I Was Addicted to Marijuana, Then God Moved
Stephen, 25, Nairobi, Kenya
I developed a marijuana addiction in high school. I also dealt. 5 years after I started dealing, the police busted a group of us for smoking in public. We were arrested, slapped, and handcuffed. As we headed towards the police station, the officers began searching us.
That day, my mother had given me 21,000 shillings for tuition. When they saw the shillings, they started bribing us. I was terrified, so I gave them 5,000 shillings. They refused and demanded the full 21,000. I pleaded and begged, but they wouldn’t relent, so I gave in.
I now had no idea where I would get money for school, but I didn’t want my mother to know I was smoking. I stopped selling and smoking that day, so I lost my income; still, I was able to raise 21,000 shillings in only three days. That was one of many moves of God.
3 months later, I picked the weed back up. But, it was different this time. Every time I smoked, it felt as if I was being electrocuted. The feeling would grow stronger and stronger, eventually bringing me to a point of desperate repentance. As soon as I repented, the pain ceased. But, being the wretch that I am, I kept going back to the weed. It was a cycle: smoke, feel electric agony, repent, feel better, repeat.
After four days of this, I got really sick. I could barely eat or drink. One night, it hit me that this illness was a consequence of the weed. I somehow knew that God had allowed this as a disciplinary action. Later that night, I lost the ability to move. I grew dehydrated and my blood sugar dropped.
There was a Christian living with our family at the time. When he saw me in this state, he told me that this wasn’t an ordinary sickness, but that God was encouraging me to repent. As I was leaving for the hospital, he told me that there was a white light covering half of my body, from my head to my waist. He began preaching to me and, for the first time, I truly, genuinely repented. I fell into temptation a few times after that, but, by the grace of God, I stood right back up. I haven’t touched marijuana in over 3 years.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
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