Hi, this is Roy Jones with ManTalk Radio Podcast. Our mission is to break down the walls of race and denomination. Your chosen Truth Radio Broadcast will be starting in just a few seconds.
Thank you. Well, I'm on the first leg of my journey today. I'm at the Houston International Airport, waiting to catch my flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. And we know what Las Vegas is called.
It's called Sin City. They say, there's an old saying that says, whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And as I am waiting for my flight, I'm just reflecting on the times that I spent in Las Vegas before I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol and I would go to Las Vegas and I'd drink and be high on cocaine and be gambling.
And I had just such riotous living there. And when I was in prison, I began to write my memoirs or began to write a book called The Poetry of Addiction, One Man's Journey into the Captivity, Darkness and Hell of Addiction and Deliverance Back to His God, Jesus Christ. And I was reflecting on some of my times in Las Vegas and I told myself when I was in prison that I would never go back to Las Vegas. And I said the only way I'd ever go back to Las Vegas if I was preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And today, here I am, I'm on my way back to Vegas. That was about nine years ago when I was in prison, when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and when I said I'd never go back to Vegas. And I'm going to Vegas, I have to go on some family business. And I was starting to think reluctantly, man, I really don't want to go to Vegas. But then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, what better place for an evangelist than to be in a place like Las Vegas? Hallelujah, Sin City, hallelujah. And I just began to get just this really good feeling that God, there's somebody in Las Vegas that is about to get a Holy Ghost ambush. And so when I'm there, I'm going to conduct my business and be with my family and do the things that I need to do there.
But I'm also going to be looking for the lost, be looking for the people that the Lord wants me to speak to, to share him with, to share his love with. And I've already just have it in my mind that when I get there and I have some time, I'm just going to walk up and down the strip and I'm just going to let the Holy Spirit guide me and lead me to the hurt, broken, the lost, and the people that are either addicted to drugs or addicted to gambling who have just come to the end of themselves like I had done so many times. And it was just horrible. I can remember one time when I was in Las Vegas and I was high on cocaine and I'd been gambling and ended up getting in an argument with my friend. I came to Vegas to visit one of my friends and he was flying in there and we were staying in his room.
He got the room. He was on some business there and he knew that I wasn't supposed to be doing drugs, but I brought some drugs with me. I was high on cocaine and we got in an argument and he just told me to leave. So I went down and started to gamble and I ended up losing all my money and then I didn't have anywhere to stay. So I kind of got kicked out of the hotel. I was walking the streets, didn't know what to do.
I had no money and my flight wasn't for about three more days, so I didn't know what I was going to do. I was walking through a parking lot at Circus Circus Casino and I just happened to look next to a suburban and inside the car through the window, I could see a briefcase and in my mind and in my drunken stuber and high on cocaine, I decided that I was going to get a rock and I got a rock and I busted out the window and I grabbed the briefcase and I took off running and went and looked inside the suitcase or briefcase and there was a passport, some checks, some other things and I threw everything away. I kept the passport and checks and I decided I was going to go try to get the money out of this guy's account and I can still remember vividly what this guy looked like, what this man looked like in his passport and what I was about to go do and I was drunk.
Like I said, the sun was coming up and so I went. I was at the Rio Hotel Casino. If anybody's been to Las Vegas, it's a little ways from the Las Vegas strip where all the other hotels are so I went down and I stole a golf cart, a maintenance golf cart and I took the maintenance golf cart and I drove down the street across the highway on a bridge and up and down the Las Vegas strip and I went into the different casinos writing checks and pretending like I was this guy and I remember them looking at me kind of funny because the guy was a lot thinner than I was and I think I made up some excuse that I've been sick, I had cancer or something crazy like that but I was able to get some money off these checks and then able to go get a hotel and I went down to another casino, Mandalay Bay and checked into my room and started gamma and won a lot of money. I won about three, four thousand dollars, I remember and so I ended up finally going to sleep. I'd been up for a couple days on drugs and I ended up finally going to sleep. I woke up the next morning and I was walking outside the casino and the tables, the blackjack table called me back over there and I ended up losing everything that I'd gained the night before and I was just, that is just such a picture of what my life was like. If it wasn't alcohol, if it wasn't crack cocaine, if it wasn't gambling, all of it was an addiction.
