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NOW WHAT??? FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND ERASING THE PAST
AND MINISTERING TO DEATH ROW INMATES
MAT. 9:36- In this step we are asked to face the chaos of our lives, and the uncontrollability of our actions.
We struggle against the effects of our pasts, our present, and the unpredictability of our future. We feel very
weary and scattered. Jesus, as the True Shepherd, sees our situations with deep compassion.
ROM. 7:18-20 During the course of our lives we have lost our identity and have been desperately seeking to
find some identity for ourselves. During this search, we have made decisions that have been harmful to ourselves and others. We have a sense of right and wrong, but we have found ourselves doing what we know is wrong and not doing the things that we know are right. This brings out the powerlessness we have in the living of our lives. We find that we need help. Jesus is that help. PS. 6:2-4 We have fooled ourselves into thinking that we are in complete control of our lives and circumstances. We have reached a point that shows us that this is far from the truth. We find that it is not possible for us to control our lives without help. The help that is found in Jesus Christ allows us to finally "get over ourselves". The emptiness of our own resources can be transcended and we can allow ourselves to be guided by the strength of God and take part in the unlimited resources of God . PS. 31:9,10- We see our present brokeness as a defeat. In reality it is a first building block towards a lasting victory! The paradox of our reclamation is that we must give up in order to win.!! This place must be reached by coming to the realization of the magnitude and seriousness of our actions that got us to this point. As we fully appreciate the grief of the loss of our homes, families, careers, social standing, and our self-esteem, we can now make steps towards the surrender that is necessary . Grieving as David grieved cleanses our wounds so that the healing can begin. PS. 38:1-9- By this scripture, we find that David," the man after God's own heart", experienced times in his life when he had to start all over again. In this psalm, he mourns over how unmanageable his life has become.
STEP 2 :Mt. 12:18-21: Mk 9:23,24; Lk 13:10-13; Jn 6:63; Jn: 12:46; Ps 18: 1-3;Ps 142 Mt.12:18-21-What a wonderful picture of God's gentleness and power!! Jesus, the Beloved Servant, was God in the flesh. His actions and life while He was here on earth show us clearly God's character and concerns.
He is so compassionate, Isaiah shows Him as careful not to break a battered reed. He would not extinguish a wick struggling to stay lit. The power that resurrected Jesus from the dead is the same power that He offers to resurrect us from the living death of our past and to alter the course of our lives.
Mk 9:23,24-When we have been held captive by damaging behaviors, it is hard to believe that we will ever be free from them. These words in Luke need to be heeded very deeply. "For with God, nothing will be impossible." When we truly want to believe in God's great power to deliver us, He will be there, helping us to release our doubt and to place trust in Him.
Lk13:10-13- For those of us seeking help, we bring the emotional infirmities of anxiety and depression to the altar of a restoring God. While the healings, as depicted in the Bible, are significant, they are even more important as stepping stones toward the grander purpose of the discovery of a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.
Jn 6:63- Our interior needs cannot be satisfied by external things. Our interior needs are spiritual and the exterior things are physical. We can't mix the two and expect good results.To try is a form of insanity. Our sanity can be restored when we get away from the fleshly world and turn to the revitalizing life source of the Spirit. Through this choice, we experience nothing less than a rebirth.
Jn 12:46- The darkness of our past lives and behaviors have come to the light where we are able to see the full extent of the devastation that we have caused. When we come to the light of God's power and love, we no longer have to abide in crippling darkness. We can accept ourselves as we truly are and with the help of the light of God's Power we can walk out of the darkness for eternity.
Ps 18:1-3- We reach a crossroads. We are beginning to understand that our past behaviors haven't brought us any comfort, but we are still beckoned by them. One the other hand, we are also beginning to see that these are false promises. We come , in full understanding that we are totally powerless. This realization brings us to the threshold of God who has infinite strength to provide our salvation.
Ps 142- This entire psalm tells us of David, who has found himself surrounded by his enemies and it appears that he will be destroyed. The cave he hides in is a temporary shelter and he knows that he must look to God for a sure salvation. Only God can bring his "soul out of prison." The chaos of our behaviors make us prisoners of guilt, fear, frustration, and pain as well as literal prisoners behind bars. David knows the sure cure for just this sort of situation. His focus is changed from his enemies to his trust in the Lord to bring him strength and comfort.
Phil. 1:12-14- The apostle Paul, while being in prison, saw it as an opportunity: "Now I want you to know,fellow Christians,that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel.. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the Christians in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly."
Just because we find ourselves in prison, it doesn't mean that we have to give up. Although Paul was imprisoned for speaking the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we are imprisoned because of bad choices on our part,
we can use this imprisonment as an opportunity to find out more about ourselves, study the scriptures, and become full of the Holy Spirit through meditation on God's Word.
As Paul's example was instrumental in the conversion of his fellow inmates and guards alike, our example will also affect those around us and we will have opportunities to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ also.
