"Can I beat the devil?"
Today, there seemed to be a lot of spiritual hunger. Normally when I go into the jail pod, the majority of the guys hardly notice I'm there. They're content to play cards or chess, or watch "Jerry Springer"-type shows. Today when I walked in, there was a steady flow of guys who wanted Bibles, daily devotionals, reading materials, anything I had to offer. I had had a really emotionally draining couple of days, and didn't feel like I had anything to give. God demonstrated again that it's all about Him not me.
One young man came up to me with a very anxious demeanor. Right away "Chris" asked me, "Can I beat the devil?" I asked him what he meant and he explained that he struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction. "I want to be able to go to parties where there's drugs and alcohol and not give in to temptation. I want to be social; I don't want to live like a hermit. But every time I go to one of these parties, I give in." He was convinced that not being able to be in those kinds of environments was an indication of weakness.
I told him that not going to such parties is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom. We talked about how in our own strength we can't beat the devil, but with Christ in us we can. Chris had a difficult time accepting that Jesus was the only way to salvation. He told me, "A Jewish friend of mine, who is a Vietnam vet, once said, 'I've seen a lot of horrible things in my life. If Jesus took the sins of the world, why is there so much evil around?'"
"Chris, what if Bill Gates said to you, 'I'm going to connect your bank account to mine. You have complete access to my money'? Now what if you never wrote a check in your life? You would die a poor man because you never took advantage of that which was freely given to you."
The analogy made sense to him. I explained further how no one is good enough to earn God's salvation or forgiveness, and yet God freely gives it through the sacrifice of Jesus.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
"It's quite easy," I told him. "Confess your sin to God. Confess all the things that come to your mind. Tell God you're sorry for them. Acknowledge that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross for your sins and rose again so that you could have eternal life. Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. He will put His Spirit in you and give you the power to live a life pleasing to Him."
Chris had his sins washed away today by the blood of Jesus! Pray that he reads and understands the Word. I gave him a Bible study lesson to go through on his own. Pray that the Lord delivers him of his addictions, and empowers him to help his dad and others who struggle with addictions as well.
One young man came up to me with a very anxious demeanor. Right away "Chris" asked me, "Can I beat the devil?" I asked him what he meant and he explained that he struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction. "I want to be able to go to parties where there's drugs and alcohol and not give in to temptation. I want to be social; I don't want to live like a hermit. But every time I go to one of these parties, I give in." He was convinced that not being able to be in those kinds of environments was an indication of weakness.
I told him that not going to such parties is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom. We talked about how in our own strength we can't beat the devil, but with Christ in us we can. Chris had a difficult time accepting that Jesus was the only way to salvation. He told me, "A Jewish friend of mine, who is a Vietnam vet, once said, 'I've seen a lot of horrible things in my life. If Jesus took the sins of the world, why is there so much evil around?'"
"Chris, what if Bill Gates said to you, 'I'm going to connect your bank account to mine. You have complete access to my money'? Now what if you never wrote a check in your life? You would die a poor man because you never took advantage of that which was freely given to you."
The analogy made sense to him. I explained further how no one is good enough to earn God's salvation or forgiveness, and yet God freely gives it through the sacrifice of Jesus.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
"It's quite easy," I told him. "Confess your sin to God. Confess all the things that come to your mind. Tell God you're sorry for them. Acknowledge that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross for your sins and rose again so that you could have eternal life. Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. He will put His Spirit in you and give you the power to live a life pleasing to Him."
Chris had his sins washed away today by the blood of Jesus! Pray that he reads and understands the Word. I gave him a Bible study lesson to go through on his own. Pray that the Lord delivers him of his addictions, and empowers him to help his dad and others who struggle with addictions as well.
posted by Brian at 3:24 PM
3 Comments:
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That is really nice Brian. Real Nice. I had a friend come to me today who was in problems. I shared with him and made him know that the only way he would get over those problems and receive all that God had planned for him was to repent of his sins and Let Jesus Christ be his Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately he said he wasn't ready for that yet. So we will see. I am going to be praying for Chris. I am also going to be praying that my friend comes to accept Jesus into his life. Please pray for him also.
God Bless you Brian and all that you are doing.
"Father, I pray right now for Yannick's friend that You will open his heart to Jesus. Show him Your great love for him, and how desperately he needs You. Continue to give Yannick and other believers the words to speak to him. May Your Spirit convict him of his sin, may he surrender fully to Jesus, and may he be set on fire to lead others to You as well. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen."
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