It was all addicted behavior. If I wasn't addicted to one thing, I was addicted to another and the things that it made me do and I'm not proud of those things but old things are passed away. Therefore, anyone in Jesus Christ is a new creation. Old things are passed away.
All things become new. So I just reflect on that old man that was in Vegas that time and then I say no, there's a new man coming to Vegas this time. Hallelujah and this time I'm not going to steal from a man.
I'm going to give a man or a woman the precious gift, a gift, a gift that's better than money, that's better than riches, that's better than anything in this world and that's the gospel of Jesus Christ and I'm going to share with the people. So along my journey, I'm going to be doing some different recordings of maybe people that I run into. I don't know how this is going to go but I'm glad you're along with me on this journey. I love you and to be continued, stay tuned. I'm at the airport. I'm about to catch my flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm going to check back in as soon as I get there and kind of tell you how I'm feeling, what I'm feeling, and what the atmosphere is like. I love you all.
Stay tuned. Well, I made it to Las Vegas and caught my Uber and got to the hotel. I'm staying at the Venetian and I got to the hotel just in time to make our dinner reservations with my parents and my sister and my sister's husband. We had a wonderful dinner. I had some lobster with some spaghetti. It was incredible, one of the best meals I've eaten in a long, long time and I just, I'm really excited to be here.
I'm excited to be with my family and to just enjoy their company. I was speaking to my sister and my parents and they were going to play some cards after dinner and they like to do that. They asked me if I did that. Are you going to gamble, Michael? Are you going to play some 21, some blackjack? I said, absolutely not. I said, to me, gambling is like drugs. I said I'd rather not.
I said, I am not going there. Then I told them about how when I was in prison that I was reflecting about all the things that I had when I started writing that book in prison. I started reflecting on all the bad things that ever happened to me in Vegas and I started writing them down in my memoirs in that book. I just did some rotten, horrible things in this city.
It was just a bad part of my life. It's that old man. That old man's passed away and now I'm a new creation. I'm an evangelist. I'm an evangelist in Sin City. I'm an evangelist in Las Vegas and there's a bunch of hurting people in Las Vegas and I know it.
I went and I watched them play cards for a little bit but there just wasn't anything there for me. I didn't feel the pull to even want to do something like that because whom the son sets free is free indeed. The Lord delivered me from addiction, period. That's addiction to alcohol. That's addiction to drugs. That's addiction to gambling and all those things that were all tied up into one. The lust of that flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is all wrapped up in that addiction and I just don't have it anymore. The Lord delivered me. That's for someone else and there's nothing wrong with it if you like to do that but for this man right here, I have no business even getting into that kind of environment and gambling and all the alcohol and those type of feelings that would stir up.
I'm just not interested. I'm more interested in seeing what's out there and seeing who that I can come into contact with or that I can encounter that's hurting. That I can tell a story about how I used to be and how my life has changed since I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. So it's 9 30 at night and I'm in my hotel room. I'm about to go down to the Las Vegas Strip and see what the Lord has in store for me and I will take you along with me and do continue this podcast on the Las Vegas Strip. So right now Lord just bless me.
Bless my feet. Lord prepare someone for me to talk to in Jesus name. Amen. I will talk to you all soon. Well I must say night one has one has come to an end. I'm back in my hotel room. I was out walking the strip up and down.
People are everywhere. It's Saturday night and just trying to be in the spirit walk in the spirit and and just be led by God and I had some real nice conversations with some people and and I saw some some people that looked like they were having a bad night and I would I would have a nice little word or a comment to them. I didn't really get a chance to do any evangelism or talk about the Lord so much.
The opportunity just didn't present itself. I'm here for three more days so I know that the Lord has something special planned. He always does and and so I'm just going to be ready. I'm making myself available. I put myself out there on that strip and I was walking and I was just praying and when I'd see people I was maybe that's what I was supposed to do is just walk and pray over people. I was praying over the strip. I was praying when I'd see people that looked sad or or or maybe they were high or whatever I would I would pray for them and I was just praying for deliverance. I was praying for comfort and and just trying to be there and I was telling the Lord as I was walking I said Lord I'm your evangelist.
