Sid: I have a man that’s red hot for the Messiah. And you know it says in scripture that “To him who’s forgiven much they love much.” The truth is the most holy person when you don’t know the Messiah you need to be forgiven much because you are separated from God. And although the person thinks they’re living a good lifestyle compared to the righteousness of God our garments are like filthy rags. And I want you to listen to my new friend Pastor Ricky Sinclair. He’s Senior Pastor of Miracle Place Church in Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. But Ricky there are so many people caught up in what they consider the good life; the fast lane; smoking marijuana; doing drugs; partying and they don’t recognize a time is coming when all the facade disappears and the realize they are just totally empty.
Ricky: That’s exactly right.
Sid: So the people get to know you a little bit; tell me a little bit about your early childhood.
Ricky: Well, Sid I’m so glad to be with you today. I was raised in a home, a middle class family in Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana about 30 miles north of Baton Rouge actually. And I was raised in a family where I watched my mom and dad drink alcohol every day of my life. And they lived a party life. And as a result of living in that kind of environment and that kind of lifestyle I took on that kind of lifestyle for my own life. And it led me down a terrible, terrible road. I ended up getting into the party scene and the drug scene and the fast lane scene. And as a result of that I ended up getting busted in 1982 with distribution of cocaine, marijuana, and Diazepam; Diazepam is the same thing as Valium. As a result of getting busted here I was 17 years old in high school; had quit my senior year playing football. Was a dynamic football player and had an opportunity to go to at least a small college to play football. Coaches loved me; and the drugs because of the party scene the drugs scene actually destroyed my life. Now let me just say there are people that are listening to us today. And what it starts out it starts out to be a party; it starts out to be fun; it starts out on Friday and Saturday night that you’re riding around with your friends and you’re getting high. And you’re living in the fast lane; you’re chasing girls; you’re chasing boys. And it seems like it’s fun but what happens is it becomes like a big monster that attacks you. And what it does it puts you in bondage and then all of a sudden you’ve got a stronghold in your life. And when you start to do drugs you go through the levels; I call it the levels of conscience of conviction. You don’t start out smoking cocaine by freebasing pipe or shooting cocaine or shooting drugs with a needle. You start out smoking cigarettes and then you progress to the next level; the next conscience of conviction. It’s almost like crossing over lines of conscience of conviction in your life. It’s hard to cross over conscience of conviction if you’ve never done it; well it feels awkward for you to do it. But each line you cross you go deeper and deeper in a downward spiral and that’s what took place in my life. So I started out smoking cigarettes; sneaking them from my mom and my dad. And then the next thing I did was it made it easier for me to go right into smoking marijuana because I had smoked cigarettes. And then the next thing I did crossing over into the next line of conscience of conviction I started taking pills. And then from there I started snorting powder cocaine; and then from there I said “Why don’t I instead of snort it why don’t I just smoke some cocaine.” So I started smoking crack; what they call crack today. And then ultimately the very thing I said I’d never do in my life was actually stick a needle in my arm. And the very thing that I said I would never do as I had progressed downward in the downward spiral; the horrible pit I found myself one day with a syringe shooting cocaine and shooting morphine. And ultimately I ended up OD’ing 3 times; twice on morphine and once on cocaine. Busted in 1982, I stated just a minute ago, distribution of cocaine, marijuana and Diazepam which is Valium and then ultimately in 1986 I got busted again with distribution of marijuana. Now they didn’t catch me at my house when they kicked the door down; my wife and I had a little boy then were at the house. And the police kicked the door down and searched the house and I wasn’t there but I was on my way home that day. And I’ll never forget when I got ready to turn into my driveway I looked at my house and there was a SWAT Team that had surrounded my house. I had some people that were there at my house and they were all laying out on the ground; they had them laid out with guns on them. And I’ll never forget what I did was… and let me say this that when the police are chasing you are not living right and you’re in drugs and you see the SWAT Team at your house Sid you don’t feel like going home that day.
Sid: For sure.
Ricky: I didn’t I didn’t turn into my driveway I kept on driving; ultimately ended in New Orleans, Louisiana and started dealing drug again in New Orleans. I called one of my contacts out of McAllen, Texas, was right there at the border of Mexico. I set up a deal where Lalo would bring 30 pounds of marijuana to me. And I’d pick him up at the bus station in New Orleans1987 picked Lalo up at the bus station; brought him to my house; started dealing drugs and that night they kicked the door down. And I’ll never forget that when they kicked the door down they came through with about a 60 or 80 pound ramming bar. Actually what happened was they took the whole door off the hinges; and I was sitting there watching TV with my wife and I had a little boy at that time and I saw the whole door come off the hinges and it was skipping across the living room floor. And I heard the police as they came out through the backdoor and the front door and this was what they said “Lay down on your face; you’re hands behind your head; your hands leave your head your head leaves your shoulders.”
Sid: Hm.
Ricky: I’m just thinking “I’m down on the floor, my wife’s down on the floor, I got a little baby that’s about 2 years old; I’m a little boy that’s running from the police and we’re dealing drugs; I’m in a mess Sid.”
Sid: What was life like just immediately before the police busted into your house?
Ricky: I’m running Sid; here I am running from the police; I got a little 2 year old baby; I’m staying from hotel to hotel. You know when you’re dealing drugs; when you got drugs and you’re dealing them you got money. When you’re not dealing drugs you don’t have money especially when you’re using them like I was. So here’s my little baby in a towel from the bathroom because we didn’t have enough money to buy diapers. Here we are giving him watered down milk in a bottle because we didn’t have enough money to buy milk. Here we are eating turkey sandwiches because we didn’t have enough money to buy food; running from the police. I got alias names; Kent Douglas Smith is one of my alias.
Sid: How old are you at that time?
Ricky: I am 21 or 22 years old.
Sid: Hm.
Ricky: I am 21 or 22 years old at this time.
Sid: How about your wife; how old was she?
Ricky: My wife is 3 years behind me and she’s been with me since she was 14 years old.
Sid: Hm.
Ricky: So I was 17 years old and she was 14.
Sid: And you know what; I just want to point out. You came from a good middleclass background as far as being financially being provided. I mean how do you I mean I know how you get used to being with money; how do you get used to being on the run like that. And living on a sandwich for the whole family and a towel for a diaper for your kid?
Ricky: Well, you don’t get used to it Sid that’s for sure. (Laughing) Nobody gets used to living that kind of a lifestyle. And actually in essence I realized that really God was using these events that I was going through to try to get a hold to me to give me a truth. Because I realized that when I was living in sin and in living for myself and living astray like that it was actually bringing a curse upon my life. And really God was trying to take that curse that was in my life to give me a revelation to show me that if you continue to live for yourself and you continue to do your own thing then you are going to have a curse on your life. Really in essence God was really trying to get a hold of my attention through all of the circumstances and things that I was going through to try and reach me. And so I realized today; and of course I’m living for God today and I have God’s favor and blessing on my life. I realized that all the things that I went through in my life, and that’s not all Sid, let me tell you after running from the police from St. Francisville which is where I got busted the first time and now I’m in New Orleans I got Lalo in the house; they kick the door down.
Sid: This was a Mexican smuggler that was delivering 30 pounds of marijuana; they knock your door down and what happened next?
Ricky: Then the police searched the house and they find 14 pounds of marijuana and they find about 5 to $8,000 cash on me. And what they do they tell my wife that they’re fixing to take her baby away if she doesn’t tell the police where we got the drugs and whose all involved. And then they took us down to jail and I gave them an alias name Kent Douglas Smith and tried to find out ultimately one of the people that was in the house told the law my real name. By the way there’s no honor among sinners; just like there’s no honor among thieves.
Sid: Ricky we’re out of time; we’ll pick up here on tomorrow’s broadcast.
