From Handcuffs to Freedom

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV) My life was out of control. Drugs and drinking had taken over and ruled my life. I was headed for a party on my motorbike. There were three of us riding on it, but we never made it. We ended up in an accident, and I was taken to jail in handcuffs. I woke up in jail the next morning, and it was there that the Holy Spirit brought to my memory a verse that I had heard from a pastor — John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by me.” Those words burned in my mind! When I eventually got back home, that same pastor came over for a visit. I knew in my heart something was taking place because for every question I asked, he opened his Bible and answered with Scripture. I began to cry and that was the day I found freedom! The Bible became my roadmap. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” After walking with the Lord for a few years, I started to get complacent. I started to stay away from church and Bible studies. I began to feel myself slipping away. God, in His mercy, allowed me to be involved in a rollover accident with an 85-ton truck (I worked in the oil sands). Battery acid got in my eyes and took my sight away for three days. It was like a spiritual surgery. Feeling God’s presence and inner peace was like nothing I’ve ever experienced! It’s totally amazing how God works in mysterious ways to get His children’s attention, because it was that accident that brought me back to following Jesus again. — Del Chalifoux   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org