audience probably doesn'tknow you're doing big things
now.
But if you can share with themhow your life has changed since
you fully surrendered to Christ,that would be great.
Steve Hopper (26:52):
Amen.
Well, I will tell you uh rightoff the bat that God put an
amazing, amazing woman of God inmy life.
Um, you know, during one of thedarkest moments of my life, she
spoke life into me, uh,reminded me that I was the the
head and not the tail.
Uh she really was uh played anintricate role in uh bringing me
(27:14):
back to that full surrender.
Um my uh, you know, one of thethings that God said to me
during that surrender was thatHe would He would restore
everything the enemy has stolen.
He specifically said that mychildren would come back and my
relationship with them would berestored.
And so uh you know, I'm justproud to say that you know uh He
is faithful and uh His word istruth.
(27:36):
So He definitely He brought mychildren uh back and uh and now
uh they are on their journeywith the Lord as well And so
it's just been it's been great.
Um uh Kingdom Influencer uh uhwas was was birthed and born.
(27:59):
Uh you know, one of the thingsthat I've been doing for for
many, many years has been uhspeaking and coaching and
writing books.
And so uh he put uh KingdomInfluencer on my heart.
He also put Kingdom Influenceron Sylvia's heart, who is uh my
(28:20):
fiancee.
We're actually uh gettingmarried in in June.
Congratulations, and so superexcited about that.
Yeah, man, getting excitedabout that, and and so her and I
have uh gone into businessministry together, and you know,
he put Kingdom Influencer onour heart and based uh the
(28:41):
vision off of Revelation 12, 11,which is they triumphed over
him, him being the devil, by theblood of the Lamb, Jesus, and
by the word of their testimony.
And so uh he's uh put a desirein our heart to really just help
us not only use our stories,but our expertise and knowledge
(29:03):
and business and marketing andspeaking and writing books and
and obviously in his word, uh uhSylvia is a graduate of Karas
Bible College.
I'm in Karas Bible Collegeright now, fit uh you know,
halfway done uh with mine.
And so uh we're just takingeverything that he's given us uh
(29:24):
through our experience, andwe're just raising up more
kingdom influencers.
Uh we're helping people with uhsharing their testimonies by
becoming published authors.
Uh we're helping people withtheir public speaking so they
can go out and and begin to uhyou know share their stories uh
from stages, events, you know,to organizations, whatever God
(29:48):
calls them to, and uh and somuch more.
Uh we have a ministry uh partof it as well.
Uh we are doing discipleship aspart of the program, uh
missions is part of it, uh liveevents.
So we did uh last year we westarted doing live events.
We have the Made for Moreconference, uh, which we uh are
(30:12):
taking on the road now and uhthat you know going to different
uh churches, organizations,venues, uh whatever cities uh
God is calling us to to go andjust spread this message that
you were created for more.
Uh you were created for morethan you're doing right now in
your life.
You were created to accomplishmore than uh than you're
(30:35):
accomplishing.
And this is not new age.
Uh this is not uh new age uhyou know uh stuff that we're
speaking here.
This is you know, in God's worduh that he has uh created us uh
you know wonderfully to walkwith a power and authority
(30:56):
through Jesus.
Um and and so we're just justgoing out there and spreading
the message, man, empoweringpeople to to step into God's
calling and purpose for theirlife.
Israel Caminero (31:09):
Amen.
Amen.
Blessed, right?
You know, you went from aseventeen year 17-year-old
imprisoned boy, and look whatyou're doing now.
You know, you're blessed.
And in case congratulations onyour about to get married to
Sylvia Puentes.
If that name sounds familiar,she was on the podcast before, I
(31:32):
believe it was around episode20.
Powerful testimony, if mylisteners remember or want to go
listen to her testimony.
I believe it's around episode20.
And she's a wonderful lady.
I'm glad I've met her.
I'm glad I've met you.
And I I'll also have links toall that information he just
shared on the description ofthis episode, in case any of my
(31:56):
listeners want to go and checkyou out or email you or listen
to the podcast.
I wish I was in Florida.
I'd come, I'd come check itout, but unfortunately, I'm
quite a mile away.
Steve Hopper (32:08):
Hey, brother.
Well, we're uh, you know,listen, we're uh we uh God keeps
putting Ohio on our heart as alocation for a future
made-for-more conference.
Uh for some reason, he justkeeps connecting us, and uh, we
(32:30):
think we already know what thatreason is.
He just keeps connecting uswith people in Ohio.
Oh wow.
Um, and so there's no doubt inmy mind that he that Ohio is is
is gonna be on the calendar inthe very near future for Kingdom
Influencer to bring that madefor more conference to Ohio.
And uh and so you'll be you'llbe a part of that, bro.
Israel Caminero (32:54):
Amen.
Steve Hopper (32:54):
You'll be a part of that.
So that's exciting, man.
Israel Caminero (32:57):
I'm here.
I'm a phone call, email away.
Let me know.
Steve Hopper (33:02):
We're gonna plan it for a time when it ain't real
cold up there, bro, because youknow we're from Florida, so we
don't we don't want to deal withthat cold.
Israel Caminero (33:09):
Maybe you want to come over here when you hit
that heat wave, right?
But it'll be it'll be warm overhere too.
Steve Hopper (33:14):
So we don't go into shock or nothing, you know.
Israel Caminero (33:17):
Right.
Steve Hopper (33:18):
You know, down here, you know, down here in
Florida, um, I don't know ifyou've ever seen this on your
social media or anything likethat, but it's the craziest
thing.
You know, we got we got iguanasdown here in Florida.
Israel Caminero (33:30):
Yeah.
Steve Hopper (33:30):
And these iguanas, you know, they climb up in the
trees.
And when it gets cold, like,because you know, sometimes it
gets cold down here, you know,and the temperature will drop
down to, you know, in the 30,40, whatever.
These these guys just free,they they just pass out.
They just literally pass out,they just fall out of the tree.
Oh wow.
Israel Caminero (33:50):
And they fall.
Steve Hopper (33:51):
And so you'll be you'll be walking down the
street and iguanas will just befalling out of the trees.
They just completely, they justthey just like go into
hibernation or something, man.
Just fall right out of thetree.
It's crazy.
Israel Caminero (34:01):
It's raining iguanas.
Steve Hopper (34:03):
So we don't want that to be us, man.
We don't want to come to thatcold weather, bro, and be
freezing in this, you know.
Israel Caminero (34:11):
Right now, Cleveland can't make up his
mind.
But getting back to you, yeah.
What would you say to someonewho feels like it's too late for
them to turn their life around?
Steve Hopper (34:23):
Well, ultimately, um, as I, you know, just
discussed really in mytestimony, you know, um, it's
never too late.
It doesn't matter how faryou've gone, how many decisions
you've made, it doesn't matterwhat your age is.
My father passed away severalyears ago.
I had an opportunity to witnessto him on his deathbed, you
(34:45):
know, you know, and I don'tsuggest anybody waits until that
moment, right?
But it's never too late toreceive the salvation and
everything else that was givento you on that cross when Jesus
took it all.
When Jesus took it all.
I would encourage you thatthat's a decision that you want
(35:09):
to make sooner than later.
Because when you make thatdecision and you begin to walk
in his will for your life, hiswill is always going to be
greater than our will.
Because he's a loving God, he'sa loving father, he is a loving
(35:31):
father, he is a he is a fullyalive God, he is a fully present
God.
Like, I don't make anydecisions, Israel, anymore,
without consulting him.
Like, I mean, I talk to him allday, every day, even on the
little things.
I'm going to him and saying,What do I do here?
(35:52):
What do I do here?
And when you get in tune withthe Holy Spirit, ultimately, you
know, the Bible tells us whenwe confess with our mouths and
believe in our heart that Jesusis Lord, that He's the Son of
God, He died on the cross forthe forgiveness of our sins, and
He rose on the third day, wereceive the Holy Spirit.
We receive the helper thatJesus promised.
(36:13):
That's right.
Paul says that we have the samespirit as believers, we have
the same spirit that rose Jesusfrom the dead living inside of
us right now.
And so, as believers, we arefilled with the Holy Spirit, the
(36:34):
Spirit of God.
It was the same Spirit that uh,you know, that gave Jesus the
power to go out and and to andto do all of the many miracles
that he did.
You know, and so we receivethat through Jesus' sacrifice.
We receive that spirit.
It's never too late to makethat decision, and it's never
(36:55):
too late to start walking in thewill and the plan and the
purpose that God has for yourlife.
If you're still breathing, heain't done with you yet.
No matter how old you are.
Israel Caminero (37:06):
That's right.
Yeah.
That's totally right.
I remember going to awalkworthy men's conference
through Moody Bible, and itbrought me to tears because at
the end they did an altar call,and there was this guy that got
up with a walker and gave hislife to Christ at his age, and
he had to have been at least inhis 60s, 70s, and it just
(37:30):
brought me to tears.
Like, God, like it's neverlate.
Like, look at this guy, he canhardly walk up there and he's
given his life to Christ.
It was such a great thing tosee.
Steve Hopper (37:45):
It's a beautiful thing.
It is such a beautiful thing.
Israel Caminero (37:48):
But I want to thank you, Steve, for taking the
time to be on the podcast onceagain.
But I do have a few morequestions.
One of the questions is Isthere a specific Bible verse or
verse?
I should just say, is there aspecific Bible verse that
carried you through your darkesttime or even today, like a life
(38:13):
verse that you could always goback on and read when you're
having a bad day, and what thatverse is and what it means to
you.
Steve Hopper (38:36):
And you know, that's always his plan for us.
It's been his plan for us sinceday one.
Uh, no matter what we're goingthrough, where we go, what
decisions we make, his plan forus is never to harm us.
(38:57):
It's never it, you know, it'snever ever ever to harm us.
That's not part of his plan.
Again, it goes back to being aloving father, right?
Israel Caminero (39:07):
Right.
Steve Hopper (39:07):
No loving father wants any harm brought to their
children.
And so uh that and thenultimately, you know, that he
that he knows he knows the planshe has for us.
Plans to prosper us and give usa hope in a future.
It's still evident today inevery aspect of my life.
It was evident when I was goingthrough tough times, it was a
(39:30):
scripture that I leaned on, andit's just having faith that he's
there and he's got a biggerplan for us.
And it's a good one.
God's plan for us is never abad one.
Israel Caminero (39:42):
That's right.
It's never a bad plan.
Never never.
It's not.
It's not absolutely correct.
It's always that other guy thatplans are bad for us.
You know, the opposing person.
Steve Hopper (39:55):
And that scripture, that scripture, by
the way, is uh Jeremiah twentynine eleven.
If people want to go and and uhlook at that and meditate on
that.
Israel Caminero (40:07):
Good scripture and good verse.
Now we're going to my back tothe past section of the podcast.
And what my back to the pastsection is, if the Steve from
today can go back in time andtalk to that 17-year-old or even
younger Steve and let him knowthings that he didn't know then,
(40:28):
but he knows today, what wouldyou say to him?
Steve Hopper (40:33):
I would say to him, and I've said this already
in the podcast, God's will foryour life is so much better than
the world's will, anybodyelse's will, or your own will
(40:54):
for you.
And if you just trust in theplan that he has for your life,
if you just stay in relationshipwith him, he will show you his
will for your life, andultimately get in the word
because the word is where it'sall laid out for you.
(41:16):
It's all there.
Everything you need to knowabout how to walk in his will
for your life, how to receiveall the promises that he has for
you, uh, it's all there.
It's all there in his word.
And I would also say this, youknow, that uh there's gonna be a
lot of choices in life.
Some good, some bad.
(41:37):
Some of those choices are justdownright ugly, right?
But at the end of the day, whenwhen we take that last breath,
there's only gonna be one choicethat's gonna matter, really.
Israel Caminero (41:50):
Right.
Steve Hopper (41:51):
And that's gonna be whether or not we accepted
Jesus Christ as our Lord andSavior.
Because one or two things aregonna happen when you take that
last breath.
And that's gonna be based onthat choice right there.
Israel Caminero (42:06):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (42:07):
That's gonna be based on that one choice.
Israel Caminero (42:10):
That's right.
Thank you for that.
That was good.
Steve Hopper (42:14):
It's either etern it's either eternity with God in
heaven, or it's etern eternalseparation from God.
And that's hell.
Israel Caminero (42:26):
Right.
Steve Hopper (42:27):
So amen.
Israel Caminero (42:28):
I'd rather choose eternity.
Steve Hopper (42:31):
Oh, bro.
Bro, you'd be crazy not to,right?
Right.
That's why uh that's why we'vebeen called to go out and share
this message with as many peopleas we can, because some of them
are just like they're on thefast track.
I just uh, you know, had afamily member here recently,
man, that uh got married and anddecided that uh she didn't want
any religion and didn't wantGod in any way, shape, or form
(42:53):
present at her wedding.
And I just shook my head, youknow, like man, wow.
Like uh, do you even do youeven know what you're saying
right now?
You know?
So but you know, we just gottakeep gotta keep speaking the
truth out, man, out there toeverybody, man.
Israel Caminero (43:09):
Right, you gotta keep praying, you know,
praying for her too.
Steve Hopper (43:12):
Amen.
Amen.
Israel Caminero (43:14):
Thank you, Steve, for taking the time to be
here out of your busy scheduleand just joining me on the
podcast.
And like I said, I'm honored,man.
And like I said before, I'llhave uh links to all his
information on this descriptionof this episode.
If any of my listeners orfollowers wanna reach out to him
(43:34):
and go check them out againwith his fiance Sylvia, they're
they're a tag team, right?
You guys tag team everythingtogether.
So now they're gonna be soon tobe united under under one.
So that's right.
Steve Hopper (43:50):
That's right.
Israel Caminero (43:51):
Congratulations against to you and her, uh, you
know, for thank you for that,and I hope that it's a wonderful
wedding.
I don't hope.
I know it's gonna be awonderful wedding.
I apologize for that.
Steve Hopper (44:02):
Oh yeah, yeah, man, yeah, man.
Israel Caminero (44:05):
Before we close out, if you want to share
anything else, but if you don't,could you pray over us?
Steve Hopper (44:13):
Absolutely, man.
