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I can't hold you. A daily program powered by the Truth Network. This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you what. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind.
And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. How far would God go to reach you? How far would Jesus go to reach you, to save you from an eternal hell? This is Michael's Wick. The phone number is 866-34TRUTH-866-3486.
7884, and we've got a Paul O'Heda out of Austin, Texas. Are you there, Paul? Yeah, I'm here. How are you doing? I'm doing just fine.
Thank you for asking. And, you know, it's funny, I actually saw some of your videos online, and I realized one of the things that I thought about, Paul, was the Bible verse where it says that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And, Paul, years ago, you said you actually gave your life to Satan. Is that right? That's absolutely right.
Yeah, I was in Louisiana. Yeah, I Uh go ahead.
So yeah, I was um Obviously, at this time, I was drinking and drugging and Life had gotten really bad and I just thought to myself, You know? Everybody talks about this God and I can't seem to find them and Jesus and Um somebody's helping me. I got actually said that. My cousin, uh, we were in in Lee in New Orleans. And she says a lot of people go in this place.
out there and give their lives to Satan. And I just thought, well, man, that's a great idea. I should do that because God seems to not be helping me. I says, Well, God, if you're not going to help me, Say, I'll go ahead and uh give you my my sum. And I mean literally Right after I did that, I mean, it was like a whirlwind of destruction.
and chaos came over my life. And you didn't actually grow up in the church, did you? No, not at all. By by all means. Far from it.
Um So my mom, um, was Catholicism, she's Catholic. Um but we were po we were Um not even close. We claimed it 'cause we drove past it. And we would stop by maybe Randomly every ten years or something, or on Easter Sunday, if it was a family gather, but no, by no means. I never read the Bible.
I They didn't go to church. Matter of fact, As a kid, I used to ask my mom, I was like, all the kids are going to church. Why don't we go to church? She goes, we don't do that. you know, the weekend is for us.
We don't we don't have time for that. And so, yeah, I grew up with the uh I grew up knowing that there was a God. I just didn't know him personally.
So he kinda he stayed to his side and And we stayed to our side and So yeah, that was the extent of what I knew about God to be quite honest here with this. Yeah, and so you didn't really have a strong Christian upbringing. And I think later on you got into drugs, but then something happened in 1997. Is that right? So in 1997, I've had my uh What it was my girlfriend there.
I I I actually went to a drug rehab I meant Lillian. Um And when we get out of rehab. Uh Lily and I She introduced me, call her big Colombian drug dealers and You know, they were just I basically to drug park jail back then and So we started to hang it out. And I remember that.
Well the first place we went I mean, it was like a movie scene. They had cocaine everywhere and Um there was a there was a bunch going on. And I remember Lillian looking at me, I don't know, maybe 20 minutes in that we were there. And she's like, Hey, uh We need to leave this place. Uh this place is about to get raided.
And I'm like, how do you know that? And she goes, God tell me, Pa. I said, God, I got talked to you. And then she's like, You don't understand. I grew up in the church as a little girl.
I know God's voice. And He said we need to get out of here. And, you know, I was reluctant 'cause, you know, to me that was just kinda like a fairy tale type thing. It didn't make any sense to me at all. And so I was just like, I I actually told her, No, I don't want to leave.
And she said, I'm gonna drag you by your hair and we're leaving. You you need to go.
So we get in the car and we drive off. And she says, turn around and look back now. And when I did, I'm telling you, it's God is my witness. There was... CE A, FBI I mean, the whole place just got raided.
In every direction, and we just missed it. And so that was the first introduction ever that I had Someone told me, God told me this, and then I actually saw. that it happens. And so that that took me back like, man, what is What kind of superpowers does Croak got? She can talk to God like that.
And so, what happened after this? I mean, so that was a pretty big moment for you, but what happened after that? Jackie.
So You know, obviously. We continued on in our And our uh in our drug relationship of us doing what we were doing and things escalated and you know, around this time, um I I I want to tell you this. We started doing a lot of drugs, and to the point where it was getting hard to go to work. Um I started seeing Dark images. I started.
Here at Devons, talk to me. As a matter of fact, I heard them whisper to me over and over again. We want you to die. We want to kill you. And as a matter of fact, they even they even went as far as saying you have no reason to live.
You might as well take your life. There's no hope. There's there's nothing for you. And I mean, I I I heard those voices on a continuous Basis is like the more drugs I did, the more I heard it, the darker things got. And I remember at one point.
I said, you know what? They're right. I mean. There's no hope for me. There's nothing good coming out of my life.
I can't believe that I'm in this situation. And I said, man, I'm just going to take my life. And I remember one day I jumped up and I told Lloyd, I said, ABM. I just I'm gonna I'm gonna take my life. And she's like No, you're not.
And I'm like, yeah. And so I ran to the kitchen. I grabbed the biggest knife I had and I said, I mean it. She's like, Okay, whatever. And So I took the knife Just to prove to her that I'm serious.
And I've literally slashed my my thighs, my upper part of my thigh. And if blood just started going everywhere, I think the reality of like Whoa, wait a minute. What am I doing? And I dropped the knife. And we actually had to rush feed it up.
the hospital that had to stitch me up.
Okay. And It was right then and there I realized I did want to die. And part of the reason is because I wanted this pain and suffering and this darkness to end. And my only answer for it to end was And maybe if I die it will be game over and there won't be any more pain and suffering and This will all come to an end. And that was the only answer that I had.
For the pain and suffering that I was going through.
So you felt no hope at all? Absolutely, yeah, it was I mean, my life was so dark that there was just I felt hopeless. I felt like there was no answer for me. Like I was. too far gone that nobody could actually help me.
And But you know that I will say that So then I try to develop a plan. Like, so how can I? How can I end my life?
Well It it was shortly after that. that I ended up I I'm a I'm a plumber, by the way, and I had went I had been doing so many drugs and I went to a service call and I barely got there. I don't even know how I drove there, but by the time I got there, I O D right there in their house. I just kind of blacked out and So they called the ambulance, they came and grabbed me and They took me to the hospital. By the time I get to the hospital, The nurse comes and she asks me like How much are you doing and what are you doing and I began to tell her and She said It's a miracle that you're even alive today.
She goes, if you continue, you're going to die. And what you're going to do when you come back from the break is you're going to tell us how you took that and what you did right after that happened. The number is 86634 Truth, and we'll be right back with Paul O'Heda. and how he literally came back to life and Jesus saved him. Why?
You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. All right, this is Mike Zwick. We are back on Truth Talk Live and we've got Paul O'Heda and Paul right before the break, man, you kind of left us hanging.
Well, you didn't do that on purpose. It went to a commercial, but you said that you didn't want to live and it sounds like you kind of tried to kill yourself, but it didn't work. And then you met somebody at the hospital and you may have found a way, is that right? Yeah, so she The answer explained to me, she said, at the rate that you're going, She goes, You're gonna be dead soon, young dad. And so I just thought there's my answer.
I just need to do enough cocaine. and my heart will come out of my chest. And then that will be it. And so From that point forward, I went to try to buy as much as I could and do as much as I could. And I remember that we had got Phil into a situation Well, we were about to get evicted because I we were doing so much truck and I remember I told Lily and I was like, man, I don't know what we're going to do.
Um I feel like, you know, they're about to evict us and I don't have any money to pay the rent. And and I remember Lillian telling me, she's like, Look, Paul, Let's pray and ask Jesus to help us. Pay our rent. And I said, look. I didn't grow up in church and I don't know God, but I will tell you this.
I know that we're not good people and we're not doing anything right. And so I feel like um We're the last people he would answer or take care of.
Okay. And I remember she told me, she said, Look, Paul, you don't know the God that I know. Jesus loves you. He doesn't love what you're doing, but he definitely loves you. And She says, grab my hands and let me pray.
And I said Okay, sure. And so She I thank God for her. simplicity in her prayer and She grabbed my hand and she said, Jesus Paul's right. Where we are not living a good life. But I know that you love us, and I know that if we call on you.
You will help us. And we need your help. Show Paul that You love him and you'll do a miracle for him. Help us pay our rent. And she did that simple prayer.
I left for the day, went to go do my plumbing. And that particular day, I ran across some extra work did an extra side job. I came home and I took, I was like, Man, Lily, you're not gonna believe this. Man, I made up sh I hit a lick. I made some money.
