A New Creation in Christ

Hi my name is Mike Detrick and I have had quite a crazy
life. I’m a 32-year-old guitarist in a Christian hard rock/alt. band called
Project Pandemic. I now live my life for Jesus but it has not always
been that way. At the age of 13 I started getting into drugs, drinking,
and sex, all terrible things for a 13-year-old and for that matter
anybody at any age. By the time I was 16 or 17 I had made it a lifestyle,
started playing guitar, got kicked out of school and pretty much messed
my life up bad .I was starting to have problems everywhere I went with
every thing I did. My life revolved around me becoming a rock star
(heavy metal) and I would have done anything to get there. Well, as I
entered my 20's the band I was in started to get some notice and I became
more popular. We would play at bars and they would give us free alcohol,
the dealers would give us free drugs and we all seemed to have lots of
girls. BUT I was miserable........There was a huge void in my heart
no matter what I did it would not be filled. I was always angry or
sad so I would drink or smoke more weed to cope .As my 20's wore on
things got worse, My band broke up and I couldn’t keep a job, and what woman
wants a flat broke alcoholic for a boyfriend. I have never been
suicidal but I really wanted to die, just to get my life over with. I believed
in God but really didn’t think he cared one way or the other about me
.I actually would pray for god to just stop my heart. (I think there is
a country song titled "thank god for unanswered prayers”)

When I hit 29 years old I had all but given up.
Then something happened............I met my wife .At the time she
wasn’t saved either but she was straight and sober. Well 1 week after we got
together she asked me if I would like to check out this church she knew
of. She had been there once before and they had this Christian hard
rockin biker worship team and she had a great time .To be honest I would
have went anywhere with her, even though I was a bit uncomfortable I
went. There was a man speaking that day about prophetic messages and well
at first I was like " ya right dude, I bet God talks to you". Well at
the end of his message he called me up to talk with him. (I was a bit
freaked out but I went up to talk to him anyway). Now remember I was
totally new to this area and no one, not even my wife knew much about me
then. Well this guy started telling me stuff about my life that only I
would know (now I was really freaked out) He told me I was like a f
ish in the middle of a river and the lord was on one side and Satan on
the other. They both had a hook in me and were trying to get me to
their side of the river but it was up to me to decide which way I would go.
He then asked me if I believed in Jesus to which I replied that I did
.His next question was had I accepted Christ as my lord and savior. Well
to be honest I had broken out in a sweat and was not really sure what
was going on but I knew this was real and good. I was experiencing God,
I mean really in the presence of God. I felt his presence like he was
right in front of me and right then there I knew without a doubt God was
real. I asked Jesus to become the lord of my soul right then. This was
the single most profound moment of my entire life. I will never forget
that, but what I now realize is that Jesus had been knocking on the
door of my heart my whole life and it was me who refused to hear it.

From that day forward everything in my life
has changed. I have since then been straight and sober (I believe I was
healed right then because I never experienced withdrawl of any sort), I
have married my girlfriend and she is a constant positive influence in
my walk with god. I had a hard time giving up the bands I listened to
and modeled my life after but when I realized that there was just as
many awesome Christian hard rock/metal bands I threw all my secular
c.d.’s and tapes in the garbage. For months I struggled with wanting to be
in a band but I knew I couldn’t be in the typical rock/metal band and
continue on the trail I was on. I became very frustrated, After awhile I
gave up on it……..I asked God that if it was HIS will, to allow me to
put together a band together. I promised that if the Lord allowed me to
start something again I would do it for only his glory. A month later I
met my keyboard player and within 3months we had a full band tog
ether. So now here I am almost 3yrs later, straight and sober, married
to a wonderful woman, In a great band and I have started studying to
receive my credentials to become a pastor. I am no doubt happier now then
ever and it’s all God. I have felt the love God has for all of us first
hand and I am constantly reminded that without God none of this would
be possible .The big lesson here is no matter how bad we mess up our
lives, no matter how terrible we act or what we have done there is only
one way to redeem ourselves .and that is Jesus Christ. Moses was a
murderer, Jacob a liar, David was a adulterer and the apostle Paul persecuted
Christians everywhere he went and yet through the mercy and grace our
father God forgave and used these men in great ways. They all became men
of God and the bible even calls David a man after Gods own heart. To
those of you who are reading this that are saved I hope you continue to
finish the race, to those of you who have not become saved yet,
I urge you to ask Jesus into your heart, to accept the true God and
to become a new creature in Christ.