Saved From Drugs, Despair and Death! with Derek Steen #69 REAIR

Do you have a loved one who has turned their back on God and you?  Are you losing hope that God will ever bring them back?

In this episode of Finish Strong, Derek Steen, shares his amazing prodigal son story and magnifies the power of family prayer.  He shares his journey of being far from God and how God miraculously brought him back to spiritual life and a fruitful ministry.

Tune in to this episode to propel your faith to keep praying and not give up!  It only takes one divine moment for change everything!

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:02

How did you wind up coming back to the Lord? Walk us through that whole process? How did it happen?

Derek Steen: 0:07

So my mom would give me $20 To go to church. So I would buy a bag a week and smoke it and go to church,

Terry Steen: 0:13

did the church have a smoking section?

John Matarazzo: 0:20

lived your life with purpose, change someone's life for the better, and leave a lasting impact on those around you. Welcome to finish strong, the podcast designed to help you discover your unique purpose and develop a plan to leave a powerful legacy. Dan, Brian and Terry are ready. So let's get started.

Dan Wheeler: 0:36

Do you have someone that you've been praying for maybe it's a son, a daughter, a grand son or a husband, and they've walked away from the Lord or maybe they've just rejected God, and maybe they've rejected you? Well, this podcast is going to give you some hope today, because we've got a modern day prodigal son story. And it's really a story that demonstrates the power of prayer, and the love of a family. My name is Dan Wheeler. This is a podcast called finish strong. And my co hosts are Terry Steen and Brian Rowland. And it's always good to work with you guys. Boy, Brian, I'm gonna start with you. We've got quite a story of redemption, and of hope and faith today. Yeah,

Brian Roland: 1:23

I'm really looking forward to it. If they got a prodigal son or I go, boy, I never was that wasn't really, you know,

Dan Wheeler: 1:30

what if you had a few people praying for you, didn't you?

Brian Roland: 1:33

Yeah, a lot of people put in for me. And that's probably why I didn't become a prodigal son.

Dan Wheeler: 1:39

Well, Terry, in Brian's case, it took an army. But this story is an army of prayer. But this story is close to your heart. And you were really intimately involved with this. Tell us a little bit about who we're going to interview today. And then just introduce him. Yeah, thanks, Dan. And in fact, I

Terry Steen: 2:00

think a few podcasts ago, and we were talking about fasting, I shared a little bit of Derek's story, who's my nephew and the power of fasting, the power of prayer. And Derek is the result of that. And so I am excited to welcome my nephew, Derek, my brother, Dennis. He's the oldest of the four Steen boys. And he had two boys himself. So he kind of Derek and DJ have a lot of pressure on him to perpetuate the steam name properly because everyone else had girls. So Derek, a lot of pressure on you not for this podcast, but just life in general. You know, welcome, glad to have you with us.

Derek Steen: 2:46

Thank you very much.

Terry Steen: 2:48

So you grew up in a Christian home? Because our father, you know, we're like, third fourth generation Christians? And what caused your life to take the direction it? Did we want to walk our way through your testimony. But how did that happen when you're brought up in a Christian home?

Derek Steen: 3:11

Sure, I keep like kind of trying to think of what would cause me to take the route I ended up taking. And I think of a couple of times, just in my childhood where things happened. There were some, like traumatic events, there was in one town, there was one of my kind of friends, my parents told us not to go to their house, but his dad abused me once. I wasn't supposed to go there. So I didn't say anything. I blocked it out. I knew kind of a before scene and an after scene. And then later on, I kind of saw the middle part. Probably just the Lord protecting me in memories. And then it happened again, in a different town with kind of a different situation, but very, very similar. So I mean, I can look back at traumatic events that can cause those those kinds of open doors for the enemy to to just lie to you. Yeah. And so, uh, but like big picture. I really think I just looked at my life through like a lens of rejection is the best way I can think of it. Like if you had sunglasses that were tinted red, you'd see everything red. I saw everything through rejection. I was so rebellious. I was naughty. I was aggressive and you know, all these things. And so I was convinced that nobody wanted me. And so I was hard to raise like my parents did a great job considering what they had. I think a lot of it was just the enemy lied to me so much I just bought in. And then it came to a point in my life where my whole life it was like he'd been planning this all along to where I was rejected, and then all of a sudden found people who wanted me because I can provide something for them. When I started selling drugs, and drinking and partying and having fun and whatever. So I think that's a big a big scheme of the enemy for my life that opened up that door.

Brian Roland: 5:08

Yeah, it's interesting because I have other friends that say similar stories of how they drifted and how that all suddenly became very popular. Sure, when they started dealing drugs and getting into that lifestyle, give us a sense of how far away you drifted from God. And, and your family because it sounds like that they were your they were close with you, but you were close with them. Sure. And you've drifted away from them.

