He Got a Life-Changing Diagnosis and Found a New Purpose

Introduction and Background

Well, what's up, man? How are you? You're good, man. Thanks for having you guys. Yeah, man. Yeah, thanks for jumping back in. I really enjoyed our conversation last time. And, man, I'm excited. I'm excited to be on here with you tonight and just give you an opportunity to, you know, jump into a little bit more of your story.

Introducing Carter's Story

Yeah, well, you just take a quick minute before we jump into the questions and introduce yourself to the folks that are here on the social webs. Yeah, yeah, man. So, like they said, my name is Carter Morrison. Uh, I... Well, just when we said we met each other three or four years ago when I was selling cars, and he bought a car from me, and that's kind of sparked this whole relationship. And then, um, I was on the podcast, like he said, back in January, February, whenever it was. And really enjoyed that. I'm super glad to be back and excited. And, um, hopefully, you know, it can just help somebody that's going through some struggles to be able to see, see hope on the other side. That hope be addiction because it's a problem. And, you know, addiction is a very widespread subject. It's not just drugs, you know, I've been proud, you know, but I've also been out of addiction to pornography and addiction to, you know, tobacco products. And, you know, which, that's kind of glossed over. Like you said, it's not that big of a deal in today's society, but it really is. Um, so I'm just excited to, you know, hopefully be able to speak some hope into somebody's life and then just help somebody that might be struggling.

Rebuilding Life After Addiction

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. So why don't you jump into maybe a little bit more of your story, Carter, or just kind of give us some context, you know, let us know your rebuilding life after addiction. So maybe a little bit of the origin story, if you will, some of your battles with addiction. And then we'll kind of get into some questions, you know, from there.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, man. So, you know, growing up, I had a really good life. I did not come from what I would consider like a broken home. Um, I had two great loving parents. I mean, they were divorced, but, you know, they were both hugely, uh, part of my life. Uh, I played a ton of sports. I was super, super active. Um, I even went to the Christian school until I was in grade. So, you know, my addiction story didn't really start until I was, uh, 14, 15 years older. So, um, it was around the same time that I got diagnosed with my lifelong disease. Um, and, you know, that really goes hand in hand with the addiction, just with coping and everything. But, um, it, it started, you know, you always hear people say, uh, you know, weed is a, is a not a gateway drug. You know, for me, it was, absolutely. It was, um, and now I believe there's good to that, but not in a way, you know, like it was just about for me.

Coping Mechanisms and Early Struggles

It was just getting high, you know what I mean? There was no medicinal uses I was trying to gain from it. It was all pleasure, uh, base. So, and that's really where it started hanging out with buddies. When I stopped playing basketball, because I couldn't physically do it because of my disease, um, I tried to fill my time with other things and got really bored, because I would play basketball for three or four different teams every year, you know, man, it was, it was an all-day bomb, um, it was in every day, out on the, uh, in the backyard, practicing games on the weekends, games during the night, uh, on the weekdays. So, when that went away, it was like, man, what do I do with all this time? And then, then myself hanging out with the wrong people. Um, and that's what, uh, started was just, I started smoking weed, man.

And really, uh, at a younger age, it was like 11 or 12, just with tobacco products. It was me wanting to, hey, you know, media and, you know, rap music says this is cool. So, I'm gonna, I'm gonna try these things. And that's really where it all started, man. And then on to heavier things, um, through high school. And my, my, my, really, my big addiction span for, for talking drugs was eighth grade, you see?

Identity in Sports and Diagnosis Impact

Yeah, on, on that and different subjects of life. Or we're gonna say, yeah, no, I was just gonna say, Rob, did you have something to go ahead, man? No, so it's, um, I basically was gonna ask Carter. So it seems to me that listening to your story, your identity was so wrapped in the, uh, sport culture, right? Basketball, in particular, um, and getting a disease. Now, I know you didn't touch base. And what, what was your disease exactly?

Uh, it's, uh, muscular dystrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy called FSH. And, okay, and super short, it is a lifelong muscle eating disease that will slowly eat away, uh, over time. No cures, no treatments, uh, nothing that can be done for it.

Wow. So everything was basically, you had almost like your life mapped out, right? Like I, I could imagine as a young kid, you're playing sports because I played basketball as a young kid, man. So when my grandmother, um, was, uh, diagnosed with Alzheimer's, that was basically like heart wrenching for me, right? Like I didn't know what to do. She was like my, my everything, my support system, everything, right? And so all I did was play sports. And then here in your story, you're playing sports in and out, travel ball, night ball, weekend ball, whatever.

And then you get hit with this at a pivotal point in your life, right? Where you're trying to discover who you are, right? You're going through puberty, you're going through all these different things. And then bam, all of it's taken away from you. How did you, like what, what was going on in your mind at that moment? Like, yeah, how, what was that feeling?

Diagnosis and Identity Crisis

Yeah. So, oh, how, if they, when I was diagnosed, I was 14 years old. So I was in the, the eighth grade. I was pretty ignorant to my disease. Like I knew it was a problem, you know, because when you get diagnosed with something, you know, it's not something good. You know, even if it's just a flu, you know, you get diagnosed with a flu, it's not a good diagnosis. So I like new being diagnosed with something. It wasn't good, but because of how this disease works, it takes, you know, year, two years, three years before you see any kind of significant change. So at first, I wasn't, like if we're talking within like the weeks, in the couple of months following the diagnosis, nothing changed because it wasn't until I was the ninth grade that I quit playing basketball because I transferred from a, from Ridgeview Christian School, private school, to Stuart Shrap high school, and that's when I quit playing ball, as I just couldn't compete anymore, because I transferred and my ankles and my legs started to become weaker. I just couldn't compete with the public schools anymore, because I just, I wasn't getting better. I was getting worse.

Usually, I was really ignorant. So it didn't bother me at first. It wasn't until I transferred in Stuart Shrap that I was like, you know, what now? Like I was real depressed, because all of my, like my best friends, everybody I grew up with, we grew up playing basketball together, and they are still playing basketball at this point, and I'm on the sideline watching. And I'm like, like, why can't I be out there? And then this is also, how am I started to question, God, like, is God even real? Like, because if God is good, why would do things like this happen? So it was like, it was like, you said it was pivotal, but it was hugely pivotal, and, you know, starting to create bugs, not really believing in God that much, because I, I wasn't, I was at a Christian school for eight years, you know, I grew up that way, and started questioning God, started hanging out with the wrong people, because I couldn't play basketball with my buddies anymore. So I needed to sign a new crowd, people to hang out with.

The Spiral into Addiction

I mean, where I could sit. So it was like, three words I would use to describe it, was depression, anxiety, and constant worry. Yeah, so that, that would assume then, like, here and here and, you break that down, man, there's a lot there, right? I mean, the, the first dealing with the reality of life changing, not just on a physical level, but the community around you. Even now, your entire friendship circle is changing. And so, like, right, we're created to thrive in community. And when we, we take that away, and that, it goes away overnight, it can be, it can be a life shatter. It can be, it can just shake, it shakes everything around us.

So, you, from what I heard you say, you started to pursue a new group of friends, in that group of friends, that's where there was access to drugs and all the stuff that you started to dabble with. And the drugs became the coping mechanism, to kind of deal with the escape, right? That's, that's what we hear a lot. A lot of people think it's just about the substance. And there is pleasure in using, of course, but really more, it's the escape from the trauma that we're experiencing, right? I mean, that's really what we're looking to deal with. We're looking to cope with the pain at any level that we can and on. And so, substances oftentimes become a quick fix, right?

Early Drug Use and Rationalizations

So, could you, could you maybe speak to that a little bit, kind of how did that begin? Like, you know, what was the mental process? Like, if you can remember of like, the first time you picked something up, right? So, with my background growing up, you know, you're taught that these things are bad. Like, you don't do this. Like, drugs, you're not going to graduate high school. You're going to be homeless. Like, you know, all to the extreme. So, I remember, like, initially, I was like, oh, man, I don't know about that. Like, that's not right. But that's like, at first, it was just a little bit of weed, you know? There's just little bit, nothing, not a big deal.

Then it became like prescription drugs. And that was, it was, to be honest, it was exciting at first because I was so sheltered in this community of growing up in a Christian family in a Christian school with Christian friends. I did, I never been around this kind of thing. So, it was exciting and with not playing basketball and like, getting that rush, that excitement, this was that new rush. And if it were like, now, if I was looking into a window looking back at that, I'm like, dude, what are you doing? Don't do this. This is like, this is not good.

