Harold Hughes had given up hope of ever changing. He'd tried desperately to stop drinking many times. He knew only too well that his battle with the bottle had put his wife and two daughters through ten years of hell. And so he stepped into his bathtub one cold morning and pointed a shotgun muzzle into his mouth. Before pulling the trigger, he decided he'd better explain things to God. That prayer turned into a long, sobbing appeal for help.

And God came through. Harold Hughes made a commitment to Christ and found the spiritual strength to persevere. He quit drinking for good, became a loving, dependable husband and father, and went on to earn a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Tex Watson was so numbed by drugs and decadent living that he didn't know he needed to change. After joining Charles Manson's "family," he participated in the brutal Tate-La Bianca killings that shocked the nation. In prison, his behavior seemed as violent and erratic as it had been on the outside—until he began to read the New Testament.

An encounter with Jesus Christ gave Tex a revelation: "My own horrors were part of a larger horror. I began to see, too, that even for a guilt as gross as mine, a penalty had already been paid. . . . I began to see the power of God's love to overcome death and destruction, His power to heal, not just abstractly but immediately and specifically—for me."

Today reporters are astounded when they visit Tex in prison. The wild-eyed, cold-blooded killer has disappeared. In his place is a warm, sensitive man leading other inmates in Bible study and helping them find peace in Christ. Tex Watson has discovered the greatest transforming power in our world.

5. Jesus can save us from a sinful world.

The next four DISCOVER guides will provide a full explanation of how Jesus will rescue us from our sinful world.