 we're so glad that you're joining us here on Hope Today. Did you know that your God is pursuing your heart right in this very moment? There is so much hope as we lean into the love of our Savior. I'm Anna and I'm here with Sydney today and Sid, we've got a powerful story and a guest today. We truly do and I love Anna how you said it's just time to lean in to God because he is passionately pursuing you and you don't wanna miss our upcoming conversation with one man who was saved from the grip of addiction and a near-death experience on a cliff. Author and speaker Michael J. Hale will be joining us today to share God's relentless pursuit to save how God saved his life and how he changed and turned his life around. I know so many of you, you know, you may have family members, loved ones, maybe even yourself are battling through addiction, struggling through addiction and we just wanna take this time and bringing this story to you to provide hope, to provide just a safe place to just understand what people are walking through and going through but we truly believe this is going to be a transformational story that is truly going to inspire you and to encourage you and to give you that love that you need today. Yeah, absolutely. He definitely has a story that will bring you so much hope because I know there are many of you watching who you have a child who is not walking on the path that God has laid out for them that they are going a different direction, that they're doing their own thing. They're like the prodigal son that we read about in the Bible. And as you listen to Michael's story, you will just be reminded of how God is a God who constantly has his eye on the one that has gone astray. He will leave the 99 and go after the one. And so today, whoever you have in your life who you are praying for to just bring them back into the fold and that they would understand the love of their Savior, it's today, stay with us because this conversation is going to be good. It truly is going to be good because we know addiction, it just doesn't affect us here in Pittsburgh and there's across the country, it affects so many families, so many flies. And that's why we're so grateful for our guest today who says drug addiction numbed the pain of his hopeless worldview. Say from the group of substance abuse and a near death experience, Michael Hale is on a mission to support anyone facing addiction, helplessness, depression, suicide, or lack of purpose. In his book, Pursuit, he shares his unique experience and spiritual journey of overcoming the power of addiction. Michael, we are so happy that you are with us today. Thank you, Sidney, I am so grateful to be here. Yeah, and it's truly a miracle that you are here. And so before we, we're gonna dive really deep into your story, but can you first tell us how did addiction start for you? It started just with weed. The first time I tried weed, I thought that it was something that I could try and not need. And my friends were doing it and it gave me an immediate social group. And when I did it after that first time, I needed more and more and more and at some point I couldn't function without it. And that's the tricky thing with addiction is it enslaves us. Is the more we have, the more we need. It poses as an answer to our questions, to our problems, but it never delivers what we're looking for. Yeah, it never delivers what we're looking for. So right, and weed is like a gateway drug and so there was other drugs that came into the mix. What other things did you fall into? So after I got addicted to weed, whenever I couldn't find it, I would use alcohol, I would use prescription pills, I would use over-the-counter pills. And before long, I got arrested. I got arrested a series five times in five months and I was in the system. And so then you're still addicted, but you're trying to use drugs that don't show up in your system. So then you start on the hard drugs because those get out of your system quicker. And at some point you really can't function without anything. I was on meth or heroin was my drug of choice, cocaine, ecstasy, acid, all of it. Every day that I would wake up and the first thing I would look for was some sort of substance. You know that, I know that's so true for so many of those who struggle with substance abuse. And so just wanna ask you, Michael, was there ever a point when you realized you're like, you know what, I have completely spiraled out of control in the midst of your addiction? There were dozens of points like that and surprisingly hitting rock bottom couldn't wake me up. I was too stubborn because I believed the lie that this world tells us that this life is all we have and that we need to live it to its fullest. And I thought that drugs and partying and hooking up were the way to do that. That's what the world told me, that's what Hollywood told me. And so I just flew after those things. But the more I got, the more messed up I was. And at some point when I was getting paid to party, I was getting, I had everything you could want and look for and people around me were envious because I had all the hookups and all these worldly pleasures. And yet at night when I went to sleep, I would hit myself in the face. I just felt so empty and broken. You know, Michael, I feel like what you're sharing is sometimes I don't think a lot of us who have struggled with substance abuse understand that hopelessness and that shame. So what was that like for you, you know, there's, you feel like, oh, I'm the life of the party. You know, you're getting high, feeling good, sleeping with the ladies, and then you're by yourself in your room. What was that like, those moments for you? In those moments, I didn't have something to numb me. And the reality of my situation was everything I'd based my life on was fleeting and temporary. I'd based my life on other people who were just as insecure as I was. And I'd based my life on hedonism, a feeling in my brain, a dopamine dump. I had based my life on popularity and all of those things were temporary. And