Real Stories And Real Hope

Announcer 0:01

It's time now to get the hell out of your life. A weekly broadcast with real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope. Today's show will encourage, inspire, and empower you to face life's challenges with a bold confidence and renewed hope now.

Ron Meyers 0:22

Hello, my friends, and welcome to Get the Hell Out of Your Life. I love my show because I get to talk to everyday people who will actually share their problems from the past and how they turned them all over to God. And today you're going to hear from Lewis Huggins. You know, a lot of people sit in church every week, carrying burdens nobody else can see. They sing the songs, smile at the people around them, and they still walk out feeling exhausted inside. Well, today you're going to hear from Lewis Huggins, a man who discovered that his identity was never supposed to be built on performance, religion, or trying harder. It was always meant to be found in Christ. Jesus said, Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. No pressure, no shame, just rest. So if you've been struggling with fear, anxiety, addiction, self-hate, or feeling like you're never enough, this conversation is for you.

Growing Up In Church And Song

Lewis Huggins 1:27

I grew up in church. I remember as far back as I can remember being in church. I remember from I was about six, about five, six years old, I remember being in the altar with my mom that time. I remember being in a church of God. You know, it's a denomination, it's not a it's just a denomination. I just remember the thoughts that I was having as I was kneeling down beside her and she was praying for me. What kind of thoughts were you having? I remember being told that Jesus was coming back. He was gonna he was gonna return. And that excited me. For some reason at that age, I mean I was I was I I started having dreams at that point. And my mom was a a godly, a godly woman. She still is. And I remember hearing the hearing the choir sing, you know, in the church and and and hearing people singing and and and the music that they played back then. I mean, back then it was just the hymns. There wasn't a lot of the a lot of the choruses that we hear today and all the songs, you know. And I remember the the song called I'll Fly Away. It's and you probably know it.

Ron Meyers 2:23

Right, yeah.

Lewis Huggins 2:24

It's very old. It's been around for years. And that had an impact on you. Yeah, it had an impact on me. I re I remember I they I I I began singing in the church at one point. The piano player was was was there and I was with her and I was sitting with her and and I started singing. And I was like, this is this is This is awesome. You know, I I love doing this. You know, I I just I'm I'm sitting there singing and and then eventually after a few weeks of just sitting there, you know, periodically with her, they asked me to sing in the church. And I was around nine. Eight, nine. And I sang I'll fly away. I sang I sang that song and uh that one time and from then on out I just wanted to sing. You know, and it was my connection to to music and to my mom and to to my faith at that point. I I really didn't accept Christ at that point. I mean, beyond you know, it's a statement of faith. I mean, I you know, it they say to say the sinner's prayer, you know. So I really didn't say the sinner's prayer at that point, but at the age at the age of 12 I did. You know, things from then on kind of changed a little bit. I I I was still singing in church. I was going to church every weekend and every Wednesday and every night that my mom would take me. I wasn't really able to do some of the other things that the kids and my my kids in the other parts of the school could do. I couldn't go out to the movies and do things like that. We were very legalistic in our views or in and in the views of the church, at least at that point. I kind of had trouble with that, you know, not being able to be involved and, you know, kind of do what other people were doing. But at the same time, it was a good thing, I think, because it was teaching me what I should do and what I shouldn't do, and in a way, legalism is not good for anybody, you know, man-made legalism, but you know, pure holiness and and and and Christ and pure Christianity is.

Legalism Meets Insecurity And Escape

Lewis Huggins 4:04

From that point on, age of 12, you know, I hit puberty, you know, change things changed. You know, I began feeling like I wasn't enough, like I needed something. I I had to Did you get into drugs? I did. After after a point, it first began with alcohol. Made you feel good, huh? Made me feel good. Some people call it liquid courage. Liquid courage. And it did everything that that I really wanted it to, or whatever. It did everything that I couldn't do. I was I didn't feel like I was enough. So you didn't like yourself. I didn't like myself, really. Wow.

Ron Meyers 4:37

Even though you knew who Jesus was and you confessed him as your Lord and Savior, you didn't realize that how much he loved you or your identity. Is that correct?

Lewis Huggins 4:46

I'm not I don't want to put words in your mouth. That's about it because of and and my I don't think my mom and dad at that point could convey that to me.

Ron Meyers 4:52

I don't what was the turning point in your life? What happened? Because I hear your songs and you write these songs. And so there this music that you write and listeners, you'll hear a little bit, you started coming out in these songs, your pain and your hurt. And is that why you wrote?

Lewis Huggins 5:10

Absolutely. There's all different kinds to sides to, I think, to a person and their and and what comes out of them, their their artistry. But the but my connection to God, my connection to Christ has the been the driving force, basically. Everything else in the songs is just kind of uh how I I uh I process and lack of process, you know. Sometimes it's not uh it doesn't come out the way I want it to, but so do you write these songs and they're good listeners?

Ron Meyers 5:38

He's got a good voice, but you write them whether people listen to them or they don't, because it's it's healthy for you. I can tell when you and I talk on the telephone.

Lewis Huggins 5:48

Yeah, yeah.

Songwriting As Prayer And Process

Ron Meyers 5:49

And what what goes into writing a song? Are you just doing something and all of a sudden you have these thoughts that I've got to get this done on paper before I forget it?

Lewis Huggins 5:58

Or it's been different ways. And I mean, and early on it was a little bit different. Things were, you know, in my mind and the way I worked and the way my body and my mind worked, you know, whenever you're younger, things kind of come a little faster for you. You know, you you're kind of you have a drive. But now in the let in the latter years, here lately, whenever I would write, I would just have to wait on God. You know, I'd have to wait on him to give me something. And if it if it didn't come, it didn't come.

Ron Meyers 6:25

And but when it came, you knew it was not.

Lewis Huggins 6:28

I knew I knew he was speaking. I knew that it was him because it couldn't be me. It's it coming out of me, but it couldn't be. If it were me, then it wouldn't just it wouldn't come out the way it comes, you know.

Ron Meyers 6:39

Amen.

Lewis Huggins 6:40

It wouldn't be about him. You know, I've written songs about me, I have, but it's it's about him.

Ron Meyers 6:45

It's about so what do you want to come out in your songs? What's their there's a when you look at your songs after you write them, what's what's the underlying theme in all your songs? Hope. Hope. Were you ever at a point in your life where you didn't have hope? Can you can you elaborate on that?

Double Life And Losing Hope

Lewis Huggins 7:03

I can. It's tough to talk about, but I a couple of years ago, I really got deep in in and I mean I was writing songs, I was I was in the church a bit. I I wasn't in church enough. And this has been an ongoing thing. I see it differently now. I see for I see it for what it is, and I was I was at a point where I I was I was living a double life and I knew it. I knew that I was off track.

Ron Meyers 7:29

So you were singing and praying about one thing, but yet you were doing something else behind closed doors that nobody else knew about.

Lewis Huggins 7:38

I was. I was and and that'd be terrible for you. I could I couldn't tell any how could I tell my mom and my dad who's Christians and who who have lived their lives in a way whole you know, holy, and I'm out here, I'm claiming Christ in church, and I'm doing it's complete opposite of what I believed and what I should be doing. It's like it's like Paul talks about, you know, you do the things that you don't want to do, and the things that you would do, you do them not. It's the same fight, you know.

Ron Meyers 8:05

But you think were you on a roller coaster ride with your love for Jesus? Did you think he loved you one day and the next day he didn't love you?

Lewis Huggins 8:13

Did you I was a bit like that, yes. It's it's been difficult to get out of that legalistic type of idea of of being of where I've got to do something for the salvation that he's already provided. You know, I've got to be enough for it. It it can't be enough for me.

