From Chains to Freedom: AJ’s Story of Redemption
How Jesus Turned a Prison Cell into a Place of Freedom
Welcome friend,
I’m Mark, and this space is for the wanderers, the worn out, and the ones still wrestling with God at 2 a.m. I don’t have all the answers, but I know the One who does—and I’m learning to trust Him more.
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AJ’s story isn’t some neat, polished redemption story you’d see in a movie. It’s raw and messy. But it’s real — and it’s proof that God’s grace reaches even into the darkest corners of a prison cell.
He grew up in a loving home, but life started feeling heavier as the years went on. Born without his right hand, AJ always felt like the world saw him through a cracked lens. That sense of being “different” grew into isolation, then into shame. By middle school, depression had moved in like an uninvited guest that wouldn’t leave.
By high school, AJ was running from that pain any way he could — alcohol, weed, parties — anything that made him feel accepted for a moment.
Running Toward the Wrong Kind of Peace
The more he searched for peace, the further he got from it. He started chasing after philosophies that promised enlightenment and balance: chakra alignment, the law of attraction, universal oneness, and entanglement. They sounded deep and spiritual — but they were empty. They offered control but delivered confusion.
AJ says now that he wasn’t just dabbling in false peace — he was trying to fill a God-shaped hole with human-made answers. It didn’t work.
And his choices kept spiraling. He made decisions that broke him — like convincing his girlfriend to have an abortion. It’s something that still stings to this day. He thought he was in control, but he was just digging a deeper hole.
When he got expelled for drug use and reckless behavior, his world started caving in. But instead of turning around, he ran faster.
Falling Deeper
By his twenties, AJ was living for the next high. Weed turned into painkillers, and painkillers into heroin. He moved in with a friend who used daily, and soon, AJ was doing the same.
When his son was born in 2014, he thought that would be his turning point. He loved that little boy with everything he had — but addiction had a tighter grip than he realized.
And it wasn’t just drugs. Lust and pornography wrapped around him like invisible chains. It wasn’t something he talked about, but it consumed him. The same way he chased drugs to escape pain, he chased lust to escape emptiness. Both were prisons, and both were slowly killing him.
He lied to his family, stole from the people who still cared about him, and burned every bridge he had. The guilt was unbearable, but the shame kept him stuck. And eventually, the law caught up.
By 2020, AJ found himself behind bars, facing four years in prison.
The Breaking Point
Prison wasn’t a wake-up call —not right away. The same cycle followed him inside. Drugs were still easy to find, and he fell right back in. He started using a synthetic drug called “deuce,” a chemical mix that messed with his mind in terrifying ways. Every high brought panic and darkness.
Then one day, he hit a wall. He’d had enough. During a routine head count, he walked up to a correctional officer and said, “I’m high. I need help.”
That moment changed everything.
He was sent to the SHU, the Special Housing Unit. It was cold, quiet, and lonely. But God meets people in the quiet places.
In that tiny cell, AJ found a book called War Room by Chris Fabry. It wasn’t just a story — it was a mirror. It showed him what a life surrendered to God could look like. One night, he hit his knees on that concrete floor and cried out, “God, I don’t want to live like this anymore!”
He felt something shift — a warmth, a peace, a presence. The same God he’d ignored for years was listening.
Chains Begin to Fall
After that prayer, things started changing in ways AJ couldn’t explain. His disciplinary charges were suddenly wiped clean because of a “technical error.” The man he owed drug money to was transferred to another facility. The weight he’d been carrying — physically, emotionally, spiritually — started lifting.
Then came another miracle: he was accepted into the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), one of the hardest programs to get into. It gave him structure, focus, and a chance to rebuild.
AJ threw himself into Scripture, prayer, and worship. He started going to every chapel service he could find — Protestant, Catholic, Messianic — anywhere Jesus was being preached.
Slowly but surely, God was breaking every chain — not just addiction, but lust, shame, and guilt.
Walking in Freedom
When AJ got out, he didn’t run back to his old ways. He ran to Hope City Church.
On his first Sunday there, the pastor gave an altar call about freedom. AJ walked forward and told him his story. The pastor looked him in the eyes and said, “This altar call was specifically for you.”
It was confirmation — God had been directing his steps the entire time.
Today, AJ is living free. He’s a father, a believer, and a walking testimony of what grace looks like. He’s not perfect, but he’s new.
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Call to Repentance
If you’ve been trying to earn your way into heaven, it’s time to stop striving and start surrendering. Today can be the day everything changes. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Don’t wait for a better moment. Turn from your sin, believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and receive the gift of eternal life. He is calling—respond to Him today.
Call to Action
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You did such an awesome job sharing my testimony! Thank you so much!
God is so good and He's using you in an incredible way.
God bless The Narrow Path Collective for what you're doing here.
So proud of my good friend and Brother-In-Christ, AJ! 🙏🏽