Derek Steen: 5:31

Yeah, yeah, I pushed my family away tremendously. I left the house when I was 15. Ish. I'd come home every couple of weeks usually to get money to pond something they had or to eat. But when I got clean when I was 18, and got saved and everything I was living in a townhouse I'd slept in for a court date Sheriff showed up at my parents house, looking for me. So they told them where I was, they came in, kick the door and looking for me, they took out 13 grocery bags full of drugs and paraphernalia. Everything from opium, we had a lot of tin foil from the heroin, marijuana ONGs, like all of everything, syringes, and whatever. And so that day, my daily diet of drugs or alcohol was a 30 pack of Miller High Life, and the day and then at night, I drink a half pint, a Yukon Jack, I was shooting up $200 With the heroin a day. And I was smoking at maybe a quarter of marijuana day. And then that was like my daily. And then whatever came along, I ate a lot of acid and stuff like that. So I overdose three times that year, most of my friends were dead, or locked up. And so I was really to a point in my life where I either was going to die, or get locked up. And I started to realize there just has to be more to life.

Dan Wheeler: 6:57

Well, you gave us a sense of kind of the darkness you were living in. Did your mind ever go back to church or faith? Or did you feel like God had given up on you,

Derek Steen: 7:09

you know, the, the times that I overdosed one of them in particular, I remember, like with heroin, you kind of not often your eyes closed, but you can feel your heart stopping. And so in that really deep nod your heart just jolts and I remember holding my eyes open and just saying God, don't let me die. I didn't like the church because I got hurt by people in the church. But you know, you're always around people no matter where you're at, at Walmart or, or church. But I knew deep in my core that God cared. And so I would touch those moments, but I was afraid to touch them. Because I think, deep down I'm like, am I even worth it? You know, like, is it worth it? Or I don't want to be like so and so who said they love God? But did this to me kind of thing.

Dan Wheeler: 7:57

I know your family. They didn't give up on you. But how did your parents deal with you? Were they trying to talk to to give your life to God? Or were you guys just not communicating? At this time?

Derek Steen: 8:09

It was very difficult. I remember once they wanted me to have dinner. And I made some smart remark to my dad. And he's said I don't like your attitude. And I'm like, I don't like you. And I got up and left. I was just hot headed and I just didn't want to hear it. But I tell you this, I would come home. I'm probably going to break down crying through this. I don't touch all these things at once. Yeah,

Dan Wheeler: 8:34

it's all right. Well hang with you. It's right. I would

Derek Steen: 8:37

come home, drunk tie whatever, before I left. Well, actually, I think it was after I got in trouble when they raided my house. And I'd be hammered drunk. I tripped over the night table knock the lamp over, passed out. And my mom would put me on the couch. There was one song she'd always play. I can't remember who sang it. But it was like he ran to me. He came to my arms, put my head in his chest and said, Son come home. And so even when I had no impact in anything, they still bathed me in prayer. And they got me in his presence whenever they could. Yeah, even though my heart and my physical aspect rejected everything. We're spirit beings, and my spirit can't push that away.

Terry Steen: 9:25

And that is so exciting to need to have parents that don't give up. And they don't just condemn, and they don't just beat you over the head. But they love on you still. Yeah. And they keep praying. And it sounds like that's what your parents Dennis and Cheryl did on a regular basis and never gave up.

Dan Wheeler: 9:48

So tell us how did you wind up coming back to the Lord walk us through that whole process? How did it happen?

Derek Steen: 9:54

So my mom would give me $20 To go to church. So I would buy a bag of weed and smoke it and go to Church, you are

Brian Roland: 10:01

going to church so that

Terry Steen: 10:02

hey, yeah, did the church have a smoking section?

