Once Saved, always Saved.

When I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior I was about 21 years of age. I had been taking drugs, alcohol, and other substances with my medication at the time. I could not stop, and at that time period I was literally crying out to God to take the addiction away, because I was afraid of being permanently institutionalized because of the damage I was causing to myself. I was working then at a major hotel as a security guard to say the least. And then one night, I was resting in the lobby area on a couch there and speaking to someone having a conversation, when this guy I see, come out of the lounge area and sits next to me and the gentleman I was speaking to. He started to talk to me about Jesus, and salvation, and how Jesus can forgive all my sins and how I can go to heaven the day I die. While all of this was going on, I could smell the scent of alcohol coming out of his mouth as he spoke, but for some reason it did not phase me at all, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that night as I said the sinners prayer. When I finished the prayer, he then asked me, where is Jesus now ?, and I said, in my heart. He then began to tell me that he was an x-con and that he used to be a jewel thief. And now was a Christian. So he then left and I never saw him again. You see we cannot judge anybody who drinks to get drunk or was in jail because he disobeyed the law or has done anything that goes against God, instead we should hate the sin but love the sinner. So about a week went by and I had a beer one night. I tell you I got so sick emotionally that after that night I  had finally the power to stop my drug and alcohol use. Now this does not mean I have not had a drink or two since then, but the addiction was totally gone. After that, it took me for some reason or another, seven years to read the Bible or even step into a church to commit and start my walk with the Lord. But in that seven year time span, my life was changing for the better. This is how I know that, you cannot lose your salvation in any way possible, because how could I do the productive things I did in that span of time, things I in no way could do before I got saved, If the Holy Spirit was not living in me. And again, I did not go to church or read the Bible in those seven years. I was saved and once saved always saved. 1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.