How Jesus Transformed One Man from an Angry Addict to a Worship Artist

Published: February 16, 2026

By Movieguide® Staff

Songwriter and worship leader Stephen McWhirter opened up about his faith journey, from atheism and addiction to accepting Jesus as his savior.

“At a very young age, I decided that if God’s real, He’s not good, and I don’t want anything to do with this Jesus guy,” he told the “Jesus Calling” podcast, sharing that his father, an evangelist who physically abused his mother, shook his faith.

McWhirter began smoking and drinking, saying, “I was the guy that literally would have either cussed you out or tried to knock you out had you mentioned Jesus’ name around me. I literally had this deep anger and this wound in me that really was connected to my earthly father and a broken view of who God is.”

Everything changed when someone gave him a copy of Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Christ.

“I just remember having this internal thought that I knew wasn’t mine. I knew God was in the room,” McWhirter recalled. “And I’m like, ‘I want to give you my life. I want to quit all this addiction, all this darkness, all this anger, all this depression, and this trauma that I’ve known for so long. God, I want to.’”

He continued, “I just remember in that moment having a thought that I knew wasn’t mine, that had to be from the Lord, and it was, Stephen, you won’t do it. I’ll do it…So in that moment when God said, ‘You won’t do it, I’ll do it,’ the simplest thing [happened] — I believed Him. I took Him at His word. I was like, ‘Yes.’ I believed in Him like I breathed in air, and I gave my life to Jesus. I literally quit everything overnight.”

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McWhirter’s faith even led him to forgive his father, which he urged others to do as well.

“I would just say to anybody that there is something truly powerful on the other side of forgiveness,” he said. “It’s not about reciprocation. Somebody may not say to you, ‘I’m asking for your forgiveness,’ but you have the ability to tear up the debt and throw it away. And that’s real freedom, that’s real restoration.”

McWhirter shares more of his story in debut book Radically Restored: How Knowing Jesus Heals Our Brokenness, writing, “If God could grab me out of the depths of an abusive, dysfunctional family and a crystal-meth addiction to turn me into someone who truly knows and loves Jesus, leads people in worship all over the world, and has a happy, healthy family, he can do a radical work in your life too.”

He also wants to use his platform to lead others to Christ, sharing his story to inspire others struggling to pursue faith.

“The Lord’s used my life, the music and that thing — whatever — whether it’s good or bad,” McWhirter told The Alabama Baptist. “He uses it and draws people, and then I’m able to share the gospel and see people come to Christ. That’s my whole story when I look back over it…That’s been probably the most encouraging part of this whole journey.”

McWhirter’s story is an incredible reminder of the gospel’s power.

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