Derek Steen: 10:12

So I remember there were times when I would go. I remember one of my best friends growing up called me right before he committed suicide. And I took that one hard. Actually, he paged me. This is how long ago it was. And I thought he was just wanting more drugs. We'd been up all night doing coke. And so he really just wanted a ride home. But I didn't answer because I was sleeping. And I saw it, but I didn't pick it up. And he went home and killed himself. And so I kind of was like, Man, if I had just given them a ride. And the come down from Coke is always pretty hard. And so that's all it was. But I was sitting there, and it was after church. And this is so vital, even to my life today. But I remember sitting there, everybody kind of cleared out huge sanctuary. I think it's about a 1500 person to 2000 Sanctuary at our church. And it was cleared out our church had been in revival ties with like the Brownsville revival and stuff. And I just remember sitting there thinking, this is the most piece I've ever felt in my life. My parents were just off waiting, you know, they weren't rushing me and I, I will never forget that. So I ended up going one night, and it was the play on the prodigal son and I already committed to going so that morning, I shot up a bunch, I'd been drinking all day, and just kind of getting ready for church, I guess, in my own way. And so I'm sitting there, and I was waiting, my court date my trial from the last time and there was a guy there who knew my story knew what I was going to face. And he told me, I was already facing a minimum of 40 years in prison. And so my mind is thinking there's just got to be more to life. And so he saw me wipe a tear for my eye. And he's a big, big guy, I still talk to him every Sundays pastor at our church. And he came through and he came to me, and usually in an altar call, you go up to the altar, but they cleared back like five rows, and there were so many people around me, but he put his arm around me. And just minutes before that somebody came up and whispered in my ear, this, you know, is what you're living for worth dying for kind of thing. And, and those are the little shots that I took as like you're not good enough. When are you going to be there kind of thing I just didn't like, but he put his arm around me. And he said, obviously you got to do is ask him to forgive you. That's it. And I cried. 18 years of pain away. I was dripping sweat. I weighed a whopping 135 pounds at six foot and I cried. So I just sobbed. And I remember looking at him. And I said, I got nothing. Again, nobody. If I if I do this, I got nobody. And so in the morning I woke up going through my withdrawals, shaken and sweat. And I usually had needles loaded by my bed so I could wake up from the withdraws. And I inject and I know myself enough to start my day. And I woke up and I shaking, sweating, throwing up and I just said Jesus, I mumbled it. In this blanket, a piece fell on me. And I'd fall asleep. Everything stopped. And I did that for three days. And that was August 18 1997. I had been clean ever since. But it birthed in me this hunger just for his presence. And my family are people of prayer. My grandpa, Terry's dad, I remember maybe a year or two before he passed away. I just had him lay hands on me. And I asked him to. I wanted his faith. You know, like in Scripture when it talks about that. So I don't know how much I'm probably talking

Dan Wheeler: 14:15

a lot. But no, this is powerful. Keep going. So,

Derek Steen: 14:19

so we're in revival, and these are the things that saved me. And this is when I said I want Jesus not I'm, I remember telling myself I'll give Jesus a shot. I'm not huge on the people, but I'll give Jesus a shot. And so I would go to revival and it was powerful. And I would come home and I had no gridwork for this. I didn't know what it was but I was pretty raw. And I walked in I opened up my door in my bedroom. I was back with my parents. And it would be like a fog, like a cloudy fog. And I didn't know What it was, but it was the most beautiful piece I'd ever felt. And so I'd lay in my bed and I'd read my Bible or I just cry or I pray or, or whatever. And later, I started to realize that that was the glory of the Lord. And that's, that's like in Scripture when it talks about Shekinah glory, like the manifest presence of God, right. And so, I bathed in that, like I hunger for that, if I can have one moment in his presence, it changes everything. So no matter what I'm going through, that's what I go for.

Terry Steen: 15:35

I think it's so neat that our listeners hear that and know that. It doesn't matter what you do, how far away you are from him. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness. There may be a prodigal son listening to this right now. Yeah. Right. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness. And then he takes it and does the miracle, to think that you in three days, overcame that addiction by just speaking the name of Jesus, and then allowing his presence and power to overtake your life. By just asking for forgiveness. That's incredible. And Derek, you were mentioning the importance of your family and your brother in this recovery process. touch on that just a little bit.

Derek Steen: 16:33

So I didn't mention this before. But I at the moment was running heroin from Chicago to Cedar Rapids, with a hitman from Chicago and a group of other guys from Chicago. One guy, his specialty was guns and the other guy was paid pagers, I was still really old saying that. And then there were some other guys who were in some other stuff. So to get out of that usually isn't ideal. And so when I said I have nothing, I have nobody, like I got rid of my pager. And I really cut ties with everybody. And my brother to this day, like I've traveled all over. And whenever I think of this, my brother was going to school at North Central. And he took a year off a Bible college just to be with me. So I had somebody, wow, it heal so much of that rejection of my life, to have somebody sacrifice, he knew he was going to be a pastor when he was nine. And he laid that down, just to be with me. And to this day, he's my best friend. He means so much to because of that year, he just chose to sacrifice for me. I'm so fortunate, like, I can't imagine what it would be like to not have a Christian family. Some people don't have one person that would give them a pat on the back and say good job running after the Lord. That was huge for me. And I just needed that not everybody needs that. But I needed that.

Terry Steen: 18:04

Yeah. Well, Derek, we're, we've got about five or six minutes left, but we really need to touch on how once he brought you back, how he began to use you and establish ministry through you give us a quick sketch of that. Sure.

Derek Steen: 18:22

So right off the bat, my pastor was awesome to me, we would have our revival services like regional, and there'd be like a couple 1000 people, but he would have me share my testimony. And at first it was, I mean, it was awesome all the time. I felt honored and everything, but I kinda was like, Lord, I don't want to just be a trophy. And he's like, Derek, I did all of this. Just because I love you. Everything just because I love you. You're not a trophy, but your testimony and I'm like, okay, cool. So, if you fast forward to maybe even 10 years ago, I was, I live in Iowa, I've kind of had a ministry in the Midwest, on just the prophetic, reaching out to people, teaching people how to hear the Lord, how to just kind of rest and get in his presence. And so that's kind of my go to even cuz I think that was birth in May. And so I've seen a lot of miracles. I really just want them to come. I don't care how Jesus comes. I just want him to come, just come in the room. And so when I'm speaking, I say, Jesus, come into the room, Lord, fill this room with your glory. I just want His glory to come up. Take over. And in that I've seen people who are 90% paralyzed, stand up and do jumping jacks for two years of being deaf from wars hand me their hearing aids, terminal cancer, like sent home to die. Go back that next week, everything clear, but I really just go for his presence because everything happens in His presence and so Amen. That whole core that's the core of who I am. I just want to be with them. If nobody, if nobody else knows about it, I just want to be with them. It's and the biggest thing, and I go through phases where I lean into more times where I feel closer, and I don't. I may have left by first love, but my first love never left. And I just hold on to that.

Brian Roland: 20:20

Absolutely. There. What would you say to families and parents, especially whoever prodigal son, could you encourage them right now?

Derek Steen: 20:28

Yeah, in Ephesians, two, six, it says, are seated in heavenly places. And I had this experience where I saw how that works in the heavenly realms. And I would say that, if you begin to declare the things of God over something, the word of the Lord will always override the curse of the enemy, or the scheme of the enemy. And so don't look at a circumstance and pray it necessarily like Jesus, don't let them do drugs anymore. Speak into their life, it says that He came to set people free. So I declare freedom over their life. I declare this I declare, and just dig into the Word and declare what he's already spoken over them. And that awakens their spirit to connect with him.

Dan Wheeler: 21:15

By Derrick, this has been so good, we're getting near the end. But I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind praying for families who have lost loved ones. Maybe they have a prodigal son like you just just Would you pray for them right now?

Derek Steen: 21:30

Sure. So follow right now I thank you that you are so crazy in love with us. And even in Psalms 18. It says, You rescued me because you delighted in me. And so Father, right now I speak to every person who's on the stage of being prayed for by a family member or friend who can hear this. And right now I say, spirit, man, rise up and hear the voice of the Lord to you. Spirit, man, rise up and be who God called you to be. You are not what the enemy whispers, but you're a child of God. And you're called to, to destiny, and to relationship and to be in His presence. So Father, right now, I also speak hope to every family member who's been praying for years and years and years, it takes one moment. And Holy Spirit, I ask that you would just come to them in the night. In the Muslim world, people get saved by dreams all the time Jesus comes to them. Why not here? So Jesus, just come and be powerful, be a powerful presence in their life, and just give the families hope to keep pressing in and releasing what you've already seen in that person. Your name, amen.

Dan Wheeler: 22:47

Oh, wow, Derek, what a powerful story, Terry. I'm so glad we had Derek on. But we've got to just complete the story, because I'm curious. What happened to the 40 years in prison? How did you get out of that real quick.

Derek Steen: 23:01

We got deferred. I got deferred. Once when I was a juvenile, I had a lot of charges. And then I got deferred as an adult, I'd gotten saved in between my court date, and I talked to my lawyer, and he went into and talk to the jury and came out. I didn't even go it. Wow. And he said everything's deferred. I had to pay a lot of fines and community service. And then he said you had another I think paraphernalia charge. And I'm like, yeah, he goes hold on and went in, came out. And he said, that's dropped.

Dan Wheeler: 23:27

Like this was totally the Lord. Wow. It is. Very, thank you so much. I'm gonna wrap up with Brian and Terry, but an honor to have you with us. Thank you. And guys, what a story that God can truly turn anyone around. It is never too late.

Terry Steen: 23:43

It's never too late. unbelievable story. And I just love hearing it every time. And God can do anything. He can take care of every single detail. And I know that there's parents out there that are still praying, and we just want to say don't quit. Like Derek said, it only takes a moment.

Brian Roland: 24:05

Right? What he was talking, I kept thinking of the song. He was there all the time. Because he's always there. Oh, you gotta keep waiting for you. You know that he's not going to knock your door down. As soon as you ask him in. He's there.

Dan Wheeler: 24:16

Yeah, while the name of the podcast is finished wrong. And we need to have our faith be strong. And my faith was encouraged by Derek Steen's story today. And please share this podcast with others and especially parents who have maybe given up hope that their child or the grandchild will never come back to the Lord. The Lord has not let go of them. Right. So keep praying, keep believing. And we'll see in the next edition of finish strong God bless everybody.

John Matarazzo: 24:49

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith, check out their website, eth faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people to accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong