Hi my name is Eddie Padilla this is my story…

My life started to spiral out of control at the age of 32, that year I had lost my brother-in-law to a liver disease the doctors had over looked and they gave him a medicine that killed him in his sleep.  He was 29 years old it took me by surprise and when he left this earth he took half of my heart with him, you see we were real close and it hurt a lot. I started working longer hours and I put together a small construction company called Top Gun Construction INC. So I had two jobs and the hours were crazy. I would get up at 5:30 am and I didn't get home till 1 or 1:30am in the morning. I did this for a couple of years the money and items were there but I was empty in my marriage to the mother of my children and our marriage was going downhill fast after fifteen years together .I started to get heavy into drugs doing cocaine smoking pot, drinking scotch and beer.  I was more of a pot head, I loved pot it just relaxed me.

The heavier I got into drugs the more I used it to escape from my problems at home with my wife.  She was a cold person, all about material things I'd worked and I still had to come home to cook and do homework with the kids and put them to sleep. All she really did was work. Now that I know what I know I was allowing her to control me and she was very controlling and manipulating. WOW! Anyway I would fight and argue everyday with her to change her ways with me. We went to counseling and they told me the reason why I did drugs was because of her problems, like I needed to pay someone fifty dollars an hour to tell what I already knew...Catch a clue…

 Anyway as time went on I was preparing to leave her for the sake of my girls, Nicole and Melissa. I kept getting these thoughts that I was going to die before the age of 33, Christ’ age of his death.  Well during that year at 32 I got into a big argument with my wife, and I had thrown my back out working and I was on heavy medication for it .  I was taking three different pills prescribed by my doctor. I remember putting my clothes on and going outside something told me go buy a bag of cocaine, so I saw this guy I knew and gave him the money for the purchase. I got the coke and took it into the house and did one line not realizing that I was on medication… it took about fifteen minutes and the meds and coke clashed like someone was blowing up my heart with a pump. I couldn't breathe so I fell in the corner of the hallway of my house and started to pray asking GOD to please don't let me die in front of my girls.  My wife finds me on the floor she calls 911 two teams of paramedics work on me. I remember one of them asking me what did I take and I showed them the medicines and another asking is that all and I said no I did a line of coke.  They all looked at each other and said to me someone up there must love you he was referring to GOD because the average guy would have died of a blown heart.

After all that happened I met an old school friend that had made a lot of changes in his life and so he invited me to hear some messages and so I went because at this point in my life I was searching for God big time. … I studied the truth I would come up with questions and I noticed that I would not get the answers I was looking for.  For example, one day an elder came to me and said that I had to shave off my beard and I asked why and he said because that’s the way we do things around here.  So I said to him let me ask you a question, if I was a bum from the street looking for salvation and came through these doors you’re telling me that you would not accept me the way that I am and he said that’s right and I said to him didn't JESUS say come as you are broken and the father will fix you.   He looked at me and said nothing and walked away that’s when I knew this was a counterfeit and I had nothing to do with this group and left once again with an empty heart looking for God.

I remember leaving my wife and my children and living in my parent’s house for a period of time always taking care of my girls from a distance. It hurt really bad you see I know that GOD made me to be a father to my kids and I missed them growing up. You see when I left my oldest daughter Nicole was 13 years old and Melissa was 7 years old. I started to look for GOD more and more and I know that the lord was helping me, because I could hear him talk to me I stopped taking drugs and smoking and drinking . I went back to school and took a under graduate course for telecommunications and passed coming in 5th out of 30 students...not bad for an old man.

I went back to work in my field as head of security for a United Nations building and every now and then did some construction on the side so things were beginning to look hopeful.  And little by little I started to back slide on GOD I went years not picking up the Bible. I would pray but I never had that relationship with JESUS I wanted. I got divorced and took care of my kids until they were eighteen years of age.

By that time I had eight different relationships with women that only lasted three months each.  You see I had rebelled on women because of what my wife had done to me.  So I decided to use them for my purpose not theirs and I tell you they were good hard working women who were loving to me, but I just didn't care. Then in 2004 I met Maria and we dated for a little bit you see I just didn't know if she was right for me because all my life I looked for women with guitar bodies, I was flesh driven.  With Maria all that started to change I began to look at the hearts and with Maria I found a beautiful sweet apple.  One day I sat with my mother at her table and ask her for her opinion I asked what do you think about Maria and she said son don't look at the outside it's time you start looking on the inside she's a beautiful girl she loves you give her a chance and you'll see that she is right for you.  What is funny about this is that I felt God was setting me up with Maria.  I felt in my heart that he was teaching me to love from the inside not the outside for the first time in my life.  So I listened to my mom, GOD bless her.  Maria and I soon became a couple.

Before Maria and I moved to New Jersey, I was still playing baseball and I had a game in the Bronx.   I remember hitting a ball in the gap so I ran to go to second base and as I got there I felt this electrical pain in my feet that I just could not stand up it was really painful.  So continued and I finished the game but every day the pain got worse and worse then all my joints were getting inflamed. When I went to see the doctor he said I am going to send you to a specialist where I had a team of six doctors and they all concluded that I had severe psoriatic arthritis with neuropathology in my feet and in all my major joints plus they found that I also needed a new left knee. You see it is bone on bone with a twisted cap not good... that's when I asked the doctors what am I going to do for work.  I've been working since I was 13 year old.  So I had to apply for total disability and this put a strain on my relationship right from the beginning with Maria and I didn't know what I was going to do with myself.   I moved anyway to NJ with Maria and she was so good about everything trying to keep me positive but inside I felt like the end was upon me.

I'd be home in the apartment  for three years where the walls were closing in on me with no hope in sight and I had no money no life just a great woman who loved me the way I was but I felt like little of a man.  I would cry out to GOD and ask him not to wake me up. You see I didn't want to live any more . At that time I remember my sister in Christ, Debbie Mella, who invited me to go to church. I started attending regularly I even got involved in the church plays and singing.  I thought if I keep busy with church activities it would bring me closer to GOD boy was I wrong.  I started smoking pot again and cigarettes and drinking on the weekends to get drunk. You see I was still dying inside GOD was not in me.  I just got to the point that I wanted to leave Maria and NJ all together.  I had nothing to give her or GOD. I just wanted to die let it be over please GOD, I would say to him.  I would go to church cry my eyes out and my heart would hurt so much and yet leave empty angry in a rage and yet no GOD I didn't care anymore I would make all excuses to not to go to church.  I was a man enraged with not only a physical problem but emotional… I just hated my life and myself.

Then out of the blue God for his own reason started to lift some of my burdens and I finally got my disability money and I finally got married to my beautiful wife Maria who loves GOD so much and I love her so much. You know the storms calmed a little.  I was going back to church thanking God for the help but I had no intimacy with JESUS, I was asking him for this even the messages weren’t connecting with me.  I thought I knew JESUS man I did not know much of what he expected of me and of what he could do for me, anyway I would go and I noticed that my sister Debbie wasn't coming to church. I thought well maybe she's going through some things.  I noticed one thing for sure she had lost her genuine smile that I love so much because you see she has a very genuine heart and soul. Then one day she called me and we spoke for a long time and she explained why she was not attending the church I was going to anymore.  She spoke about her new church the Vine Fellowship Network; little did I know that GOD was repositioning me for what I wanted all my life… Intimacy with him. So she invited me to attend VFN NJ.  When I got there both pastors were great so loving and caring. The message that day was about “Zero Tolerance” taught by Greg Lancaster.  I remember closing my eyes and falling asleep while brother Greg was talking so I am sitting there and all of a sudden I hear “I am talking about you!!” “Sir I am talking about you”, and I felt the finger of Brother Greg touch my chest and it was hard right were my heart is. I woke up real fast and I listened with all I had. From that day on my life has changed 100 fold the Lord has taken me out of the pit of hell, out of the miry clay and I have made him my Lord and Savior, my Redeemer and my Rock. One thing that I have learned is that GOD gives everyone the free will to love him so it was up to me to reach out to Him, the one that made me and all along He was there waiting for me. You see I took two steps and He met me with two of his own.

Since making JESUS my Lord and Savior nothing but beautiful things are happening in my life. I've been baptized in water amen!!!  I was baptized with the Holy Spirit, now that is awesome to be able to speak in tongues with GOD amazing amen to that.  So now I've been with VFN NJ a little over a year and going strong thanks to my Father in heaven and His unfailing love for me and also my spiritual father my pastor ,my friend , my brother, shepherd, John Ramos, who I love with all my heart he's one of a kind. Thank you JESUS for him and of course the man that poked me in the chest all the way from Pensacola my loving brother, Greg Lancaster.

I have to say Father in heaven without you I am nobody you see Lord you are my Potter and I am the clay so Father I ask that you continue to mold and to fix whatever you have to do, I just  praise you and love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength . I am closing with this prayer that the whole world read this story and that my testimony can help and touch someone that has been in the boat that I've been in that wicked boat that was taking me down.  Now because of my Lord and Savior JESUS Christ I am in a new boat the boat of righteousness and I am ready and willing to jump out of this boat out of my comfort zone and into the living waters of GOD almighty. To walk on water the way Peter did except I will keep my eyes on the prize and that is JESUS CHRIST my Lord of Lords and King of Kings no matter what comes my way hell or high water my God is my Savior.  Listen life throws us all kinds of curve balls but if we are patient the Lord will see us through in GOD everything is possible so don't give up please give GOD a shot, I did and look at me now!!!!  I am his son and a disciple for the kingdom that's at hand. I wish you the best in CHRIST as CHRIST is in me. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. 

If you’d like to invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your life as I did read more