I Prayed My Son Free of Drugs

Something just wasn’t right!

I remembered feeling that way when nothing was going on, but this time was different. I was seeing changes in my teenage son, but no one else, including my husband, seemed to notice. Somehow, I just knew, but I didn’t know the questions to ask. No one would listen because I couldn’t give them the facts they needed. In fact, I was accused of being suspicious, worrying when nothing was amiss.

Yet, I knew that something had changed in the behavior of my son, David. Then the bombshell exploded! The unbelievable happened—he was addicted to drugs.

It was more vital than ever before to know how to pray prayers that avail much. Each day with my Bible, pen, and notebook, I read, cried, talked with the Holy Spirit, and made notes. I read books on prayer, devouring the contents, and tried all the formulas with vigor. There in the inner chamber of prayer, I wrote letters to the Father, confident that the Holy Spirit was directing my thoughts and writings. I carefully penned meaningful scriptures, inserting David’s name and those of other loved ones. As I re-read the flowing words aloud before the Throne of Grace, my faith rose to new levels.

This was the beginning of the book series, Prayers That Avail Much (PTAM). God heard the cries of a desperate mother, and today, my son, David, is a transformed man now serving as Vice President of Prayers That Avail Much Ministries.

You see, my friend, I have not just written prayers to fill books of the PTAM series. I have lived these prayers. They were born from hardship that came to destroy my family, but instead, I trusted the Greater One and His Word. And as I clung to His promises in fellowship with Him, God brought David and me through to victory. I simply share with You all that His Word has given me.

Below is David’s complete testimony in his own words…

Set Free from 28 Years of Depression and Addictions

I am no stranger to depression and anxiety. For 28 years, my unresolved issues and unmet needs drove me to addictions that controlled my life and almost cost me my life. During these 28 years, I struggled with bouts of depression, suicidal thoughts, obsessive-compulsive thoughts, and anxiety. I looked for love and peace in all the wrong places, using drugs and alcohol to fill the emptiness inside. While the highs brought me brief escapes from emotional pain, they always took more than they gave me. 

I began my journey of addictions at the age of 14 when I was first introduced to pornography. The next year I got high from smoking marijuana for the first time and felt a false freedom from feeling unloved, rejected, and abandoned. A lot of these feelings started when I was two years old and thought that I had been replaced by my sister.  At age 16, I was so lost and depressed that I tried to kill myself. By age 18, I was thoroughly hooked on drugs, trying to numb my feelings and anxiety and silence obsessive compulsive-thinking.

You name it, I tried it—marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin, uppers, downers. From ages 17 to 26, I dealt drugs, worked a full-time job, got married, and had three children. Five years after the birth of my fourth child, I had the opportunity to get into business for myself. That business grew into a six-figure income and lead me down a deep dark hole that I couldn’t get out of for years. My daily routine became getting my crews off to work, cocaine or meth in the morning, and going to strip clubs. My life became about getting high in the morning and during the day and then at night drinking to take the edge off. I would get drunk and high so I could do whatever came next.

But the reality of my destructive lifestyle smacked me right in the face May 29, 1999. Despite repeated warnings from my attorney not to drink and drive, I started driving again while drinking. Trying to get to my dope man, I got arrested for my fourth DUI (driving under the influence). This arrest triggered many things, and I was finally arrested on possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. At that point, I faced multiple charges, two felonies, and a few misdemeanor charges in three counties.

By December 1999, I was taken out of the jail system and put in the prison system where I was no longer in control of anything in my life. There is a huge difference between jail and prison. In February of 2000, I entered Walker State Prison, and thick steel doors slammed shut behind me. 

Could it get any worse? Yes. My childhood sweetheart who became my wife of 24 years came to the prison to tell me that she and my children were divorcing me. This only confirmed the thought that brought all the pain from the beginning—I was unlovable and being rejected and abandoned again. I didn’t know any other way to deal with the pain, so I left that visitation and went straight to the prison dope man and started taking downers again.

God spoke to me three times in the early part of 1999, and He told me if I didn’t quit what I was doing, I would lose everything. Now, I had lost everything. In May of 2000, while sitting on bunk #69 in dorm 5, I heard God say in an audible voice, “Choose this day life or death. It is up to you!”

I chose life. After 28 years of trying everything this world had to offer, a peace I had never known flooded me. Although I was born again at age 10, the path I choose at 16 lead me to this point in my life. I opened my locker, cleared out all the pornography, and threw it in the trash where it belonged. I read the Bible every spare minute I had because I wanted to get to know this Jesus who died for me and my heavenly Father who loved me unconditionally. My Poppa, as I have come to know Him, loves me through everything. I eventually joined a prison prayer group, where we saw my Father perform miracle after miracle as we prayed for His will to be done in situations.

