Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17
As the days march on, I absolutely refuse to...
2 Corinthians 3:17
As the days march on, I absolutely refuse to...
...let the devil drag me down. I refuse to give up or lose hope. From time to time, other prisoners ask me, "Dave, doesn't it bother you that you may never get out of prison and that you're doing all this time?"
I cannot even count the number of times I have been asked these questions in some way or another. But my answer is always the same. I tell them outright that "doing time" doesn’t bother me anymore. While they seem surprised by my answer, I'm not surprised. While few want to be in prison, God has given me a complete peace about it. Sure, I have my regrets at the way I lived my life before I knew the Lord. Sure, I miss my father terribly. I pray for my dad every day, and I long with all my heart to be able to wrap my arms around him and look into his face and tell him how much I love him. And I wish I could take my dad out to a nice restaurant or to a ball game like other sons could do for their fathers. But what's done is done.
I cannot go back and undo things. Neither can I get heartsick thinking about what could have been. Today, thanks to the love and mercy of the Lord, I can have a good life, even while incarcerated. The Lord has allowed me to make the best of it, to enjoy being with Him, and having a sweet relationship with my God.
There are people on the "outside" of my prison walls who are miserable. Everything in their lives seems to be going wrong. Or, on the other hand, they have so many material things, but yet they're still unhappy and they feel so empty. The Spirit of God does not dwell in them.
The way I see it, if I have the Holy Spirit, then I have all I need. Because Jesus is my Lord, I will always be alright. God is with me now. He always will be.
Today, I know what it is to be in God's presence. I know what it is to be free from guilt and condemnation. With each passing day the Holy Spirit is teaching me what this "liberty in Christ" is all about (John 8:31-36; Romans 6:23; Galatians 5:1).
In addition, today I can say with absolute certainty, that I know Jesus of Nazareth. The One who once lived and grew up in the land of Galilee, is now living in me and walking with me. This is true liberty. This is real freedom. This is great stuff!
And so, with full assurance, I know the Holy Spirit is with me. Therefore, I refuse to let the devil drag me down. Amen!
D.B.
I cannot even count the number of times I have been asked these questions in some way or another. But my answer is always the same. I tell them outright that "doing time" doesn’t bother me anymore. While they seem surprised by my answer, I'm not surprised. While few want to be in prison, God has given me a complete peace about it. Sure, I have my regrets at the way I lived my life before I knew the Lord. Sure, I miss my father terribly. I pray for my dad every day, and I long with all my heart to be able to wrap my arms around him and look into his face and tell him how much I love him. And I wish I could take my dad out to a nice restaurant or to a ball game like other sons could do for their fathers. But what's done is done.
I cannot go back and undo things. Neither can I get heartsick thinking about what could have been. Today, thanks to the love and mercy of the Lord, I can have a good life, even while incarcerated. The Lord has allowed me to make the best of it, to enjoy being with Him, and having a sweet relationship with my God.
There are people on the "outside" of my prison walls who are miserable. Everything in their lives seems to be going wrong. Or, on the other hand, they have so many material things, but yet they're still unhappy and they feel so empty. The Spirit of God does not dwell in them.
The way I see it, if I have the Holy Spirit, then I have all I need. Because Jesus is my Lord, I will always be alright. God is with me now. He always will be.
Today, I know what it is to be in God's presence. I know what it is to be free from guilt and condemnation. With each passing day the Holy Spirit is teaching me what this "liberty in Christ" is all about (John 8:31-36; Romans 6:23; Galatians 5:1).
In addition, today I can say with absolute certainty, that I know Jesus of Nazareth. The One who once lived and grew up in the land of Galilee, is now living in me and walking with me. This is true liberty. This is real freedom. This is great stuff!
And so, with full assurance, I know the Holy Spirit is with me. Therefore, I refuse to let the devil drag me down. Amen!
D.B.