I'm here if you need to use me. I'm available and I was just making myself available to the Lord and and and it just felt so wonderful to be able to do that and that's that's my duty. That's when I started my life to Jesus Christ. So Lord I hate myself.
I hate this world. I don't want it anymore and I said Lord I said if I'm gonna smoke drugs when I leave here then you just kill me now because I can't do it anymore. I said but Lord if you will save me I will serve you the rest of the days of my life. So that's the deal I made with the Lord that I would serve him.
So I come here on that strip and I'm on that Las Vegas strip and on that street and I'm serving him. Tonight it was in prayer and I was just praying maybe tomorrow night it'll be evangelism. I'm not sure what it's going to be but the point is is that I'm making myself available. I'm keeping my word to God that that you're going to use me Lord. I'm your vessel. Use me for your will for your purpose. If there's anybody that needs help that needs a a kind word or they need to hear about you Lord use me.
I'll do it. I'm your mouthpiece. I'm your hands and feet oh Lord and so I just want to encourage anybody out there tonight or I guess when you're listening to this podcast um that just make yourself available to God keep an open open uh communication with him and just be in the spirit and move in the spirit and and um and just and be friendly to people be kind and show them the love of Jesus Christ uh when you encounter them. So tonight is it was a it was a good night a good evening a good day getting here uh from Houston Texas and uh I will begin again tomorrow. I found a church. I'm going to a church in the morning.
I have 11 o'clock service at a church called Grace City Church uh so I'm gonna go check that out and I'll give a report on that and what that is all about and we'll see what the Lord has for for me in in store for me tomorrow at this church. Good night. I love you all. We'll talk again tomorrow. Praise the Lord.
I'm back with you. It's it's Sunday morning and uh you know how when um you just are in the right place at the right time. I call them divine appointments. Well I have walked into a divine appointment. I come down to eat breakfast uh in the Venetian a little restaurant and they sit me at a table that is very close to another table next to me and uh and I come to find out that that I'm sitting next to a brother and sister in Christ Brian and Naomi and we start talking and just having such a wonderful discussion about Jesus. We're having church here. We're talking about scriptures and we're talking about um the things that that are going on in our lives and we're just magnifying God and glorifying God and I just want to introduce Brian and Naomi right now. Brian would you like to to say something about our meeting this morning? Yeah um first off the meeting uh you talk about a divine appointment and it's funny because when you first sat down I knew it was a tight squeeze but I was kind of like in my zone of eating and just and but I saw you sit there and then you for whatever reason I don't know why but as you started she was she asked you about like the food and then the buffet and I was for whatever reason it's just like recommend the buffet like I just just recommend the buffet and then just from doing that we started having a conversation and your heart for making an impact in the life of like you we're in Vegas right and you know you shared your your story and your testimony but what really struck me is like the heart that you have to see change in people that are written like people honestly that are written off like the you know I I don't remember all the details of everything you were sharing but the folks out in Liberia um outcasts yeah uh you know folks that people have given up on for whatever reason we get a like that goes on in this country that goes on all over the world but there was a moment when you were sharing about um I don't remember the details but it was about the people in these cities and the fact that there's actually a hunger there like people don't know that they're starving until they get around food it's actually like nourishing yes right you know what I mean because you know I don't eat McDonald's yeah to be real with you like I could be really really hungry to be real with you like I could be really really hungry but I'm not like a Big Mac is just not gonna be my thing yeah but if I'm starving that's right that Big Mac comes around I'm not even thinking second yeah I'm gonna just eat it because I need to be fed and whatever God has called you to do like I know it's real because I can feel his presence in our conversation yeah and I can feel his presence in your expression of what he's called you to do so it's a it's a blessing I don't even know how this all came about yeah like I'm just wonderful even as I'm starting to talk like I'm just sitting here like we the the alignment of just different things like wonderful we were we were technically gonna be we should have technically left today yeah which wouldn't have brought us to here right and so it's just been a blessing man it's been it's been a total blessing it's what we call these divine appointments and you just never know who you're gonna meet and what kind of conversations you're gonna have and and how they always end up on Jesus and on your faith when you're walking in the spirit and and we get to magnify look we I was trying to find a church this morning and and and I've been talking and I was