温馨提示:本站仅提供公开网络链接索引服务,不存储、不篡改任何第三方内容,所有内容版权归原作者所有
AI智能索引来源:http://www.cbn.com/article/salvation/trading-drugs-mic-and-mission
点击访问原文链接

Trading Drugs for a Mic and a Mission | CBN

Trading Drugs for a Mic and a Mission | CBN Skip to main content Ask for prayer TODAY ON THE 700 CLUB Contact Us Login give now Home Menu Site search Site search Home give now Login Ask for prayer Toggle Menu The 700 Club Toggle Menu SHOW INFORMATION 700 Club | Home Latest Episode Show Information Guests Ask A Question Share Your Story Toggle Menu MORE SHOWS 700 Club Interactive 700 Club Canada Miracle Living Today Club 700 Hoy All Shows Toggle Menu Resources Learn More A New Day Booklet Toggle Menu CBN NEWS Toggle Menu BY CATEGORY News | Home US World Israel Entertainment Health Politics Toggle Menu BY SHOW Christian World News Newswatch Faith Nation Jerusalem Dateline Studio 5 Quickstart All Shows Toggle Menu Noteworthy Top Story 'Blown Away': Hundreds Saved and… Christians Fill Mile-Long Communion… Revival Grips Brazil's Amazon: 'We… Revival Grips Brazil's Amazon: 'We… Top Story Revival Grips Brazil's Amazon: 'We… Toggle Menu FAITH Toggle Menu RESOURCES Faith | Home Daily Devotional Get Prayer Topical Resources Toggle Menu FAITH JOURNEY Curious About Christianity New Christians Returning Christians Deepen Your Faith Share Your Faith Toggle Menu More Resources Today’s Daily Devotional Get Prayer Toggle Menu SUPERBOOK Toggle Menu CBN ANIMATION Kids | Home About Us Give to Superbook Toggle Menu SUPERBOOK Watch Full Episodes Kids' Website Superbook For Churches Get Superbook Get Superbook App Toggle Menu Get More Superbook Superbook Kids' Website Superbook Bible App Toggle Menu LISTEN Toggle Menu RADIO Listen | Home Praise Contemporary Southern Gospel Selah Instrumental Cross Country Toggle Menu PODCASTS Podcasts | Home A New Day Conversations From Studio 5 Navigating Trump 2.0 Quickstart The Lesson Toggle Menu More From CBN Radio Where the worship never stops! CBN Radio App Toggle Menu ABOUT Toggle Menu DISCOVER CBN About | Home Who We Are Careers People Financials Toggle Menu OUR MINISTRIES Operation Blessing Helping The Homefront CBN Israel CBN Films Toggle Menu DONATE Give Now Gift Planning Ways To Give Toggle Menu Learn More Watch The CBN Story CBN's Ministry give now Login Ask for prayer Toggle Menu The 700 Club Latest Episode Show Information Guests Ask A Question Share Your Story More Shows Toggle Menu CBN News U.S. World Israel Entertainment Health Politics Shows Podcasts Toggle Menu Faith Faith in Jesus Daily Devotional Topical Resources Faith Journey Bible Toggle Menu Superbook About Donate Watch Kids' Website Superbook for Churches App Toggle Menu Listen Radio Podcasts Toggle Menu About Who We Are Careers People Financials Ministries Gift Planning Site search Site search Home Search Contact Us Login give now Trading Drugs for a Mic and a Mission

Share This article

Link was copied! Craig James is a Christian rapper who goes by the name “5ive.” His name is a reminder of God’s grace that met him in his brokenness.

Craig says, “The biblical number for grace and favor is the number five. So, I took the number five and I added I-V-E to it. Grace is victory everlasting.”

Before the stage lights and music, Craig’s life was defined by years of addiction, abandonment, and a desperate search for acceptance. Craig’s father left him when he was three years old, creating a void Craig spent years trying to fill.

Craig remembers, “Tough upbringing. No dad. He got lost in addiction. For a young man to grow without a father, it is really, really hard, man, because you don’t know really how to be a man. You don’t ever see that example,” he says. “There was a lot of identity crisis, trying to find a place where I belonged.”

His mother and grandmother raised him in the church, but Craig found the streets more appealing. At ten, he was introduced to marijuana. And by sixteen, his drug use had escalated to crack cocaine.

Craig remembers, “It was the feeling, I guess the escape. In the drug circles, I was accepted. We were all doing the same thing, and there was a brotherhood there.”

As his addiction grew, Craig lost the future he once dreamed would give him a sense of belonging. A gifted athlete in high-school, his discipline and drive slowly faded.

Craig says, “Falling in love with drugs led me to being lazy, not wanting to work out, going to practice hungover. You stop having a desire to be great at things.”

He tried college, but drugs quickly took center stage, and he dropped out. Eventually, he turned to meth, still battling depression and abandonment.

Craig recalls, “I was taking meth probably to escape the loneliness, feeling like nobody really cared.”