what I was looking for, what I needed was hope for something longer than this life. I needed God's hope to break into my darkness. Just like it's so, like that darkness just to penetrate into your heart. And you know, one thing is, you know, they say what the addiction is either you're gonna end up in jail or the grave. And you mentioned earlier that, you know, you said there was five times that you were locked up behind bars. And one thing I love that you wrote about is just this moment you really had with God, just being on that concrete slab. Can you take us to the, even that moment of just being behind bars and the reality of what your addiction brought you to? Yes, absolutely. I had just gotten arrested or stealing and disturbing the peace and trying to evade arrest because I tried to run from the cops. And this police officer, there was several police officers who had me in room interrogating me. And when they finally pulled me to the station, he was saying, look kid, with a record like yours, your life is over, you're going to prison. And your life is done. And there's not really anything you can do about it. And when I went into that holding cell, I just wept because I had felt like my life was over, even before it started. I mean, I was just 18. And I felt like I had ruined everything and there was no coming back. And I just fell on the ground and wept until there was snot dripping from my nose. And I couldn't stop weeping. And I had no air in my lungs and all of a sudden I felt God enter that jail cell. And I was crying out to him. I just said, God, I've ran from you my whole life. And I don't know what you look like or if you're there, but I need you, I need something right now. And I felt him break into that jail cell. And there's this beautiful verse in Titus that says, you once were enslaved to various passions, but the grace of God has broken into your life and it has changed everything. And it says this grace is not deserved by you and it's not given because of your works or because of anything you've done. It's given by God's goodness alone because he cares for you. And then it goes on to say he will wash you clean through the renewing of his Holy Spirit and give you a new start. And I really felt like that's what he did in that jail cell, but the hard thing was I didn't know how to stop doing all these addictions. I built up all these habits over years and years and stopping was something I didn't know how to do. And I also didn't know how to learn more about God because I always thought church was not the place to find him. You know, Michael, I just like love what you're sharing of that, just even that visual just seeing you like, I mean, I don't think a lot of us can understand of just being in that concrete slab, just asking God just to come and feel that dark place in your life and that his grace discovered you and he was pursuing you all along. And you know, one thing I even love that, you know, you bring up even in your book, Pursuit, is this idea of higher power. Can you talk to us about that? Because on this journey that you've been through, I know like an NA and AA, there's a talk of higher power, but for you it was like, there has to be a distinct difference between who your higher power is. Can you talk to us about that? Absolutely. As I mentioned, I was so hesitant to consider the God of Christianity. I don't know why. It's a spiritual warfare thing. It's, I was willing to accept any other explanation other than the God of the Bible. And so I was looking for what my higher power is. And in NA and AA, they talk about your higher power, can't be an inanimate object. It can't be yourself. It can't be your toothbrush. It has to be something real and something concrete. And I tried all these different religions and I tried Buddhism, but I realized I wasn't good enough to follow the eight-fold moral pathway. And Buddhism promises if you're good enough then you might attain some form of peace, maybe if you do everything right. And I couldn't do that. And I believed in karma. You get what you deserve. But then I realized I had messed up so much. If God gave me what I deserve, I would go to hell eternally. And I looked into the Greek gods and the Norse mythology and I saw they murdered their father and used his blood to create the universe. And I realized that's really gruesome. And I don't want to worship someone like that. The Greek gods basically are giant versions of us that they're drunkards and they're rapists and they're no better than us. And none of those alternatives were worthy of worship. So I kept looking at all these different places and I tried positive psychology. Just you are what you think. And the reality was my thoughts are sometimes awful and sometimes discouraging. And if I was happy all the time I would be delusional because that's not real life. Real life is hard. And Jesus says in this life there will be much tribulation but do not fear for I've overcome this world. And everywhere I looked, there wasn't an answer. There wasn't a real God who was concrete and tangible and could answer my prayers. And it wasn't until I finally accepted, okay, the God who broke me free from that jail cell even though I was guilty, that was the God of Christianity. That is the definition of Christianity. We are all guilty, every one of us. And He breaks us free anyway because He loves us that much. Even though we don't deserve it, even though we'll never deserve it. He has set His eyes on us. He has determined to pursue us and He will not ever let us go. It is His love that He loves to chase us down with His love. And Michael, you also had a really powerful encounter and experience it. You had a near death experience and encountered the rock of ages. Can you share that testimony and that part of your story with us? Yes, so as you said, God kept pursuing me and I kept looking at all these other places. So in college, my first night in college, I met three born-again Christians and they would not stop talking about Jesus. And I'd never seen anything like