And we got enough to pay the rent and buy another A ball, buy some more drugs. And she's like Remember we pray And I'm like, Oh my God, you're right. I'm like, man, where's Where's this Jesus at? He can pay our rent. We can buy more drugs and we keep paying him.
And she's like. No, no, no, no. It doesn't work like that. She goes He doesn't give you what you want, he gives you what you need. Man.
I mean, it was just that And I just thought, man, I turned like, well, where is this Jesus? Like, how do we find him? She says, Pa, I will tell you this. One day when you find him You'll change your life and you'll never want to come back. He's the greatest thing you'll ever know.
And I said, Okay, well I hope, yeah. We find him one day. And I I want to tell you that I was so desperate. that my mother-in-law, she's from Brazil and so is my wife. But she would go to church.
She actually would took the kids every Sunday to church. And I remember going with her to the church. And I sat in the back crying my eyeballs out like Where are you God? Like, everybody keeps talking, but I just can't seem to find you. And I remember coming home and just feeling hopeless and Finally, I I bought some more drugs.
And by this time Things had gotten really dark. And when I mean dark, I could smell and feel death all around me. And It's that the spirit of death was present. I mean it was it was very heavy, it was very dark. And I'm sitting there with a plate full of cocaine that I've been doing for Days now.
And I think Lillian sits the same thing. And she told me, she said, Paul, listen. When I was about 15 years old, I came to America with the church. God told me I was going to marry a pastor and do great things for the Lord. And you're that guy.
God has a plan and a purpose for your life. You're going to be the guy that goes to the dark places. and wins people and brings them back to the light. And I remember looking at it, and I said, nah, you got the wrong guy. I'm on my way out.
I just want this pain to stop. Yeah. And it was about that time. and nineteen ninety seven when I proceeded to do my last line of cocaine. And when I did.
Remember, this time is very different. I had an OD. I went to the hospital. I blacked out. I woke up.
But not this time. This time When I flagged out, I look up an eternity. And I would tell you That when you step into eternity, your spirit knows it. There's a totally different time zone. And everything about it is more enhanced and rich.
And So it felt like somebody grabbed me and dropped me in an outer darkness. And I started to just free fall down this bottomless pit. And it was the most darkest, darkest Pit I have ever been in. And I don't know how to explain it, but I knew That I was on my way to hell. That was.
the porter, the porto to hell. And as I started to fall down this bottomless pit, I remember the first thought that came to mind was I'm not a bad person. And I've never, I didn't kill nobody, didn't rob a bank. Like I should be going to heaven. I should be going down.
Somebody up there made a huge mistake. And just as soon as I thought, you know, when I try to justify how righteous and how good I was, immediately. They went from 1,000 miles an hour to like 2,000 miles an hour. It doubled the process. And So When that happened, I mean, it literally I mean, it just scared everything out of me and I thought, Oh my god.
Flight control. I'm going down deeper and deeper. And there's no way out of this place. And I'm you. My soul, there's no return from this place.
As I'm going down that pit, All the students are I cried out with every fiber in my body. And I said, God, if you are real. I need your help right now, Lord. I have nobody else to call on. But you.
Help me, God. Help me! And I want you to know that God heard that sincere cry. He knew that I was being honest, and I was crying to him with everything. Did I add?
And all of a sudden There was a mighty rushing wind. The Spirit of the Lord, His presence. came right next to me. And You know, when he came next to me, It's almost like I was still in this tunnel. But everything fell to the wayside like that was secondary.
And when his present came next to me, I could feel This love, this warmth, this kindness, and I almost like a father put his arm around you and he said, Son. What have you done with a life that I've given to you? And as long as I live, I will never ever forget. Those words. They were so powerful.
They cut to the core of my being. And I was like What do you mean, what did I do with this life he gave me? I mean And I and I remember thinking, okay, Okay, Paul. What is the right answer? You can't get this wrong.
I mean, the last time you opened your mouth, this thing speed it up. Don't mess this up. And I I remember that almost like God was laughing at me. He's like, Yeah. I see that.
I see your thoughts. And so We're going to tell you what happened next because I think you were in the hospital at this time, but we will be right back 866-34TRUTH, Paul O'Heda out of Austin, Texas. And what would Jesus do to save you? How far would he go? You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com.