Even in addiction, Craig believed he had a spiritual purpose.

According to Craig, “I felt like I was saved, and really this was as good as it was going to get for me. I even thought at one point that my calling was to do the dope and preach to those people. I would just have the Bible open reading it to them like literally while we were high.”

Over the next five years, Craig’s life became a cycle of drug charges, jail time, and rehab. During intense drug binges, something darker began to take hold.

Craig remembers, “Meth is evil in itself. And so now you are doing it, unrighteously fasting. You’re not eating, and so now you’re sensitive to these spirits. I would just hear a bunch of voices telling me to kill myself or they’re coming out to kill me. I was scared because I was seeing these demons.”

When the torment became overwhelming, Craig called his aunt, a pastor, who prayed with him.

Craig says, “That was the only place I felt safe. One thing I knew about my Aunt Pat is that she had something in her that those demons didn’t want no part of. She would always tell me, ‘Craig, Jesus loves you. Why are you running? Quit running. I mean every time. He has a plan for you.’”

Yet, Craig didn’t care about God’s plan but only staying high. That is until he saw that his addiction was influencing his younger brother to follow the same destructive path.

Craig recalls, “In was in that moment, that I repented and I asked God to forgive me for what I had done, not just for leading my brother astray, but for what I had done to my life. In that instance, that’s when I heard the voice of God say, ‘Go to church.’”

When he went to church, Craig immediately went to the altar and finally surrendered everything to God.

Craig remembers, “I fall down. I’m crying. Even in those tears it’s repentance, realizing what I had done. I had sinned against God and not only for my life but I had led others astray. I actually liked doing drugs. I liked the way they made me feel. Like, I loved it But on November 7, 2010, I found something I loved so much more. I was instantly delivered from a twelve-year meth and crack addiction. He did that for me instantly. I could feel the heaviness and burden come off me. When He showed up that day, everything changed.”

That same afternoon, Craig’s girlfriend Tiffany saw the change in his life and surrendered her life to Christ too. Salvation didn’t just free Craig from addiction; it gave him the grace to forgive his father and discover God’s love that never let him go.

Craig says, “The fact that I was able to even tell my dad, ‘I forgive you. It wasn’t your fault.’ That abandonment, that feeling of wanting to be accepted. That feeling of wanting to be included, God is like I already included you. No matter what you go through, no matter what you’re dealing with, He’s always right there.”

Today, Craig is married and travels the country using Christian rap to reach people bound by addiction. He shares that God’s grace doesn’t just forgive the past, it rewrites your future.

Craig shares, “When nothing that you’ve done or tried fills that void, because at the end of the day, that crack high is going to wear off, that weed high is going to wear off. But I tell you something I know Somebody who said He’ll never leave you nor forsake you. His name is Jesus. If you turn to Him, He will turn your life around, because Jesus changes everything.”


Share Your Story

Share This article

Link was copied! About The Author Michelle Wilson

Michelle’s been with CBN since 2003 as a 700 Club reporter-producer. She’s an award-winning producer who’s traveled to seven countries producing life-changing stories on healings, salvations, and natural disasters, reaching millions for Jesus. She’s an entrepreneur and humanitarian who gives generously to those in need through Michelle Wilson Ministries. More

Unlock the best from CBN. You are signing up to receive general newsletters from CBN. By signing up, you are consenting to our privacy policy. You can specify preference after sign-up and opt out at any time.

Popular Resources Image  From Struggle to Surrender: God Brought Her Here  Image Superbook Changed Johnny’s Life in South Africa Image Years of Faith Restored with One Desperate Prayer The Christian Broadcasting Network Unlock the best from CBN. You are signing up to receive general newsletters from CBN. By signing up, you are consenting to our privacy policy. You can specify preference after sign-up and opt out at any time.

Prayer Give News Ministry Radio Podcasts Courses Bible CBN Family MINISTRIES Operation Blessing CBN Israel Helping the Homefront CBN Films FAITH Daily Devotional Prayer Faith In Jesus Find A Church Resources CBN Bible App WAYS TO GIVE Online Donation Legacy Giving IRA & Stock Charitable Gift Annuities Real Estate & Business CONNECT Newsletters Contact Us Advertise With Us Media Kit Careers About Us NEWS United States World Israel Health Entertainment Politics CBN News App SHOWS The 700 Club Christian World News Faith Nation Jerusalem Dateline More Shows CBN Family App CBN ANIMATION Superbook Ministry Superbook Bible App Superbook Kids' Site LISTEN CBN Radio Podcasts CBN Radio App cbn-radio Radio cbn-family CBN Family cbn-apps Apps cbn-bible Bible Connect on social youtube-footer fb-footer instagram-footer twitter-footer © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization.

Terms of use Privacy Policy Donor Privacy CBN Cookie Policy Third Party Processors Cookies Settings myCBN The Christian Broadcasting Network This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info.

智能索引记录