“I took my first drink at the dinner table from my dad’s glass of beer,” Daryl remembers. “I hated the taste but loved the effect.” He was only 13 years old. His parents were headed for divorce at the time, and he was searching for ways to deal with the pain. Even though he grew up in a Christian home and got top grades at university, when his family finally fell apart, it was a crushing blow.
“I started drinking with friends from my neighborhood. Then I started using drugs in high school. Soon I was using marijuana, hashish, cocaine, and finally began smoking crack cocaine,” he shares.
During this time Daryl was into illicit relationships with women, drinking, drugging, and going to night clubs. “I was lonely and would spend time with whatever woman would have me. I had very low self-esteem, no confidence, and felt worthless.”
For three decades Daryl’s life plummeted into brokenness, addiction, and darkness. “I ruined countless relationships. I lost innumerable jobs. I was expelled from the university three times. I was able to transfer to another university where I finished. I would get clean for a while, pull my life back together, and even got married, but when difficulties arose, I turned to drugs instead of dealing with the real problem,” he says.
One year, Daryl took a stand for the Lord during a period of sobriety and was baptized. But eventually he fell back into drugs and couldn’t be trusted. “I was in and out of jail,” he remembers. “I was a mess.” It was during this time that he was introduced to Amazing Facts. “My fiancé was studying the
Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides. She wanted to rededicate her life to Christ and shared the lessons with me.”
Daryl then attended the Amazing Facts
Prophecy Code seminar in Maryland. “It was eye-opening,” he shares. “I learned about the history of the Sabbath, a healthy diet, God’s forgiveness, and much more. It was the most revealing Bible event I had ever encountered.”
The road to recovery has been slow and challenging, but Amazing Facts has helped Daryl keep moving forward, one step at a time. “I kept listening to sermons by Pastor Doug and learned that Jesus loved me and could deliver me from my addictions and fill the void in my heart,” he explains. “I stay connected to Amazing Facts through AFTV and online programs at www.amazingfacts.org.”
“Pastor Doug once asked, ‘Do you want to be a follower of other Christians, or a follower of Christ?’” Daryl recalls. “I never forgot this question. It has helped me many times when I’ve been in difficult situations. Once when I was short on money I chose to still honor God by returning tithe. The Lord got me through.” He shares similar experiences with his work and keeping the Sabbath. “What Pastor Batchelor shared in that question is the single most important thing I ever heard him preach.”
But the most touching moment came through a sermon Daryl heard Pastor Doug preach on God’s forgiveness toward Moses and David. “Even though they suffered the consequences of their choices, God still forgave them,” he shares. “I was moved to tears when Pastor Batchelor said, ‘If God could forgive these two men, He can forgive you as well.’ This impacted greatly and moved me to ask God to forgive me of my sins. This sermon has really enabled me to move on in my recovery.”
Today Daryl is a member of a Sabbath-keeping church, where he serves as a deacon. He continues to grow in Christ and share with others the good news that he has found through Amazing Facts. “Thank you Amazing Facts for helping my faith in Jesus Christ grow. The Amazing Facts ministry has been a solidifying force in my recovery and is still playing a significant part. I finally feel free!”