While in prison, I was learning to make bath-tub sized batches of crystal meth that would be worth a small fortune on the outside, but I turned my back on it all and never looked back. No amount of money could rival the new-found peace in my heart. For the first time in my life, I felt loved and accepted by the Creator of heaven and earth. He alone filled my heart with the peace I had searched so hard to find.

Did I do something that brought about this miraculous conversion? Yes, I did.  I made the choice to walk in the light. And it was the prayers of my mom and all those God sent alongside of her to pray for me to hear clearly from God and know I had to make a choice. The first scripture the Holy Spirit gave my mom for me was: “All your spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children” (Isa 54:13 AMPC). She also prayed the eyes of my understanding would be flooded with light (Eph 1:18 AMPC) and my ears would be open to Him (John 10:27-28 TPT). God did the rest!                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

To get out of prison, I needed a place to live and a job. My dad told me that I could come live with them, and my mom gave me a job filing papers at the ministry.  Today, I serve as Vice President of Prayers That Avail Much® reaching millions around the world with the power of prayer. I realize that I am actually the “poster child” of radically effective and life-altering scriptural prayer. 

God is continually speaking to those who have walked away from Him or are yet to find Him. God is speaking to you and your loved ones right now. That is how much He loves you. God did not just speak to me that one time in Walker State Prison, but that day I heard Him. I heard Him because my mother prayed my spiritual ears and eyes open. God is no respecter of persons, and He will answer your prayers just the same.

Even now, I still choose life several times a day. What does that mean? It means when depression and anxiety try to steal my peace, I choose life by choosing what I will think on. I choose to replace every thought that attacks my peace with what God’s Word says. I put on worship music, the Scriptures, and prayers to hear all day long if necessary. I pray scripture-based prayers aloud because it builds my faith (Rom. 10:17) and renews my mind (Rom. 12:1-2). One of my favorite prayers is “To Rejoice in the Lord Always,” found in PTAM to Overcome Anxiety and Depression.   

The book is filled with scriptural prayers that will pull you from the deep, dark hole of depression and anxiety and fill you with the peace that God promises you. But you must choose to pray the prayers, choose to listen to the Word of God, and choose to allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you. There are sometimes in our lives that are easier than others, but we should always choose LIFE!

A Prayer of Salvation and Deliverance for Your Children

Father-God, I come before You asking for the deliverance and salvation of my children. You are my LORD—my heart rejoices in You, and my strength rises in You!

Through the eyes of my heart, I see my children walking with You all the days of their lives. Even before You made the world, You loved us and chose us. You have holy plans for my children. You have a hope and a future for them. You have a prearranged plan for them to walk in the good life.

Thank You for giving my children the spiritual wisdom and insight to grow in the knowledge of You. I pray their hearts will be flooded with light so they can understand their rich and glorious spiritual inheritance. I pray that they will understand the incredible greatness of Your power for us who believe. Praise You, dear Father, this is the same mighty power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  

Thank You, Father, for laborers sent across the paths of my children—laborers to whom they will listen and who can lead them into the light of God’s Word. In Jesus’ name, there is nowhere my children can go to avoid Your Spirit. If they climb to the sky, You’re there!  If they go underground, You’re there!  If they fly on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You will find them. You’re already there waiting!

In the name of Jesus, I bind my child’s body, soul, and spirit to the will and purposes of God for his life. I bind his mind, will, and emotions to the will of God. I bind him to the truth and to the blood of Jesus and his mind to the mind of Christ. I bind his feet to the paths of righteousness. I bind him to the work of the cross with all its mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness.[1]

I loose every old, wrong, ungodly mindset, attitude, idea, desire, belief, motivation, and every wrong mind/body agreement he has about wrong behaviors. I tear down, crush, smash, and destroy every stronghold associated with these things. I loose any stronghold in his life that has been justifying and protecting hard feelings against anyone.

I loose the power and effects of any harsh or hard words spoken to, about, or by my child. I loose all effects and bondages from him that may have been caused by mistakes I have made. I bind and loose these things in Jesus’ name for He has given me the keys and the authority to do so.

I proclaim in Jesus’ name that all my children will be disciples taught by the LORD. They will obedient to Your will, and great shall be their peace and undisturbed composure. My children were born to worship and glorify You! Thank You, dear Father. 

Scripture References

I Samuel 2:1-3  * Matthew 18:18  * Psalm 139  * Isaiah 54:13 * Ephesians 1:3,7,9-11, 17-19 NLT * Ephesians 2:10 AMPC * Jeremiah 29:11 * Jeremiah 1:5 MSG

[1] Phrasing adapted from Breaking Your Strongholds by Liberty Savard.