going to try to eat real quick and hurry out of here and go to church and find me a church but God already found me a church it's right here at this table because we have had church hallelujah and I was praying to God get me to a good church where do you want me to be in church and this is my church today and I'm sharing it with you and Naomi would you like to say something sure so when you sat down next to us I immediately felt your energy like I I feel people more than you know anything and so like when you sat next to us like I could just feel a light and a happiness to you and then you know through sharing your story like I come from a family that is drug addicted yeah you know I grew up in foster homes with my mom being you know addicted to heroin my brother and I taking care of ourselves when we were three and four years old until the state took us and my dad you know the same thing my parents loved us but you know addiction is addiction and so my brother was in prison for nine years yeah because he um hurt somebody very bad in a car accident when he was drinking yeah and so that touches me more probably than most people yeah and so the just listening to you and hearing just what you're doing for people because people just want to be loved yeah right and regardless of what they've done in their past or um what people have done to them like ultimately like what we all want is just to be loved and to be forgiven for the things that we we've done that aren't you know ideal and a lot of these people don't know any other way but you're showing them through your testimony like I said to you you know maybe you went through that 25 years of addiction so you can show them look this is not only I'm not gonna say what you can do but what God can do that's right you know when you told him that hey I don't want to leave this prison unless I'm doing something for you and look what you're doing yeah you know and all we need to be is that social proof for one person and you never know what that one person will end up doing in their life with what they can turn around you know the seeds that you're planning over there and just I feel like a lot of the homeless community the drug addicted community like they're left to rot and so you know just hearing what you have to say in regards to that particular group because I do have a soft spot for them like it just warms my heart and you know I'm not grateful that you you know were addicted for as long as you were but I'm grateful that you gained the experience that you needed to reach the people that you're reaching so so many great things about what you're doing and I'm grateful for you well Naomi just spoke on something that I've been talking about too is that it it it is profound to me that I am happy that drug addiction came into my life because it made me the man that I am today she said well I'm I'm not happy that you were addicted for 25 years she sees it that she sees it that way but I am happy that I was because it allowed me to help a people that is struggling and suffering in drug addiction like I did if I didn't have those experiences I wouldn't be able to be used by God it's not me doing anything it's God using me and taking that which was meant to destroy me and using it for the good now I could have come out of addiction at any time before that but but I was too stubborn and and and I and I hadn't reached my bottom uh and and you know we are the ones that decide where our bottom is and unfortunately it took me 25 years but even because it it didn't take me 10 years it took me 25 years God's gonna take those extra 15 years and use it for the good hallelujah so I just I just want to encourage everybody out there who's listening to this podcast you never know who you're gonna meet who you're gonna run into don't be afraid to talk to somebody don't be afraid to sit down next to somebody and and have a conversation and see what the Lord wants to do with it and and right now we're blessed we've all been to church they wanted to go to church today I want to go to church today and God made a church right here in this restaurant hallelujah so um I'll be back uh on this podcast with some more experiences evangelists in sin city thank you well brothers and sisters friends of mine listening to this podcast wow what an incredible morning I have had what a breakfast with uh my my new friends uh my brother and sister in Christ and their son Brian Naomi and Josiah what a treat God had in store for me I'm so fired up uh after speaking to them and and talking to them and and immediately our conversations on both sides went to God and and what God is doing in our lives and and there was just such similarities in our stories uh and things that that that we've that we've we've um how our lives have have have come up how we grew up and some things like that and we just identified with each other on such a great level I know uh it was inspiring for them and it was inspiring for me and we just thank you so much Jesus uh for what you're doing in our lives and uh uh I believe right now I'm gonna go ahead and I want to do another church I want to go to church I'm gonna go visit the Las Vegas Church of the Harvest with Pastor Sandy Mays uh it's not too far from from where I'm at right now I'm gonna get catch an Uber and go over there and I'll I'll give an update on how church goes I'm just so fired up in the Holy Spirit right now I want more I just want more I want to see what God has in store for me this day who else I'm going to be able to encounter who else he wants me to to to to speak to to to give my testimony or to share the word or just give a word of encouragement um to help uplift somebody because what what I don't really understand uh what what people don't really understand realize is if I'm uplifting you you have no idea in turn what you're doing to me and my spirit I feel so uplifted after meeting Brian Omi and Josiah what a blessing I'm so excited for for the day and and what for God hasn't what God has in store so uh until uh until I get back to you I'm off to church all right I've come to church and it is unbelievable what the Lord has done and and when I when I came to church I got on my Uber I was wondering if I was in the right place but as soon as I walked in the door and felt the presence of God and the anointing here we were at the uh the lost the Las Vegas Church of the Harvest with Pastor Sandy Mays and uh and and uh Jaylene and Jasmine and uh I came in and it was it was scripted by the Holy Ghost the Holy Spirit we started we started our praise and worship and I tell you what it was all my very favorite songs my own personal favorite songs not just one not just two but three of my personal favorite songs they had lined up for me the Holy Spirit had lined up for me here and I just I'm just so pleased um I knew when I came to Las Vegas that God had something bigger he had the plan for me with the family business to do that was the world's plan but he had his own plan a plan in the spirit that didn't even have anything to do with with with the world's plan but his plan and what he's doing and this is part of that plan and I'm just so grateful and Pastor Sandy just go ahead and talk and say what's on your heart you had such a wonderful message about the the spirit of life that's in us and and how we activate it through our faith and it just touched me and we we don't realize this power that we have on inside of us if we really knew we could go tell that mountain to move and go jump in the sea and it really would we can do amazing things we can we can be healed in Jesus name and and we can go in and and preach this gospel and help the lost be saved and I just tell me tell us about this church and and the mission that God has put on your heart yes thank you well it's just such an honor to have you here uh brother brother Bowen praise God I am just so happy you know first I want to say that during the worship I it was just I felt like I had known you forever because it's just that kindred spirit you know just that so just so happy to have you with us praise God um for our church Las Vegas Church of the Harvest our mission and what we want to do is you know just helping people connect with that power you know through meditation you know so often people or Christians I you know they they forget that what God has done on the inside of them that they're brand new and they think um you know that they just have to rough it out until we get to heaven or you know trying to deal with everything from the mental aspect of things or the physical but we have to get to the spiritual and realize that we are empowered spiritually and that's why uh Joshua 1 says to meditate upon the word day and night and as we do that that we're going to see we're going to have revelation to see how to make our way prosperous how to live prosperous how to you know activate all that God's done so that's the primary focus of our ministry is to teach meditation and application of the word of God and just to keep growing that way yeah and I just want to tell you this is this is an anointed church and there are strong women of God here let me just tell you about it and and and I'm sitting with two of them Jasmine and in Jay and Jaylene and boy they just they are they are such a blessing in this house and I know they help you pastor and would you like to say something Jay Jasmine first was was the one singing and did an incredible job of worship singing my favorite songs you must have known I was coming or something would you would you like to say something too I just want to say I think for a lot of we represent younger women in the kingdom of God who are uh I think a lot of times in the world they make it seem like it's so attractive to do things the world's way but uh I want to encourage anyone who's listening that there is nothing better than tapping into the kingdom of God and allowing God's plan to flourish and to have place in your life the world makes the world seem so attractive but y'all already know that's not really how it goes it's a lie it is a trap and it makes it seem like doing things God's way or abandoning the way of the world is so unattractive um and that the kingdom um the kingdom is unattractive but kingdom or doing things God's way is the best way to do it and God is will do so much more in your life and your personal life and your relationships and your body and your finances than you could ever imagine so just choose God do things his way and you will be so excited and happy when you see the results yes what a great word and enjoy what you are doing yes my name is Jaylene just enjoy because a lot of Christians they think that doing uh God's work is hard you know they think like oh I don't see the results but it's just learning again learning about the power within you who you are and also we're uh studying about the believer's authority we are believers we believe in the word of God and that's what just understanding and knowing not just know know God but know of who he is what we are understanding and believing his word that who we are what we are where we are in Christ yeah unbelievable let me tell you this is an exciting trip for me evangelist in sin city I knew I just every time I it's almost like going on a scavenger hunt and you get out you don't know what God has has got in store for you and all of a sudden it's way more than you could ever imagine and way better than you ever thought it could be and that's just how God is he just gives you these gifts these precious gifts in the spirit and I received one today all right we're going to stay in touch this is this is this is my family right here thank you Jesus and and I'll be back with some more on my journey through sin city Las Vegas right yeah well the day number two in Las Vegas has come to an end and I just topped off an incredible day meeting some wonderful God-fearing people the divine appointments I had at breakfast with Brian and Naomi and then and and their son Josiah and then at church with pastor sandy and jasmine her daughter jasmine and um jaylen and just the wonderful time we had in worship and I was crying in worship and the holy spirit was moving so mightily and the word that was preached was so spot on it's exactly what I what I needed to hear and it just helped build up that faith in me um and we were able to pray together and it was just such a wonderful day but we it was capped off by the most beautiful evening I spent with my parents and my sister and my brother-in-law and we had just this incredible uh dinner over at a steakhouse at the mirage um and just enjoyed each other's company and uh it was it was just a great time and then we went to a show um a magic show with cards and stuff and that was really fun and now I've come back to the hotel and I'm just resting reflecting on this day reflecting on how this trip to Las Vegas is so different from any other trip that I've ever taken uh before you know because because the last time I was in Vegas I did not know Jesus Christ I was not reborn in the spirit I was I was being led by the desires of my flesh but now I walk in the spirit and it's a totally different um situation here and a totally different uh mindset and a totally different drive for me right now and and the drive for me is meeting people sharing the love of Jesus Christ I'm sharing the love with with my mother and father my sister my brother-in-law brother-in-law and and just enjoying life and my life in Jesus Christ and we got more tomorrow uh I don't leave until Tuesday tomorrow will be Monday I just can't wait for what the Lord is going to do again tomorrow so until then I'll see you tomorrow well it's my last night in Las Vegas this is my third night to be here and uh we had a wonderful day we had to do take care of some business uh things uh here with my family the evangelists in sin city and this podcast is just about all my uh experiences as I I walk through this city I walk through the uh casinos and just reflecting on how much this trip is different from the ones that I've had in my past when I was a drug addict when I was uh addicted to alcohol and drugs and even gambling and I'm here to tell you there is a God in heaven I've been in Las Vegas Nevada for three days inside the casinos and I have not had a desire not one desire to gamble and anybody that knows me that is a miracle of and in itself whom the sun sets free is free indeed and I just want to thank everybody who was a part of this podcast you know who you are my friends for life Brian and Naomi and Josiah our wonderful breakfast that we had um uh yesterday uh it was just incredible uh our conversations our conversations and how we just uh um uplifted the Lord and and talked about his word and and just helped encourage one another uh and then my uh my friends uh Pastor Sandy and Jasmine and Jaylin it was an incredible I'm talking about awesome uh church service and worship I was crying and uh it was it was God ordained it was a divine appointment uh that God led me to that church and we got to uh worship the Lord and uplift his holy name and and I'll treasure that for for the rest of the days of my life and uh I just want to thank my family uh my my parents and my sister my brother-in-law and we just grew just a lot closer this trip and uh and I just and I'm just and I'm just value the time that we all spent together and and I just tell you God will restore all the things the locusts have eaten he will restore it I'm telling you he just totally restored my life and and I'm just so grateful to be able to come and walk in Sin City as an evangelist and make myself available to God and be used by him in a profound way and and I just encourage everybody just to just to listen to this and and just make yourself available to be used by God and and he will use you you say God just use me I'm here for you I will do your will what do you have for me send me on a mission set a divine appointment up for me and that's what I did this trip that's all I want to thank you for joining me on this journey and this will be it this is the last recording for this podcast evangelists in Sin City thank you Jesus all glory to God for a radically changed life in Jesus Christ thank you for listening for more information on Michael Bowen's ministry sons and daughters of thunder visit sons and daughters of thunder dot o-r-g and remember there is no addiction in Jesus Christ Jesus breaks the chains this is the truth network
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-04-18 18:54:25 / 2023-04-18 19:08:17 / 14