VL-Issue 44- July 22

TRANSFORMED LIVES
God
Always
Makes
a Way
THE STORY OF NATE CARRERAS
Nate (right) with
Kory Gordon. Both
are now free men
spreading the Good
News of Jesus.
FATHERLESS CHILDREN MAKE UP A LOT OF THE PRISON
population. I know because I was one of them. I take full responsibility
for my choices in life, but I must admit that my childhood
was a crucial factor in why my life turned out the way it did.
Growing up without a dad was a recipe for dysfunction and
disaster in my young heart and mind. I never knew my father,
and since no man ever stepped up to fill that role, my childhood
was void of any positive male role models.
My mom did her best to raise my brother and me, but then she
got sick. Incapacitated by the treatments, she could not work or
care for her family. Conditions were terrible in our home. There
were no rules or boundaries, and we had complete freedom to
run the streets.
Drugs owned me right off the bat. My life became one long blur
of chemicals and crime, and I began racking up felonies left and
right. My foolish ways led me to reap a fool’s reward (Galatians
6:7). I would face many consequences.
Life got crazy, and I longed to be free of the chaos. There had to
be more to life than what I was experiencing. Part of me wanted
to be the person God had created me to be. But how? All I knew
to do was pray. I was twenty-nine years old when I cried out to
God and said, “Lord, forcefully put me in Your will.” It didn’t take
Him long to answer.
A couple of days later, I was taken by force back to the county
jail. The baffling thing was that I was innocent of the arresting
charges. That was a first! And then, my wife left me after the
pastor who married us advised her to divorce me.
I was confused and deeply offended by the pastor’s advice. I
had expected him to encourage her to stand by her commitment
as my wife. Anger ate at me for a long time until I came to the
end of myself.
In that place of complete brokenness, I finally recognized my
need for God. I had nothing left when God knocked on the door
of my heart. You can believe I was ready to open it and receive
everything He had to offer.
My brother and I had been taken to jail together but were
housed in separate units. We hatched a plan to meet up one day
at the church service. I just wanted to spend some time with my
brother, but God had other plans.
There was something very different about that service. The
message was on the person and power of the Holy Spirit. God’s
Spirit uniquely touched me. I didn’t go forward to the altar
that day, but I did place my faith in Jesus Christ for salvation
(John 3:16).
Some people tell of miraculous encounters with God, and their
stories are so powerful, they can make other people question
their own salvation experience. My story isn’t dramatic, but I
know a miracle occurred in my heart.
God poured out His grace on me that day. Me—a sinner! His
forgiveness washed away the shame, guilt, and condemnation
I carried. Suddenly, I had a new sense of purpose, drive, and
peace. I was a lost son who had found his way back to the loving
Father he had always wanted but had never known existed. And
God welcomed me home with open arms.
From that day forward, I began to walk in freedom from addiction.
I left behind the destructive path I had known since childhood.
My entire life changed when I placed my faith in Christ.
That, to me, is the greatest miracle of all.
While I had genuinely surrendered my life to God, I still owed a
debt to society. I remained incarcerated with the Florida Department
of Corrections for four more years. Instead of letting the
time do me, however, I decided that for this go-around, I would
make good use of it. I committed myself to becoming the man
God had designed me to be.
I learned all I could about Jesus, and I took every class the DOC
offered to better myself. One day, my bunkmate told me about
30 Issue 03 / 2022 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM