I am David Hamilton and here is my testimony,
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20
I was born in Wyoming and when I was only four years old my parents got divorced – alcohol destroyed their marriage. Shortly after my parents’ divorce, my mom, sister, and I moved to Atlanta, GA. My mother took my older sister and me to church to church a few times when we were young, but she couldn’t handle our “acting up.”
That same year when I was four, my dad moved to South Carolina. I only saw him once or twice a month because of the distance. However he always loved me, no matter how far apart we where.
As I grew older I got into drugs, mainly marijuana and some pills. My relationship with my dad was not a healthy one. I did not spend much time with him, and some of that time was spent smoking marijuana together. Even though I only spent a small amount of time with my dad, he had a big influence on my life. I thought he was “cool” and I wanted to be “cool” too so I embraced his way of living. I really only had older friends that embraced this type of lifestyle as well.
When I was around 15 years old my life changed drastically, my dad got lung cancer and died, he was in his early 50’s. It’s sad that I don’t remember too much of it, I literally forced myself to block out all the hurt and pain. I was young but I was lost and broken on the inside and as a result I was already starting down the road of addictive behaviors. I only had one place at that time to turn and that was to the solace my mom offered me. She held me close when my dad died and I am so thankful that she was there for me.
At this time in my life, I despised the thought of God. If He was real then where was He during all these traumatic events in my life? I didn’t truly know who God is, but what I did know was far from the truth. What the Bible says was true in my life…
“my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge..”. Hosea 4:6
I grew up in public school and then spent most of my remaining free time in front of the TV. That shaped my world view and what I perceived about life was mostly false and distorted. My mom strived to invest in us; however she was constantly strained from working and taking care of us. She did her best, as busy as she was she still taught me a lot of good morals. My mom has a beautiful heart and I love her dearly!
I was a freshman in high school I was struggling with an identity crisis and grappling with the pain of my father’s death. With this harsh season in my life it didn’t get easier and changed even more rapidly by my mom and I moving to Council Bluffs, IA. My sister was in college and stayed in GA, she tried to help me with guidance to an extent, however she was hurt from our father’s death as well. I had no anchor in life; everything seemed out of control.
Shortly after moving there my mom got remarried. My step-father is Catholic so I went to church with them to make my mom happy. I fell into the routine of going to Catholic mass but never really “knew” God or even why we were going to church.
In high school I felt I had only had one of two choices especially in the mid-west, to throw myself into sports or drugs. Thank God I chose sports! Even though I made a good decision, my addictions we slowly taking over my life and by the time I graduated from High School I was addicted to video games, tobacco, alcohol, and other immoral behaviors.
I attended college for about half a year and decided to take a break and joined the United States Air Force. When I joined the military I immediately stopped going to Church, it had no effect on my life and I felt it was a waste of time. When I look back I see that I was longing for something “real” and going to church was just “going to church”, there was no movement of the Holy Spirit or opportunity to respond to God and experience the change in my life I so desperately needed.
After joining the military I was still “empty” and still searching. I then attempted to fill the void with relationships with women. I needed a relationship with Jesus to truly fulfill my life but I did not know that this was even available. Through these numerous failed relationships I accumulated more hurt and baggage. Eventually I met a young lady who I thought was the “one” and we planned to get engaged. Then my alcohol addiction, which I did not even see as a problem, destroyed our relationship.
After that breakup I just stopped caring. My life was a farce; I was broken, empty, and miserable. I was living a lie, but this was the only life I knew. I believed the world’s lies about what it means to be a man. I manipulated women, I drank excessively, I used foul language with pride, I spent time feeding my ego at the gym, I considered myself the “best” on my job and enjoyed making others look bad. I had such a intense passion and love for drinking. I was a heavy alcoholic and used this as a way of easing, numbing, all of my pain in my life. I was on a road to destruction and didn’t know how to get off!
Then it happened! The Lord stepped into my life through the breakdown of my friends car. I was living in Italy and traveling in Austria, we were far from home. I was with friends on a trip and while traveling we lost the keys to the car on the mountain from snow-boarding. We called some friends for help and David drove all the way from Italy to bring us back home. Little did I realize that God was using Him to bring me home to Himself. By the way the people I was with were also far from God and too are now Christ Followers! That car breakdown was symbolic of my broken life. Little did I know, help was on the way, my life was about to change. Hallelujah!
David and his wife Dorothy were on fire for Jesus and they talked to me about Him. David talked to me for over three hours on the phone about Jesus, and one of my bosses named Bryan at the time spoke about the Holy Spirit moving in power, something I’ve never heard before. They invited me to church, I decided to go, I didn’t know what I was in for – God was drawing me to Himself.
That night, January 13, 2013, at about 8:15 pm, my life was changed for eternity. I went to Bryan’s, David and Dorothy’s church and felt the Holy Spirit move in such a profound way it made my insides scream in conviction. God reached out and touched me with His mighty finger and called me out of darkness into His glorious light. My heart was pounding violently and I surrendered my life to God that night!
In one short year I have been saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, water baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit, and freed from every addiction in my life! I have a love for the Word of God because I know and love the God who spoke the Word!!
All of the pain, emptiness, anger, frustration, anxiety, and brokenness are GONE. The One True Living God has filled my life. I have peace, contentment, purpose, and joy that are real and so amazing. I am really alive.
The God of the universe has brought me out of captivity and filled me with joy and laughter!
When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:1–3
The Lord has done GREAT things for me; and I am filled with joy!!!
My life is a story about the living God of the universe and how He can change a heart.
I love you Jesus!!
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and game me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3
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