Not Just An Affair


Hello, my name is Joe, and I live in Chatsworth, Ga. At 17, I asked Jesus to
come into my heart, and I believe He did. But I never understood how to get
Him into my LIFE until over 20 years later, at the age of 40. All those
years I had been telling God what I wanted Him to do, and all that time,
He'd been waitng for me to ask Him what He wanted ME to do. Oh, all the
wasted years; the broken dreams, hearts, and shattered lives. The family and
children whom I loved SO much (and likewise)...GONE. How many times I had
begged God to take the drug addiction. How many times I had begged for the
return of my children. How many times I had flirted with the thought of
suicide. But I never got what I wanted; I only got worse.

Then one day, in an act of total desperation, I fell down in the floor of my
lonely home, and began to plead with God, with my whole being (all I had
left),"Lord, what do You want from me? What do You want me to do? I don't
really want to die, but I can't live like this anymore! PLEASE help me!
PLEASE tell me what You would have me to do- I'll do ANYTHING"!!!

Well, it was just that simple. He wanted me; not just my problems. And
though I had to struggle for a while with addictions, and ended up in jail
ONE LAST time, before I turned everything completely over to Him, and was
set completely free; even so, now we have a personal and very loving
relationship, instead of just an affair! Now I know that He is MUCH MORE
than just some genie in a bottle that you let out to grant a wish, and then
put back on a shelf; no, HE'S GOD!!! And the more I seek to know His will
for me, the more I learn to serve and please Him. And the more I serve and
please Him, the more I learn to worship Him. And the more I worship Him, the
more and more He pleases me and blesses me, day after day, time and again,
over and over; with much more than I would have ever dared to ask for !!!
The terrible oppression of over 20 years of accute drug addiction and
alcoholism... COMPLETELY GONE!!! Now I'm laughing and ENJOYING LIFE again;
much more than ever before! And I now have a purpose in life; "TELL
OTHERS"!!!

One day, I was painting on the outside of the church building where I was
employed, and I was thinking that alot of people were going to be slow to
except me, because of my terrible past; when I very distinctly heard someone
say to me: "You will be a POWERFUL WITNESS" !!! WOAH, I almost fell off the
ladder! Soon afterward I was asked if I wanted to help start a jail ministry
in that church, and we began to go to the local jail...as MINISTERS; where I
spent MUCH of my life (behind bars), and I encouraged others to try giving
themselves WHOLLY over to JESUS!!! Many of the inmates knew me; many were
once some of my closest friends, back when I was "Joey the Junkie" (or Joey
"Jones", mockingly, as I would do just about anything for another dose), and
they were AMAZED at the complete turn around - the difference that the
presence of God has made in my life, and what God is doing in and through
me! Many of them told me over and over how proud they were of me! But I was
quick to tell them that it was certainly nothing that I did; I could never
do ANYTHING right! All I did was call on God, and submit my will to Him, and
He did (and still does) the rest!!! I told them that He would be just as
sure to do the same for them - if only they would freely want Him to do so!
But they have to be willing to give it all up - a life of misery, total
failure, and slow but sure death...for a life of JOY, COUNTLESS BLESSINGS,
and ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD as our FATHER !!!

And though I am no longer in full time jail ministry, God uses me, almost
everyday; and I am proof that there is REALLY hope; a SURE way to break that
last needle, ONCE AND FOR ALL; and live a MUCH better life in Christ Jesus,
and with all the benefits that come with being a "SON OF GOD" !!!

Listen, maybe someone, somewhere, at sometime will read this, who is
standing in the same shoes I use to walk in. My father died at the age of
32, with scirosis of the liver, from a life of accute alcoholism. I was 11
years old.Then my mother, who had been a pharmaceutical drug addict, and in
and out of Milledgeville state hospital in her past, died less than 2 years
later, at 33; I was 13. I was so confused. I felt unloved, unwanted, and so
alone... believing the lies of satan. In reality, I had family who loved me
and wanted (and tried) to help me, and even more so, I now know that God
wanted to help me, but I wouldn't let anyone close to me. I felt that anyone
I loved, DIED! I began to be rebellious against family AND God.

So I started doing other drugs, besides pot, which I had been smoking since
around 11; harder stuff, like pills (both uppers and downers), acid (LSD),
and psilocybin (psychedelic) mushrooms. Somewhere around 16, I used the
needle for the first time. Then at 17, I was court ordered to a Christian
drug rehabilitation center in Corpus Christi, Tx. for one year, where I had
asked Jesus to save me, and I even stayed on another year, as a staff
member. And I thank God for Roloff Enterprises, and the Lighthouse, where I
learned to love God's word, and some very important values, but I had never
totally surrendered my life to Christ. I held on to my rebel pride (proud of
what, I may never understand), and that old liar began to whisper once
again: "You're a rebel and an outcast; live hard and die fast" !!!

