God has a hold of a young man in our youth group named Victor. As we have grown closer, I have seen him open his heart to the Lord in a way I never thought possible. His past includes physical abuse, gang involvement, drug and paint use, alcoholism and suicidal tendencies. Through these trials, the Lord has brought him to a point of brokenness, where, for the first time, he desires to deal with the outstanding issues in his life. This is an incredible step, as he has never demonstrated any previous desire to act responsibly.

Becoming a Christian was not the easiest decision for Victor. Most of his homeboys have turned on him, some seeking to hurt or kill him. Victor extends grace and forgiveness readily to others, as he is always in awe of God's forgiveness of him. However, the thought of actually praying for your enemies amazed him. He believed some people are so bad that they are God's responsibility. In being obedient to pray for his enemies, the Lord produced peace in his life by removing existing animosities. This obedience has had visible effects with other members of the youth group (Carlos, Chris, Jesse, Vincent and Fredrico) who are from rival gangs. His obedience to live out God's instruction to love our neighbors and enemies has produced the spiritual fruits of peace and patience, which testify to God's faithfulness in His promise of prosperity, "blessed are the peace makers!"

In these past months, Victor has ventured into a realm of faith few of us can imagine. For the first time in his life, while struggling to remain sober and drug free, he held a job. He decided to turn himself into the courts in order to take care of his outstanding criminal warrants. Most importantly, he began the healing process for the loss of his best friend and of his unborn child who died in the previous year. The immediate glory to God in this process is he is now realizing his responsibility to be a father to his 4 year old son whom he had neglected while pursuing being with his ex-girlfriend.

In hope that God will fulfill his needs far beyond the fulfillment he has received from his addictions, Victor has come to a point of faith and compassion in which he now recognizes the Lord as the only answer to his needs and the needs of others. He will immediately testify of the need to immerse himself in the body of Christ in order to survive. If we are willing, God will deliver us from our sins and produce blessings in this life and in the Kingdom of Heaven.