Ron Meyers 8:28

I did anybody ever tell you that Jesus just wants you to be yourself? Just just be you, just be you, Lewis. That's what he created me to be, and he gave me a gift. And I think so many people in life, other people have an influence on us, and it can be a good influence, but it can be a bad influence because if we're told long enough, well, God doesn't like that, and you shouldn't do that, and you need to do this, we never really understood stand the the true character nature of love of God and his amazing grace that we will all fall, we'll stumble, but it doesn't change the gift that he's given you of singing, of writing music. It doesn't change the fact that he is madly in love with Lewis Huggins, and there's nothing you can do that can stop that love. And love is very powerful, is it? And I I can tell by talking to you over the last couple of years that you're starting to really get this love thing with Jesus. It's he's the audience you're trying to please. Right?

Lewis Huggins 9:32

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely.

Rock Bottom And A Wake Up Call

Lewis Huggins 9:34

The turning point, the real turning point was a couple years ago, I had been up for two or three days in my house, in my in my trailer. I was messed up. I was I was high. I knew the truth. I knew what was going on, I knew that I was doing wrong. I knew that that this was not the best for me, that God that got God didn't want me to do all of what I was doing, but I was I was being I was I was being hard headed. You know, we I just I wasn't thinking at all. I was I was out of my head. And I'd been up for two or three days and I was lying in bed, not even trying to sleep, and I was holding my phone in one hand and my and my my arm was over to one side and my body started my my my my right arm started falling weak and my body I felt like I was sinking in a I mean it felt like I was I I was leaving a very basically my right arm was falling weak like I was about to have a stroke and I um I knew something was going on and I said God I I don't want to die please God you He saved me from that He I could I could have died I I was at that point I did I'd had enough This was at the very bottom of where I was at and I could I know I could have passed I know that was I was and that was my wake up call you know and I said from then on out things I can't do this anymore I've got to live the life I got to God God save me from from that I mean I and uh I I woke up and that's been a couple years ago and and this was during the time that I wasn't talking to anybody. Don't get me down a rabbit hole here. I'm just I'm just telling you what happened. No, no, but it's it's good. And I appreciate your honesty and transparency. Like I said, it was just basically uh my body was wanting to do one thing and my spirit wanted me to do another, and I was between a and now look at it, it's worked.

Ron Meyers 11:18

You've written new new songs, and we're gonna talk about one in just a minute. And you're here, you're in the studio, look great, look like you got a fancy new haircut, and uh you look great, and you you're a little nervous, but everybody be I'm I get nervous, but I appreciate you, Lewis, and we become friends.

Endless Worth And Why It Matters

Ron Meyers 11:37

Now, this song that you we're gonna give the little taste of it to the listeners in a minute. What's it called? Endless worth. Endless worth.

Lewis Huggins 11:44

What's it about and why did you write it? It began with just some words that I'd written on the on a page, and I I brought it to a friend who's a who's a songwriter. He's he lives in Wilcox and he's he's an unknown. He's trying to find his way. He's he's really talented. And and I had had a chord structure. I brought in a chord structure, I brought in some words, and it was it was a song that was about Jesus, about about just about him, and about and about hope. But just about hope, and about him. It had nothing to do with basically what I was going through at that time, which is the best songs that I think I can write because it's it's about him anyway.

Ron Meyers 12:21

It's not so when people listen to that, you want them to feel that hope.

Lewis Huggins 12:26

I want them to feel that hope. I want them to know there's a there's a point in that song, and and this was my line. It said, He's faithful when we're not.

Ron Meyers 12:34

Yeah, that's scripture. He's faithful when we're faithless. That that's so true. And well, let's take a little clip and we'll listen to a little bit and we'll come back and talk. All right. Well, that was great, Lewis. Wow. So is this your calling then in life? You wanna you wanna write songs? I want to write songs, but I want to write songs.

Lewis Huggins 15:35

And sing and sing.

Ron Meyers 15:36

That's yeah, you you you you when you sing, get behind that mic, it's like a whole new you comes out. It doesn't seem like the little nervous Lewis that's sitting here in the studios. God just the Holy Spirit just takes over, doesn't he?

