Josh's Story:

     I was raised in and out of church. I learned many Bible stories from a young age, but most of my childhood had little to do with the church. As a young teenager I got involved with the youth group of a local church and found an acceptance from my peers for the first time. At the age of fourteen I understood for the first time that I was a sinner in need of a savior, and that Jesus Christ was that savior. By this time I had heard the gospel repeatedly and I knew that I was supposed to “pray and ask Jesus into my heart.” With this head knowledge I knelt by my bed and prayed and trusted in this experience and held onto it as salvation for fifteen years.

     About a year later, still empty inside, I began to experiment with drugs. As I held on to the experience I had at fourteen years of age and sat under the preaching of the Word of God, I began a downward spiral in the lifestyle of addiction. Believing I was saved, I gave my best efforts over and over again to practice the laws of God according to His Word with a very legalistic view of salvation. As the grip of addiction grew stronger and stronger I tried many different things to be freed from this addiction while I believed that the only way was through Jesus Christ. With a false sense of salvation and a desperation to be freed from addiction, I studied and learned Gods Word even more, trying to practice the “rules of Christianity.” As God pursued me, my addiction did too. After a few trips to the county jail as a result of my addiction; and after a few trips to the hospital from overdoses, I began to reach out for help. I saw what I wanted in the life of my brother-in-law. I clung to him, still gripped by addiction, and began to seek what I thought was discipleship but was actually salvation.

      After a few months he pointed me in the direction of Larry Logan and Safehaven. I came to Safehaven desperate for help and within three weeks I submitted wholeheartedly to God. That was salvation. Jesus said, “I make all things new.” And He does just that. He has made everything in my life new, including my desires. He has given me a heart for missions, And a joy in working toward that calling in my everyday life. I am thankful for what He is doing and I see growth in my life daily. I struggle daily too, but my struggles are different than they used to be. I thank God that my sin does not own me anymore, but He does.