First Service at the Jail was wonderful. Seeing old friends among the jail staff was priceless. Great people who are good at their jobs and who always treated me with respect as a fellow officer and I am grateful for that. The staff here is not a hindrance, on the contrary they are more than helpful. I would encourage everyone one of Hidden Bar's prayer partners to remember these great deputies in prayer for their safety and continued support.
If you are wondering what it is like walking back into a jail that you worked at for so long after getting in numerous altercations with the same men that you are ministering too then I will answer YES, it can be nerve racking. Years of military and law enforcement service have conditioned me to deal with the fear of physical danger so that was a small issue. The real fear that the enemy tried to bring against me was that these men would recognize me and not receive anything. This was the contrary. I bound the fear in Jesus name and went after it anyway.
I made a promise to myself a number of years ago that if I ever ministered in this jail that I would see a particular group of men first, these are the sexual offenders. No crime can touch a husband and father's heart more than the sexual abuse of women and children. Not all men that I spoke with were in this category, in fact I am not allowed to know crimes, but I knew that some in the room were guilty of these offenses. But the vision for this ministry is to free the captive, and who is in bondage more than a man that can commit such offenses?
I taught out of Psalm 68:19-20, 69:33, and I Cor. 10:13.
I opened with prayer and then gave a moment for any reports of good things that had happened in their lives recently (about 16 attended). The point being that in this place it is possible to see only the bad and none of the good but if we begin to focus on what God has done it grows faith and opens doors for more trust in God to take care of their circumstances. Worship is a Warship that is meant to destroy the works of the enemy. Satan cant win against someone who will praise God in the storm. If your trial magnifies your praise then you have already won against any trial you will ever face.
Psalm 69:33 says that God does not despise HIS prisoners. I asked how easy it is to lose track of this, that God does not despise you? I reiterated the point that once your life is covered in the blood that you belong to God. You are free from your chains, it is your spiritual "jailbreak". Your are now His captive.
Psalm 68:19-20 we put an emphasis on the word salvation. In the Hebrew the word is Yeshua, in the Greek it is Jesus. This translates to rescue and deliverance, among other things. I took this moment to ask each man in the room for an example of something the Lord had rescued them from. I had an amazing response. Each man gave a testimony. They were weeping and grateful, many of them, for their incarceration. 3/4 of the men believe that this jail time saved them from their circumstances, many that it saved their life, and they were grateful for it.
One man, who I knew as a teenager, confessed that he had been called into ministry and did not follow God's design for his life, and wound up in here. I told him that he now had a "captive audience" (I'm funny) and that he was a minister in this jail. I encouraged him to take his anointing back into the cells with him to encourage others. He was weeping and I felt a confirmation of that word in my spirit. I believe he will accomplish great things in there.
v.20 I emphasised that Christ was the "great escape artist" a Houdini. He has made a way of escape from every temptation that you will face. I Cor 10:13. I had many chime in agreeing that Christ alone saves them from their daily temptations.
Closed with a prayer, first by my old friend called to minister, and then myself. I will always give an opportunity for salvation and one on one prayer. I encouraged and blessed them and asked for suggestions, mainly music is what they would like to have, some worship.
There were thick demonic hindrances in the room throughout the lesson and I silently bound them several times. You could feel them, like a swarm, rushing about the room. Once bound the men began to interface and weep and really feel God. This is something that I encourage my prayer partners to pray about. Bind up the spirits hindering God's work each session.
I will minister there every other Sunday. The 2nd and 4th Sundays. Many men asked for restoration of families and marriages. This is truly a "fatherless" ministry. Many of these men didn't have fathers, and are not able to be fathers. Remember these things and as always God bless you for partnering in prayer. I will update you on the rewards of your prayers shortly. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment