Summary

I was born into a loving, born‐again Christian family where church, scripture memorization, and youth retreats shaped my early life. Even as a child, I felt a genuine desire to spread the gospel. However, growing up in New York, I began to rebel against those values—sneaking out, running away at just 13, and falling into a dark lifestyle marked by self-harm, drug experimentation, and an alluring pursuit of New Age practices such as tarot, yoga, and crystal healing. The emptiness and pain drove me to embrace a destructive open marriage and substance abuse. Then, in a moment of profound crisis while I was at the beach, I felt a powerful lifting of a heavy burden. In that life-changing instant, I cried out to Jesus and experienced the undeniable touch of the Holy Spirit. I immediately renounced my past, discarded everything that symbolized my previous path, and returned to the church with a renewed heart. Although I have faced deep struggles with addiction, depression, and marital conflict, my daily walk with the Lord through prayer and Bible study has brought lasting hope and transformation. I share my story so that anyone feeling lost or too broken to be redeemed may find that Jesus’s grace is real and life-changing.

Time Chapters

01:01 Christian Upbringing
02:03 Early Rebellion
05:27 Runaway at 13
06:02 Struggles & Self-Harm
07:16 Onset of Addiction
09:05 Experimenting with Drugs
12:03 Embracing New Age
15:35 Crisis & Inner Change
18:37 Conversion Experience
22:04 Renewing Faith
27:09 Marriage & Deconstruction
30:08 Confronting Spiritual Darkness
33:12 Embracing Traditional Marriage
36:07 Daily Bible Study
40:05 Final Encouragement
—————– Source —————–

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss her incredible journey back to Jesus after backsliding into sin and the occult. I pray that this testimony encourages any Christians who feel they are too far gone from Jesus to seek Him with all their heart. Thanks for listening!

My details: (Stephen Conidaris)

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DISCLAIMER:

This YouTube channel is dedicated to bringing you Christian content in a variety of forms. This sometimes includes conversations about sensitive topics which may not be suitable for some audiences. The opinions expressed by guests in the video are their own and are often not endorsed by me (Stephen Conidaris).

I would encourage my audience to be under good pastoral care in their local church, to exercise critical thinking and test everything they hear against the standard of God’s Word. If you need help in any way, please speak to your doctor and your pastor. Viewer discretion is advised.

Sarah’s YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@sarahspeaksup