As witnessed in the life testimony of 27-year-old Andrew Ssevume, a drug addict for ten years and a well-known drug dealer in Kampala, Uganda who lured many young people, no one is too far gone from God's love.
The International Christian Concern (ICC) shared a compelling story of a former drug addict who is now a zealous advocate of the Gospel's transformative power.
As a wanted person by the police and a rival to other drug lords, Ssevume has been on the run.
"I discovered numerous strategies of substance trade. I was a police target and the enemy of other drug lords. I was walking in the shadows among the exiled, to avoid being jailed," he told ICC.
Despite the fact that Ssevume was labeled as a lowlife, God, on the other hand, did not give up on him. He pursued him, chasing him down and giving him dreams. Ssevume then began to have vivid dreams almost every night.
"I was terrified and crying and seeing myself perishing," he recalled. "But glory be to God who gives life to the dead. The only name I called out loudly to for help was Jesus Christ. Eventually I heard a voice like running water carrying life within itself..."
The ICC noted that despite the fact that Jesus saved him in his dreams, Ssevume nonetheless opted to become a Muslim and changed his name to Mohammed. Consequently, he was unable to find relief and continued to traffic drugs.
As soon as a preacher made his way to the slum where Ssevume worked in 2017, things started to shift. Ssevume, on the other hand, was surrounded by his goons and was well aware of the dangers of becoming a believer in Jesus Christ.
"For the gangs it is a total abomination to become a Christian," he explained.
Nonetheless, Ssevume's yearning for freedom was unrelenting. He planned a late-night meeting with the pastor and then decided to go to church the next Sunday.
"I confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal savior and from that moment I've never been back to my old life," he said.
After a while, Ssevume was given the responsibility of leading worship on a full-time basis. God's Spirit gave him the gift of music, as well as brought him a group of people to encourage and support him.
Ssevume said that he has maintained his relationship with Christ and has even begun to preach the gospel in the slums, streets, and schools.
"I'm blessed to have this life," he told ICC. "It feels good to have a position of serving the Lord, rather than serving as a drug lord."
Aside from verbal evangelism, Ssevume also expressed his desire to use music to spread the gospel. But because of the dangers of street preaching, a friend reportedly offered him the use of his studio. Still, Ssevume said he hasn't recorded anything since he lacked musical instruments.
When the ICC learned about Ssevume's music ambitions, they went out and bought him an iMac computer as well as speaker systems, headphones, amplifiers, and other equipment so that he could begin recording his songs.
When Ssevume first saw the equipment, he voiced his amazement by telling the ICC representative in Uganda, "Brother, I thought this was a joke and could not believe this until I have seen. Let me hope that I am not dreaming that we are purchasing all of this for me."
"May God bless you. I am seeing God's hand in my life. It's indeed a blessing to serve God," he added.