Sid: I have a man that’s red hot for the Messiah. And you know it says in scripture that “To him who’s forgiven much they love much.” The truth is the most holy person when you don’t know the Messiah you need to be forgiven much because you are separated from God. And although the person thinks they’re living a good lifestyle compared to the righteousness of God our garments are like filthy rags. And I want you to listen to my new friend Pastor Ricky Sinclair. He’s Senior Pastor of Miracle Place Church in Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. But Ricky there are so many people caught up in what they consider the good life; the fast lane; smoking marijuana; doing drugs; partying and they don’t recognize a time is coming when all the facade disappears and the realize they are just totally empty.
Ricky: That’s exactly right.
Sid: So the people get to know you a little bit; tell me a little bit about your early childhood.
Ricky: Well, Sid I’m so glad to be with you today. I was raised in a home, a middle class family in Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana about 30 miles north of Baton Rouge actually. And I was raised in a family where I watched my mom and dad drink alcohol every day of my life. And they lived a party life. And as a result of living in that kind of environment and that kind of lifestyle I took on that kind of lifestyle for my own life. And it led me down a terrible, terrible road. I ended up getting into the party scene and the drug scene and the fast lane scene. And as a result of that I ended up getting busted in 1982 with distribution of cocaine, marijuana, and Diazepam; Diazepam is the same thing as Valium. As a result of getting busted here I was 17 years old in high school; had quit my senior year playing football. Was a dynamic football player and had an opportunity to go to at least a small college to play football. Coaches loved me; and the drugs because of the party scene the drugs scene actually destroyed my life. Now let me just say there are people that are listening to us today. And what it starts out it starts out to be a party; it starts out to be fun; it starts out on Friday and Saturday night that you’re riding around with your friends and you’re getting high. And you’re living in the fast lane; you’re chasing girls; you’re chasing boys. And it seems like it’s fun but what happens is it becomes like a big monster that attacks you. And what it does it puts you in bondage and then all of a sudden you’ve got a stronghold in your life. And when you start to do drugs you go through the levels; I call it the levels of conscience of conviction. You don’t start out smoking cocaine by freebasing pipe or shooting cocaine or shooting drugs with a needle. You start out smoking cigarettes and then you progress to the next level; the next conscience of conviction. It’s almost like crossing over lines of conscience of conviction in your life. It’s hard to cross over conscience of conviction if you’ve never done it; well it feels awkward for you to do it. But each line you cross you go deeper and deeper in a downward spiral and that’s what took place in my life. So I started out smoking cigarettes; sneaking them from my mom and my dad. And then the next thing I did was it made it easier for me to go right into smoking marijuana because I had smoked cigarettes. And then the next thing I did crossing over into the next line of conscience of conviction I started taking pills. And then from there I started snorting powder cocaine; and then from there I said “Why don’t I instead of snort it why don’t I just smoke some cocaine.” So I started smoking crack; what they call crack today. And then ultimately the very thing I said I’d never do in my life was actually stick a needle in my arm. And the very thing that I said I would never do as I had progressed downward in the downward spiral; the horrible pit I found myself one day with a syringe shooting cocaine and shooting morphine. And ultimately I ended up OD’ing 3 times; twice on morphine and once on cocaine. Busted in 1982, I stated just a minute ago, distribution of cocaine, marijuana and Diazepam which is Valium and then ultimately in 1986 I got busted again with distribution of marijuana. Now they didn’t catch me at my house when they kicked the door down; my wife and I had a little boy then were at the house. And the police kicked the door down and searched the house and I wasn’t there but I was on my way home that day. And I’ll never forget when I got ready to turn into my driveway I looked at my house and there was a SWAT Team that had surrounded my house. I had some people that were there at my house and they were all laying out on the ground; they had them laid out with guns on them. And I’ll never forget what I did was… and let me say this that when the police are chasing you are not living right and you’re in drugs and you see the SWAT Team at your house Sid you don’t feel like going home that day.