Lord, I just first andforemost, I thank you for my
brother Israel, Lord.
I thank you for his obedience,Lord.
I thank you for the desire thatyou've put in his heart to
spread your message uh far andwide.
Lord, we know that our storiesare just part of the much bigger
story, which is your story.
(44:36):
And I just think uh thank youfor my brother Israel and for
his obedience, Lord.
I pray, Lord, that you willbless him, that all the
promises, Lord, uh will come hisway, Lord.
Um, I pray that you willprosper him, Lord.
I pray that you will give himgood health, Lord.
I pray that you will give himunderstanding and knowledge and
discernment, Lord.
(44:56):
I pray that you will fill hisheart with the uh the peace that
is unsurpassable that you speakabout in your word, Lord.
I pray that you will fill himwith all the fruits of the
Spirit, Lord, and that you youwill guide his his his thoughts
and his his heart and and hisevery mood, Lord.
And you'll just bless him withall the blessings uh that you
(45:19):
want uh to give to him, Lord.
Uh and we pray for everybodythat's listening right now.
If you haven't made a decision,Lord, you know, if you haven't
made a decision to know thisJesus, if you don't know this
Jesus that we've been talkingabout, uh make that decision
today.
It's uh nothing crazy or fancythat you have to do.
You just call out his name andask him to come into your life,
(45:43):
ask him to take over your heartand to guide you and to lead
you.
Let him know that you want tobe in a relationship with him,
let him know that you want toknow him.
And Father, we just pray thatyou will move in the hearts of
those that are listening tothis, Lord, that you will show
them, that you will show themthat you are real, that they
will receive an encounter withyou, Lord, that is absolutely
(46:07):
undeniable, Lord.
We just pray that for everybodythat's listening right now.
We pray, Lord, for those thatare listening right now that are
are uh can uh uh you know justuh understand and and uh uh you
know my testimony, Lord, uhthey're they're the believers
that uh you know uh you know atsome point asked Jesus, got
(46:32):
saved, maybe they got baptizedto church, and then uh they got
caught up in everything in thisworld, Lord, and they've strayed
from you and uh and they'refeeling like they need to come
back to you, Lord, that you'lljust bless their heart, that
you'll just immediately speak totheir spirit, let them know,
Lord, that uh that you're thatyou're there, that you've always
(46:54):
been there, and that you keepno records of wrong.
The slice, the the the slate'sbeen wiped clean by your son,
and that you you're prepared tothrow that robe on them, put
that ring on their finger, givethem those new sandals, and have
a feast uh in in in theirhonor, Lord.
(47:14):
And so that's how much you lovethem, and just remind them that
that's that you've always beenthere.
And Lord, we just pray all ofthese things in the name of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,amen.
Amen.
Israel Caminero (47:28):
Amen.
Thank you for that prayer.
Thank you very much for beinghere again, and taking the time
to share that powerfultestimony, and thank you for
everything you're doing for thekingdom.
Um you too, bro.
That's what we're here for,right?
I see life saved, and that'sright.
(47:50):
That's what we're trying to doas best as we can.
Some people are hard-headed,some people are not, but
eventually they'll get there.
That's what I want to see, iseveryone get there.
Steve Hopper (48:00):
Amen.
That's what he wants to seetoo.
He has he has no desire for anyanybody to perish.
Israel Caminero (48:08):
That's right.
And right now I just want togive a shout-out to all my
followers and listeners.
Thank you for the outpouring oflove that you've shown me
throughout this podcast journey.
It's not my podcast, it's God'spodcast.
I'm just a vessel that he'susing.
In order to just bring peoplestories for you to hear them,
and it's their story, but it'shis glory, as I always say.
(48:30):
We're here to glorify God whiledoing it.
And I just want to say untilnext time, God bless you.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's
episode.
I'm grateful for your supportand for being part of this
community.
If you've been enjoying thepodcast so far, I'd love it if
you could take a minute to leavea review.
Your feedback helps me reachmore people and share these
inspiring stories with others.
Let's spread the word.
(00:24):
Please share this podcast withyour friends and family, and if
you haven't already, be sure tolike and subscribe for new
episodes.
To stay connected and up todate on all the latest news,
updates, and exclusive content,head over to my Facebook page,
Living Testimonies.
While you're there, be sure tosubscribe to my newsletter.
(00:46):
The link is on the page.
Thanks again for listening, andI'll catch you in the next
episode.
Welcome to Living Testimony,Stories of Faith and Redemption.
(01:13):
I'm your host, Israel Caminero,and I hope everyone that's
listening is blessed and doingwell.
With me today, I have mybrother in Christ, and his name
is Steve Hopper.
Can you introduce and say alittle bit about yourself to
everybody?
Steve Hopper (01:27):
Hey Israel, hey everybody.
Just super blessed and honoredto be here.
My name is Steve Hopper.
I'm based out of Tampa,Florida.
I am an international speaker,author, and influence coach.
Um, and so I'm just excited,humbled, and honored to be here
with you, brother.
Israel Caminero (01:44):
Hey man.
Hey man, thank you.
Thank you for taking the timeto be here.
And you're in sunny side,Florida, and I'm in cold, cold
Cleveland, Ohio.
It can't make up his mindwhether it wants to be cold or
hot.
Steve Hopper (01:58):
Oh my goodness.
Oh man.
We're in the 30s.
Yeah, we're we're about to goin that miserable hot season
down here, though, bro.
So it's gonna be we're gonna bewishing we were in cooler
weather here in a few months.
But yeah, it's pa it's it'sparadise down here.
We can't complain.
Israel Caminero (02:13):
Yeah, I don't know about that.
We're in our thirties today,thirty, low thirties.
So I don't know if you wantthat type of weather, but I
don't.
Steve Hopper (02:21):
I don't.
All right.
Israel Caminero (02:23):
Well, he's here to share his testimony, but
before he does, I'd like to prayover us, uh him specifically,
and I'd like to say, HeavenlyFather, I thank you for this
opportunity to come together andlift up the name of Jesus.
I thank you for Steve and thejourney you've brought him
through.
You've been present in everymoment, guiding, protecting, and
(02:43):
preparing him for such a timeas this.
Lord, I pray that you wouldfill him with your peace and
boldness as he shares his story.
Let your Holy Spirit speakthrough him, by touching hearts
and drawing people closer toyou.
Let every word bring glory toyour name and hope to those who
are listening.
May this testimony be a lightin the darkness, a reminder that
(03:03):
no one is too far from yourlove.
Bless this time and use it foryour kingdom and your purpose.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
All right.
No problem.
So, all right, Steve.
Let's jump right in.
Can you take us back and sharea little bit about what your
life was like growing up?
Steve Hopper (03:23):
Yes, absolutely.
With pleasure.
So I grew up uh here in Tampa,Florida, started playing
football when I was probablyabout five years old.
It was what I wanted to do withmy life.
I didn't want to grow and be afireman, policeman, doctor.
I wanted to be a footballplayer, and I had natural
talent, skill, and all that goodstuff, and throughout the
(03:45):
years, uh uh, you know, gainedthat additional skill to match
the natural talent and you know,got into high school, and you
know, the opportunities werewere there for the taking to you
know, possibly go to the nextlevel, etc.
