DEPROGRAMMED: He was headed for the MLB. Instead he stepped up to the plate for God
Star outfielder Nehemiah Toles had multiple Division-I college baseball offers and MLB scouts watching him as he neared high school graduation, but he turned all of it down in pursuit of his purpose — preaching the Gospel to bring America’s youth to Jesus."It's the scariest thing to be gifted at something that God did not call you to… Baseball was my passion, it wasn't my purpose," Toles told Fox News Digital."When I stand before God… and he looks at me, he's gonna say well done, good and faithful servant.How did hitting home runs, how would that have served Him?" he continued.FALCONS ROOKIE ZACHARIAH BRANCH SAYS CHRISTIAN FAITH, DAILY DEVOTIONALS FUEL HIS NFL JOURNEYNehemiah Toles preaching on stage to a crowd in a "Jesus Saves" t-shirt.
(Nehemiah Toles)Toles, who now runs his own ministry traveling across the U.S.to preach the Gospel, grew up in a household with a pastor father transitioning to be an evangelist.
Although surrounded by faith in his home, he admits to thinking religion and following God was "corny" during his youth.The former baseball player revealed that he used the sport as a "coping mechanism" while dealing with anxiety and depression that peaked in school during the pandemic of 2020."From 13 years old to 16 years old… I felt like I struggled to connect with people, struggled to just articulate my thoughts.And so… I went back to church, [and] before I even started worshiping or anything like that, I felt the presence of God just hit me.
All my anxiety, all my depression left, and I had tried everything else and nothing else was working," Toles continued.JUST 5 MINUTES OF PRAYER COULD HAVE SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS, STUDY FINDSNehemiah Toles was a star outfielder in Ohio.(Nehemiah Toles)Toles detailed one of his first experiences receiving college offers during a championship game while ranked the top outfielder in the state of Ohio, running to second base chalking up reddish brown dust in the air with the impact of each cleated s...