Hey, this is Mike Zwick. We are back with Paul O'Heda. For the second part of our segment, and Paul, right before you left, once again, man, you left us hanging.
So you had gone down, you could tell that you were dying, and you cried out to Jesus, and he answered you. But when you tried to justify yourself, instead of making it better, it made it worse. And then Jesus asked you a question. What was that question again? And with the life he gave me.
How did you before have to admit? I was just going to say, how did you answer it?
Well You know, when he asked me that, I was trying to think what the answer was and Before I could answer, my whole life flashed in front of me. as big as the sky. And it was right then and there that I realized My Trinity, me, myself and I. That's all I had ever lived for. I was a sinful man.
And I had did so many wrong things in my life. And I never gave God glory or acknowledged him. And it was the saddest moment of my life, and I told the Lord, I said, God, please forgive me. As a matter of fact, I'll be honest with you, that was probably my. First true repentance to God was right there.
I'm so sorry, God. I've done nothing with this thing called life you gave me. But I promise you that if you give me another opportunity all the days of my life, I'll love you and I'll serve you. And I remember I told him, I begged him, I said, you know, Lord. You deserve to send me to hell.
I see that today, and I know that. But I don't want any person to ever have to come to this place. This place. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Today, I understand there's a heaven, there's a hell, and today I know that when you die, it's not the end, but it's the beginning of eternity.
And so, Lord, if you just let me come back, I will tell the world about your mercy, your grace, your love. And who you are. And so what happened then? And so at that point I wake up. And I'm in the hospital, and I got the IVs.
And Lillian looks over at me. And I tell her, I said, Lillian, I found that Jesus you've been telling me about. I found him. I said, he saved me, and I said, and listen, there's the door. If you want to continue to do drugs or do whatever, I said, you can leave, but I'm never going back.
I'm going to find this Jesus that pulled me out of hell, and from this day forward, I'm going to serve him. And she said, No, Paul. When I was in the ambulance and they lost you, I beg God, give us one more chance, Lord. And we will serve you all the days of our life.
So simultaneously, I didn't know it, but we were both making promises to God to serve him going forward. Mm-hmm. And when I hear that, Paul, you know, I wonder if there's somebody out there who says, well, maybe I'll just wait until the very last minute right before I die to cry out to God. But that's not what you learned at all. Is that right?
No, absolutely not. And I would say this, Save yourself some wasted time. Don't wait. As a matter of fact, you don't have the Bible says today is the day of salvation. You need to take today.
One of the things that I can promise you. Is God rich in mercy and grace, but at the same token, he will not be mocked.
So you cannot mock God. You cannot play God. You cannot go, well, I'll wait to the last minute and pull the parachute. Because the parachute might not open if that's what your intentions are. One of the things that I learned and I discovered in that experience, that encounter with God, is to stand before God is to be like Adam and Eve were in the garden.
You're totally naked and exposed. Every motive, every intention, every thought. And that's why you can't mock God. You see, in that moment. There was a true repentance in my heart.
There was a godly sorrow. I was, God, I'm so sorry for the life that I've lived. And I can see today that it was terrible. I never did nothing for you. But going forward from this point forward, I want to serve you and love you because I understand what you did for me.
You saved me. Yeah, and so for me, when I hear this story, and I think I saw a video of you online or two, but when I hear that story, it gives me an extra sense of urgency. To get the good news of Jesus Christ out there, because the Bible says that today is the day of salvation. As many of us know, tomorrow never comes. And we're promised a lot of things in this life, Paul.
But one thing that we're never promised is tomorrow. That's absolutely right. You know, I would tell you this: one of my favorite scriptures when I came back. With 2 Corinthians 5:17, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Behold, all those things have passed away and everything has become new.
I want to tell this to your listeners and to the people out there. You know, I wanted things to be new. I just didn't know how to make them new. And I didn't know that, you know, Jesus was the answer. He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and only through me can you get to the Father.
And it's that simple, it's not difficult. And and if you just call on Jesus. He'll come into your life. And what I would say is Re true repentance. Tell God you're sorry for the life you live and you want him to come into your heart.
and give them a new dire and give you a new direction. And I promise he'll give you eyes to see and ears to hear. You know. In Psalms 119, 105, it says, Your word is a lamp to my feet. And I like to my path.
