Road To Redemption
Road To Redemption
Ashley Anderson's Inspiring Story of Redemption
Have you ever wondered if redemption is possible after hitting rock bottom? Join us on this episode of Road to Redemption as we welcome Ashley Anderson, whose journey of faith and renewal is nothing short of inspiring. Growing up in a military family and navigating the turbulent waters of self-destructive behavior, Ashley’s story is a testament to the transformative power of God’s love. She opens her heart about the pivotal moments that drove her to seek divine help and embrace forgiveness, shedding light on the daily practice of surrender. If you're struggling with your own battles, Ashley's transparency and ongoing journey will offer you a beacon of hope and strength.
Later in the episode, we shift our focus to those yearning for redemption and a fulfilling life through faith in Jesus. Through heartfelt prayers, we call on God to guide those contemplating significant life changes, helping them to hear His voice and move toward freedom and fulfillment. Our gratitude for the countless lives transformed by faith is palpable, and we extend an open invitation for listeners to connect with us for support and encouragement. This episode is crafted to uplift and inspire, reinforcing the powerful message of Jesus that redemption is within reach for everyone.
For more information contact us at
rtrdestiny@gmail.com
Welcome to Road to Redemption, a show sharing powerful life testimonies, giving hope to those on their own road to redemption.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Road to Redemption. I'm John Martin, your host, and so excited for our show today. I have a good friend, Ashley Anderson. Thank you, Ashley.
Speaker 3:Thank you, thanks for doing this.
Speaker 2:Ashley, thank you. Thanks for doing this. Well, I, uh, I I just so appreciate you coming on and and it's funny, we were talking earlier. I met you in first watch. That's where we met and and and I would see you around town with kids and and and here at the church and the school and different places. And then you were so kind as you started referring a lot of people to come on the show and most everybody that was coming on was like yeah, ashley, ashley referred us to the show and I was like, why don't you come on? So you did it, thank you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thanks for the invitation. Yeah, well, cool.
Speaker 2:Well, tell us a little bit about you and your story. Yeah, well, cool. Well, tell us a little bit about you and your story.
Speaker 3:Okay, so I'm from California. I grew up in a military family and my dad retired here, so that brought us here and I've just been growing here in one place, which is really weird but good so been able to make some friends and have some sweet relationships and yeah, Well, is your um, are you, is your background in anything artistic, or um music, or I'm just cause I kind of gathered that when we were taking the pictures earlier that you might be, I don't know Just a guess. Well, I sing with my husband at.
Speaker 3:Coastline, and then I love writing songs and trying to play guitar.
Speaker 2:So you're a worship singer? Yeah, okay, awesome.
Speaker 3:Well, cool. Well, tell us about your journey to Jesus. How did you come to know Jesus? Okay, so I grew up in church, thankfully, and accepted Jesus when I was five years old. However, I didn't have thoughts of like honoring him with my body, like you know how he encourages us in Romans, like offer your body as a living sacrifice, and so that didn't happen.
Speaker 3:So I was like 17 and I had a really bad acid trip and felt so far away from the Lord, like could not come back, like Satan was just messing with my mind. But God kept sending me people that were like you know, as far as the East is, from the West, ash, so are your sins, you know, you confess he's faithful to forgive. And I had such a hard time receiving that because I thought, man, god blinded you guys to my situation. So you, that's, of course you would say that. But I just had to, um, stop myself and like think, wait a second. Like what if they're saying truth? Like God, help me, receive your truth? Like help me, cause I need a lot of help. So, um, yeah, it's just been a gradual, daily journey, which I love because I just believe God loves, um helping us daily and setting us free and just being with us.
Speaker 2:Amen, well, um, tell us a little bit about your journey, your road to redemption. Was it just you came to know the Lord? Was there anything in particular that kind of got you to surrender?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So after living a life of self-destruction you know, drugs, stuff, like that I just realized that I didn't want to like continue that lifestyle, like there was more for me. And I also went through a time where I struggled with suicide and I just had it was like three times. But this one time I just was like crying out to the Lord because I was like, wait a second, like God, these thoughts aren't of you. Like you have life for me, and life abundantly. Like just come, help me, you know.
Speaker 3:And I just felt liberation through that and like, wow, like if Jesus was tempted by the devil when he tried to tempt Jesus to fall off the mountain or the angels will catch you. I was like, wow, satan is after my life, all of our lives, and like I, if God has things for me, I am not gonna like give my life to the devil, you know, submit to that. So I was just like God, help me. And he's been helping me and then encouraging me, and like he gives us our breath right now, like this is so special and like he's got good things for us to do and good plans and he's the best planner in the world, and so it just it's exciting to me.
Speaker 2:Well, what I love about you, ashley, is you're real, you're authentic, you know, and you're being transparent, because I feel like a lot of Christians. You go into churches and places like this and it just seems like everybody's so perfect.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I feel like that's why some folks don't want to go to church, because they don't feel worthy, you know, and they look at Christians and they're like, well, I'm not, you know, I'm not this perfect person Um, when the truth is, that's not what Christianity is about. All of us believers are broken, sinful people and we all have a road to redemption. So what we have to do is be honest about our past, you know, and obviously, that we have gone away from our sin. We're not continuing to live in that, but that we're also open about it and transparent, that you know we turned away and you know so we're trying to follow Jesus. You know we're all imperfect, so I love that about you. What advice do you have for folks that are listening that might relate with you, know your background and they're just like you know. Maybe they're thinking about suicide. That's a real thing.
Speaker 3:Wow, I would just say that God has life for you and hope for you and strength for you today. Like don't think about tomorrow, like think today, like he has strength and hope, and just asking him to help you in that moment, like he will and wants to. And, um, yeah, I would just say to cry out to him and he'll help.
Speaker 2:Amen. It's a simple truth, it's not complicated, but God wants you here.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And he cares for you. He loves you. He's your true Father, much more than an earthly father could ever be.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So just cry out to Him, god, and say I seek to know you and pick up the Bible, open the Bible app if you don't have a hardback Bible, and he'll speak to you through that. Yes, because when I see Ashley and so many of your friends that you've brought in, ashley, what I see with you is joy.
Speaker 2:You have the joy of the Lord, you have his spirit in you and you don't even have to say anything. And people know there's something different, she has something different, but it wasn't always that way, right, you know, and that's what's great for you to share.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like in fact, um, my mom's friend, like when I was 17, I w I didn't smile, I cried like every other day because I was just believing Satan's lies about my life. And um, my mom's friend gave me a book like choose to be happy and I was like so mad because I was like I'm trying to be and but God, I got so good right. And then like he's teaching me about how he wants to restore things to us and he's just so hopeful for everybody, so that that's exciting yeah, it is well and it's.
Speaker 2:It's just like the, I think, as believers, we it's. It's not about what we say, it's just about being present with people and loving on people and showing God the love. That's good and not trying to win the arguments.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:There's so many arguments out there. Everybody's trying to be heard and be proven right, and the truth is we're all wrong. We're all wrong, we're fallen. So you know, we need to show God's light and God's love, and, and, and you really do that. Um, is it? Is there anything else on your mind you might want to share to anybody listening?
Speaker 3:You know, like on the way here, I was thinking, like your story matters and just um, I copied that from I think there's an organization to write love on our arms and they had that on a shirt and I was like, wow, like your story matters, truly, like every story matters, and God wants to be in every story, he wants to write your story and he's so beautiful and good he like makes our stories good. Yeah, Because he's good. We're not, he does.
Speaker 2:And a lot of the people that are thinking of suicide. They don't think they matter and you do matter.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's true.
Speaker 2:And your story matters, but most importantly, you matter to God, to your true father and he wants you to live.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he wants you to live yeah.
Speaker 2:He wants you to not only live, but to live a joyous, abundant, free life. I just encourage anybody listening. Right now the freedom groups are starting up here on the Emerald Coast and across the country. Most every church now has the freedom group that's starting and just go get in one of those. I mean, even if it started a week ago, don't let anything get in your way. Sign up for a freedom group. It's just a couple of months, but it will change your life. It will set you free and that's what we all need. We need to be set free to where we can experience God's joy that he has for us.
Speaker 3:That's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just want to thank you for coming on, ashley. It's been great. I'm so thankful for you.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Thank you for you and Mr Powell.
Speaker 2:Well, let's pray, Ashley as we come to the end of the show. Oh, dear Heavenly Father, Lord, thank you for Ashley coming on and being transparent, being real, sharing her road to redemption, Lord, and something we want to pray for right now is anyone that may be considering suicide or taking their life, that may be considering suicide or taking their life.
Speaker 2:Lord Jesus, we just ask that you intervene in this person's life now. Let them hear your voice in their heart and let them know they matter. They matter so much to you, and that this person will take a step. They will open the Bible, they will reach out to a friend, they will walk into church this weekend, they will approach someone about a small group. They will just take whatever step it is to knowing that you want them alive and you want them in freedom. In Jesus, lord, in your name, we pray for these people, this person, these many people that may be considering this, that they hear your voice and they, they take steps to be set free and to live the life they. They know that you want them to live an abundant life, them to live an abundant life. We just pray this, jesus, and we believe that many people are being saved right now and we thank you for it, jesus, in your mighty name, amen.
Speaker 1:Amen. You've been listening to Road to Redemption, sharing powerful life testimonies, giving hope to those on their own road to redemption. If you have any comments or questions, we would love to connect with you. You can reach out to us at destinyradiolive. Thank you for listening and we'll see you next week on Road to Redemption.