God is real. Jesus is both God and the Son of God. Spirits are real—both good and evil. And Jesus is the key to this life and our eternity.

I can confidently say that now and truly believe it, but for most of my life until about ten months ago, I couldn’t take anyone seriously who believed that. I used to think I didn’t need anyone to be my God. I believed I was already a good person and didn’t need some imaginary being to tell me otherwise. But I now have a new perspective—that any goodness in me comes from the truth that God was and has always been good first.

Losing My Job

To reach this new understanding, I journeyed through a harrowing trial of faith. It began at the end of September 2024, when I was fired from my job at a restaurant that I had held for two and a half years.  Money from the job was good and easy, and I regularly went out partying with my coworkers, drinking excessively, and using drugs we should never have touched.  A year before losing my job, I was already falling deeper and deeper into a lifestyle of addiction to earthly pleasures.

I became an alcoholic, smoked marijuana daily, and occasionally used magic mushrooms. I was completely destroying my mind and body for fleeting pleasures. The worst part was the alcohol. It became my identity. I would drink before work, during work breaks, and even after work in the parking lot with coworkers. It got so bad that I started drinking wine meant to be sold to customers. Eventually, I was caught by my manager and was fired on the spot.

That was the beginning of a dark spiral. I was jobless, depressed and ashamed. Instead of turning my life around, I plunged deeper into addiction. With lots of free time on my hands, I increased my use of alcohol, weed, and other substances. I also started isolating myself from friends because I was too embarrassed to face them.  After a few weeks, my depression remained, and I felt stuck and purposeless. I was lost and desperate to understand why I was even alive. I began looking for answers in different religions and spiritual beliefs—Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, eastern mysticism, energy fields, chakras, witchcraft, tarot cards—pretty much everything under the sun that I could find.  Yet nothing spoke to me—until I stumbled across simulation theory.

Losing My Mind as Well

Simulation theory proposes that humans are living in a computer-generated reality controlled by powerful beings or AI, like a massive video game. For some reason, in my drug-altered mind, this theory became my absolute truth. I believed it completely, and that’s when I lost touch with reality.

I spiraled into full-blown psychosis. Hallucinations and delusions convinced me I was one of the powerful creators of the simulation, trapped in the game. I thought everyone else in the world was a fake character, and I was the only real one. My mind constantly tried to make everything fit into this belief. It felt like everything around me—songs, books, people, TV—was responding directly to my thoughts.

At times I believed I was a god, and at other times I felt like a powerless pawn in the game. The worst part was the fear. I thought my instability was ruining the game, and that those in control were going to erase me from the system and kill me and everyone I loved. I became terrified of everyone except my mom. I believed she was the only real person not being controlled.

This insanity lasted for two straight months. I isolated myself from everyone but my mom and locked myself in the house. She watched me decline and didn’t know how to help. She tried to bring God into the conversation, but I rejected her efforts completely. I thought God was part of the simulation, a trick to control me. I felt disgusted by the idea.

I considered ending my life just to make it all stop. I believed sacrificing myself would protect the people I loved. Thankfully, I didn’t go through with it, because a flicker of hope was about to enter my life. It came through my mom who persisted in encouraging me to make space for God in my life.

Falling Into a Spiritual Battle

I eventually agreed to attend church with her.  She took me to McLean Bible Church, a large local congregation. I hadn’t been around people in weeks, and the crowd triggered my paranoia. I believed everyone there was watching me, part of the simulation, trying to destroy me. I kept my eyes closed the entire time. I felt the music and message were aimed directly at me to manipulate me.

I left during worship and waited outside. My mom found me and convinced me to come back in, this time into the soundproof parent-and-baby room. It felt safer than in the sanctuary—until the hallucinations started again. I heard demonic growling noises coming from the family sitting behind us. The sounds grew louder and more threatening. I turned around multiple times but saw nothing unusual.  Yet the hallucinations persisted. Eventually, I ran out again. I tried to escape to the car, but my mom had the keys.

When she found me, we left early. She was heartbroken. I was convinced I couldn’t go outside anymore. Still, she didn’t give up on me. She believed I was under spiritual attack and began to bring church to me at home. She invited close, prayerful friends from church who were strong in faith. They prayed over me, some speaking in tongues. Inside, I resisted, pretending to agree while internally rejecting their prayers. I thought they were witches trying to steal my powers.

But then I noticed something. Every time someone brought up God or Jesus, I became irrationally angry. I realized that something within me hated those names—something dark. That was my first real breakthrough. Maybe I really was under demonic influence. Maybe these people weren’t trying to control me but save me.

It was hard to hold onto that new perspective, but my mom kept pushing. One of her friends suggested a man named Steven, a believer gifted in deliverance ministry. As soon as I heard he was coming, I felt a deep resistance. Something in me didn’t want him near. I even went so far as to hide a hammer in the living room, prepared to use it if needed. Looking back, I now know without a doubt that I was under spiritual oppression.

Being Healed and Set Free by God

When Steven came over, we talked, prayed, and I wrote down sins I believed I was carrying. He anointed me with oil, placed his hands on me, and prayed powerfully in tongues. That moment was the first time I felt something new happening to my body, as if the Holy Spirit was taking control of it. I felt a hot sensation rise from my stomach to my chest and throat. I began spitting and coughing as though something was being purged from deep inside me.

For about 30 minutes, I continued to spit and cough until I finally felt a release. My body felt lighter, and my mind, clearer. That night marked the beginning of my healing. Over the following weeks and months, I dove into the Word and sought to learn about Christ and how to live as a Christian. My delusions slowly faded. It wasn’t an instant fix, but with each step closer to God, I stepped further away from the darkness.

Baptism to Mark My New Life in Christ

I am deeply grateful to my mom and every believer who stood by me and fought for my soul. After months of growth, I knew it was time to be baptized and publicly become a new creation in Christ.  I felt drawn to be baptized in a river, and on July 12, 2025, during a CCCGW church retreat at Messiah University, I was baptized in a ceremony attended by the same people who helped me on my journey, and by many others as witnesses.

The path that brought me to God has definitely been wild, but I don’t believe it could have happened any other way. God knew exactly what I needed. As an unbeliever, I required something supernatural to finally surrender. And now, I’ve found peace and wholeness in Christ.

If you'd like to witness God’s wonderful work in Bryce’s life, feel free to click the link below to watch his heartfelt testimony and baptism:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/143yqolhj6Jb02aZoWu_nqAfMHMb7slXR/view?usp=drivesdk