However, one of the friends was exposed to a different path.

Someone that he would hang out with on occasion wanted to bring him to a party. His close friends objected the idea because of what goes on at those parties but he wanted to have some fun.

Upon going to the party, he met a bunch of people that were doing all the things he said he’d never do. Smoking, drinking liquor, inappropriate dancing & such. Rather than leave the infested place, he stayed & was filled with the temptation from his friend & others around him to join the circle. He wanted to feel free & fit in, so he went & did all of those things.

Upon returning to his close friends, he informed them of how fun the party was & how much fun he himself had. Though, the did not like the fact that he went to the party in the first place, & to know of what he did further more upset them. They felt as though that friend he hung with would bring him down a dark path. Yet, he ignored that belief & continued to go about his way.

His friend offered him a way to make quick money that involved doing some treacherous acts that would taint his soul. He needed the money for as his job was not paying him enough. The acts involved traveling to the corners in his hometown dealing with drugs & such. It was something he once vowed to never do, but given the circumstances he almost did not hesitate as long as there would be easy money to have in his pockets.

Yet, throughout those months, there was something that he lost. And there was something that gradually took over who he was. He was not the same person & he would be scared to look in the mirror at himself after all the things he had done.

It was not long until one night, one of his close friends was out driving through the neighborhood & discovered him on the corner dressed in dark clothing while at a stop sign. He called out his name & upon hearing it, he quickly dashed down the block from the corner he was on to get away.

But he followed him in his car, pulled up beside him & jumped out of it to confront him demanding him to turn away from the dark path he put himself in. He could feel his aura unbalanced, corrupted. When he saw his face, he looked as if he was deranged. He wanted to save his dear friend & bring him back to the lighted person he once was.

But that was when he pulled out a gun & pointed it at him demanding him to stay away. His friend believed that he would not shoot him, not after everything they had been through. The promises they made to each other. The promises they together made to God. He tried to remind him of the good person he once was & wanted to help him purge whatever evil has taken over him.

But he did not want any help. The more he stepped closer, the more his hand began to shake with the gun as he backed away. His friend thought he still had good in him to not go through with it until…..

*Bang*

Off went a gunshot from his gun that was aimed at his friend’s torso. His friend was stunned as the bullet penetrated through his body & once he looked down at the blood dripping from his wound, he fell to the ground.

In a grave state of panic, he immediately ran away with the gun leaving his friend lying in a pool of his own blood & ultimately died before he was found & rushed to the hospital by paramedics.

The three others later learned of the tragic fate of their dear friend & were devastated.  Their church later held a memorial service for him in which the friend that was responsible did not even show up to feeling as though he could never show his face to his friends or to anyone he knew after what he done.

Yet his sin was not known to anyone but God himself.

He disappeared from his three remaining friends. Was not ever seen or heard from.

However, on a beautiful Sunday morning six months after the death of their dear friend, the three that remained were at their church with their families to listen to the word of God from their pastor.

Then suddenly, the doors to the church suddenly burst open during the sermon & everyone looked back to see a man in ripped & raggedy clothes, had scars on his face & looked as if he hadn’t showered in weeks. The three friends recognized the man to be their old friend & rushed to him. But he demanded that they stay back as he got on his knees from the doorway & began to crawl all the way to the alter where the pastor stood.

As he was crawling, he began to scream & cry. People got up out of their seats to assist him but he still demanded everyone to stay away.

He began a cry of words as he got closer to the alter:

PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR LETTING THE DEVIL TAKE ME. PLEASE END MY SUFFERING LORD. PLEASE END MY PAIN. PLEASE SAVE MY SOUL FROM THIS TORTURE. I BEG OF YOU!”

His body began shaking as he was near the alter as if he was getting weaker. He felt as if he no longer had energy to continue.

Upon hearing the confession of killing their dear friend, the three remaining friends surrounded him & lifted him up on their shoulders to the alter before the pastor. Everyone was awestruck by his cries.

The pastor steps down from the alter to the troubled man. He placed his hand upon his forehead. That was when the people of the church stood up & all reached their hand out towards them.

There, the pastor began his call:

“FATHER GOD, WE HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY A TROUBLED & TORTURED SOUL WHO FELL FROM THE LIGHT HE ONCE SHINED IN. WE HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY A MAN WHO WAS RIGHTEOUS THROUGH YOUR GRACE FATHER GOD. WE HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY A MAN THAT HAS TAKEN TRIPS WITH THE DEVIL THAT ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN THE INEVITABLE FATE OF THEIR DEAR FRIEND. WE HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY A MAN THAT WANTS TO REPENT & ATONE FOR THE MISTAKES & THE SINS HE HAS COMMITTED. WE HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY A MAN THAT WANTS TO REDEEM HIMSELF THROUGH YOUR GRACE AFTER BEING TOUCHED BY THE DEVIL. WE HAVE BEFORE YOU A MAN THAT IS CRYING OUT TO YOU FOR FORGIVENESS. FATHER GOD, WE THE CHURCH ASK IN YOUR HOLY NAME TO PURGE THE EVIL THAT TAINTS THIS MAN’S SOUL. WE ASK THAT YOU BRING HIS SPIRIT BACK TO THE LIGHT WITH US. WE ASK THAT YOU ELIMINATE THE GRIP SATAN HAS UPON HIM. WE ASK THAT YOU SHOW THIS MAN THAT YOU FORGIVE ALL WHO REPENTS. WE ASK IN YOUR HOLY NAME FATHER GOD THAT YOU SHOW THIS MAN HIS PATH TO REDEMPTION. IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON & THE HOLY SPIRIT, AMEN!”

“AMEN!” The church chants

“AMEN!”

“AMEN!”

“AMEN!”

Immediately, a river of tears filled the man’s face as he bowed before the pastor & the alter. Everyone surrounded him with their hands reaching out to feel God’s presence around him & give him strength. His friends huddled around him & hugged him to show they forgave him for his wrong doings.

From there, he was exposed to his most greatest change in life.

– Redemption