The Journey Through Addiction

No, you get out of there, get out of there, get out of there. But in the time, I was, I didn't think like that at all, man. I was, like I said, if I still believed in God, I wasn't happy with him. So, it was like, I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to seek the pleasure. I'm going to get my dopamine kick. So, it was like, I couldn't tell you the exact time that I first picked out something. I know for a fact, outside of marijuana, it was prescription medications in my Xanax, and a lot of pin and things like that.

Transition Out of Addiction

Were those prescribed, or were you kind of as an industry? Yeah, okay. So, but I just remember like, kind of getting excited about it, honestly, because it was something new, something I had never been a part of or dabbled in. And like, this new group of friends was like accepting, like, they didn't look at me as, you know, like the disabled guy or somebody that has these issues. I was just like another buddy; we're going to get out of here.

Wow, dude. So, the longing unit, because it's cool, right? Like, not cool. But, listening to like what's going on in the transition, you had this adrenaline rush, right? Because you said in eighth grade, it didn't really hit you of the disease. So, it's like this adrenaline rush is high. And then it slowly but surely begins to dissipate. And so, reality begins to settle in. And you're like, whoa, like, this is my life now. Like, I don't play ball anymore. Like, what do I do? And so, as Justin was mentioning earlier, the power of community. So, you had this community that was established.

Finding Hope Again

Now, you're having to relearn how to do things all over again. And so, it's interesting how the enemy works in operates, right? Because, like you said, like, looking back through a window, if you could, you would have been like, man, what am I doing, right? But you don't understand that God had a plan, right? Like, and I think oftentimes, when we're in our mess, we don't see God's plan. Because he's outside of time, right? And we're not. So, therefore, it causes a lot of disruption. And I think, personally, man, like, as I've been doing a few of these interviews now, like a lot of it, man, is spiritual warfare, right? Like, it's a spiritual attack on someone's life.

And so, we don't understand this as young individuals, because the interviews that we've done, man, everybody has a similar story in that there was a traumatic event in their early childhood years. And as they've developed and matured over time, they began to have flashbacks, if you will, which caused and led to addiction problems, right? To numb and suppress the pain that they've encountered for however many years, right? And maybe still are encountering, right? And so, like, now you're, you're where you're at. But so, like, what was the transition out of this phase of addiction? Like, like, what came about? Like, how did you rekindle your love for God again, man? Like, talk to us about that if you can.

The Turning Point

Yeah, yeah. So, when I really got me out of, you know, the cycle of using drugs and partying and doing all these things, really a big point was graduating high school, because people move away, next areas of your life start, and I wasn't around all of those people. Now, like I said earlier at the very beginning, this was just one cycle of addiction. Addiction comes in forms, and, you know, addiction to where I was following me into adulthood. And if addiction really works the same way, no matter what it's, what you're addicted to, because it's a brain. It's man, it's the way the brain works. It's the way the mind, the dopamine happens. Exactly.

So, but really a big part of my life was meeting my wife. Right, because she grew up in a very Christian household, and I was like, man, I kind of looked at myself like a bum almost. I'm like, dude, but I can't be doing this stuff anymore. Like, I had one of my best friends in high school when his friends overdosed and died, and that was like a point. I'm like, dude, I cannot, cannot. This can't happen to me. Like, here's a guy I went to school with, and he died in his apartment alone because he overdosed on drugs. I was, I didn't want to do it.

New Relationships and Reconnecting with Faith

I didn't want that to be my life. I didn't want my parents to find my body. Like, I did, I was, I was on the scared straight if you ever watched that show. But it was being scared, but also meeting my wife and getting around, getting away from the group of people that I was doing all these things with. So, were you still in church during this whole episode of like being in addiction? No, this, that this was the very beginning point because my wife ultimately got me back in church.

Okay. So, this is white ringly for, I'll allow you for the wife. Yep, sorry, sorry, sorry. But yeah, it was out, right, right. For sure, but no, I wasn't in church at this point, because right when I met her, I quit really hanging out and I was stuck to her hip. See, like, that thread of relationships drove so much of this, right? Losing the friendships, seeking the new relationships that were unhealthy, and then finding, like, ultimately a solid person in your wife that was able to drive you back to the cross.

