Jessie’s Story of God’s Deliverance:
There I was, 20 years old, waiting on my first client. I’ll never forget the smell of that hotel room. How did my life end up here? I’ll tell you how, a lot of poor choices and negative influences. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” Thus I started down a road of destruction escorting (prostitution). I grew up in a broken family that lacked love and affection. My father was murdered while I was in my mother’s womb and I was first molested at age 5. Boys gave me the attention I longed for and I was promiscuous starting at age 12. Escorting from age 20 to 29, I racked up numerous criminal charges, lost custody of my children, and ultimately almost lost my soul, Psalm 1:6 says “the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” I had guns pulled on me and received death threats from unhappy clients that I swindled – nothing stopped me. Proverbs 4:19 was me, “But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.”
After nine years of escorting I was tired and fearful for my life. Now pregnant with my third child I decided to have a family member put me on selling drugs. I figured it would be much easier than escorting. In the midst of all of this, my mother started pleading with me to attend church with her, so I did. I didn’t realize God would start a heart transformation, as Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart, I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” All of a sudden selling coke started to bother me. I would pull up to make a sell and little children would be outside playing. I started to feel remorseful. I regained custody of my twin daughters in 2013. I was pregnant with my son and stopped smoking marijuana, my drug of choice that was mind altering- it was like a fog was released from my mind and now God really started working on me.
The Lord had me stay for a 2nd church service in the evening I hadn’t planned on staying for and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 was preached, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” The fear of God pierced me! God spoke, “It’s time!” I had to give up everything to gain everything! I never went back to the “street life” again. I experienced Psalm 30:5, “His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts for a lifetime. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning!”
God opened all the doors needed to leave my past behind- I obtained employment even with a lengthy criminal history working as a waitress for $2.13/hr plus tips, which God used to humble me and teach me obedience regardless of cost. A year later I was blessed at work with my 1st of 3 promotions as I became an HR hiring manager. I came to realize that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31. I now have peace and a purpose in life, I experienced Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” and Isaiah 61:3 “The oil of joy instead of mourning.” I experienced love instead of rejection: Psalm 27:10 states “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” Everything the devil stole from me God restored, I experienced Joel 2:25: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” That void I tried to fill with money, sex & drugs had finally been filled with God.
Testimonies in Psalm 107 of Deliverance:
“Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
We look to fulfill the longings of our heart with so many things but this world is like a desert wilderness. In vain we have searched to fulfil these longings through money & possessions, relationships, sex & porn, through climbing the ladder of success, seeking the applause of others, or through drugs, alcohol or other obsessions: beauty, sports, gaming, social media, the web, movies, T.V., vacations, fine dining & food, the list goes on… These things bring some temporary pleasure or distraction from the desert wasteland but end up not ultimately quenching our thirst- they just make us thirstier. In each man’s heart is a God-shaped vacuum- you can stuff your soul with many substitutes, none will satisfy. You were created for an intimate relationship with God!
Psalm 107:10-21
“Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. That is why He broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains… He broke down their prison gates… Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent out His word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the Lord for His great love and wonderful things He has done for them.”
Before the Lord Jesus Christ saves us, we are in Satan’s kingdom of darkness[1], separated from God, lost, hopeless, blind and enslaved to our sin[2]. The good news is that God breaks the chains of sinful addictions and obsessions in our lives as we repent, turning to Him, and He replaces these poisonous desires with desires to draw closer to Him, and delivers us from death. As we do, we experience His love, forgiveness and peace- the power of addictions fade. Are you tired of the “hard labor” of sin? Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest… Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My… burden I give you is light.”[3]
Drug, Alcohol and Sexual Addiction:
The Bible has a word related to drugs: in the original Greek language the word is pharmakeia (φαρμακεία). The root word is “pharma”, from which we get the word “pharmacy”. The word in English is translated as “sorcery” or “witchcraft”. The word is defined as “the use or administering of medicine, drugs or spells” and included magic arts, sorcery, witchcraft and idolatry. God warns: “But as for the… detestable…the sexually immoral, sorcerers (includes drugs), idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”[4] God also warns: “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery… drunkenness, wild parties… anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”[5]
Freedom From Addictions and Salvation:
One verse summarizes our spiritual condition, the resulting consequences and God’s solution- the good news of freedom from the addiction of sin with eternal blessing: Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Breaking this down:
- “The wages of sin is death”- sin is breaking God’s law- an honest look at the passages above shows we’re all in violation of God’s law. The 10 Commandments summarize: Lying, Stealing, Lusting (which is adultery of the heart[6]), unrighteous anger (murder of the heart[7]) and idolatry (not putting God first ahead of our wants, desires and lusts) to name a few. If you’ve broken these, then before a holy God you deserve His wrath- His judgment. If we’re honest with ourselves, we understand that apart from God rescuing us, we are hopeless sinners who sin because by nature we are lost, in the dark, blind and hopeless. The first step to being saved is a realization we are broken and in desperate need of God’s miraculous life transformation.
- “But the gift of God is eternal life”. God has a gift for us. We don’t deserve it and can’t earn it. Just as good parents love giving good gifts to their children, God longs to give His best gift to us, regardless of our sins: breathing His eternal life into us, bringing us into a relationship with Him!
- “Through Jesus Christ our Lord”- It is only through Jesus that we can be made right with God. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.”[8] The word “Christ” means “Savior”- the One who died in our place on the cross to pay for all our sins. It is as if we were condemned by the courts to death and He died as our substitute- that’s sacrificial love! He is “Lord”, which means “owner, master, boss.” The word “our” as in “our Lord” is personal- we must choose to let go of being in charge and living for our own desires and let Him be the Master of our own lives. Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake… you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”[9] You can’t live for sinful addictions and God at the same time- that would be like being married and having a lover on the side. You must let go, repent, surrender your life over to the One who gave His life for you, who is our Lord and worthy of our trust and obedience!
- God tells us how to be saved, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved… All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”[10] Call out to Him now- confess all your sin to Him and cry out for Him to save you and give you power to live a life pleasing to Him! He takes us right where we are, broken, needy and weak- and gives us what we need to walk this new way of life through His Holy Spirit living in us, guiding us and empowering us. God is “Not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”[11] Some say “Once an addict, always an addict” but God has a better way than managing your addiction- He wants to set you free!
Contact Info:
Facebook: Jessie Nicole
Phone: 317-932-1666
Website: www.womanatthewell.info
Email: womanatthewell.global@gmail.com
Hope Center equipping women coming out of sex trafficking, addiction:
https://www.hopecenterindy.org/ 317-752-1500
Salvation Army ARC Men in addiction 317-638-6585
Barton Center for Women 317-423-2575
Ruben Center (Detox) 317-327-8733
Dove House for Women 317-964-050
Wheeler Mission 317-687-6795
Good News Mission 317-638-2862