Brandon Brecht spent a lot of his childhood trying to win his father’s love and affection, but when he couldn’t, he turned to drugs. He found out a secret that nearly destroyed him making his life even more chaotic, until God delivered him from his addiction.
Childhood trauma and hurts
Growing up, Brandon moved from one city to another due to his father’s military career. His father was often absent in Brandon’s life, but even when he was around, he was abusive physically and verbally. However, he treated Brandon’s sisters well, leading Brandon to feel like his life did not matter.
Because of the deep void in his heart, he became addicted to video games as a teenager. It was his way of escaping reality until one day his father violently stopped him. He was playing a game when his father suddenly grabbed him by his hair and threw him on the ground. He then got on top of him and began choking him. All Brandon could do was cry in anger, and yet his father continued to mock him, calling him a “cry baby” and a “little girl.” He shut off his emotions, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and told his dad that he was going to kill himself if he called the cops on him.
The cops arrived shortly and despite arriving at the scene of his father being abusive, Brandon was the one who got arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center.
Secret revealed
After he was released, he decided to move into his friend’s house where his life started to spiral out of control. He was smoking weed, skipping school and living rebellious. Eventually, he moved back in with his family to move to Georgia. Shortly after settling down in their new home, his father abandoned them. A few days later, Brandon discovered something shocking.
While rummaging through a box at his house, he found his birth certificate. That’s when he finally understood why his father never loved him. His whole life up until 15 years old, he thought he was Brandon Robert Brecht. But his birth certificate says otherwise, as what was written there was Brandon Terrence Peel. All along, he wasn’t his father’s son and that revelation really broke him.
He constantly looked for acceptance wherever he could find it. A coworker introduced him to crack cocaine, partying, drinking and eventually heroin. He was trying so hard to fill the void in his heart with temporary things, not realizing that it only made him more lost than ever.
Hearing God’s audible voice
At this point, Brandon hated everything about his life. There was just so much shame, regrets, anger, and feelings of rejection and abandonment. He was at the lowest ever until one night, he just began crying out to God asking for help, and God answered.
“Clear as day, I heard God’s audible voice, and He said ‘Are you ready?’ And at that moment, I looked up and said ‘Ready for what?’ He said, ‘are you ready to live up to everything I created you to be?’”
That night, Brandon surrendered his life to Jesus and accepted Him as his Lord and Savior. He then started to see something different in himself and felt peace, love, and security enter into his life. But it wasn’t a smooth journey towards change. Brandon still struggled with his addiction and alcohol drinking. A month after his spiritual experience, he overdosed on heroin.
Changed Life
He almost died from the drug overdose, but God spared him. After being brought back to life he enrolled in a faith-based recovery program where he got to the root of his addictions. He started walking through some of the emotional healing that he needed and even learned how to forgive his father, mother and everyone that had hurt him. He reconciled with his father and served four years in the ministry that helped him.
Today, Brandon is delivered from addiction, anger, and unforgiveness. He is also hoping to become an itinerant minister and live out the great purpose the Lord has given him.