Uh but one night, my senioryear in high school, I would
make a split-second decisionthat would change the course of
(04:08):
my life forever.
I got invited to a high schoolkeg party down on a private
beach uh here in Tampa.
Uh showed up at this beach,hundreds of teenagers, uh
drinking, partying, doing whatwe had no business doing at 16,
17 years old.
And at this party, a fightbroke out.
(04:28):
Uh an hour argument broke outbetween uh one of my friends
that came with me to the partyand a teenager from a rival high
school.
Uh, within moments, a hugefight broke out.
Um I engaged in that fight.
Somebody yells cops, everybodyruns to their cars and takes
off.
We didn't didn't think anythingof it again.
(04:49):
It was another Friday night,another party, like we had been
in those situations before, butthis one was going to be
different because three dayslater, the local sheriff's
department showed up at myparents' home with a warrant for
my arrest.
One of the teens that I had hitduring that Friday night
(05:10):
altercation had slipped into acoma.
And at that moment, Israel,everything changed.
It was like the clock stoppedticking in my life.
My father took me down, turnedme into county jail, you know,
thinking ultimately that, youknow, that they were gonna, my
parents were gonna be able tobond me out and and and that we
(05:30):
would, you know, attorney up andand and be able to figure it
all out and get it all workedout.
Uh, but what my dad didn't knowand I didn't know at that time
was that uh the next morning thejudge was actually gonna revoke
my bond because they didn'tknow if this young man was going
to live or if he was gonna die.
(05:51):
They didn't know if they weregonna charge me with murder or
attempted murder.
And so I sat in the county jailfor 90 days, my senior year,
waiting to find out um what wasgonna happen.
Um he was in a coma for threemonths, but after that
three-month period, I calledhome one night, my mom answered
(06:14):
the phone, she informed me thatthat he had come out of the coma
and that he was gonna live, andit was the best news I'd ever
heard in my life.
But as a speaker, when I speakat our high schools and our
middle schools and our colleges,I always try to impart on our
youth that when you make badchoices in life, there are
almost always gonna be badconsequences that come along
(06:37):
with them.
And to make a long story shortfor your listeners, for that one
split-second decision, for thatone swing, that one lapse in
judgment that Friday night at 17years old, uh, the consequences
were gonna be great.
Um they sentenced me to 10years in Florida State prison at
(06:59):
17 years old.
Israel Caminero (07:00):
Wow.
Ten years.
Yeah.
Steve Hopper (07:04):
Wow.
Yeah.
And you know, nothing in lifehad prepared me for the world
that I was entering.
I got sent to one of the worstprisons in the state of Florida
at the time.
The gang violence was daily,the riots were almost weekly.
They've since then shut thatplace down.
You know, I watched peoplestabbed to death, beat to death
(07:27):
right in front of me.
It was a far cry from you knowanything I'd experienced growing
up.
And uh, you know, I foughtfought for my life on numerous
occasions, you know, during thatfirst uh year of that
incarceration.
It was about a year in my in myincarceration that it was
lights out time, it was 9 p.m.
and the steel door closed,slammed shut on that prison
(07:50):
cell, sealing, sealing me in forthe night.
And it was so dark in the cell,you you really couldn't see a
foot in front of your face.
And this particular night, theweight of the world just came
crashing in on me.
I felt every emotion that youcould imagine.
It just coming in on me andconsuming me to the point that I
(08:11):
crouched down in the corner ofthe cell and just pulled my
knees tight to my chest andbegan to cry.
And it was, you know, I wasfeeling every emotion from
hopelessness, helplessness,fear, regret, remorse, like I
mean, you name it, it was justweighing on me.
And for the first time in mylife, the thought of suicide
(08:35):
crossed my mind as I sat therein the corner of the cell, you
know, contemplating like mylife, the fact that everything
I'd hoped for, worked for,dreamed for, thought I was gonna
do what my life was gone, wasnever gonna return.
I was one year into a 10-yearsentence that had been held.
I didn't think I was gonnasurvive the next nine.
You know, I just uh as I satthere, I felt like my life had
(08:58):
no meaning and it had nopurpose.
And so for the first time in mylife, the thought of suicide
crossed my mind.
And as I was sitting therecontemplating how I was gonna do
it, um, I remembered something.
It was something that mygrandfather had said to me when
I was a kid.
I used to spend my summers atmy grandparents' house.
(09:19):
My grandfather and grandmotherowned a bunch of property in
North Florida, and I would spendmy summers there, and during
those summer visits, mygrandfather was always preaching
at me, trying to talk somewisdom into me.
He was a Christian.
I'll never forget he would getup at breakfast every morning
and open that daily devotionaland read it, and I would just
sit there like, oh, here we goagain, you know, like uh, you
(09:41):
know, one ear and out the other.
I had my own agenda.
Yeah, I didn't want to hear anyof that.
I didn't want to hear any ofthat religious stuff.
And um, but one summer duringone of those visits, my
grandfather got my attention andhe said, Son, just promise me
one thing.
And I said, Yeah, granddaddy,what is it?
He said, Just promise me thatif you're ever at a dark moment
(10:04):
in your life, your back'sagainst the wall, you don't feel
like you have any way out.
Just promise me that you willdrop to your knees and cry out
for Jesus.
And I said, Okay, granddaddy,sure, whatever you say.
And at that time, I thought Iwas just pacifying him, um, and
(10:25):
then it had just you know gonein one ear and out the other.
Israel Caminero (10:28):
Right.
Steve Hopper (10:29):
But that night, as I was sitting in the corner of
that cell, Israel, contemplatingtaking my own life, I
remembered what my grandfatherhad said to me.
And I was there, I was in adark place, my back was against
the wall, man.
I felt like there was no lightat the end of the tunnel.
I felt like I had any way out.
At that point, what did I haveto lose?
(10:50):
And so I took his advice thatnight and I spun around on my
knees, laid my face on thatdirty concrete prison floor, and
cried like I never cried beforein my life.
And when I called out his hisname in an instant, uh, all of
those other feelings that I wasfeeling, they just subsided, and
(11:11):
those feelings were replacedwith feelings of peace, joy, and
purpose.
Like I knew in that moment thatGod did have a plan for my
life, and he had a purpose formy life.
And so I went to sleep thatnight, man.
I slept like a baby, woke upthe next morning, had a new
(11:33):
lease on life, but unfortunatelythey didn't come and open the
gates and and say, Hey, greatjob.
You know, you gave your life toChrist, we're gonna go and let
you out of prison.
No, right.
I still had nine years to do.
And so I just uh, you know, Ibegan to really deep dive into a
lot of personal developmentstuff and ended up doing seven
(11:54):
years on the 10-year sentence.
So I went in to prison at 17,got out when I was 24, and I can
tell you that you know,throughout that entire
incarceration, God was just Hewas with me every step of the
way, protecting me, you know,guiding me.
Israel Caminero (12:10):
That's good.
Definitely.
I had a question.
So were you tried as an adultat 17?
Steve Hopper (12:17):
Uh yeah, absolutely.
Uh, because it was a violentcrime, because I was, you know,
so close to the age of 18, theydefinitely adjudicated me as an
adult.
Yep.
Yeah, man.
Threw the book at me.
Yeah, there have been a lot ofuh I mean ultimately, you know,
I mean, we're not gonnadiscredit the situation here at
all.
You know, I put right anotherteenager in a coma and uh
(12:39):
ultimately, you know, hurt him,hurt his family, and I mean it
was not in my mind.
I was not trying to kill him oranything to that effect, you
know, it was a it was a highschool fight.
Yeah.
But there had been a lot ofthat going on at the time, and
um they were making an exampleout of somebody, and and I
became that example.
Israel Caminero (12:59):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean that's why I was askingbecause at 17 usually you go to
juvenile jail, but or detention,I should say.
But you were saying you went toprison, so they were definitely
trying to show probably some ofyour friends or something,
like, hey, we're not gonnatolerate this.
Yeah, yeah.
So absolutely.
(13:20):
So when you were backed up inthat corner at 17 and you
surrendered your life to Christ,were you radically changed at
that time?
Did you follow God even afteryou got out of prison at 24?
Steve Hopper (13:33):
This is uh this is such a great question, man.
And and I love that you askedthis question because it leads
me into the second part of mytestimony, you know.
Uh, was there a radical changethat night?
Yes, absolutely, in the sensethat I felt God's presence,
which is something I had neverfelt before.
I I felt his peace, uh, I feltuh the joy and understood in
(13:59):
that moment that he had a planand purpose for my life.
So that in itself was was wasdefinitely a radical change.
Now, when I got out of prison,I would love to tell you that I
just continued on my path withthe Lord.
But Israel, I got out back outinto the world, and you know,
(14:23):
the devil never shows up with apitchfork and a red cape and
horns.
He shows up as all of thethings that look good, look
appealing, seem okay, you know,and I began to uh you know chase
all of the things that theworld had to offer.
(14:45):
And the more and more uh Ibegan to chase and focus on the
things of this world, myrelationship with him, his
voice, the the feeling of hispresence got more and more
distant.
And uh and ultimately the enemywas able to, you know, to get
(15:07):
that foot in the door andultimately lead me down some
pass.
Um I ended up you know having,you know, I was chasing money
and success and women and youknow, all the things ultimately
that I had you know missed outon for so long, right?
Israel Caminero (15:23):
Right.
Steve Hopper (15:24):
And you know, I ended up you know having you
know success, I ended up havingfailure in the business world, I
ended up having, you know, uhtwo failed marriages.
Um I was definitely, you know,God will bless us in the midst
of our chaos and our baddecision making.
Uh, but you know, I had gotfour beautiful children out of
(15:47):
uh of those two uh failedmarriages.
But um, you know, after thatlast failed marriage, um I
really, you know, the divorcewas was brutal.
Uh uh it was it was just areally, really difficult
situation.
And I found myself at the endof myself.
(16:08):
You know, that divorce was wasnot only financially
devastating, it uh affected myrelationship with my children,
and uh it wasn't it wasn't aclean break.
And ultimately I came to theend of myself, and it was at
that point when I came to fullsurrender, bro, where I said,
(16:34):
you know, God, I have goneastray, I have done it my way, I
have changed, I have chased thethings of this world, I have
walked in my own understanding,I have done things in my will
and not your will for me.
Um I haven't read your word, Ihaven't, you know, I just
(16:57):
haven't been in relationship,and and and I'm just I am I'm at
the end of myself, and I fullysurrender my life to you,
everything.
I don't want to make any moredecisions without your guidance,
I don't want to make any morerelationship choices without
your guidance, I don't want tomake any more business decisions
(17:19):
without your guidance.
God, I'm giving you myrelationship with my children,
I'm giving you my finances, I'mgiving you everything.
I did I just want to walk inyour will for my life.
And when I did that, thespiritual blindness was removed
from my eyes, bro.
Like I began to gain a anunderstanding and a you know
(17:47):
that the you know that peacethat I felt that night in that
cell, it came back, but it cameback tenfold, bro.
Um, and and and I and whataccompanied it was just a just
complete desire in my heart tojust know him more, to know him
better, to live for him, to walkin his will and purpose for my
(18:09):
life.
And just amazing things beganto happen after that moment.
Israel Caminero (18:13):
That's so good.
Looking back, how do you seeGod's hand through all the years
in between salvation andsurrender versus when you were
living in the world?
Steve Hopper (18:25):
You know, I see God's hand everywhere in all
things.
You know, when I made that fullsurrender, he ultimately really
just brought my purpose, mycalling, all of it.
Just he he just he just made itcrystal clear for me, which was
something that you know I hadreally you know searched for and
(18:46):
seeked most of my life.
It's what most people wonderand seek and search for.
You know, ultimately, you know,if we want to know our purpose
in life, you know, we go to theperson that gave it to us, you
know, the one that created it,created us.
And hey, yeah.
And so, you know, when I madethat full surrender, um he he he
(19:06):
really just began to just makeit clear what it was that that I
was gonna go and do and um youknow my purpose in being here.
And you know, as I look back onmy life, I realized that even
as I was out there making thedecisions that I was making and
not in relationship with him,and not you know, living by his
(19:29):
word and living in his will formy life, he was doing things and
preparing me in ways that wereultimately going to get me ready
for my purpose, for thatsurrender moment, etc.
You know, he was uh just allalong.
(19:52):
I mean, he was there, he henever left, bro.
Right, even though I was in arelationship with him, he was he
was.
There.
He was protecting meultimately.
You know, we have this thingcalled free will, right?
You know, God doesn't want, uh,he didn't create us to be
robots, uh, you know, in anyway, shape, or form, and he gave
(20:15):
us free will and because hewanted us to be in genuine
relationship with him.
He wanted us to love him out ofout of our own choice and out
of our own out of our heart, youknow, and you know, he put that
desire in all every singleperson created to know him, and
that's why people go down somany roads uh in religion, and
(20:38):
they go down so many uh pathsseeking uh purpose, and because
you know we're all created withthis, you know, this underlying
desire to be in connection witha with our creator.
That's right.
And and so many people go downso many different paths trying
to find it, bro.
And uh, you know, we we we havea podcast as well called You
(21:01):
know Kingdom Influence, andwe're constantly interviewing
people on our podcast that youknow went went through all sorts
of stuff trying to seek thisentity that they knew was there
all along.
And ultimately, you know, Jesussays that I am the way, the
truth, and the life.
Um and uh you know, there isonly one God.
(21:22):
And uh and Jesus is the way toGod, uh, the only way to God,
um, based on what he did for usat the cross.
And so, yeah, man, it's uh soyeah, God's presence was there
all along.
I know it's a long answer toyour question, but as I look
back on my life, I can just see,man, you know, that every
(21:45):
situation, you know, like youknow, God doesn't put us in bad
places.
We put ourselves in bad places.
The enemy can entice us to godown the you know bad roads and
make bad choices, and uh, butultimately at the end of the
day, you know, God is theresaying, Oh, you know, I mean, I
(22:05):
could just imagine him sittingup there going, that is not what
I would like for you to bedoing right now, but you know
what?
Let me see what I can do toteach you from this, you know,
to get to to better get youprepared and and and ultimately
uh you know come back to me.
Israel Caminero (22:24):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (22:25):
You know, the the you know, the source of your
life.
And so, yeah, man, he was thereall along.
He was there all along.
And and you know, so I would Iwould sum up that whole journey,
man, like the prodigal son, youknow.
Um, he was there waiting for meto come back and and say,
(22:46):
Father, I screwed up, I did itmy way, it didn't work, you
know.
I don't deserve to be in yourpresence.
I don't deserve to be takencare of by you, but I'm I'm
here.
And he's and he's going, Areyou kidding me?
You know, you're my child.
Israel Caminero (23:03):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (23:04):
You know, here's a ring.
Let me put this ring on yourfinger, let me put this robe,
let me put some new sandals onyour feet.
You know, go grab that, go grabthat you the the fattened calf.
Let's have a feast.
Israel Caminero (23:16):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (23:17):
Because my child is home, my child has returned.
And that goes for everybodythat's listening out there.
It doesn't matter where you'vegone, what you've done, what
decisions you've made, how faraway you have strayed.
He is there at the top of thehill, waiting for you to come
(23:39):
back.
Israel Caminero (23:40):
That's right.
You know, I I I say that allthe time too.
And it's you know, fromexperience, he is there.
He is there all the time.
But like you said, we do havefree will, and he does prepare
us for things to come.
But he's waiting, like you alsosaid, for us to surrender,
(24:06):
surrender to him, and he's neverleft our side.
Could you imagine if wesurrendered and he would be
like, nope, you know, like I'mnot accepting it.
But he's waiting there withopen arms, open arms, like you
said.
You know, so that's right.
So that's what's right.
God is just wonderful.
Steve Hopper (24:27):
And you know, the enemy, you know, he is such a
liar because you know, he wantsus.
I mean, ultimately, if he cankeep us from making that
decision, then he wins, right?
If he can keep us from goingback, and you know, if he can
keep us from coming to to knowthe Lord, receiving salvation,
surrendering our lives.
(24:48):
I mean, he can he can keep us,you know, and and and and so he
he'll he'll entice us withstuff, and then he'll condemn us
for the bad choices that wemake.
And and really, you know, withthe intention of of making us
think that we're not worthy orthat God is not gonna receive us
(25:09):
or or whatever, you know.
But God's love, man.
I mean, you can't even do Imean you it it's hard to, I
mean, it's hard to put his loveinto words.
Jesus was the best example thatwe can just of God's love for
us, man.
To lay down his own life forus, for all of us.
Israel Caminero (25:31):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (25:32):
So that we would overcome death.
That we'd be free from sicknessand poverty and all of the
things that have plagued ussince the fall of Adam and Eve.
Israel Caminero (25:43):
That's right.
I think that this is what Ithink.
Let's say you were Christianand you gave life to God and you
backslide.
I think we beat ourselves upmore than God does, you know,
because we already know thegoodness.
Even though we backslid, wealready know the goodness of
(26:05):
God.
So we we're, you know, we feelshameful and we feel like we let
him down and things like that.
And I think we beat ourselvesup more because of that.
But he like I s like both of ussaid earlier, he's not gonna
never accept us back.
Steve Hopper (26:23):
Right.
So Yeah, I mean it's it's it'sas simple as calling out his
name.
Israel Caminero (26:29):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (26:30):
And just and just asking him.
Israel Caminero (26:33):
Absolutely.
Steve Hopper (26:34):
Yeah, I mean, yeah.
Israel Caminero (26:37):
So I know you're doing big things now.
My audience probably doesn'tknow you're doing big things
now.
But if you can share with themhow your life has changed since
you fully surrendered to Christ,that would be great.
Steve Hopper (26:52):
Amen.
Well, I will tell you uh rightoff the bat that God put an
amazing, amazing woman of God inmy life.
Um, you know, during one of thedarkest moments of my life, she
spoke life into me, uh,reminded me that I was the the
head and not the tail.
Uh she really was uh played anintricate role in uh bringing me
(27:14):
back to that full surrender.
Um my uh, you know, one of thethings that God said to me
during that surrender was thatHe would He would restore
everything the enemy has stolen.
He specifically said that mychildren would come back and my
relationship with them would berestored.
And so uh you know, I'm justproud to say that you know uh He
is faithful and uh His word istruth.
(27:36):
So He definitely He brought mychildren uh back and uh and now
uh they are on their journeywith the Lord as well And so
it's just been it's been great.
Um uh Kingdom Influencer uh uhwas was was birthed and born.
(27:59):
Uh you know, one of the thingsthat I've been doing for for
many, many years has been uhspeaking and coaching and
writing books.
And so uh he put uh KingdomInfluencer on my heart.
He also put Kingdom Influenceron Sylvia's heart, who is uh my
(28:20):
fiancee.
We're actually uh gettingmarried in in June.
Congratulations, and so superexcited about that.
Yeah, man, getting excitedabout that, and and so her and I
have uh gone into businessministry together, and you know,
he put Kingdom Influencer onour heart and based uh the
(28:41):
vision off of Revelation 12, 11,which is they triumphed over
him, him being the devil, by theblood of the Lamb, Jesus, and
by the word of their testimony.
And so uh he's uh put a desirein our heart to really just help
us not only use our stories,but our expertise and knowledge
(29:03):
and business and marketing andspeaking and writing books and
and obviously in his word, uh uhSylvia is a graduate of Karas
Bible College.
I'm in Karas Bible Collegeright now, fit uh you know,
halfway done uh with mine.
And so uh we're just takingeverything that he's given us uh
(29:24):
through our experience, andwe're just raising up more
kingdom influencers.
Uh we're helping people with uhsharing their testimonies by
becoming published authors.
Uh we're helping people withtheir public speaking so they
can go out and and begin to uhyou know share their stories uh
from stages, events, you know,to organizations, whatever God
(29:48):
calls them to, and uh and somuch more.
Uh we have a ministry uh partof it as well.
Uh we are doing discipleship aspart of the program, uh
missions is part of it, uh liveevents.
So we did uh last year we westarted doing live events.
We have the Made for Moreconference, uh, which we uh are
(30:12):
taking on the road now and uhthat you know going to different
uh churches, organizations,venues, uh whatever cities uh
God is calling us to to go andjust spread this message that
you were created for more.
Uh you were created for morethan you're doing right now in
your life.
You were created to accomplishmore than uh than you're
(30:35):
accomplishing.
And this is not new age.
Uh this is not uh new age uhyou know uh stuff that we're
speaking here.
This is you know, in God's worduh that he has uh created us uh
you know wonderfully to walkwith a power and authority
(30:56):
through Jesus.
Um and and so we're just justgoing out there and spreading
the message, man, empoweringpeople to to step into God's
calling and purpose for theirlife.
Israel Caminero (31:09):
Amen.
Amen.
Blessed, right?
You know, you went from aseventeen year 17-year-old
imprisoned boy, and look whatyou're doing now.
You know, you're blessed.
And in case congratulations onyour about to get married to
Sylvia Puentes.
If that name sounds familiar,she was on the podcast before, I
(31:32):
believe it was around episode20.
Powerful testimony, if mylisteners remember or want to go
listen to her testimony.
I believe it's around episode20.
And she's a wonderful lady.
I'm glad I've met her.
I'm glad I've met you.
And I I'll also have links toall that information he just
shared on the description ofthis episode, in case any of my
(31:56):
listeners want to go and checkyou out or email you or listen
to the podcast.
I wish I was in Florida.
I'd come, I'd come check itout, but unfortunately, I'm
quite a mile away.
Steve Hopper (32:08):
Hey, brother.
Well, we're uh, you know,listen, we're uh we uh God keeps
putting Ohio on our heart as alocation for a future
made-for-more conference.
Uh for some reason, he justkeeps connecting us, and uh, we
(32:30):
think we already know what thatreason is.
He just keeps connecting uswith people in Ohio.
Oh wow.
Um, and so there's no doubt inmy mind that he that Ohio is is
is gonna be on the calendar inthe very near future for Kingdom
Influencer to bring that madefor more conference to Ohio.
And uh and so you'll be you'llbe a part of that, bro.
Israel Caminero (32:54):
Amen.
Steve Hopper (32:54):
You'll be a part of that.
So that's exciting, man.
Israel Caminero (32:57):
I'm here.
I'm a phone call, email away.
Let me know.
Steve Hopper (33:02):
We're gonna plan it for a time when it ain't real
cold up there, bro, because youknow we're from Florida, so we
don't we don't want to deal withthat cold.
Israel Caminero (33:09):
Maybe you want to come over here when you hit
that heat wave, right?
But it'll be it'll be warm overhere too.
Steve Hopper (33:14):
So we don't go into shock or nothing, you know.
Israel Caminero (33:17):
Right.
Steve Hopper (33:18):
You know, down here, you know, down here in
Florida, um, I don't know ifyou've ever seen this on your
social media or anything likethat, but it's the craziest
thing.
You know, we got we got iguanasdown here in Florida.
Israel Caminero (33:30):
Yeah.
Steve Hopper (33:30):
And these iguanas, you know, they climb up in the
trees.
And when it gets cold, like,because you know, sometimes it
gets cold down here, you know,and the temperature will drop
down to, you know, in the 30,40, whatever.
These these guys just free,they they just pass out.
They just literally pass out,they just fall out of the tree.
Oh wow.
Israel Caminero (33:50):
And they fall.
Steve Hopper (33:51):
And so you'll be you'll be walking down the
street and iguanas will just befalling out of the trees.
They just completely, they justthey just like go into
hibernation or something, man.
Just fall right out of thetree.
It's crazy.
Israel Caminero (34:01):
It's raining iguanas.
Steve Hopper (34:03):
So we don't want that to be us, man.
We don't want to come to thatcold weather, bro, and be
freezing in this, you know.
Israel Caminero (34:11):
Right now, Cleveland can't make up his
mind.
But getting back to you, yeah.
What would you say to someonewho feels like it's too late for
them to turn their life around?
Steve Hopper (34:23):
Well, ultimately, um, as I, you know, just
discussed really in mytestimony, you know, um, it's
never too late.
It doesn't matter how faryou've gone, how many decisions
you've made, it doesn't matterwhat your age is.
My father passed away severalyears ago.
I had an opportunity to witnessto him on his deathbed, you
(34:45):
know, you know, and I don'tsuggest anybody waits until that
moment, right?
But it's never too late toreceive the salvation and
everything else that was givento you on that cross when Jesus
took it all.
When Jesus took it all.
I would encourage you thatthat's a decision that you want
(35:09):
to make sooner than later.
Because when you make thatdecision and you begin to walk
in his will for your life, hiswill is always going to be
greater than our will.
Because he's a loving God, he'sa loving father, he is a loving
(35:31):
father, he is a he is a fullyalive God, he is a fully present
God.
Like, I don't make anydecisions, Israel, anymore,
without consulting him.
Like, I mean, I talk to him allday, every day, even on the
little things.
I'm going to him and saying,What do I do here?
(35:52):
What do I do here?
And when you get in tune withthe Holy Spirit, ultimately, you
know, the Bible tells us whenwe confess with our mouths and
believe in our heart that Jesusis Lord, that He's the Son of
God, He died on the cross forthe forgiveness of our sins, and
He rose on the third day, wereceive the Holy Spirit.
We receive the helper thatJesus promised.
(36:13):
That's right.
Paul says that we have the samespirit as believers, we have
the same spirit that rose Jesusfrom the dead living inside of
us right now.
And so, as believers, we arefilled with the Holy Spirit, the
(36:34):
Spirit of God.
It was the same Spirit that uh,you know, that gave Jesus the
power to go out and and to andto do all of the many miracles
that he did.
You know, and so we receivethat through Jesus' sacrifice.
We receive that spirit.
It's never too late to makethat decision, and it's never
(36:55):
too late to start walking in thewill and the plan and the
purpose that God has for yourlife.
If you're still breathing, heain't done with you yet.
No matter how old you are.
Israel Caminero (37:06):
That's right.
Yeah.
That's totally right.
I remember going to awalkworthy men's conference
through Moody Bible, and itbrought me to tears because at
the end they did an altar call,and there was this guy that got
up with a walker and gave hislife to Christ at his age, and
he had to have been at least inhis 60s, 70s, and it just
(37:30):
brought me to tears.
Like, God, like it's neverlate.
Like, look at this guy, he canhardly walk up there and he's
given his life to Christ.
It was such a great thing tosee.
Steve Hopper (37:45):
It's a beautiful thing.
It is such a beautiful thing.
Israel Caminero (37:48):
But I want to thank you, Steve, for taking the
time to be on the podcast onceagain.
But I do have a few morequestions.
One of the questions is Isthere a specific Bible verse or
verse?
I should just say, is there aspecific Bible verse that
carried you through your darkesttime or even today, like a life
(38:13):
verse that you could always goback on and read when you're
having a bad day, and what thatverse is and what it means to
you.
Steve Hopper (38:36):
And you know, that's always his plan for us.
It's been his plan for us sinceday one.
Uh, no matter what we're goingthrough, where we go, what
decisions we make, his plan forus is never to harm us.
(38:57):
It's never it, you know, it'snever ever ever to harm us.
That's not part of his plan.
Again, it goes back to being aloving father, right?
Israel Caminero (39:07):
Right.
Steve Hopper (39:07):
No loving father wants any harm brought to their
children.
And so uh that and thenultimately, you know, that he
that he knows he knows the planshe has for us.
Plans to prosper us and give usa hope in a future.
It's still evident today inevery aspect of my life.
It was evident when I was goingthrough tough times, it was a
(39:30):
scripture that I leaned on, andit's just having faith that he's
there and he's got a biggerplan for us.
And it's a good one.
God's plan for us is never abad one.
Israel Caminero (39:42):
That's right.
It's never a bad plan.
Never never.
It's not.
It's not absolutely correct.
It's always that other guy thatplans are bad for us.
You know, the opposing person.
Steve Hopper (39:55):
And that scripture, that scripture, by
the way, is uh Jeremiah twentynine eleven.
If people want to go and and uhlook at that and meditate on
that.
Israel Caminero (40:07):
Good scripture and good verse.
Now we're going to my back tothe past section of the podcast.
