Enslaved by illegal Drugs, Man finds Freedom in Jesus
Is it possible to experience a change that will last for a lifetime? We all strive to change the way we live; we want to be better or we want to be good; and yet many of us end up frustrated or failing. The Bible gives us countless examples of restored and transformed lives impacted by God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jose Reyes is one of them.
During our interview with Jose at our Tele-Magazine program, Evangelicals Today, he told us his story of transformation. Jose was in and out of prison at one point in his life due to illegal drugs. It all started with his group of friends who influenced him to use illegal drugs. In order to sustain his drug use, he came to the point of selling illegal drugs to others. At the lowest point of his life in prison, he attempted to bribe the prison authorities many times just to be released.
It was October 2005 when the Lord called him out of darkness into His marvelous light . Jose heard a pastor who preached to them through a jail ministry. The same pastor testified how the Lord also set him free from drugs and a life of immorality. God used this testimony for Jose to surrender, repent, and profess his Faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. u201c[During those times] in every prayer before meals, and before bedtime, I always ask God to change me completely because I donu2019t want to be away from my family forever and I want to serve Him for the rest of my life.u201d Jose said.
According to Jose, the prayers he uttered changed after he met Christ. He felt that as if God was closer to him. Jose fully experienced the Lord. Because of his intimacy with God, Jose gave up all his vices. The greatest miracle was his release from prison in 2006. Today Jose serves as Preacher in Rizal; helping others who are struggling with drug use to find freedom in Christ. Looking back, he said he owed his life transformation to the prayers of his wife and family.
Truly, the Gospel and the Scriptures transforms and restores the lives of many. I powerfully leads leads us to a relationship with Jesus. It is amazing to know that the Lord through the Scriptures can change a life that is far from him. Even the most hopeless of lives is still reachable by God.
A well known hymn says:
u201cI stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner condemned, unclean
How marvelous, how wonderful
And my song will ever be
How marvelous, how wonderful
Is my Saviour’s love for me!u201d
The Gospel is that God became man in Christ Jesus, he lived a life that we should have lived and died a death that we faced, but after three days, he rose again from the dead proving that He is the son of God. Now Jesus offers life transformation and salvation to anyone who would repent and surrender to Him.
Jose Reyes is a living testament that Christ and the Scriptures truly transform, renew, and restore lives and hearts for His glory.
As we celebrate National Bible Fest 2021, let us believe that the Word of God truly transforms and restores through the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Today is the day of Salvation! Come to Jesus Christ today! This is the right time to surrender, repent, and come to God because He is calling us to Himself.
The Bible says: u201cIf you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.u201d (Rom.10:9-10,ESV)
PRAYER: u201cLord, I am a totally wretched, depraved sinner. I cannot save myself. I recognized that I am totally separated from you, and I cannot understand you fully because my spirit is dead in sin. So Today Lord Jesus, I respond to the Gospel call by repentance and faith. I surrender my life to you in Faith. Save and Transform me, O God. Make me your child. From now on, Lord Jesus, not my will, but your will be done. In Jesus name. Amen.u201d