The Transformative Power of Relationships

You know, I think a lot about the friends, the friends in the scripture that they took their body and they cut a hole in the roof, you know, and kind of carried them down to Jesus. And it's like the value of those type of people in our life that are just so passionate about us. Now, ultimately, faith is personal, yes. But, man, when you got people in your life encouraging you to do the right thing, encouraging you to go further after Jesus, encouraging you to get closer to the Lord, stay in your word, show up at church. You know what I'm saying? Like do these things that all contribute to the faith? It's like it can be a game-changer, and that's what I'm hearing from your story, right?

It's like, you started to make some moves in the right direction, but then you met your wife, and she's just on it for Jesus. She's on fire for Jesus. And I would say, it's safe to say that fire spread to you. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Well, you know, dude, if I could say something, Justin, just to piggyback on what you just mentioned, man, I really believe that your wife saw value in you that you never really found in yourself.

Finding Self-Worth

And so, like the power behind having someone come in your life and see the potential in your brokenness, and then you hearing those words washed over you, is so freeing and refreshing. Like, I remember when I was in Teen Challenge, and a gentleman came up to me, and like just spoke these powerful words over my life, and it made me feel hope again. And so, this season of your life, you're hopeless, and this woman comes into your life and breathes life back into your lungs, dude. Like, how amazing is that?

Like, we need community, essentially where I'm getting at. Like, we need people in our corner, and your basketball buddies were that for you, and it was lost. And like, to use this individual, this vessel to be that again. And so, that's awesome, bro. Yeah, like, when I asked for money, you know, part of that, you know, big portion of that is, is my wife, meeting my wife because you don't know this, Justin does because we talked about it on the very first podcast, but like, I was so depressed because of my disease. I hated myself so much.

Struggling With Self-Image

Like, didn't ever believe that I would find my person, like a woman, because I hated myself. You know, how could somebody else come into my life and love me when I didn't love me? You know? And so, when I got that, I was like, that was such like an icebreaker for me coming back to Jesus, because how am I supposed to trust Jesus? Love him if I couldn't love myself. And she loved me and taught me how to love myself again. I could, like, I hated looking at myself in the mirror because I'm so physically disabled that like, I just, I thought for sure there was no...

Navigating Life with a Disability

I have to do my kids and... Yeah. But... Sorry, go ahead. Go ahead, Mike. Yeah, I'm... Go ahead. Now, were you done? I'm my computer made of noise. My bad. No. That's my... difficult piece. Yeah. Y'all gotta excuse me. If I'm like outside of my mind tonight, like, I sat down to do some work last night at like 12 o'clock and just kept going. And so, I didn't, I didn't go to sleep and then I finally took a nap this afternoon at like three, like, one o'clock to like five o'clock. So, I'm like going four hours of sleep.

So, I feel really need to be interviewing Justin right now, folks. We've been trying to rebuild this right now. It's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, I was just... That was a huge part of ending my cycle of addiction to drugs. Now, like I said, I still struggle with addiction of other things after this. But that was a big one because I learned how to love myself again and there was no... I didn't feel like I needed to cope or hatred of myself of like, being depressed and trying to be happy and trying to get away from anxiety, not knowing if one day I'm going to be in a wheelchair or whatever it is.

So, I really found hope in her again, which then obviously led to coming back to Jesus. But it definitely started with her.

Importance of Community and Faith

Wow. I don't know. So, what tool? Okay. God, Justin. No, I was just going to say, man, like you on... One of the things that I heard a missionary say, I was at a church service a few months ago and he made a profound statement that kind of arrested my attention where he said that we understand in the Christian life there's going to be a level of suffering, a measure of suffering, no matter where we are in life. But the beauty of the faith is being able to find that joy and that hope in the middle of that, right?

And so, what I've heard is like, initially, when you started to cope with some of the trauma and the suffering that you were experiencing, drugs became the escape, right? And so, how has Christ infused some of that hope back into your life? Because, one of the things that is unique, I think, about your story in coming on here is that this is a battle you're still facing, right? The realities that you went through that caused you to start using way back then, that hasn't changed, you know, and yet, you found this place of contentment in Christ to be able to pursue your purpose in the middle of that.