So I left (before God said to), and there I went again. The choices I made
drew me away from God. The deception of satan made me believe that I would
always be just like my parents, and that I would die by the age of 32 or 33;
I believed it was my destiny!

BUT... when I was STILL ALIVE at 35, realizing I had outlived them, I
decided that I might live a while longer, after all. But I had SO destroyed
my life by then. Though I had never been legally married( that is, I had
never had a licensed marriage), I had 3 children by 2 different women who
had lived with me, and I had been divorced 2 times (there use to be a common
law marriage in Ga.; no more); but the youngest 2's mom shot and killed a
man when our daughter Tiffany was 1 year old, and our son Joseph was only a
month old! She was in prison, and after raising these 2 by myself for 3-1/2
years, the state took them from me (though I loved all my children with all
my heart; and vice-versa), because I was jail prone, and had no one else to
help with them, when I got into trouble with the law. Then my oldest, Candy
(who's mom had remarried), was mad at me for losing her half brother and
sister, and she stopped coming around. There was nothing left to live for...
or, so I thought.

But, FINALLY, all the wrong choices and the long hard roads led me RIGHT
BACK TO JESUS; like I had walked around the world, on burning sand and
frozen seas, until I came back to my REASON FOR LIVING; it was JESUS, ready
to HEAL and FORGIVE !!!

So, it wasn't too late for me after all. Several of my past friends are now
dead. Some of them died from drug overdoses; some from drug/alchohol related
accidents. Some got killed over drug deals gone bad. Some blew their own
brians out. Others are in prison (some for killing others). I think that at
least 1 is now demon possessed, but doesn't realize it, or else can't except
it, in order to deal with it. I am lucky to be alive, and have my sanity;
much less all the benefits that have now come from turning to God. Oh, but
to think of how sweet my life could have been, if I had simply trusted God
to begin with. None the less, life is great, because God is SO GOOD!!! So
LOVING and FORGIVING !!!

People, please don't ever walk away from God. Believe me, His way is SO MUCH
BETTER! And if You have left God's will, please come back, right now; today!
Each day seperated from God produces destruction, ruin, and death.But each
day in His presence adds to life, and that more and more abundant, as each
new day unfolds! May God bless You more and more, as You seek to please Him.

"Thank You, God; for loving us SO MUCH" !!! "For God didn't send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save it." John 3:17 Joseph A.
Robison







EASIER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

I know what it is like to struggle as a new Christian. I turned my life back
to God in jail, and when I got out, I had two years of probation to
complete. Prior to being in jail I had lived the past couple of years in
abandoned buildings or barns, etc.; and ate mostly out of the dump behind
Food Lion. I was a loner, and had become very good at surviving; it had
become easy. But after I was released from jail it was so hard, as I tried
to establish a life where I actually had bills to pay, etc.,. I had never
been able to complete a probation term before. The first six months was a
real struggle. Two or three times I flirted with the thought of telling them
what to do with their fine and probation; jail was easier. And besides that,
surviving on the street was easier than paying rent, power, water, my car
insurance etc.,. But I knew deep down inside that God didn't want me to go
back to living on the street, or back to jail, so I couldn't quit; though it
was tempting.

So I lived from paycheck to paycheck, by the skin of my teeth. Many times I
did not know how I would make the bills, but I always did; usually just in
time. Then one day, after about 6 months, it seemed as if God must have
said; "He's passed this test, and now I'm going to promote him." Praise God!
All of a sudden, things started getting better! But before long, more trials
came up. But I persevered, and when I passed the next test, I felt I got
another promotion! And the trials are still coming, but by now I have
learned that every time I pass a test, I am rewarded. So I don't mind so
much as at first. Except for struggling to pay the fine and probation fees,
I did do two years probation without any trouble. It was the first time in
my life I have ever made probation without any violations. It's all behind
me, now. And even though I am still in the lower income bracket, I have much
more than I have ever been able to have before. In the past, I could never
keep anything because of my addictions. Material things only passed through
my hands, to the drug dealers. But now I can buy things and they can be a
blessing to others and me, and not to the drug dealers.

In the progress of obtaining material things, however, we must never lose
sight of the fact that these things alone will never give us lasting
satisfaction, but that our joy comes from our relationship with God and our
assurance that our sins are forgiven, and that heaven is our destination.
God has changed my life so much! He is so worthy to be praised, and I
worship Him continually. I have never known such contentment, and peace
about who I am in Christ.

And still the trials come, and sometimes I forget, momentarily, that this
means another promotion is on the way. For instance, a couple of years after
God began to changed me, I wanted to open a checking account, but could not
have one, because my credit was ruined. So I decided to really get down and
pay off all my debts; and I did. Then after paying off over $2000 worth of
debts, and not owing anyone anything, I waited a couple of months for my
credit to clear up. And then I went to open a checking account again. Much
to my surprise, I still could not get a checking account! Even though I had
paid my old debts, my credit was ruined for letting these debts previously
go without paying on them. So I still had bad credit, and no bank in town
would let me have a checking account! People advised me to get a co-signer
and borrow money, and pay it off for a couple of years; but I simply
couldn't afford to borrow money right then. So this really burned me up. It
was like I did what I thought was right by paying off all my old debts, but
the world was still refusing to let me have a life! So I sulked for a couple
of days about this. Then I finally considered that it was just another test
that I could pass, with God's help. So I decided to get over it and get on
with it, and went to the Bible for some words of wisdom and comfort, and the
Holy Spirit took me right to the source!

Hebrews 10:32 Remember how it was with you in the past. In those days, after
God's light had shone on you, you suffered many things, yet were not
defeated by the struggle.

Heb 10:33 You were at times publicly insulted and mistreated, and at other
times you were ready to join those who were being treated in this way.

Heb 10:34 You shared the sufferings of prisoners, and when all your
belongings were seized, you endured your loss gladly, because you knew that
you still possessed something much better, which would last forever.

Heb 10:35 Do not lose your courage, then, because it brings with it a great
reward.

Heb 10:36 You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive
what he promises.

Heb 10:37 For, as the scripture says, "Just a little while longer, and he
who is coming will come; he will not delay.

Heb 10:38 My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of
them turns back, I will not be pleased with them."

Heb 10:39 We are not people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have
faith and are saved.

Now I know just how true this is. Just after I saw God’s light, I went
through the fire. A part of me wanted to give up; my old way of life seemed
easier. But really, easier is not necessarily better, is it? Though
surviving had been easy back then, I was miserable and wanted to die! Now I
am content, as long as I keep my focus on God, and what He has brought me
out of. Many of my new friends have never been where I have, and they don’t
really understand, but I thank God they don't have to. I have never suffered
beyond what I was able to bear! And though I still don't have great credit,
a new car, or own my own home, I have much more than ever before! I ended up
with a job (not very long after I had first tried to open a checking
account), where my employers were members of the federal credit union; and
through this job, I did get a checking account, and began to build my credit
again; I even have a couple of major credit cards, now, HA!!HAA!!! And life
is still getting better every day!!! Though my car is not new, it is paid
for; it's mine. Though my motorcycle is vintage, I paid cash for it; it's
mine. I have a computer, and all kinds of electronics and tools; everything
I've wanted, I've been able to get it, eventually, (still working on a
wife). But it didn't come easy for me. It has been a battle, but one worth
fighting for. These two verses in Hebrews really spoke to me: "Do not lose
courage, then, because it brings with it a great reward" and "you need to be
patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what He promises". See,
these two things work together as the key to all locked doors ... faith and
patience.

James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when
he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has
promised to those who love him."

This is the answer... faith and patience, and all in God's good timing.
We're going to be tested; but when we pass these tests, we get rewarded with
a promotion; and over all this, God’s grace and mercy overflows into my life
like a river. The main thing is not to focus more on where you want to be
than on what you've come out of. I would have never believed, before, that
my life could ever be this good; that I could laugh and enjoy myself, and
praise and worship God like I do now. He is so awesome! May I never forget
where I've been, so that I will never stop being thankful for God's
deliverance from all the terrible oppressions of my past. Christ has won the
victory for us, and we should walk in the authority He has given us.
"Behold! I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
over ALL the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you " (Luke 10:19).

So be patient, give thanks for God’s grace and mercy and for Jesus dying on
the cross. Remember that easier is not always better! The promises of God
are worth fighting for … Joe


Joh 16:33 I've told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world
you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world."

Psa 116:1-9 I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my
supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call
upon Him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs
of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the
name of the LORD: "O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!" Gracious is the
LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. The LORD preserves the
simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul
from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before
the LORD in the land of the living.

joroco12@charter.net