‘Party Girl’ Became My Identity: Lisa’s Story
“I felt like every other Christian in church was perfect and that I was the only sinner!”
I decided to become a follower of Jesus when I was eight years old but church had become boring and irrelevant to me around the teenage years so I left. I had no Christian friends and got sucked into the party and drug taking lifestyle at 15 years old.
Without realising, as I grew up, ‘party girl’ became my identity and I had become addicted to taking recreational drugs.
I knew that God loved me and occasionally I would go to church (but only on the weekends when I felt good enough to do so.) I felt like every other Christian in church was perfect and that I was the only sinner!
In my late 20s I found myself at my lowest of lows in life. After crying out to God to rescue me, He miraculously changed every single circumstance in my life and led me to want to go back to church and follow Him. I remember when I first admitted to my bible study group at church that I was struggling with drug taking, I thought that I was going to be asked to leave the group, instead, I was showered with love, support and prayer. I felt so accepted and knew that God accepted me too – just the way I was. I had finally understood God’s grace. God was not angry at me. He loved me and wanted a relationship with me. I had not lost my salvation and I certainly was not the only Christian that was struggling with sin and felt that they had messed up.
As I began to pursue God again with all my heart, He completely took away the addiction and desire to take drugs ever again.
He began to transform my mind and teach me who I really am – a child of God, forgiven, a new person in Christ and that my old life was gone. Knowing I was forgiven and my old life was gone brought me great relief in the early days when I was battling with shame over my past behaviour.
Finally, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I found a new level of self-control I had not experienced before. Supernaturally, God had given me the power of self-control to say no to bad choices, to even be able to say no to being offered drugs in a party setting many years later and not even wanting or being tempted to say, ‘yes’! What great freedom Jesus has brought me and He can do the same for you. If you are struggling with an addiction of any kind I would encourage you to reach out and talk to someone you trust and to remember these 3 things:
God’s grace is all you need. Nothing you have done can stop God from loving you.
Change your thinking. Learn what God says about you and who you are to Him.
Ask the Holy Spirit to work in you, to give you self control – you do not need to do this in your own strength!
If you don’t yet know Jesus and you want to experience His grace, love and power for yourself then I dare you – invite Him in! You will never regret it and you don’t need to clean yourself up first to come to Him. Jesus died for us whilst we were still sinners and He is waiting with arms open wide.
— Lisa Cavey