And so, you know, can you maybe unpack that a little bit, Carter, you know, kind of how you got to that point where you're able to find that hope and that joy in the middle of what is reality?

Finding Hope and Purpose

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, man. And first and foremost, it started with reading the Bible, reading scripture, having, like, getting my old foundation out of the way and building a new foundation on scripture. I remember when I started reading through James, James chapter one, counted all joy, that suffering, like, I read that, and that, like, blew my mind, like, at first, it was kind of like, and I'm not great with memorizing scripture, knowing word for word, but like, it didn't make sense, because how am I supposed to be joyful? How do I look at suffering and get happy about it? You know, so I really dug into that and prayed about that a lot because at this point, I really believed in God again. I believe that Jesus was Lord. I believe that the Bible was real.

So, I'm reading this from a standpoint of, okay, but says it's true. It's real. Now, trying to get hope, get joy, all another ball game. I don't feel it. But it started with reading and then prayer. And it was really one day, I was at work. And this is, again, part of my testimony, but like, I really had this initial whisper in my ear. And it just said, trust me, like, I was still pretty anxious because like you said, Justin, this is an ongoing battle for me. And, you know, where I'm at now versus five years ago, or years ago, completely different.

But it just hit me. And it was just a whisper in my ear. It just kept saying, trust me, trust me, trust me. But it was like, I just showed me that everything I had gone through was part of his plan. And, Justin, you know this, but without my disease, without my suffering, I would have never met my wife, because I would have joined the Marine Corps. And, without my wife, I would have never found Jesus. And, all of these things, it was like dominoes, man.

Embracing the Journey

Like, it was a perfect plan, because the most important question that we ask ourselves in life, as believers, is where am I going when I die, right? Am I going to go to heaven when I die? Like, that's the most important question is, who do you believe? Who's your salvation? But then, the second most important question that I found was, who are you bringing with you?

And that's, I get my joy from having purpose in the body of Christ. And my purpose comes from having a disability, from being disabled, because I might have an ability or an opportunity to speak to somebody that a normal person wouldn't. And that's where I worship my purpose. But another big one is, you know, this is very, the Bible calls our lives like tents. They're so temporary here, that like, I have hope of heaven. That's really where my hope comes from, this heaven knowing that I'm not going to be here for very, very long. It's such a heart on tomorrow, you know? I could get off this podcast and have a heart attack, and I could be in eternity of Jesus.

Conclusion: Living with Purpose and Hope

So, like, it is looking, starting with the end in mind, I guess, to put it, like, in a phrase, and starting with the end in mind is knowing that this is so temporary.

Yeah, it's big. It reminds me of what Paul said. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, right? To show that this power is not of us, but it's of God, you know? It's that treasure, man, that is inside of us, and knowing that, like, we are but flawed people. You know, and we're broken vessels. We have bodies that are deteriorating. We have lives that are nothing but a vapor. But eternity is that much bigger. And when our eyes are fixed on eternity, it makes the purpose. It makes the whole purpose piece of what our lives are here for, makes sense. You know, and I think that's part of the, that's part of the things.

I think a lot of people that continue to deal with this cycle of relapse so often, it's like, addictions all about either numbing pain or seeking pleasure, you know, and they never get beyond the now and start looking into eternity. And so it's all about what can I do to fix what I'm feeling in this moment, instead of understanding that, like, I am flawed. I'm going to face pain. I'm going to face hardship. I'm going to face traumatic experiences in my life. You know, all of that is going to happen. But no matter what this world throws at me, I have the hope of heaven that is right before me. And when we are eternally minded, right, when we're focused on something bigger than just this earth, then it allows us to, you know, continue to move forward, knowing that this is nothing but a short season.

And on man, man, that whole section right there that you just unpacked harder was just, was really good.

The Power of Testimony and Community

Yeah, it's really good, dude. I think other, go ahead, me. Sorry, go ahead.

Now, I was just going to say, just to like, to unpack that too a little bit, something that I've been discovering. And, you know, you guys kind of both hit the nail on the head with it, but you said you made, you made a statement, Carter, that you've learned to see the end from the beginning. When you understand the completed work of the cross, death, burial and resurrection, you live in this place. That's what joy is. That's joy because it's already been done. Despite what I'm currently going through, the reality is, is that my my life is no longer my own. When I have accepted Christ into my heart, as Paul says in Galatians chapter two verses 20, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, right?

