As a Junior in High School, I can remember being as high as a kite & drunk while hanging out the window of a friends Trans-am going 120 mph down an un-paved section of Interstate I-459 in Hoover, Al. I will never forget blatantly singing at the top of my lungs: I’m on the highway to hell & hells bells.
Not long after that I ran into a Baptist youth Pastor at a Hardies restaurant. In this Restaurant, I am So high that I can barely even function. Out of the corner of my eye I see this Youth Pastor & realize that he is coming straight towards me. He walks right up to me & says: I have never done this before, but God told me to come & tell you that he loves you & He has a plan for your life.
Man, you talking about flipping somebody out! That totally fried me! For the next 6 months no matter how fast I ran or how hard I partied, I ended up thinking about God. All of my friends were weirding out about it & I am really starting to struggle with the whole God thing.
Right before my senior year of High School I was working at the Golf Course at Oak Mountain State park & was riding on a Golf Cart about to cross a bridge when I had one of the scariest things that you could possibly imagine happen!
As I crossed this little Golf Course bridge everything that I would call normal ceased! With no control over the situation whatsoever, someone grabbed me by my ankle & pulled me out of my body. In an instant, I found myself going down, down, down until I could hear people below me screaming in terror. Right after hearing their screams I saw the silhouettes of flames bouncing off of Cavern walls. When I saw this, I realized I was in Hell & the hand let go of me!
This experience lasted for less than 10 seconds but I have never forgotten any part of the experience.
The 1st thing I realized as I returned to my body was that I was reacting in sheer Terror & was sucking in all the air around me for what seemed like eternity. The 2nd thing I realized was that that my body had driven across the bridge & down the cart path a bit without me being in it.
The moment I realized those two things, I heard a very authoritative, audible voice speak to me. It said: About the next step you take… you’re on you’re own!! It was then that I realized I had just ran into God almighty!
What I experienced in Hell was absolute sheer terror. I had never experienced anything like this before & for two solid weeks I didn’t even think about getting into trouble. I was the quietest, best 17 yr old kid you have ever seen.
During those two weeks I continuously & constantly heard these words spoken to me: I have loved you…with an everlasting love… with an everlasting love… I have loved you. Then I would hear it again: I have loved you…with an everlasting love…with an everlasting love I… have loved you.
During a thunderstorm at 08:00 at night on the end of the golf course driving range at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Al. I told God… If you love me that much…I’ll go anywhere… I’ll do anything. Just make my life work! At that moment I felt a joy come over me that I will never forget – I ran from one end of that driving range to the other screaming & hollering at the top of my lungs… Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus – I am not going to hell!!
I have gone through many Trials in my life since that day but feel very privileged & honored to have met the God of the universe & to have him to continually whisper in my ear… I have loved you… with an everlasting love… with an everlasting love… I have loved you…
Seated-The Prophetic/Teaching Ministry of Brad Hocutt 