Breaking the Chains: A Heroin Addict’s Journey to Freedom
You are not here by accident. You have a calling and destiny—a divine purpose for your life.
In This Book You Will Discover:
- God has a purpose and destiny for your life.
- He loves you and wants to heal, deliver, and set you free.
- There is hope for even the worst addict.
- God can deliver people from the grip of addiction.
- God created you just the way you are for a reason.
- You are a soldier and a fighter, not a victim.
ENDORSEMENT: Brian Simmons
“Breaking the Chains is a raw and inspiring testament to the power of faith, resilience, and the capacity for transformation. In this compelling book, Laurie courageously shares her harrowing journey through the darkest corners of addiction, driven by the overwhelming weight of rejection and never feeling good enough. Her story is not just a personal account but a beacon of hope for anyone grappling with their own demons.”
ENDORSEMENT: Matthew Barnett
“Over the last twenty years that Laurie Ishii has been coming to serve at the Dream Center, I have witnessed Breaking the Chains before my very own eyes. Laurie has used her transformational testimony to help masses of people around her for the Glory of God! Breaking the Chains will be an encouragement to anyone, no matter what stage of life you are at. Laurie’s example of living a life fully committed to God has encouraged me so much, as it will for anyone who reads this amazing testimony!”
ENDORSEMENT: Jeremiah & Teresa Yancy
“We all love those stories that reveal the beautiful kindness of God. Breaking the Chains: A Heroin Addict’s Journey to Freedom is a story that does just that. It is a revelation of God’s saving power and grace told with riveting details of Laurie Ishii’s path out of the ravages of addiction into the freedom found only in Jesus. You will be impacted, encouraged, and blessed as you read Laurie’s amazing testimony of God’s redemption. Our God saves! No one is beyond His saving grace, and His power to deliver us—from any evil chain—is unlimited. There is nothing our God cannot do, and Laurie’s journey makes that truth so clear. With humility, authenticity, and passionate love for Jesus, through her book, Laurie invites you to see the mighty hand of God to save even the most broken, bound, and tortured soul. He loves us! And He is mighty to save!”
ABOUT the AUTHOR: Laurie Ishii
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Laurie grew up in a middle-class family and went to a Catholic high school, where she was first introduced to alcohol, weed, and cocaine. By 27, she got strung out on heroin, became suicidal, jumped off the roof of an eight-story apartment building, and survived. She eventually ended up on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, where she lived in a tent and struggled with addiction for years.
Laurie has been clean, sober, and off the street for almost eight years. Passionate to spread the good news of the gospel to as many people as possible, she is an evangelist who loves to reach out to the lost, especially the “worst of the worst”—dope fiends, gang members, convicts, homeless people, and more. She ushers at her church, Angelus Temple, and serves with the LA Dream Center Adopt-a-Block outreach program.
EXCERPT from CHAPTER 4 —Wrestling With God
I woke up and felt like I was a new person—different—so much so that even my mom noticed. She walked into the kitchen, and I was humming, doing dishes!
Jesus completely removed my desire to use drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. I knew it was a miracle because there was no way I could suddenly not have any desire to get high.
“What’s happened to you?” she asked. I didn’t even know how to answer.
Kai took me to church. The pastor spoke about the Pharisee Nicodemus in the Gospel of John chapter 3. Jesus talks about being “born again”—I thought, “That’s what I am!” I didn’t exactly know how I knew that, but I did. I knew Jesus was much more than a character in a book, and I learned that being born again was a spiritual birth; I once was dead and was brought to life. I felt like it! I knew God loved me, and just like I knew I would go to hell if I died when I got shot, I knew in my heart and spirit that if I died, I would instantly go to heaven.
Besides my mom’s place, I’d been living with a guy, Dave, off and on for a few months, and one night when I was at his place, we started to mess around. I felt a presence and looked around the room. “I feel like I’m not supposed to do this anymore,” I told Dave.
Until then, I hadn’t thought sex outside of marriage was wrong. I had sex whenever and wherever I felt like it, but this time, I felt naked, exposed, and it didn’t feel right.
About a week later, I took Dave to hear an ex-rock and roll musician share his testimony. Dave walked up to the altar to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
A few weeks after Dave got saved, he said it wasn’t a coincidence that we both became Christians when we did—and that must’ve meant we were supposed to get married.
I didn’t want to get married. I knew I wasn’t in love. I never believed in love. I thought love was only in soap operas. I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with Dave. But then I thought, maybe Christians did things differently. I’d heard about how parents in other countries picked out their child’s spouse and how people in arranged marriages learned to love each other. Maybe that’s what Christians did—married, had kids, went to church, and lived happily ever after.
Dave knew I was pregnant and didn’t condemn me for it. I thought that was pretty cool. All I knew for sure was that I loved Jesus and wanted so badly to please Him, so if God wanted me to marry Dave, I would. But I didn’t know what God wanted. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted in life and was so used to being run by my emotions. I didn’t feel like marrying Dave, but I didn’t know what I wanted. I was just trying to figure out how to live as a Christian.
Looking back, I realize I didn’t even know who I was as a human being, much less as a woman of God. I remember seeing women speak at church. They always had such class and eloquence. I went to a women’s lunch and noted how they knew Bible scriptures and prayed confidently. I aspired to be a woman of God but felt like I fell so short, and comparing myself with other women just made it worse. I wanted to be like them and never could—because God never meant for me to be like them. I was meant to be me. I just didn’t know who that was.
I still had a major anger problem and a gang mentality. I didn’t know exactly how I was supposed to “act.” I thought Christians were happy and never had problems. So I acted like I was always happy—a facade.
It took me years before I learned how to “give everything to God” and how to be real—and even now, I don’t know if I can accurately describe what that means or how to do it so people can understand. I learned to trust God with everything, releasing people and situations into the hands of Jesus, instead of trying to control them.
Despite not knowing who I was, I was still “on fire” for God. I shared what Jesus had done in my life with everyone I knew, including my dad, and prayed with him to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Almost immediately, God radically transformed his life. His temper was the first thing to go. After he gave his life to Christ, I never saw my dad go into a rage ever again.
Once I decided to live the way I thought I should, I got a job. I went to a Christian bookstore near my mom’s house, filled out an application, and was interviewed and hired.
I read everything I could get my hands on. One of the first books I read after I was born again was He Came To Set The Captives Free by Dr. Rebecca Brown. My eyes were opened, and I learned the reality of the spirit realm. I had always had a more difficult time believing that God exists than knowing there was a devil and evil. I’d experienced enough evil to know that evil existed. I once took a cocktail of drugs and talked for hours to a dark, monkey-like figure with red eyes who sat in the corner of the room.
This book showed me how to fight against the demonic and increased my faith, knowing that God had given me authority over the darkness through Jesus Christ and His Name. I put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18) every day because we don’t wrestle against what we see but against personalities without bodies—invisible beings.
Paul says to “put on” the full armor of God; this means we need to make a conscious decision to put it on. The Armor of God includes:
- The belt of truth: I must walk in truth, honesty, and transparency.
- The breastplate of righteousness: I am the righteousness of God. When God looks at me, He sees Jesus! 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
- Boots of readiness: always be ready to share the gospel.
- A helmet of salvation: to guard my mind whenever the enemy tries to throw lies at me. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
- The shield of faith: to extinguish all the flaming darts of the enemy. When Satan throws lies and accusations at me, they fall to the ground because my shield of faith blocks them! Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and we can’t use our sword, the Word of God, against the enemy unless we read it and know it! When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4), Jesus used the Word of God to rebuke him. We must do the same.
ENDORSEMENT: Patricia King
“Breaking the Chains is the powerful testimony of Laurie Ishii—a once wounded, bound, and extremely broken woman who came into true freedom and peace. Laurie lived through many tragedies, failures, and disappointments and came through to a place of sweet victory and purpose. The journey was not easy, and her freedom did not manifest overnight. When she fell, she would rise up. When she stumbled, she would find her footing again.
I have known Laurie for a while now, and I have been impressed by her infectious faith, bold courage, and unwavering love. She truly carries the beautiful fragrance of Christ and constantly reaches out to those who need help and rescue. The book you are holding is a book filled with hope and invitation. If you are struggling with addiction or the fruit of unhealthy choices, this book could very likely be your key to freedom. If you know someone who is wrestling right now, buy them one too! I am.”
GET THE BOOK:
Laurie’s Book is available on Paperback and Kindle: https://messengerbooks.com/laurie-ishii
