He'd Given Up on Himself. His Little Sister Hadn't. That's How Otis Found Rise.

Otis is a graduate of the Rise Discipleship home. Before he got there, he was, in his own words, a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

He leaned on what he wanted instead of on God, and it cost him. One by one, the people who had been there for him nearly turned their backs, because Otis did what he wanted and listened to no one.

"It was either my way or the highway. And it led me to this home."

He grew up in a good home and says he wasn't a bad kid, he just did bad things, running with the wrong crowds until it turned into drinking, drugging, and hustling in the streets. Underneath it all was a load of guilt and shame, and a lie he had believed for years: that he couldn't, that he wouldn't, that he never would.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FjywnMZ6I8

The Fear He Couldn't Shake

Otis had always believed in God. Following Him was the harder part. He would go halfway, then veer off the moment God asked him to go a direction he didn't want. Meanwhile, a bad back kept costing him jobs, and the drugs kept whispering that maybe he just couldn't do it.

What scared him most wasn't jail. It was losing his family, losing his life, and one picture in particular.

"The scariest thing was my mom coming to a gravesite instead of the home to visit me."

A Prayer, and a Sister Who Kept Looking

He had tried a drug and alcohol program, and it wasn't for him. The people around him only knew the best dealer, the newest high. So Otis prayed a specific prayer: that God would take him somewhere that wasn't just another drug program, somewhere he could actually be set free.

He had already said yes to change. He just didn't know where to go. Everything he found around Dallas had a price tag, twelve hundred here, thirteen hundred there. At his lowest, Otis half gave up on himself. But his little sister never did.

"I semi gave up on myself, but my little sister didn't. She kept looking for something for her brother, and she found Rise Discipleship."

"Leave Your Feelings at the Door"

When Otis arrived, it was nothing but love, though the welcome came with an honest warning. One of the students opened the door, told him to stop, and asked if he had feelings. Otis said yes.

"He said, leave them at the door, because they'll get hurt. He meant that some things are going to make you examine yourself, and it's going to hurt if you don't check yourself."

Otis came in expecting God to move, and God did. The home gave him the thing he'd been searching for in all the wrong places: real love, and real patience. During a morning of prayer and worship, it finally broke all the way through.

"I just started crying uncontrollably, knowing He had me. All I have to do is keep following Him."

From Believer to Follower

Otis's favorite verse has been the same his whole life, Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." He used to whisper it when a job told him something was too heavy for his back. Now he says it with boldness to anyone who tells him he'll never change.

"I was always a believer. But now I'm a true follower of God."

The change shows in the ordinary moments. He has more patience than he's ever had. He watches his words instead of blurting out whatever is on his mind. He's no longer stuck in his selfish ways, and he wants to be a good example for the new brothers coming in. Brother Belony and Pastor AG encouraged him the most, always one call away when he was down, always ready to lift him back up.

"It's so peaceful on this side, once you truly follow Christ."

Otis has dreams now too. He wants to become an entrepreneur and run his own business, and he refuses to let his back problem hinder him. As he puts it, you have not because you ask not, so he keeps asking God.

If This Is You

Otis had given up on himself. Someone else refused to. If you're at that point, or if you're the sibling, the parent, or the friend who won't stop looking for a way out for someone you love, don't wait. It's free, a real person answers day or night, and it starts with one call.

Ready to reach out? Get help now. Freedom really is just one phone call away. (325) 232-5449.

And it's all free because of people like you, who, as Otis says, paved the way for a change this dramatic.

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If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or thoughts of suicide, you are not alone and help is available. Rise Discipleship's 24/7 helpline is (325) 232-5449.