And what my back to the pastsection is, if the Steve from
today can go back in time andtalk to that 17-year-old or even
younger Steve and let him knowthings that he didn't know then,
(40:28):
but he knows today, what wouldyou say to him?
Steve Hopper (40:33):
I would say to him, and I've said this already
in the podcast, God's will foryour life is so much better than
the world's will, anybodyelse's will, or your own will
(40:54):
for you.
And if you just trust in theplan that he has for your life,
if you just stay in relationshipwith him, he will show you his
will for your life, andultimately get in the word
because the word is where it'sall laid out for you.
(41:16):
It's all there.
Everything you need to knowabout how to walk in his will
for your life, how to receiveall the promises that he has for
you, uh, it's all there.
It's all there in his word.
And I would also say this, youknow, that uh there's gonna be a
lot of choices in life.
Some good, some bad.
(41:37):
Some of those choices are justdownright ugly, right?
But at the end of the day, whenwhen we take that last breath,
there's only gonna be one choicethat's gonna matter, really.
Israel Caminero (41:50):
Right.
Steve Hopper (41:51):
And that's gonna be whether or not we accepted
Jesus Christ as our Lord andSavior.
Because one or two things aregonna happen when you take that
last breath.
And that's gonna be based onthat choice right there.
Israel Caminero (42:06):
That's right.
Steve Hopper (42:07):
That's gonna be based on that one choice.
Israel Caminero (42:10):
That's right.
Thank you for that.
That was good.
Steve Hopper (42:14):
It's either etern it's either eternity with God in
heaven, or it's etern eternalseparation from God.
And that's hell.
Israel Caminero (42:26):
Right.
Steve Hopper (42:27):
So amen.
Israel Caminero (42:28):
I'd rather choose eternity.
Steve Hopper (42:31):
Oh, bro.
Bro, you'd be crazy not to,right?
Right.
That's why uh that's why we'vebeen called to go out and share
this message with as many peopleas we can, because some of them
are just like they're on thefast track.
I just uh, you know, had afamily member here recently,
man, that uh got married and anddecided that uh she didn't want
any religion and didn't wantGod in any way, shape, or form
(42:53):
present at her wedding.
And I just shook my head, youknow, like man, wow.
Like uh, do you even do youeven know what you're saying
right now?
You know?
So but you know, we just gottakeep gotta keep speaking the
truth out, man, out there toeverybody, man.
Israel Caminero (43:09):
Right, you gotta keep praying, you know,
praying for her too.
Steve Hopper (43:12):
Amen.
Amen.
Israel Caminero (43:14):
Thank you, Steve, for taking the time to be
here out of your busy scheduleand just joining me on the
podcast.
And like I said, I'm honored,man.
And like I said before, I'llhave uh links to all his
information on this descriptionof this episode.
If any of my listeners orfollowers wanna reach out to him
(43:34):
and go check them out againwith his fiance Sylvia, they're
they're a tag team, right?
You guys tag team everythingtogether.
So now they're gonna be soon tobe united under under one.
So that's right.
Steve Hopper (43:50):
That's right.
Israel Caminero (43:51):
Congratulations against to you and her, uh, you
know, for thank you for that,and I hope that it's a wonderful
wedding.
I don't hope.
I know it's gonna be awonderful wedding.
I apologize for that.
Steve Hopper (44:02):
Oh yeah, yeah, man, yeah, man.
Israel Caminero (44:05):
Before we close out, if you want to share
anything else, but if you don't,could you pray over us?
Steve Hopper (44:13):
Absolutely, man.
Lord, I just first andforemost, I thank you for my
brother Israel, Lord.
I thank you for his obedience,Lord.
I thank you for the desire thatyou've put in his heart to
spread your message uh far andwide.
Lord, we know that our storiesare just part of the much bigger
story, which is your story.
(44:36):
And I just think uh thank youfor my brother Israel and for
his obedience, Lord.
I pray, Lord, that you willbless him, that all the
promises, Lord, uh will come hisway, Lord.
Um, I pray that you willprosper him, Lord.
I pray that you will give himgood health, Lord.
I pray that you will give himunderstanding and knowledge and
discernment, Lord.
(44:56):
I pray that you will fill hisheart with the uh the peace that
is unsurpassable that you speakabout in your word, Lord.
I pray that you will fill himwith all the fruits of the
Spirit, Lord, and that you youwill guide his his his thoughts
and his his heart and and hisevery mood, Lord.
And you'll just bless him withall the blessings uh that you
(45:19):
want uh to give to him, Lord.
Uh and we pray for everybodythat's listening right now.
If you haven't made a decision,Lord, you know, if you haven't
made a decision to know thisJesus, if you don't know this
Jesus that we've been talkingabout, uh make that decision
today.
It's uh nothing crazy or fancythat you have to do.
You just call out his name andask him to come into your life,
(45:43):
ask him to take over your heartand to guide you and to lead
you.
Let him know that you want tobe in a relationship with him,
let him know that you want toknow him.
And Father, we just pray thatyou will move in the hearts of
those that are listening tothis, Lord, that you will show
them, that you will show themthat you are real, that they
will receive an encounter withyou, Lord, that is absolutely
(46:07):
undeniable, Lord.
We just pray that for everybodythat's listening right now.
We pray, Lord, for those thatare listening right now that are
are uh can uh uh you know justuh understand and and uh uh you
know my testimony, Lord, uhthey're they're the believers
that uh you know uh you know atsome point asked Jesus, got
(46:32):
saved, maybe they got baptizedto church, and then uh they got
caught up in everything in thisworld, Lord, and they've strayed
from you and uh and they'refeeling like they need to come
back to you, Lord, that you'lljust bless their heart, that
you'll just immediately speak totheir spirit, let them know,
Lord, that uh that you're thatyou're there, that you've always
(46:54):
been there, and that you keepno records of wrong.
The slice, the the the slate'sbeen wiped clean by your son,
and that you you're prepared tothrow that robe on them, put
that ring on their finger, givethem those new sandals, and have
a feast uh in in in theirhonor, Lord.
(47:14):
And so that's how much you lovethem, and just remind them that
that's that you've always beenthere.
And Lord, we just pray all ofthese things in the name of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,amen.
Amen.
Israel Caminero (47:28):
Amen.
Thank you for that prayer.
Thank you very much for beinghere again, and taking the time
to share that powerfultestimony, and thank you for
everything you're doing for thekingdom.
Um you too, bro.
That's what we're here for,right?
I see life saved, and that'sright.
(47:50):
That's what we're trying to doas best as we can.
Some people are hard-headed,some people are not, but
eventually they'll get there.
That's what I want to see, iseveryone get there.
Steve Hopper (48:00):
Amen.
That's what he wants to seetoo.
He has he has no desire for anyanybody to perish.
Israel Caminero (48:08):
That's right.
And right now I just want togive a shout-out to all my
followers and listeners.
Thank you for the outpouring oflove that you've shown me
throughout this podcast journey.
It's not my podcast, it's God'spodcast.
I'm just a vessel that he'susing.
In order to just bring peoplestories for you to hear them,
and it's their story, but it'shis glory, as I always say.
(48:30):
We're here to glorify God whiledoing it.
And I just want to say untilnext time, God bless you.
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