He said he'd been crucified and he no longer lives. And so there's, there's this understanding that becomes revealed to those that are intimate and in relationship with God. When you are known by God and you know God, you're able to live a life of true freedom. But the reality is, is that we're often unwilling to let God in when he's knocking at the door of our heart.

And so people that are going through addiction are crying out to God, unbehold, but yet don't want to let him in when he uses a vessel, a means, God uses people, right? So he might use me or he might use you Carter or you Justin, right? And we reject it because it's formed to us in the culture that we live in today that so self-centered to have an individual actually extend their hand like the Samaritan.

The Importance of Trusting God in Suffering

Yeah, that's really good. Say that again, man. I'm sorry. Say that. Wow. But like, what is it a bamboo seed? Like when you plant bamboo, it doesn't, it takes like three or four years before it reaches the surface. But our fist, it grows something like six inches a week. That's right. But it's the same thing, man. For me, it was 12 years, 12 or 13 years before I finally saw the light like before all of this made purpose to me.

Yeah. Like before it all made sense, it all found purpose. Before it all made sense, then I've found my purpose. But it was all found before when I submitted to Christ because... 12 years. 12 or 13. Jesus didn't die to start a religion. Jesus died to start a relationship. That's so good. So it was still I clung to that was like this was when my life changed.

Taking Action and Sharing Your Story

Let me ask you, this is, I know this is kind of like on another agenda or topic, if you will, but Carter, how did you learn to give yourself grace after transitioning from your addiction, finding hope? Like because you said like you, you struggle with pornography, nicotine, probably I'm sure we're still there, you know, here and there. I don't know if you're still struggling with that or whatnot. But how did you learn to not allow that to like determine your identity?

Yeah, man, it all comes back to Jesus because I almost didn't give myself grace. Like I, I would get so mad, you know, every time, you know, there'd be a relapse. I would get so angry. But then I'll remember I can't again, I'm not great with remembering I can tell you a lot about scripture, but I can't quote scripture for sure.

Finding Grace in God

We're gonna hide that against you, dude. It's getting going head to head with myself. That's that tells that you have the spirit of God in you because the spirit fights against the flat. Come on. There it is. So it was like that, that blew my mind when I found that out. I'm like, I'm dealing with this because the spirit of God is in me. It's telling things aren't good for you. That's why I'm struggling to give myself grace. Well, that's the spirit fighting the flesh.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. So weak, but the spirit is willing. So, man, I don't know if that answered your question. You know, I know it's because I think the thing is, man, for a lot of our viewers, right? Like they come out of addiction and they may think in their mind, right? Like I thought of my mind that everything needed to be perfect. Right? Like there was no, like if I slipped, I was like, oh, man, on my back, so I'm a terrible Christian now. Like, yeah, yeah. You sin and you lose the Holy Spirit, right?

Life After Addiction

No. Oh, God's not with me anymore. Like, man, like I messed up. It's like, no, dude, stop chill out. You're not walking on a tightrope, right? So what do you do for work now, man? So I sell cars for like five years, five, but now I sell wholesale parts for vehicles. So sell parts to like body shops and mechanical shops. Like if you hit getting a wreck with your car, I'm probably selling the shop parts picture cart. But you know, that's that's my day today job. This is what I want to do for for my life. You know, whether that's what I say professional ministry, I want to, I just want to talk about Jesus forever for like all day, you know, I don't know if that's passing, but this is what I'm passionate about is just talking about Jesus, helping people, encouraging people, you know, showing people I did the end of the tunnel.

The Call to Share the Gospel

So, you know, at a job, but this is, this is really what matters. Right. It's refill filled. That's good. Oh, that's just something. Sorry, I was just over here trying to respond to some comments and stuff. Like, I'm a terrible multitasker. So it's one of those things we like to think that we multitask, nobody really multitask well, you know, something always pays the price. So no, man, I just, man, I really appreciate like just the transparency and the honesty, Carter and for those who are watching the live stream now, I did drop the first interview that I did with Carter in the comments so that you can go back and check that out here on the Facebook page. It's also over on our YouTube, but on, man, so as you, you continue to go out like your, your heart right is to continue to share and on and all of that, you know, what's the message on your heart right now?

