TESTIMONY - How God Delivered Me From Drugs

TESTIMONY

HOW GOD DELIVERED ME FROM DRUGS

by Margo Lisa Nkosi

I was a drug addict for two years. I lived in a place called Wentworth in Durban. It has the biggest drug shops in Kwazulu Natal. I lived a few kilometers away from such a shop. I was smoking crack cocaine, better known in South Africa as “rock.” I started stealing to support my habit and sold everything I owned, including my clothes. My daughters had had enough, and I started begging at the robots to support my habit. As soon as I made enough money I would go and smoke a hit. I lost all self-respect and was drowning deeper and deeper into this addiction. One day while I had the rock pipe in my hand a soft voice whispered to me “nothing can separate you from the love of God”. I recall asking: “Really? Nothing? Not even this rock pipe in my hand?” I felt an assurance that it was true.

I grew up in a Pentecostal home. My mom introduced me to church from the time I was born. I knew about God and how He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ for me, but I was weak as a Christian. They were a few occasions when I felt close to God and went to church, but I always drifted away. When I heard those words while pulling on that pipe, I knew who it was. He went on further to say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” But I continued smoking, even prostituting myself for the drug. I was not taking my ARV medication regularly and I was losing weight rapidly and getting

weak. I wanted to stop but I could not stop on my own. I started crying out to God to help me. I spoke to my kids about going to a rehab. They found one in Veralum for me. It was run by a lady by the name of Valerie Pillay. She did not charge me but allowed me to be brought in without making any payment.

When I got there, I had hardly any clothes and was down to 68kg. I was weak and tired. She took me in and that is when my life began to change. It is a Christian Rehabilitation Center run on the concept that the Holy Spirit is the only Healer we need. Smoking of cigarettes is not allowed and at first I was not happy, but I adjusted. I arrived on Sunday 27 February 2022. I started to feel pain in my left knee and right ankle the next day. By Thursday that week, the pain was excruciating that they took me to the hospital. I was admitted for 5 days and put on several drips and treatments. They did a full spectrum of my blood and discovered that my cd4 count was on 50, I was on the brink of having full blown AIDS. That shocked me, I started taking my medication and attending all the church services held at the centre. At times the brothers would put a mattress on the ground for me to lie down so I could be in the service. Slowly the Word of God began to take root. I re-dedicated my life to Jesus and my journey in the Lord began. I Spent 6 months at Jump Youth Rehabilitation Centre. I began to grow in my knowledge and understanding of Christ. He began

to transform my way of thinking, the way I spoke and behaved. I was a transformed person by the power of the Holy Spirit. I grew spiritually every day and soon it was time for me to leave. I made travel arrangements to come to live with my sister and her husband who is a Pastor in Badplaas in Mpumalanga. It is about 900km from home. I made the decision to be a servant of God, dedicated to His Kingdom and I decided that I would NEVER go back.

I have a burning desire to warn people about drugs and how they harm not one’s health and destroy destinies. Drugs slowly take over and destroy life. While I was at the Rehab, I came to the realization that drugs are the devil’s tool to destroy lives. I witnessed the painful withdrawals “rosto” of the sugar (hunga) addict. The breaking feeling in the bones and the feeling of bees crawling under the skin. I realized that God had taken me out of my addiction so that I could warn others not to get involved with drugs.

Since my arrival in Mpumalanga, God has been working in my life. I have had the opportunity to speak for two hours at the Bible College about drug addiction as well as the role and responsibility of the church towards the lost. The students had many questions. I have another appointment to speak on drugs and life choices at another local school. I am praying that God opens more doors for me to warn the youth. People need to know. They also need to know that there is help available if they are willing to stop. I have been clean for 8 months and I am thankful to God I no longer smoke cigarettes. God has truly delivered me! saw what God can do when you put an addict in His hands. I would like to appeal to you for help to keep the Centre running. They had a contract with one of the chain stores which helped them food supplies but I have been informed the contract has been terminated.

I would be pleased if my story can inspire the addicts out there and their families to seek help and not give up. I wish the Body of Christ would get more involved with saving addicts. Another amazing fact about the couple who run Jump Youth Mission is that the husband Kevin Pillay was once the biggest drug dealers in Veralum. He had a Damascus encounter and God redirected his life. Today he is saving lives, rebuilding families, and giving hope to the hopeless. I hope you can take this story and run with it. There are so many other stories just like mine at Jump Youth Mission.

My deliverance from drug addiction would not have been possible without the help of Valerie Pillay and her team. The ministry she has is huge even though she is restricted financially. I know she could rescue more addicts off the street with her outreach program, but it is just not possible due to financial constraints. The female centre might be at the risk of closing due to lack of funding. I