Lewis Huggins 15:52

He does. He does. The gifts and the callings of God are without repentance, as they as the scripture says. You know, we can think that we lose it, we can think that we we've we've gone too far the other way. You know, we can think that we uh we're we're not enough, but it's all about him. It's all about what he's done and what he's given us the to work with. It's about what's in our hand. You know, he gave he gave Moses a staff, and and Moses was talking about how he stuttered and all this kind of stuff, and he said, well, that gave him the power, gave him the uh the fire, the anointing to do what he was supposed to do.

Ron Meyers 16:24

Actually, after all the years I've done these shows, I find that some of the stories that people tell, that God did some of the most uh amazing things to the most broken people out there. And because again, you're talking this ministry, this radio show is all about trying to talk to broken people.

A Direct Word To The Broken

Ron Meyers 16:43

So right now, Lewis, there's some broken people listening, and you can share your heart with someone right now that's thinking about taking that drink, maybe even wanting to do something silly with their life. You've got the microphone, give that person some hope.

Lewis Huggins 16:59

A lot of people in addiction, and this is what I understand, and this is what I've experienced. A lot of people that have addictions in life, a lot of people that have problems stem from the fact that they don't know their identity in God. They really don't know how much God loves them. It says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever would believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. God does not hate the addicted. He loves the addicted, he loves the broken. That's why he came. He didn't come for the for those for those that didn't need a physician or realize that they really needed one. He came for those that did. He didn't come for those that thought they had it all together because the Pharisees apparently didn't have it all together. I find hope in Christ because I realize that I am not enough, but he is. He's more than enough. And sounds like a new song coming up.

Ron Meyers 17:47

He's more than enough. He's more than enough. Well, you know, the title of this show is Get the Hell Out of Your Life. So how does a person get the hell out of their life?

Lewis Huggins 18:00

If you're broken right now and you're you're you're suicidal, or you're or you're you're thinking about taking a drink or you're you're you're you're chasing the next high, I know what that's like. I know what it's like to live that life. And there is hope in Christ because of what I mean. You need to take your mind off of what you're feeling right now, or what or what's going on in your life right now at this point, and put your attention on God. Just just realize that what God has done already 2,000 years ago for you. And it's not about what's going on around you. There's all kinds of stuff going on around us. There's there's there's darkness all around and there's evil all around, but the light is much brighter than what we can ever even think or imagine in our heads. There is hope.

Ron Meyers 18:46

There is hope.

Lewis Huggins 18:46

If all of hell is breaking loose in your life, give praise to God. Just just give the praise that He's worthy, He's worthy of praise. And you'll find it if you'll worship Him and give Him praise, you'll find it that stuff that's going on in your mind will grow dim in the light of His glorious praise.

Ron Meyers 19:03

Is that what happens when you're writing songs? You're taking your mind off all the evils of the world, and you're right there. You're in communion with God, with Jesus, and He's speaking. Well, like David in the Psalms, you know. David, the Psalms, he had some troubles in his life. You think you had troubles? He had troubles, but those Psalms sometimes are so beautiful to read because you realize that we all struggle, everybody struggles. I don't care who they are, because the Pope, Billy Graham. We we're human. Absolutely. And I'm so proud of you, Lewis. You're doing such a good thing and coming in here and sharing your story. How can people hear your music?

Lewis Huggins 19:44

They could go to Rex's website, he's got a website, and they can hear some of the songs that we've put together. I I co-wrote with him and I've done on my own some of the songs that I've written on my own. I am proud of the ones that I've done with him because he's really talented. He's a talented guy.

Ron Meyers 19:58

Well, listeners, if you need to get in touch with Lewis or have a question, send me an email. Send me an email. I'll get it to Lewis. Lewis, before we go, I would love for you to pray for our listeners.

Prayer Plus Next Steps For Listeners

Ron Meyers 20:10

Would you do that?

