DAY 22

Steven Mills | Re:Hope Southside

I was brought up in a Christian family and until the age of 14 I went to church. One day I decided it was no longer for me and started to rebel against my parents and Christian life. I started to hang out with people who were not good influences and ended up going down the wrong paths of drinking, taking drugs, and getting into trouble.

I then joined the Army at 16, to get away from my troubles in my home life. I did not get on with my father, who is a Christian. My dad then did something that broke my family apart, so my view of Christianity was not great. I rebelled against my faith and turned away from following Jesus altogether. 

For 16 years, I struggled in my work life, moving from job to job. I could not hold down relationships and friendships and struggled with my mental health. It was not until 2012 that a man introduced me to Jesus again. He discipled me and we studied the Bible together and he introduced me to prayer.

Even after my interaction with this man, I still was skeptical about following Jesus and becoming a Christian. I did not have faith or believe Jesus was real. I struggled to go to church and did not trust anyone at churches. This went on for around 10 years, until I prayed to God for a church community and friendships. I was also fed up with trying to do things on my own with no success, having many failed business ventures and relationships, going bankrupt, and having a lot of pride.

So, in 2022, I had enough and prayed to God for help and prayed for a Christian community and strong friendships. I also prayed to God for a Christian wife. 

Today, God has answered these prayers and much more. When I showed humility and let God in, He did the rest. Fast forward 4 years and I have been married for two years to a strong Christian woman. I have been a part of a great Christian community at Re:Hope for two years now and serve in the core team in my local church. 

Finally, God blessed me with an employability business that now has four members of staff and serves people all over Scotland. My faith has grown so much and continues to grow more and more every day. 

Prayer is now a big part of my life and I am fully committed to following Jesus every day. God is so good and God really does love us. 

My encouragement is: do not give up, lean into God, trust the process, keep praying, have faith, and believe with all your heart.