Reporter: WHEN JOSHUA

MITCHELL RAPS, HE SINGS

ABOUT HIS LIFE SO THAT

OTHERS WILL LEARN.

I'M WRITING FROM THE PAST

MISTAKES THAT I HAVE MADE.

I'M WRITING ABOUT THINGS I

SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE

STRUGGLING WITH, GIVING THEM

HOPE.

*

*

Reporter: JOSHUA GREW

UP IN THE SUBURBS, BUT HE

WAS INTRIGUED BY THE

LIFESTYLE OF GANGSTER

RAPPERS, AND HE WANTED TO BE

JUST LIKE THEM.

THEY HAD THE LADIES.

THEY HAD THE MONEY.

THEY HAD THE FAME.

AND EVERYTHING YOU WATCHED

THEM DO WAS EXCELLENT.

Reporter: IN THAT

WORLD, IMAGE IS EVERYTHING.

I WANTED TO PROVE MYSELF

TO PEOPLE SO MUCH, I'M

WILLING TO GO TO THE END OF

THIS.

I'M GOING TO START CARRYING

GUNS.

I'M GOING TO START SELLING

DRUGS SO I CAN REALLY RAP

ABOUT THIS STUFF.

I CAN REALLY BE WHAT I SAY I

AM.

Reporter: EVEN THOUGH

HE WENT TO CHURCH WITH HIS

FAMILY, HE NEVER CARED ABOUT

WHAT GOD THOUGHT.

HE WANTED TO IMPRESS HIS

FRIENDS.

THERE WAS THE WRONG

PEOPLE SPEAKING INTO MY LIFE

AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW.

AND IT AFFECTED ME.

BECAUSE I STARTED TAKING ON

WHAT THEY SAID I WAS GOING

TO BE. YOU DO THIS REAL

GOOD, YOU CAN FIGHT REAL

GOOD.

YOU CAN RAP REAL GOOD.

AND I'M, LIKE, YEAH, I CAN.

AND THAT IS STARTED TO STEER

MY LIFE, RATHER THAN GOD

STEERING MY LIFE.

Reporter: TO MAKE

MATTERS WORSE, HIS PARENTS

SEPARATED AND HIS DAD MOVED

OUT.

JOSHUA, NOW A TEENAGER,

LEANED MORE HEAVILY ON HIS

FRIENDS.

THAT'S WHEN I WENT DOWN

THE ROAD OF ROBBING AND

SELLING DRUGS AND HANGING IN

SOME BAD PLACES.

BECAUSE I GOT TO THE POINT

WHERE I DIDN'T REALLY CARE

NO MORE.

Reporter: THERE ARE

MANY WHO GAVE UP OR JOSHUA,

BUT HIS MOTHER NEVER DID.

FOR YEARS SHE PRAYED DAILY

HE WOULD TURN HIS LIFE OVER

TO GOD.

AND THEN FINALLY JOSHUA'S

WORLD COLLAPSED.

I'M LAYING ON THE GROUND,

COPS GOT GUNS IN MY FACE,

AND I'M CAUGHT RED-HANDED.

Reporter: JOSHUA WAS

ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY.

HIS ACCCOMPLICE WAS TARGETED

FOR SOME TIME, AND THE TWO

GOT CAUGHT IN A STING

OPERATION.

I'M ABOUT TO GO TO JAIL,

AND ALL OF IT SETS IN, IS

THIS REALLY WORTH IT?

Reporter: JOSHUA WAS

CHARGED WITH THREE

FELONIES.

NOW ALL OF THE THINGS YOU

RAP ABOUT, ALL OF THE

GANGSTER MUSIC YOU LISTEN

TO, WHERE IS IT NOW?

YOU LIVE BY THE CODE, YOU

DIE BY THE CODE, AND AT THAT

MOMENT I SAID, I'M DONE.

Reporter: HE WAS

RELEASED ON BOND, BUT HIS

CASE GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE

COURT SYSTEM FOR TWO YEARS.

IT GAVE JOSHUA TIME TO THINK

ABOUT HIS LIFE.

AT THAT TIME, I DIDN'T

HAVE NOBODY ELSE BUT MY

FAMILY.

MY FRIENDS WEREN'T AROUND.

THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY

MATTERED WAS SEEING MY MOM

PRAYING, SAYING, JOSHUA, GOD

IS WAKING YOU UP.

BECAUSE GOD HAS A PLAN FOR

YOU.

Reporter: ONE DAY IN

COURT, JOSHUA SAW THIS PLAN

START TO UNFOLD.

I REMEMBER THAT LAST DAY

FOR ME, WHEN THE JUDGE

LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, I

DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING

THIS.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I'M

DOING THIS.

BUT I'M GOING TO LET YOU OFF

AND JUST GIVE YOU THREE

YEARS PROBATION.

Reporter: CONVINCED

THAT WAS THE WORK OF GOD,

JOSHUA GAVE HIS LIFE TO

JESUS CHRIST.

I SAID, GOD, I SEE YOU

NOW.

THE LIGHT CAME ON.

THE LIGHT CAME ON.

LIKE, YOU'VE BEEN WITH ME

THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE

PROCESS.

EVEN WHEN I WAS OUT THERE

DOING THINGS.

YOU KETC KEP MY LIFE, KEPT

MY LIFE AND LET ME SEE

YOU'RE THE ONLY THING I

NEED.

Reporter: HE LEARNED

THROUGH CHRIST, HE HAD

STRENGTH TO RESIST HIS

FORMER LIFESTYLE.

MY FRIENDS WOULD STILL

CALL ME, WANTING TO HANG OWL

AN OUT AND WANTING TO

DRINK, BUT I WOULD CHOOSE

LIFE.

GIRLS WERE STILL CALLING ME,

WANTING TO GET UP AND DO

SOME THINGS, BUT I CHOOSE

LIFE.

AND THE MORE YOU CHOOSE

LIFE, LIFE STARTS LIVING IN

YOU MORE AND MORE.

JOS MORE.

Reporter: JOSHUA HAS

SINCE MARRIED.

HE AND HIS WIFE BRING GOD'S

WORD THROUGH NEW MUSIC.

I'M WRITING THROUGH MY

HEART, AND IT IS IN THE

HARDEST TIMES IN MY LIFE,

SEEING GOD COME THROUGH, AND

EVEN NOW, SEEING GOD WORKING

IN MY FAVOR, IT CONTINUES TO

SHOW ME THAT GOD IS FOR ME.

AND NOW I CAN REALLY SAY

THAT I KNOW GOD.

IT IS NO LONGER ME JUST

SAYING, YEAH, I'VE HEARD OF

GOD.

I HEARD HE WILL WORK IN YOUR

FAVOR.

NOW I CAN SAY I KNOW GOD

WILL WORK IN YOUR FAVOR

BECAUSE HE DID IT FOR ME.

I KNOW GOD WILL BE THERE FOR

YOU BECAUSE HE WAS THERE FOR

ME.

I KNOW GOD HAS A PLAN AND

PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

BECAUSE HE HAS A PLAN AND

PURPOSE FOR ME.