You know, I might have maybe picked up the Bible maybe once or twice before I knew the Lord, and it just kind of like none of it made sense. But once. I gave my life to God. It was almost like the pages were illuminated and came out, and revelation happened. Like, I really began to understand.
I went from Logos to Rhema. It was. Incredible. How God gave me understanding. And so, with that understanding, with that knowledge, and with that love, you know, one of the things that I've seen many, many people who have almost died, like you did, when they get a second chance, like you have, second chance at life, and we've all gotten a second chance, and many of us, I'm sure, like you and I, Paul, have gotten 10, 15, 20 chances.
But you said you realized how much God was pursuing you, and you realized how much God doesn't want anybody to perish. Is that right? Oh, yeah, absolutely. You know, now looking back. I realized how much God was saving me, delivering me, and keeping me.
From the hand of the enemy. I also realized how badly the devil wanted to take me out. John 10, 10 says, He says, the enemy comes to rob, kill, and destroy. But Jesus said, I've come to give you life and life more abundantly. And so, yeah, I just thank God that.
He saved my life the way he did and gave me a second opportunity. And with that being said, you know, I Once I got saved, the only my only goal in life was to share the gospel and tell people about Jesus I wasn't looking to be a pastor or open a church or do anything like that. I just wanted to tell every. person that God gave me an opportunity to share his love. That's what I wanted to do, whether it was at at work or with family members or a stranger on the street.
I just wanted to be a light. Everywhere that God gave me. Matter of fact, that's how I would wake up every day: God, give me an opportunity. to share your gospel with someone today. And you try to do that as much as you can, but Paul, just because we follow Jesus does not mean that life was easy.
You had something happen to your daughter, is that right? I did. I did. And so in 2015, unfortunately, my 20-year-old daughter, she died from an overdose. And she didn't come back.
And we got that. Phone call that every parent dreads at 1:30 in the morning, your daughter, she's gone. And I just remember, I was so into now. I was like, what do you mean she's gone? Where did she go?
And they said, Mr. Ahed, I'm sorry. She's dead, she's gone. And That was the toughest thing I had ever faced. For a couple different reasons.
I'm like, God, why did you bring me back and you didn't bring her back? And you know, I mean like I don't get it. I don't get it. She was a good girl. I was a drug addict.
She wasn't a drug addict. She just went to a party and tried a drug and she died. I tried to die and you wouldn't let me die. And but I would tell you that The Bible says that he goes to prepare a place for us, and if he goes, he will return for us. And I'll never forget that, you know, the Lord told me, He said, Son, her time was done.
I brought her home, and no one's gonna hurt her. No one's I got her in my arms. She's protected now. She's back home. Her home was ready for her.
Her time was done, but yours is not. And I would tell you the last ten years has been By the grace of God, we've been able to get up, my wife and I, and continue to share the good news and tell everybody that. And You know, I will say that. My faith in the Lord, my encounter with God. I know that I will see my daughter again.
Amen. I know that it's not the end. King David said that when he lost his child. The child cannot come to me, but one day I will go to the child. And I understand that.
Abraham, Genesis 22. It says, and God tested Abraham in this way. He said, Give me your son, your only son, the one that you love. And Abraham was obedient to put him on the altar, And we all know the story. Before he could put the knife down, he said there was a ram caught in the thicket.
And that was Jesus. Jesus died so that death wouldn't put us out. And so We have an opportunity. Live for eternity and not die, death and sin have been conquered at the cross and the resurrection. And so You know, I would tell you this: we miss her, we love her.
Do I cry? Absolutely. To this day, I'll drive down the road and remember a song or. see a certain place And cry, and I miss my daughter. I love my daughter, but I do know that my daughter's safe.
And I know that one day I will see her again. Yeah, and that, and that's the hope that we have. And so, when you have that hope, it changes your life. You know, Jesus, He told us, Paul, He said that if you forgive other men or other women when they sin against you, that your Heavenly Father will forgive you. He said, If you do not forgive other men or other women when they sin against you, that your Heavenly Father will not forgive you.
And I feel like when you've had the experience that you've had, Paul, when you've gone through what you've gone through, and when you've made the mistakes that you have, and I've made the mistakes that I have, it makes it easier for me to forgive other people. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, speaking of forgiveness, I've often heard people say, I'm angry with God. And you know, when that happened.
It never crossed my mind to be angry with God, and I'm going to tell you why. Because You know, got We are stewards of our daughter, not owners of her. And it she belongs to him. And so he took her back home where she belongs. And so, since he gave you another chance, in the last segment, we're talking about what we're going to talk about what you're doing these days.
You're actually a pastor and a bishop, and that there is hope for others.
So, we'll be right back after this break. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Back with our last segment with Paul O'Heda. And Paul, right before the break, we were talking about forgiveness. Did you have something else to say about forgiveness?
I will say the Bible says unless you forgive You cannot be forgiven. And so, forgiveness is huge. And I would tell you, it's easy to forgive anyone when you understand how much God has forgiven you. of everything you've done. And uh you know I I would tell you this.
When I was headed to hell and God showed me my life story. I realized that it was God because we all have secrets. And it didn't miss a beat. It showed me everything I had done in secret and open. And so, again, for God to know all those details and yet forgive me.
It just makes it so much easier for me to forgive others. And then you said, but you have an urgency every day to go out and share the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What did God do with you after you came back? Yeah, so after I came back I I Immediately got plugged into a church, started reading my Bible every day. And when I say every day, I mean morning, noon, and night, it became my food.
Actually, it became a buffet. I couldn't stop eating. And so. Uh um So I just started reading the word, going to church, but And then we started getting involved with a great church out in Katy, Texas that. Really trained us and helped us and discipled us.
And we started doing a thing called home groups at the time. And, you know, for the most part, people were having about maybe 10 to 12 people show up at their home. They would have a gathering. We went Uh, we were having on an average anywhere between 45 to 75 people come, and they were drug dealers, they were people that worked. In the cabarets, they were people out of prison.
They were. Gang member, I'm just Anybody and everybody you could imagine it was just like we were winning so's left and right Um And so Obviously, after doing that for a while, God gave me a vision and a dream. And he told me, he said, son, I want you to move to Austin and open a church. And so, with the blessing and the guidance of my pastor, he said, Yeah, I believe you got to call in and. You should answer God's calling over your life.
And so, my wife and I, we packed everything up. In 2004, we opened up a church called Austin. Powerhouse church. You can find us at Austin Powerhouse.com and We've now been in Austin for the last twenty one years. Um But I will tell you this, after My daughter's death in 2015.
You know, over the next few years, it just I was like, God, I need to do something. for this and So in 2020 God gave me a vision. And he told me to go buy a retreat center.
So we bought a piece of property out in the hill country in Texas. And we built us a retreat center.
So now we got men and women retreats we have. We have a huge family camping trip uh that we throw annually. And the reason is because I wanted to create a place where families could come and be restored. And so we have done Many baptismals and people come to give their life to the Lord and And I will tell you, I've seen God do so many wonderful things. He's taken me all over the world.
Had an opportunity to preach in Milan and Rome and We've been to Jordan and Israel and all over Brazil because my wife is from Brazil. We have a lot of connections with churches out in Brazil. Guatemala, Colombia, just I God took me Further than I ever thought. And the funny thing was, when that first happened, he said, Son, I'm going to put your story in the movie theaters. And that was in 1997.
Well, about two or three years ago, I had the opportunity to be a part of a. A movie called After Death, which is a documentary about NDEs, and so when that happened, it was just confirmation to what. God told me that he's, I'm going to take your story. all over the world. And so It I I just I'm excited.
When God can use my story for his glory and people can come to know Jesus. And really, that's my only driven motive, is this people to come to know Jesus. Yeah, because a lot of people, when they get into ministry, they say, I want to build a platform, or I want to get a large following, or I want to do this, or I want to do that. And I wonder sometimes when I hear that, is maybe they're doing it for the wrong reasons. Yeah, yeah.
You know, I would I'll tell you this. You know, God found me in a really dark place. And It's real easy for me to to stay humble because I never forget where he found me. And you know, um When everybody gave up, God didn't give up on me. And when I couldn't love myself, he loved me.
And God has been so gracious to me. And you know, because of those things, It is the very thing that drives me to keep doing what I do. I don't. Do it for a church building. I don't do it because I want my name out there, anything like that.
It's just. I don't want anyone to ever go to hell. And I know there's people suffering. And in pain, because I know what that pain and suffering looks like. I know what it feels like to be in such a dark place that you don't want to live no more.
But I want to tell everyone. that Jesus is our hope And he's never No one's ever too hopeless or never too far gone that God can't reach down and pull you out of that dark pit. and bring you back to life. There is There's nobody that's too far gone. And so I would say that every believer It should be their motive.
It should be their intention that when they wake up, God gives us opportunities. But the scripture says, seek and you'll find, knock and it'll be open. And so we have to seek for the loss. And what I mean by that, we we gotta have compassion on the lost. and passion for Jesus.
And that's how we do that. We just love. We gotta love them. the heterosexual, the homosexual, the Muslim. uh it the Buddhists, it doesn't matter what your religion, your color, your race.
your your your political stance. A sow is a sow, and one thing that I learned at the end of this world. That's what Jesus died for, was for the soves. You can't take nothing to heaven but souls with you. Yeah, and I wonder if there's somebody listening here today, because we're on all over the country.
If they're listening to this and they're intrigued and they're interested, but they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, what would you tell them right now, Paul? Oh. I would tell them. Jesus loves you. Every hair on your head is numbered.
He knows the pain you've been through. And I know you think that nobody understands, or nobody knows what you've been through, or what you were born into. But I want you to know Big God didn't do that to you. Man failed you, and man hurt you, but. But God came to save you, and He sent His Son Jesus and He put Him on that cross.
And when he nailed him to the cross, he paid for every sin And on the third day, he gave us a receipt. He rose from the dead.
so that we could have eternal life. And if that is you, it is this simple. You don't have to go to 10 classes. You just got to say, Jesus. Help me.
Forgive me of my sins, and now I need you to come into my life. And I want you to be my Lord and my Saviour. I don't want religion and tradition. I want a relationship with you, a personal relationship with you. I want to hear your voice.
I want to know who you are. And I promise that if you do that, God will come in. In Revelations, he says that he knocks, and if anyone will open the door, he will come in and he will dine with you. You just have to open your heart today. That's it.
Stop trying to figure it out with your intellect and open your heart up and let him come into that heart. And I know you want him. I know you do because I wanted him. And it wasn't until I opened my heart that he was able to come in.
So today If you call on Jesus. and you invite him in and ask him to forgive you for the life that you've lived. I promise you. That today your name is written in the Land's Book of Life. And today you have eternal life.
That's it. That's it. It's not how long you've been serving Jesus, it's you putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. That's it. Yeah, because the Bible says that it is by grace that we have been saved.
It is by grace that we have been saved through faith. It is not of ourselves so that no one, and I mean no one, can boast. And, Paul, if people want to hear more about your story, do you either have a website or a page where people can look into this? I do, I do, and I would welcome anyone who has Questions or anything else, you can reach me at austinpowerhouse.com. I'm all over social media under Bishop OHEDA or Bishop Paul OHADA Um but please feel free.
I've had people from everywhere reach out and say, Hey, I grew up this way or that way, and I still got a couple of questions. Can you pray for me? It would be my honor and my privilege. to pray for you. Um Yeah, but if you just go to austinpowerhouse.com you can actually reach us that way.
And then I got a phone number in Austin. It's 512-416-1600. 512-416-1600. Wow, that's pretty bold, man, that you're putting your phone number out there. You must really love people, and you must really want to see them have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I do, because listen, I'm gonna die again. It's it's And Hebrews 9:27, it's an appointed time for every man to die, and then comes judgment. And I'm telling you this: the next time I stand before the Lord. That picture is going to look different. I want to do everything that I could with the time that he gave me, the second chance.
To share the gospel with people and lead them. to Jesus. not away from Jesus, but to Jesus. And I don't know about you, but when I get up to see Jesus in heaven, I want to hear, well done, good and faithful servant. Absolutely.
Absolutely. And I want to thank you for coming on today, Paul. Make sure to check out the website. It's Austin Powerhouse, like Austin, Texas, AustinPowerhouse.com. And you can look up Paul O'Heda, O-J-E-D-A.
Is that right? That's correct. That's absolutely correct. And thank you so much for coming on. We'll talk to you soon, okay?
God bless you. We love you. Take care. Thank you. Yes, sir.
