Have you ever felt a void, an insatiable quest that nothing seems to fill? Join us for the moving testimony of Dario Scuoppo (from 0:51:17 to 1:37:00 in the video), whose life, plunged into darkness and addiction, was radically transformed by an unexpected encounter with a love more powerful than anything else. Get ready to discover how hope sprang forth where he no longer expected it.
Filling the Void
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
“My story begins in a context that many would describe as difficult. Born into an environment marked by prison and crime, I was quickly confronted with a brutal reality. My own brother had been in prison several times, and at the age of 12, I plunged into the world of drugs. It wasn’t mere curiosity; it was a self-destructive path, an evasion. From 7 a.m. onwards, I would consume all kinds of substances, swapping my morning espresso for Jack Daniel’s. My goal was to destroy myself and hurt those around me. It was a downward spiral.
But, looking back, drugs were only a symptom. Deep down, my life was filled with fears and anxieties. I was terrified, and all the sins, all those things that man imagines to “fill the void,” were really just desperate attempts to fill an inner abyss. Perhaps you are reading this and saying, “I have never taken drugs.” That may be true, but the emptiness I am talking about is not exclusive to drug addicts. It is a universal emptiness, present in the depths of every human heart. We all seek to fill it: with wealth, social status, pornography, pride, or even the quest for popularity and recognition.
Many people think that fame or notoriety can fill this void. I have had the privilege of meeting and leading to Christ actors, world-renowned stars, idols of youth. They had everything the world could offer in terms of success. Yet, my wife and I found ourselves praying for some of them in private, after their public celebrations, because they had a deep desire to kill themselves, to commit suicide. Fame, recognition, money—none of these things could fill the void deep within them. Drugs and bad deeds were my attempt to do so, but like them, I hit a wall. What I learned is that the solution is not found in the fleeting pleasures of the world, but elsewhere, in something greater, more powerful.”
“What is Your Drug for Talking to God?”
“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. The new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“My life took an unexpected turn when Youth With A Mission came to my town. These young people emanated a fervor I had never seen before. They didn’t talk to me about a religious Jesus, or a mere historical figure, but about a living Jesus, capable of liberating, saving, and making us entirely new people.
I, who was used to imaginary conversations with big stars under the influence of hallucinogens, knew that no drug had ever allowed me to “talk to God.” Yet one of these young people looked me straight in the eye and said, “I have known a living Jesus, and if you let Him into your heart, He will change you forever”. He gave me a simple challenge: “Tonight, when you go home, say to God, ‘If You exist, reveal Yourself in my life’.”
Those words resonated with me. The Word of God is powerful; it always finds its way. I was a broken man, full of bitterness, malice, and hatred, with a dysfunctional family. But that simple sentence had planted a seed. That night, in the darkness of my room, I looked up and said to God, “Lord, if You are greater than everything, if You created the universe, what does it cost You to change me? I can’t take it anymore. I’m paralyzed by fear, I’m on drugs from morning to night. What does it cost You to transform me?”
I fell asleep. In the morning, my surroundings hadn’t changed, but my heart… my heart was different. For the first time in years, the overwhelming craving for drugs had disappeared. My old friendships and habits no longer held any appeal. The only thing I wanted was to find those young people again. I searched for them and found them where they were preaching. I rushed over to them and said, “Look at all the changes happening in me!” They opened the Scriptures to me and helped me understand what I was experiencing. From that day on, my life has never been the same. Years have passed, and here I am tonight, testifying to this incredible transformation.”
The Greatest Miracle: Forgiveness and Freedom in Jesus Christ
“Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
“I would be lying if I told you that everything has been easy since my conversion. Especially during the first three months, temptations came from everywhere. But glory to God, thanks to the Church, to my brothers, to the Word of God, and to the Holy Spirit, I was healed. My pastor at the time, whom I sometimes called thirty times a day, never told me I was bothering him, and his patience converted me more than all the sermons. I was like a lion for 30 minutes, then felt tiny, then full of courage, then panicked. My soul was shattered, fragmented by drugs, but God healed me. I have never used drugs or alcohol again. My friends, my family… they are witnesses that God is not only powerful, He is almighty, He does glorious and extraordinary things.
I can affirm that God has all the power to break chains, heal the sick, and free the oppressed. And tonight, just as He filled the void in me, He wants to do the same for you. In the Gospel of Luke (chapter 5, verses 17 to 25), we hear the story of the paralytic carried by four men, who lowered him through the roof to reach Jesus.
This story is powerful. The crowd, just like our thoughts of uncertainty today, can be barriers. But when these men showed their faith, Jesus acted. Faith is an unshakeable trust in God, the certainty that He can do anything in your life, even if you don’t understand how. The power does not lie in your faith itself, but in the object of your faith: the name of the Son of God. Jesus is not just a prophet or a miracle worker; He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, God almighty.
The greatest miracle is not physical healing, even though I have seen countless divine healings. The greatest miracle is making peace with God, receiving forgiveness for our sins, and knowing this living Christ. It is not enough to simply “believe”, for even the demons believe in God and tremble (James 2:19). You must make a decision, confess your sins, and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
If you want to experience this, I invite you to pray this prayer with all your heart, and then close your eyes:
Lord Jesus, I have heard Your Word, and Your Word has convinced me. Your Spirit has touched my heart. And now I recognize that I am a sinner. I have been so wrong, but now I repent of every one of my sins. I confess publicly and believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is God, that Jesus Christ is Lord. And now, by grace and through faith, I receive forgiveness for my sins. I receive the gift of eternal life. I receive a new nature; the old things have passed away, and all things have become new. Dear Holy Spirit, I know You are here. Please help me to follow Jesus Christ for my entire earthly life and for all eternity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
To hear this powerful testimony in detail and see the Holy Spirit at work in the congregation, watch the full video of this sermon on our YouTube channel:
International Association of Healing Ministries