it. And they believed in speaking in tongues and they believed Holy Spirit heals. And meeting these people, my mind was open to this world. Wow, maybe everything written in the Bible is real and it still happens today. That was the first time I had that realization. God is here and He's still doing these things. And everywhere I went on campus, we had a campus of over 30,000 students. I kept seeing these same three people and they kept inviting me to Bible studies and I couldn't shake them. I couldn't avoid them. And none of us had the same majors. It was just God working it out. And their influence on me just made me realize they had something I'd always been looking for. They had Jesus. And Jesus has peace I leave with you, peace I give unto you, peace not as the world gives, but my peace I give to you. And His peace lasts. Everything in this world is fleeting and temporary. And as soon as it's gone, we need more. And it doesn't actually carry us through the storms. It numbs us and makes us incapable of facing our problems in life. And so as these people spoke into my life, I found God's hope and I realized he was everything I needed and wanted. And during that time I had an accident. I shattered my femur on a boulder in the back country. My leg was detached from the rest of my body and the bone was hanging diagonally about to protrude out of my flesh. And in that moment, I was weeping and screaming and I felt like I was dying. I wanted to die to escape the pain, but as I sat there, I prayed, I said, God, I know that if you want to, you can help me, but if not, thank you for everything you've ever done in my life. And at that moment, two white crosses in a background of red descended on me on that steep mountain cliff. And it was two ski patrol who had an hour long lunch break and God sent them right where I was at the moment I needed them. And when they cut off my snow pants and saw my leg hanging there, they told me, Michael, there are two arteries that go in your leg past your femur. And if either of those are cut in any way whatsoever, you will die in the next five minutes. So here I am on a mountain. I think I'm dying. And here the medics are telling me, yeah, you're probably gonna die. And I just remember a passage that my friend had sent me that morning that said, Jesus will be the strength in your weaknesses. And I just kept clinging to that. I just kept saying the name of Jesus over and over again. And every time I said his name, he lifted the pain. And I thought, I can survive this. I can fight through this. And he saved my life. It takes 1800 pounds of pressure per square inch to break your femur. And it takes only two pounds of pressure per square inch to break those arteries. So 1800 pounds of pressure tore apart my bone, cutting it diagonally. They tore apart my muscles, my tendons, my ligaments, everything in my leg, but not even one to two of those pounds of pressure touched my artery. And so God was protecting me. And all I knew was he should have let me die because I'd lived my whole life in rebellion to him. And yet here he was rescuing me with miracles, saving my life. And that changed everything. Just, I feel like just listening to your story, I just feel like we're just all so touched about just how God stepped in. And he said, my son, not yet. I have so much more for you to do. Michael, can you just take a moment and to pray for that person that really can resonate and connect with your story and what you've walked through. And they may be in that situation right now. Can you just take a moment and to pray for them? Yes. Lord, thank you so much that you are the God who loves us, even when we are incorrigible, even when our brokenness is so big. Lord, it is never bigger than you. God, you are the God of breakthrough. You are the God of hope. You are the God who says, I am the truth. I am the life. I am the way. And the truth will set you free. I will set you free. That's you, Jesus. You are everything. You are our hope and our deepest pit of despair. And I just pray, Lord, for anyone listening to this right now that you would meet them. I pray that you would comfort them and encourage them and let them know they do not need to live as a slave, that you can set them free. That no matter how dark it is, that you are bigger, that you can cure, that you can heal, that you are a God who cures diseases. And even if alcoholism or any other thing is afflicting us and infecting our minds that God, you are greater. So we submit our hearts to you. Lord, you are our answer. You're everything we're looking for. Please help us come to you. Please help us find community. Please help us share our brokenness with the people around us and plug in instead of pulling away. And we pray, Lord Jesus, guide us in your precious name, amen. Amen. We shall know the truth and the truth self set us free. Michael, thank you so much for sharing your story, your journey and inspiring those that are in the grips of addiction and hopelessness we know today that hearts were truly touched, transformed and changed. Thank you also for all that you do in the kingdom because God is using you all around the world to share your story. So we're so grateful you took the time to share your story with us today. Thank you, Sydney. You're welcome. And we just encourage all of you. This book is called Pursuit. God's Relentless Pursuit and a Drug Addicts Journey to Finding Purpose. Michael Hale, we'll have a link on our website at ctvn.org so you can find out more about Michael and a link to this book. And we will be right back in and I. We wanna speak right to your heart if you're dealing with hopelessness and need a little spiritual pick me up. We're right here with you. We'll be right back. Every now and then life gets the best of us and we need a reminder to keep calm and trust God. Simple but striking, the keep calm and trust God box of blessings provides messages of reassurance to help carry you through tough and challenging times. These small cards fit into the palm of your hand and will turn your focus to the one who is in control of everything. Inside you'll find 51 colorful double-sided cards featuring a combination of inspirational scripture verses and faith-based quotes. Add it to a get well basket or use it to encourage a teacher, family member or friend or save it for the time you need encouragement. Be sure to ask for the keep calm and trust God box of blessings when you give today. It's our way of saying thanks as you encourage others by providing life-changing Christian television through Cornerstone TV. Call us at 888-665-4483 or give at ctvn.org slash donate. Well, we're so glad you're with us on Hope Today. Oh, I pray that you were able to hear that story that Michael shared right before the break and Sydney and I just want to minister out of that because let me tell you, as a mama watching, listening to that story, I look at it, I hear it from the parent's perspective and it moves me to tears. And so, so that I don't completely lose it on air, we're going to talk about the Hope Today newsletter for just like 30 seconds because we want to make sure that you at home are getting this Hope Today newsletter in your mailbox. Those of you in Jacksonville who are new with us, also in Orlando and Atlanta and of course all of you in the Pittsburgh area, this comes free every month. You can call us at 888-665-4483 or go on our website, we would love to send it. It's got good yummy recipes and stories of hope but good testimonies. So let us know if you want that, we'll send it right to you. But Sydney, this story just reminds us of how, no matter how far we run from God, He will never forsake us. I was just reading in Isaiah about how we are engraved on the palm of His hand. Like He will not, He does not forget His children, the ones that He made. And today I just, I want to encourage you to never stop praying for that loved one who you think is too far gone, who has hit rock bottom so many times and you think that there's no more hope or if you're struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts that we see this epidemic among teenagers where they're struggling with that and has such a strong grip. And yet as we heard Michael talk about how God put three Christians in His path the first day that He got to college, how in each place that He was, He didn't have His parents with Him to rescue Him. No, God was there to rescue Him through strategic people that God placed in their lives and it does give us so much hope. Yeah, as you're talking and I just think about the one that you feel like your backup is up against the wall, that you feel so hopeless and so downtrodden and you just feel like I don't want to do this for another day. That maybe you've heard those thoughts of suicide, maybe you've had those deep dark nights of the soul and you're like, God, do you see me? God, do you hear me? But I am reminded of one of my darkest seasons in my life of a scripture that God revealed to me as I was crying out to Him on my knees is that there's a scripture in Psalms and I can't remember exactly where it is but it says that God is near to those who call out to Him. So every time that you let out that scream, every time you feel like you can't move another step, He is the God that is right near to you. And in those moments where you feel like you can't breathe or you don't know how things are gonna take or turn, just take a step, take a moment to pause, to breathe and to receive the breath because that's the Holy Spirit that is inside of you. And if you have breath still in your body and your lungs, there is still purpose for you. And also we encourage you, do not go through anything alone. Call out for help. Maybe today that you are in that place, maybe you are that person that is struggling with addiction or maybe you have a different situation. Give us a call at our prayer line at 888-665-4483 because the one thing we know is that I think about the Trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, they don't operate alone and they created us and their image and so we are not called to function alone. We are here for you. There truly is power in community and being brave and just taking that first step to talk to someone that is near to you that you know is a safe person and who will help you show you just even that very next step to take, to walk into freedom. We wanna just bring you the scripture for today because it reminds us of how God uses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise of this world that in God's kingdom, he is not looking for somebody who has it all together, the best and the brightest. Listen to this scripture from 1 Corinthians 1 27 through 29. It says, but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him. So today, if you feel like you're in the category of foolish or weak or despised or lowly, well, guess what? You're exactly who God is after. His salvation is a free gift and it doesn't matter how far you've gone away from his will, how much you've messed up. God is the God of making masterpieces out of dust, out of nothing, out of brokenness. In fact, when you're broken, that's when God can best use you and build you back up to make you the person that he created you to be. And as you were speaking, I just saw this vision of talking about being broken. God loves a broken and contrite spirit and I just saw this light of like, it's like, you're like split open, but the light comes in. And I think of this song from Stephanie Gretzens or if you have a chance, looking up on YouTube, it's so beautiful. It's like, open up and let the light in. Let the light in of God. Let the light shine on those hurt places, those dark places, those broken places. Let his light permeate every part of your being. And when you open up and you expose it all and you surrender all, it is amazing the way that he will encounter you with his love, with his healing, with his grace for you. Have a good one. Cornerstone Television wishes to thank all our faithful viewers, whose consistent prayers and financial support have made this program possible.