Mt. 11:28-30- We have been bowed down by guilt, shame, bitterness fear and discouragement for as long as we can remember. We are weary of trying to live while carrying such a load. As God's love begins to work it's way into our lives, we begin to find rest for the first time in a long time. We learn from Jesus and in the process of this learning, we find peace, blessed peace.
Mt. 16:21-26- We have found that we must give up to win,"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (v 25) Spiritual growth demands that we give our lives to God without reservation or restraint.
Eph.2:8,9- As we turn our will over to God, we surrender the false god of human perfection, and we embrace the merciful grace of God. We accept the creation He made us to be., CREATED IN JESUS CHRIST.
In St. John 2:18-21, the Jews asked Jesus for a sign, to which He replied: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
Their minds 'Locked-Up' on the Herodian Temple, and they missed what He said. The Bible explains that He meant the Temple of His Body, but they supposed that He was talking about a physical building.
Sadly, this is not the only case of such a 'Lock-Up.' Nicodemus, in chapter 3:1-4, also 'Locked-Up' on the idea of physical birth, though Jesus was talking about Spiritual birth.
Sometimes today, if you ask people if they are a Christian, they 'Lock-Up' on a church denomination, and reply: "Yes, I'm a-- (Church name.)"
Likewise, if you ask some people if they believe on Jesus Christ, they may reply: "Yes," but they 'Lock-Up' on what they suppose is belief.
All of us must deal with 1 Cor. 2:9. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
Verse ten says that the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to us. If He doesn't, for any reason, we simply do not correctly understand them. Thus, for many, faith is a great mystery.
The Bible is a very difficult book to understand unless the Holy Spirit enlightens our mind about it. Jesus said: "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
Many people can quote Scriptures from the Bible, but according to what they say about them, it is certain that they do not rightly grasp what they have quoted.
In Mark 12:24, the Lord Jesus told the Jews that that was the case with their "question." In short, they didn't know what they were talking about!
It is easy to suppose that we understand a statement of Scripture, based on what our eyes see on the page.
I mean that there are things that are hidden to unbelief. It is not that God doesn't want people to know; but the devil blinds people's minds so that they CANNOT see the things of God. 2 Cor. 4:4.
What are we to do about this dilemma? Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33. If a person is only casually interested in the Bible, or is indifferent about its requirements, they will grasp very little of its treasures.
But if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He will add to us, and the Holy Spirit can guide us into all Truth. I.e., the Word of God, John 17:17.
If we receive Jesus Christ as Lord, and are born again, we enter into the Kingdom of God, and if we follow Jesus, we WILL learn of Him. To those who seek Him, God is able to impart the Spirit of Wisdom and of understanding in the knowledge of Him. Eph.1:17-22. It is right for us to ask our Lord for the knowledge of His will, that we might walk worthy of Him in all well pleasing. Col. 1:9-10.
The Scripture further shows our inadequacy in Divine things in 1 Cor. 2:9-15. Please read it carefully, and note that the natural man CANNOT RECEIVE THE THINGS OF GOD! Again, a person MUST be born again, or he cannot see the Kingdom of God. John 3:3-5.
Sometimes people "believe God" and ask in prayer, but discern no answer to their "prayer of faith," as they suppose. Such people often give up in frustration, or worse, blame God for His perceived indifference to their desperate prayers.
The fact is 2 Cor.1:20. If there is failure in approach to God for His help, the failure is ours, not His. He cannot lie! Num.23:19; Titus 1:2.
Some people ask God for Divine healing, and seeming not to receive it, they suppose and teach that it is no longer God's will to heal today in answer to prayer.
Many other instances of un- belief have produced wrong thinking about God's grace. My friend, God's Word, the Bible, is True as it is written. HE said: "Ask, and it shall be given you." Ask Him how to enter into the answer that He gives you.
Other people allow some Christians' failures to make them bitter towards God Himself! As if people's failures make God untrustworthy! As if their anger at God can be avenged by forsaking Him! Foolishness!!
Oh, my friend, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No where else is Divine life available for us. John 3:16, Acts 16:31. Don't "Lock-up" on what you think: seek the Lord until you gain the Truth, according to His Word.
Jesus said: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Mt. 5:8
Apostle John stated that hatred blinds eyes, so that a person who hates people walks in darkness 1 John 5:11
James states that where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16.
Hosea 4:11 says that whoredom and wine take away the heart.
Jesus said that if our eye is evil, our whole body shall be full of darkness. Mt. 6:23.
These Scriptures teach us the effects of our thought life, and attitude patterns.
If they concerned only unsaved people, that would be bad enough. But Belivers can fall into similar traps.
If we opine that others doctrines are wrong, we can become so negative that our heart becomes hard, and if we harbor strife towards them, then we are adversely affected, per James 3:16.
This does not say that we ought to compromise on bad doctrine. There are many false doctrines, religions, and ideologies. We must reject them, but we must not fall into the trap of becoming so negative that EVERY body is wrong but "me"!
We need to know how to live in the world, in which there is so much that is wrong, according to God's Word.
Among believers, Jesus commanded us to love one another. John 15:12. If we obey Him, we will not become hardened and blinded by negatives, strifes, hatreds, rejection or self righteousness. The value of love is that it works NO ill to his neighbor. Rom.13:10. Love suffers long and is kind, love envies not. 1 Cor.13:4.
Love, therefore, keeps our hearts from those things that pollute and blind us. The comfort of love enables us to be likeminded, of one accord, of one mind. Phil.2:1-2.
There is an easy tendency to get impatient with those who don't see things like we do. But each of us are at some degree of maturity, and we have to allow each other to grow up in the Lord. The tradgedy is that some never grow up, but stagnate at one level of spiritual understanding.
Spiritual stagnation, or even spiritual death, are dangers of hardening our hearts by strife, envy, ill will, and rejection of other believers. Gal.5:15. We have to let Jesus be the Head of the Body! He will deal with those who are in error. He deals with us, doesn't He?
Let us remember that all of us see through a glass, darkly, now. But the time is coming, if we are faithfull, when we shall see clearly, and understand even as we are known. Lord, hasten the day!
Therefore, let each of us be faithful, and walk in the light that God has given us. God is love, and God is Light. In Him is no darkness at all.
If we want to see God, we must be pure of heart, open in love to others, at rest within ourselves. At the same time, we must avoid error, and all snares that besest us. Not an easy task, but one which the Holy Spirit of God will help us do. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. It is Truth, and is no lie. 1 John 2:27.
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For as you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of your adversary; lest haply he would bring you before the judge, and the judge shall deliver you to the officer, and the officer shall cast you into prison.
I say unto you, You will by no means come out, till you have paid the very last mite.
“Until you have paid the very last mite.”
There are many different kinds of payments that must be met when we do harm to ourselves and others. The wages of bad behavior are usually paid to us in the form of bad behaviors being handed back to us.
In the commission of a crime, the penalties can rate from a slap on the wrist to life imprisonment or even death.
Upon sentencing, the criminal usually thinks that they have been through enough punishment by being arrested, taken through the courts, and sentenced.
While I spent my time in a cell, I came up with the following conclusion, “I was going to spend at least as much time in prison as I spent in the perpetration of the crime.
There was going to be no easy way out. I was going to be there until the “very last mite” was paid.
The “last mite” can take the form of monitary payment, time served, or even take the form of the time it was going to take for me to understand the full weight of my crime as it pertained to the devestation it had caused.
“The last mite” can also pertain to the time it would take for me to get myself turned around in the right direction.
The first step is Repentance.
Repentance
[regret or sorrow for sin or wrongdoing, penitence, attrition, compunction, contriteness, contrition, remorse, remorsefulness, rue].
-A complete reversal of one's attitude and values, i.e. a sincere turning toward God away from sin. See GSN3340 - metanoieo and GSN3341 - metanoia.
Evangelical repentance consists of
(1.) a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness;
(2.) an apprehension of God's mercy in Christ;
(3.) an actual hatred of sin (Ps. 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Cor. 7:10) and turning from it to God; and
(4.) a persistent endeavour after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments.
The true penitent is conscious of guilt (Ps. 51:4, 9), of pollution (51:5, 7, 10), and of helplessness (51:11; 109:21, 22). Thus he apprehends himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares him to be. But repentance comprehends not only such a sense of sin, but also an apprehension of mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Ps. 51:1; 130:4).
Next is Atonement
Atonement
Atonement has to do with punishment. In the days of the Hebrews, the atonement had to do with sacrifices of one kind or another to cover the sins that were committed.
In our time, it has to do with the severity of the sentence as it pertains to the severity of the crime or crimes committed.
It also has to do with reconciliation. Ususally, the committer of the crime can never completely be reconsilled with the victims of the crime, so reconciliation can only be partially achieved by serving the sentence.
The nest step has to do with regeneration.
Regeneration
Being reborn; the subject of Jesus' discourse with Nicodemus in John III (cf. Titus 3:5). This word is not found often in Scripture, but the idea is important. Regeneration is seen to be the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8). The "natural man" always thinks of salvation (however understood) as resting in one's own hands, but Jesus taught that it is necessary for a divine work to take place if anyone is to be saved. Sinners must be reborn spiritually.
Ephesians 4:22-24
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
re birth (re bur , re bur ) n. 1 a new or second birth, as through reincarnation or spiritual regeneration 2 a reawakening; renaissance; revival
re gen er a tion (ri jen ra n) n. [[ME regeneracioun < LL(Ec) regeneratio ]] a regenerating or being regenerated; specif., a) a being renewed, reformed, or reconstituted b) a spiritual rebirth c) Biol. the renewal or replacement of any hurt or lost part, as the claw of a lobster d) Electronics the act or process of regenerating signals
After all of these criteria have been met, then will one be allowed out of the cell.
For some, because of the length of their sentence, true physical freedon may not be obtainable.
I have known many inmates who, although they will never be out on the street again, are freer that most people who are not in a physical prison. They have gained a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and can look forward to living a blest life here on earth and an eternity of blessings in Heaven with Jesus.