RJ

“I was a called pastor's kid who became addicted to pornography, steroids, and partying — and God reinstated my calling the week I came back.”

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What they struggled with

Sexual addiction Pornography Backsliding Demonic oppression Shame

False refuges

Sexual behaviour Alcohol Achievement / fitness Pornography

What this story reveals about God

Relentless pursuit Unconditional love Restorer Father's heart Forgiver Patience

Religious background

Protestant Christian

Main testimony theme

Deepening Faith

Secondary theme

Deliverance and freedom

How they came to faith

Relational influence Supernatural encounter

Content advisory

Before you watch

This is a prodigal testimony from a man who was genuinely called and genuinely ran — not a dramatic conversion from darkness but a return from spiritual numbness after years of sexual sin, pride, and deliberate flight from God. The demonic encounter is vivid and the restoration is equally vivid. Expect both weight and joy in the same story.

What this story teaches

People raised in genuine faith who walk away often carry a specific shame — that their rebellion is worse because they knew better. This testimony shows that knowing better does not disqualify; it may actually make the return more powerful.

How God moved

The lie RJ carried

God could not forgive or reinstate me after I knowingly ran from him — I had spit on Jesus and knew better.

What Jesus showed him

RJ carried the belief that knowingly running from God after being called and marked disqualified him from forgiveness and reinstatement — that his rebellion was worse than ordinary sin because he knew better. That shame-based disqualification was the core wound he brought to the altar.

Go Deeper

Don't run away — you can't, we know that from the Bible even with Jonah he tried. The biggest thing that you could do is just close your ears to it and do your own thing but God loves you. Your heavenly father — it's going to be like The Prodigal Son story when you come back to him he's not there with the lightning bolt, he's not there to punish you, he just wants to love you, he wants to heal you, he wants to put a robe on your back a ring on your finger, reinstate you. Come back to him, run back, run back while you have time. If you're running from God, if you are asleep like I was, man come back to him, let him wake you up — it's the best decision I have ever made. Come serve Jesus and he will use you. It's not just pastors and leaders in the church that are called — every single one of you have a calling over your life. God has a plan and a purpose for you. Come let Jesus love on you and let him use you.

People raised in genuine faith who walk away often carry a specific shame — that their rebellion is worse because they knew better. This testimony shows that knowing better does not disqualify; it may actually make the return more powerful.

What you can take from this

If you have been running from something you know you were called to do, take one step back toward it this week — not to perform but to simply tell God you miss him.

Progressive entrapment

It started with pride from football, then hanging with the wrong crowd, then a relationship with an unbelieving girl, then sexual sin — and it opened up a door for me to be addicted to sexual sin and pornography. Then I started rebelling against my parents, drinking — it just switched.

Spirit of perversion

After watching pornography or messing around with the girl I felt so much conviction and shame and I remember crying — but then I do it again and I do it again and I do it again.

Unnamed entity

I remember seeing this nine-foot dark figure in my room — it looked like the Grim Reaper or a ring wraith. I couldn't speak and I couldn't move. It screamed at me and then it vanished.

Spirit of fear

I had this horrible fear that I wasn't going to be able to have kids — it was just demonic — and I remember not telling anyone that.

Core lie

I felt like personally when I was in it — I Spit On Jesus, I ran from him, I knew better, I was raised in church, I went to a Christian High School — God how can you forgive me.

1

I just broke down and I was crying and it was in that moment — what am I doing God — and I came to my senses.

2

God are you really restoring me, do you really want me to go into the ministry — am I set up a calling? I looked down and it said if you truly return to me I will restore you and make you my spokesman.

3

I was addicted to pornography and all this... I was actually being delivered one time or casting demons out of me in my past.

4

I ended up going to the Awakening the Revival was on Castle Road and I remember meeting Isaiah Saldivar for the first time and I ended up joining the Awakening team as a leader.

Psalms 1:1

Pastor Joey preached from this psalm on the joy of the righteous vs. the wicked; the sermon broke RJ and drew him back to God.

Luke 15:11–32

RJ explicitly identifies his return to God with the Prodigal Son coming to his senses and the father's welcoming response.

Jeremiah 15:19

Open Bible moment — 'If you truly return to me I will restore you and make you my spokesman' confirmed his restored calling.

Romans 11:29

Speaker references 'the gifts and callings of God are without repentance' to affirm God restored his ministry calling.

RJ explicitly names the Prodigal Son story as his own — raised in the family, squandered his inheritance on wild living, came to his senses and returned to a welcoming father.

RJ explicitly calls his flight into the fire service 'a Jonah moment' — knowing his calling but deliberately running from it.

Pastor Jason calling RJ by name at the exact moment RJ privately surrendered to ministry mirrors a sudden, externally confirmed divine call.

RJ describes going from spiritually numb and dead to being reinstated, filled, and used in revival — a resurrection of calling.

RJ's Christian Walk

Left the fire service miraculously; desire for firefighting completely gone. Started a Bible study at a church gym where people were saved and delivered. Led revival gatherings at his parents' house. Joined the Awakening team as a leader. Married Cassandra in 2013, nine-year anniversary, four children. Saw thousands come to faith over eight to nine years of ministry.

The best thing that ever happened to me was me coming back to Jesus — he really did reinstate me.

Prayer

The power of Prayer — Pastor Joey — the preaching pastor whose sermon on Psalm 1 and persistent personal question broke RJ open stood in the gap for RJ.

Pastor Joey preached on Psalm 1 about missing the Father, then made a beeline to RJ after the altar call and asked him three times how he was doing — the third time broke him. Earlier, Pastor Jason at a youth camp called RJ by name over the microphone at the exact moment RJ was privately surrendering to a ministry calling, grabbed him and prayed over him. RJ's parents' youth pastor also drove to their apartment years earlier, burned the divorce papers, and declared God's plan for the family — without which RJ would never have been born into a Christian home.

Is today your day?

Yes — I'm Ready

Absolutely, He will.

You don't have to figure everything out right now.

You don't need to have all the answers.

If something stirred in your heart while you were watching or reading — that's not nothing.

That is the Holy Spirit gently knocking on the door of your heart.

Stay right here. There's no rush. The Spirit doesn't pressure or hurry.

Watch another video. Read a little more. Take your time.

When you're ready — even if “ready” just means a little curious — Jesus is ready to meet you.

You don't have to clean up your life first.

You don't have to pass any test.

You only need to say a simple “yes” to Him.

He will take care of the rest.

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke 11:9

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