The Message of Hope

Like, what's the word that God's got planted deeply in you for this season of life that you're sharing with people? And on, you know, would you just maybe speak to that to encourage those who are watching tonight? Yeah, man, so I'm actually I'm working on a message right now. I don't know when I'm going to share, but I want to have something ready for when that that opportunity comes up. Is is purpose in pain? Is that matter what you go through? God can use it and really the foundation of that is, you know, even if it's bad, God didn't method did it make that bad thing happen necessarily.

It's like in Luke, I 21 maybe when Satan asks God to sift or say or to sift Peter of his wheat and Jesus lets him, you know, if he doesn't call it to happen. So like when bad things happen, how can we use this to our ability? When I gave my testimony last time, one of my biggest points was your, your disability, if you will, whether that be a mental disability, depressing anxiety, you can turn and flip and use it as a weapon to propel the kingdom of God. Like, oh, what God is going to do with a certain circumstance or situation.

The Impact of Personal Testimony

Like, when the first, I just went blank and lost the guy's name, the first martyr in acts, we was it, Stephen, Stephen, that's so when Stephen Hill, you look at that and you're like, man, that's bad, that's not a good thing, but two verses later in chapter eight, because of what happened to Stephen, the believer for scared and they scattered and you know what they did when they scattered, they spread the good news about Jesus everywhere that they went. So like, there is silver lining in every thing.

And it, just to help people see the silver lining, how they can use their, their, their pain, their suffering, their disability, whatever it is, for God or the purpose. So that, that's where I'm passionate about man, that's, that's what I'm working on. If I can give you a little nugget to, to share for your message, man, is something has to die in order for it to live. We have to die in order for us to live, right? Christ had to die in order for us to get life, right? Everything dies before whatever lives. And until you learn to die, you'll never live.

Conclusion

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love, I love the fact that like, you know, we talk about that a lot, like, we're wrapping, reaching into the hour, but like, man, like, my, the thing, the tool that the enemy, his best tactic against me, you know, was my meth addiction. And I make a mockery of him every time I talk about it openly. You know? Like I am laughing in the face of this, my spiritual enemy. Every time I talk about that thing openly, and I don't let it become a source of shame for me, I don't let it become a source of weakness. You know?

Like, man, there are a lot of people and I'm not knocking anybody that doesn't choose to talk about this stuff openly. I do think there is a mandate as believers to share our testimonies. Now you, you and the Lord can work out how much detail, you know, you go into with your past and all of that, but like, I will forever have my before and after pictures on my Facebook profile. And the entire world can see sucked up face Justin because that's not who I am anymore, right? And so I don't, there's no hiding that, you know, like it is what it is. And all the pain, all the suffering, all the hardship, whatever the enemy's best arrows were that he was throwing at us.

When we get out there and we testify of that, we continue to speak to the goodness of God in the middle of that. Like, we're making a mockery. I heard a worship leader say not too long ago, God loves to make a mockery of his enemies by sending his children to the battle. And that like, you know, it's like, that's good. I'm sending my kids, you know, like, I can't even be bothered with you. You know? Like I'm sending my children to fight this warfare.

But what we know about the Lord is the same spirit that's in us is in him, is in us. And so we're there. It's his ambassadors, his representative. And we have every bit of authority from having behind us when we go to wage war against our enemy. And so man, just putting that stuff out there and just saying, you know what? I'm just going to testify. And let me know when you finish that message, we'll have you to work side to share it. So let's go. I'll be there, man. So we'll get you on the calendar, man. I'm excited. So did you have any parting thoughts, man? As we wrap up, Rob Carter.

Embracing Community and Testimony

So I just kind of, I really appreciate you having me on, man. If there's anything I can never do for anybody that's listed now, someone needs a word of encouragement. I'm sure you can hit up either with these two guys. You can hit up me dressing or you put the other video in there. Yeah, I do in the post so they can find your page and follow you. You guys give Carter a follow. He's got a page where he shares some of his speaking stuff and encouragement and scriptures and all that. Awesome. It sounds great. He'd encourage me.