Lewis Huggins 20:11

Yes. Yes, I would. Lord God, Jesus, Father, I want to thank you for what you've done for the hopeless and the broken, for the addicted, for those in pain, and for those that are diseased and think that life is over when it's just the beginning, because that's exactly the reason why you came. You came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but you came that we might have life. So, God, I thank you and I praise you for what you have done. And I I pray for whoever's listening out there. If they find themselves, it doesn't matter where they're at, what kind of what's going on around them, that I pray that they'll know that there's hope. I could have lost my life a couple of a couple of years ago, and I deserve to, but God brought me through. God brought me through, and he is a faithful God, even when we're not faithful to him. He he loves us. So, God, I pray that you'll bless whoever's out there listening right now and uh be with him in Jesus' name. I pray, amen.

Announcer 21:16

You're listening to Get the Hell Out of Your Life with your host, Ron Myers. Real stories, real struggles, and real hope. What's your story? We're looking for stories of hope and overcoming life's struggles with God's grace. Your story validates God's love, mercy, restoration, and forgiveness. We want to help you share your story with the world. Visit our website, thepromoter.org, and click on the share your story link and submit your story. Your testimony of God's amazing grace will change a person's destiny for eternity.

Speaker 2 22:00

Every war, there are casualties and wounded, missing in action, and POWs. The spiritual war we as Christians are involved in is no different. Our walk with God can be glorious, but it also makes us targets for the enemy's attacks. So, what is our duty when a fellow soldier falls or is trapped behind enemy lines? That's when they need us most. And in most armies, the mission is clear: go in and rescue the troops in danger. But it's been said that Christians are the only army that shoots its wounded. Instead, we must not give up on those missing in action or those wounded either by their own actions or the actions of others. The worst thing we can do is attack them or give up on them. Because it's been proven many times that even those who've deserted usually do return to the ranks. But often, though they are scarred, they eventually prove to have more wisdom, valor, and honor than before they left. Don't shoot the wounded.

Identity Recap And Final Encouragement

Ron Meyers 23:21

Well, listeners, as I close out today's show, I want to read a few things that Lewis said that really are outstanding. He said a lot of people that have addictions in life, a lot of people that have problems stem from the fact that they don't know their identity in God. They really don't know how much God loves them. The Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, and that whoever would believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. God does not hate the addicted. That's why he came. God came for the weary, the broken, the tired, the ones that really don't know what they're gonna do with their life. And I want you to know, friends, your identity is not addiction, it's not mistakes, it's not your failures, your shame, or your worst night. If you belong to Christ, listen to this. You gotta remember this: you are forgiven, accepted, loved, and made new because of what Jesus already finished, finished on the cross. Your worth is not based on how well you perform, it's based on Him. Jesus is enough. And for the weary person listening right now, hear these words from Jesus one more time. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. That's grace and that's hope. I was at that point one time in my life, and I thanked God in 1999 that I found the real Jesus. He loved me how I was, he was going to indwell his spirit in me and then begin to disciple and tutor me to do the things I'm doing now. I never in my life dreamed about doing radio or podcast, but Jesus had a plan. And he has a plan for you, he has a plan for your children. So have hope. Have hope. Don't give up. Jesus is enough. I will be back next week with another grace-filled episode of Get the Hell Out of Your Life. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Until next week, this is Ron Myers reminding you. And when you give your heart to Jesus, not only do you get the hell out of your life, but life begins to make sense.

Announcer 26:44

Today's show was produced by Ron Myers Ministries, a listener-supported ministry. For a copy of today's broadcast, please visit our website, thepromoter.org. And would you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we may continue to share stories of God's amazing grace with the world? And join us next week for another broadcast of Get the Hell Out of Your Life. Real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope.

Speaker 3 27:13

Hi, I'm Dr. Andrew Farley, host of the Grace Message. Got a Bible question, struggling with a personal issue, wondering about a tricky verse? At BibleQuestions.com, you'll get clear, grace-based answers in 10 seconds or less. No fluff, no confusion, just practical biblical truth. Ask anything, anytime, and experience the power of God's love. Visit BibleQuestions.com. That's BibleQuestions.com. Your go to for biblical clarity.