No one is exempted from God’s grace. There is no sin too great that God cannot forgive. Deo’s story of redemption, from a seemingly hopeless situation, shows that God has the power to rescue and deliver us from whatever is holding us captive.

I am a former drug user.

And I am not proud of that. But I am proud of how God extended His mercy and grace to me—regardless of who I was and what I had done.

I actually prayed to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior several decades ago, but my journey with Him was never a straight line; it was a crooked one. Most of the time, it was because I chose to wander off to somewhere far. I intentionally walked away from Him.

I started taking drugs when I was in college. I wanted to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. I thought it was normal. I thought it was exactly what I needed. I held on to it like a security blanket, thinking it would never fail me. But it did. It had been, in fact, failing me right from the very start.

Drowned in my addiction, I would always brush aside thoughts that were trying to convict me of my sin. It came to a point where I was no longer just dishonoring God with my body; I was dishonoring Him in all aspects of my life. I entered a job and a business that were not pleasing to the Lord and repeatedly hurt Him with my actions. Though God kept on pulling me back on the right path, I constantly tried to wriggle out of His grasp.

Three years ago, however, something happened: my wife left me out of frustration. It felt like God was telling me, “Enough.” Conviction filled my heart; I had never felt the gravity of my sins until that very moment. To my surprise, my wife returned after seeing my willingness to repent, and she earnestly prayed for me. Through her, I had a renewed encounter with God.

Since then, God has freed me from the bondage of my addiction and replaced it with a desire to know Him more. He took away the stigma of my past and released me from any condemnation. He allowed me to come freely to Him, regardless of what I had done. I found freedom in Him.

In 2016, out of God’s overflowing mercy and grace, I started reaching out to people who had a similar past. I kept reminding them that it is never too late to go back to God—that there is hope in His grace.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7

No matter how big or ugly our sins are, God is able and more than willing to redeem us. If we empty our hearts to Him, He can fill us with His overflowing mercy and love.

Deo is now serving in Victory General Mariano Alvarez. With his loving wife, he continues to minister to people who have struggled with substance abuse.