I Can’t Turn My Back On Him
By David T. Stocks, Jr.
My testimony is amazing! I grew up in church being taught the Word of God. There came a time in my teenage years where I rebelled and wanted nothing to do with the Lord. I turned my back on everything I knew and embraced my wants, will and desires.
Things began to fall apart. I quit my job to join the Army but got kicked out of there. I came home to Northern Virginia from Ft Sill, Oklahoma and began drinking and doing drugs again.
Unemployed, I began to rob and steal to survive. For weeks I was homeless and living out of my car. Selling drugs led to me dealing with more shady characters and eventually I was received into a gang where my lust for violence drove me up the ranks. Eventually some of my crimes caught up with me and I received 5 years for some violent crimes. That was when I was 20 years old. During my incarceration I continually went back and forth between Gods way and my way.
A lot of my gang homies from the street were locked up as well and we continued to do the same things, extort the weak, sell drugs and use violence. This behavior landed me in solitary for 9 months under investigation for a stabbing. This is where God began to get ahold of me. I began to read my Bible and talk to God. I told God that if He got me out of this situation (as I was facing getting more time from this) that I would be a soldier for Him with no shame just like I was for the negative way I had lived before.
So my prayer was answered and I was released to general population. God had truly changed my life and I was the brightest light on the compound! Telling my old homies what God did for me and showing them as well! Even the correctional officers couldnt deny the change in my life. Instead of fighting them and disrespecting them I was respectful. I was transferred to another institution and after a while I began to slowly backslide. I was close to being released and started to formulate a plan.
Barely having any spiritual life left I was released and dove into sin. I began fornicating with different women, drinking and smoking. I went back to all that was natural to me. Six months after being released I met the woman of my dreams and I knew I loved her before I could even say it! But instead of being the godly man that she and I both needed me to be I was the exact opposite. I worked off and on and when I went 7 months without a job I began to sell drugs again. This time was different. Now I was on probation for 5 years with a 15 year suspended sentence that was to be given to me if I violated my probation.
August 28, 2009 I was arrested at gunpoint by the Narcotics Task Force and charged with distribution of cocaine and MDMA. Immediately I knew that I needed God, but I struggled with giving my life to Him. I began to over analyze and say to myself “If I give my life to God Hes going to think I’m doing it to get out of trouble”. That was the devil. I decided to give my life totally to GOD and stop playing games. On October 7th I was married to that woman who stuck by my side through all my foolish decisions. On June 23rd the commonwealth attorney dropped the charges against me which is only by Gods grace. Now my wife and I are both serving God wholeheartedly and after all God’s seen me through I CANNOT TURN MY BACK ON HIM! HALLELUJAH!!!
