Savage2Saint Sobriety August 14, 2024

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." - Proverbs 16:9 (NLT).

We can make our plans...

I was released from prison in September of 2022. I had been sober and living for God for right at 5 months, and I was excited to finally get to attend church. I was on fire for God and hungry for more. I was hoping to find a church, any church, that would be having a revival because I didn't want to have to wait until Sunday to get my Jesus on!!

I had so much to be thankful for. Yes, being released from prison is enough to make anyone jump up and down, but this was different. Five months earlier I had overdosed and died. It was only by the Lord's grace and mercy that I was alive. I couldn't wait to praise and worship Him in a church setting and hear some "live" preaching!!

The day after I was released, I had an appointment to see my parole officer. When I got to the Probation and Parole office, they asked me why I didn't have my clothes with me?!? They told me there was a problem with my home plan and that I was required to stay at the PnP Center for the first 90 days I was out. I was furious. I went to the car and retrieved my paperwork that clearly stated that my home plan had been approved. The parole officer said she didn't care what my papers said, I could either stay at the Center or go back to jail and finish my sentence.

Being at the Center meant no leaving for the first two weeks, which meant, no church for the first two weeks. It wasn't like I was planning on getting high or drunk. All I wanted was to be able to attend church every time the doors were opened. I can remember standing in the lobby when I mumbled this prayer through clenched teeth, "Lord, if this is what You want me to do then I'll do it." As disappointed as I was, I knew that I would still be able to read my Bible and pray just like I had been doing the last five months. Besides, in two weeks I would be able to attend a Christian recovery program that picked up the guys at the Center.

But the Lord determines our steps.

I often laugh at the way the Lord works in my life. How His ways are above my ways, and that His timing is ALWAYS perfectly on-time. Two weeks after I began my stay at the Center, I was cleared to attend the RU Recovery Program meeting at Westwood Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, MO. It was so awesome to finally get to raise my hands and praise my Lord and Saviour. I was emotional and moved to tears several times just thinking about where Jesus had brought me from. When the first segment of the meeting finished, and everyone broke to go to their small groups, I ran into a woman I hadn't seen in 20 years. She had been attending RU with a friend and was trying to break free from the seemingly, endless cycle of addiction. Over the next few weeks, Shevon and I talked more and more, and I eventually asked her to go on a date with me. We ended up getting married in 2023 and she has been the perfect partner for the ministry the Lord has called us to.

Throughout my recovery, God has strategically placed each and every person in my life exactly when I needed them there. My wife, Shevon, is a perfect example of that. Even though I could not see ANY reason for my needing to be at the PnP Center, God saw it differently. If I hadn't been at the Center, I would not have been attending RU that night. I thank God every day for His divine intervention. We have to surrender our lives to Jesus, and in that surrender, God wants us to trust that He will not guide us in the wrong direction. Trust and obey.

Regardless of where you find yourself right now, if you stay in relationship with Him, He will no doubt continue to determine your steps...even when you can't seem to find a good reason for it. Proverbs 3:5-6, states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (NLT). It was my own understanding that got me in trouble to begin with, so I will gladly seek His will over mine from now on. You should do the same! God Bless!!!