{"id":13520,"date":"2018-08-24T11:17:26","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T15:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=13520"},"modified":"2018-08-24T11:18:36","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T15:18:36","slug":"ufc-fighter-ready-take-life-christ-different-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2018\/08\/ufc-fighter-ready-take-life-christ-different-plan.html","title":{"rendered":"This UFC Fighter Was Ready to Take His Life But Christ Had a Different Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mixed martial arts fighter and former UFC bantamweight champion Cody \u201cNo Love\u201d Garbrandt shares in a new video for the non-profit \u201cI Am Second,\u201d how Christ saved him after an attempted suicide.<\/p>\n

Garbrandt grew up in a family of fighters. He and his older brother, Zach fought for fun.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old who has a record of 11-2 said, \u201cMy brother was always bigger, faster, stronger, meaner than me growing up.\u201d Garbrandt said. He always felt like he had something to prove.<\/p>\n

Garbrandt wrestled during high school but eventually got involved in partying and doing drugs. They began to consume his life, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a dark place \u2013 very very dark place,\u201d Garbrandt said.<\/p>\n

Life began to weigh on him and Garbrandt thought he was ready to end his life. He tried hanging himself. Garbrandt would have died if his brother had not walked in and stopped him.<\/p>\n

In that moment, Zach hugged him and told him everything would be okay. This moment brought didn\u2019t just bring him closer to his brother, but also closer to God.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a changing point for me in my life,\u201d Garbrandt said. \u201cThat moment, that bond and that thing that we went through really, you know, brought us even closer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[We began] attending church services together. It was nice to be there with my big brother, worshipping God and growing towards Him,\u201d Garbrandt said.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026That was a start of a growing relationship with the Lord through going to the church, through reading different books about the Lord and just kind of growing my relationship with Him on a spiritual level of speaking to Him daily,\u201d Garbrandt said.<\/p>\n

When he looked back on his life, he sees how God carried Him again and again.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurrender is a foreign word to many fighters and was a foreign word to me in my life,\u201d Garbrandt said. \u201cBut there\u2019s a time and a place that you do need to surrender. And I\u2019m always thankful that I\u2019m able to\u00a0surrender to Him\u2026There\u2019s a lot of life events that I can look back on that He was with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, sometimes He would be carrying me, pulling me, pushing me \u2013 [it was a] higher power, if you want to say. And that higher power was Jesus Christ. I always knew that He was with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garbrandt found his way out of this dark place and is now inspiring others with his story. Our God is an awesome God!<\/p>\n