Sid: For sure.
Ricky: I didn’t I didn’t turn into my driveway I kept on driving; ultimately ended in New Orleans, Louisiana and started dealing drug again in New Orleans. I called one of my contacts out of McAllen, Texas, was right there at the border of Mexico. I set up a deal where Lalo would bring 30 pounds of marijuana to me. And I’d pick him up at the bus station in New Orleans1987 picked Lalo up at the bus station; brought him to my house; started dealing drugs and that night they kicked the door down. And I’ll never forget that when they kicked the door down they came through with about a 60 or 80 pound ramming bar. Actually what happened was they took the whole door off the hinges; and I was sitting there watching TV with my wife and I had a little boy at that time and I saw the whole door come off the hinges and it was skipping across the living room floor. And I heard the police as they came out through the backdoor and the front door and this was what they said “Lay down on your face; you’re hands behind your head; your hands leave your head your head leaves your shoulders.”
Sid: Hm.
Ricky: I’m just thinking “I’m down on the floor, my wife’s down on the floor, I got a little baby that’s about 2 years old; I’m a little boy that’s running from the police and we’re dealing drugs; I’m in a mess Sid.”
Sid: What was life like just immediately before the police busted into your house?
Ricky: I’m running Sid; here I am running from the police; I got a little 2 year old baby; I’m staying from hotel to hotel. You know when you’re dealing drugs; when you got drugs and you’re dealing them you got money. When you’re not dealing drugs you don’t have money especially when you’re using them like I was. So here’s my little baby in a towel from the bathroom because we didn’t have enough money to buy diapers. Here we are giving him watered down milk in a bottle because we didn’t have enough money to buy milk. Here we are eating turkey sandwiches because we didn’t have enough money to buy food; running from the police. I got alias names; Kent Douglas Smith is one of my alias.
Sid: How old are you at that time?
Ricky: I am 21 or 22 years old.
Sid: Hm.
Ricky: I am 21 or 22 years old at this time.
Sid: How about your wife; how old was she?
Ricky: My wife is 3 years behind me and she’s been with me since she was 14 years old.
Sid: Hm.
Ricky: So I was 17 years old and she was 14.
Sid: And you know what; I just want to point out. You came from a good middleclass background as far as being financially being provided. I mean how do you I mean I know how you get used to being with money; how do you get used to being on the run like that. And living on a sandwich for the whole family and a towel for a diaper for your kid?
Ricky: Well, you don’t get used to it Sid that’s for sure. (Laughing) Nobody gets used to living that kind of a lifestyle. And actually in essence I realized that really God was using these events that I was going through to try to get a hold to me to give me a truth. Because I realized that when I was living in sin and in living for myself and living astray like that it was actually bringing a curse upon my life. And really God was trying to take that curse that was in my life to give me a revelation to show me that if you continue to live for yourself and you continue to do your own thing then you are going to have a curse on your life. Really in essence God was really trying to get a hold of my attention through all of the circumstances and things that I was going through to try and reach me. And so I realized today; and of course I’m living for God today and I have God’s favor and blessing on my life. I realized that all the things that I went through in my life, and that’s not all Sid, let me tell you after running from the police from St. Francisville which is where I got busted the first time and now I’m in New Orleans I got Lalo in the house; they kick the door down.
Sid: This was a Mexican smuggler that was delivering 30 pounds of marijuana; they knock your door down and what happened next?
Ricky: Then the police searched the house and they find 14 pounds of marijuana and they find about 5 to $8,000 cash on me. And what they do they tell my wife that they’re fixing to take her baby away if she doesn’t tell the police where we got the drugs and whose all involved. And then they took us down to jail and I gave them an alias name Kent Douglas Smith and tried to find out ultimately one of the people that was in the house told the law my real name. By the way there’s no honor among sinners; just like there’s no honor among thieves.
Sid: Ricky we’re out of time; we’ll pick up here on tomorrow’s broadcast.
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth