Becoming a Christian
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
by Star Lyn
As told to Women who are incarcerated
We have been duped, deceived and misled into believing that there is no hope for usthat we don't matter.
We have been told that we are losers who will never amount to anything; That we are lost causes; That we are throw away people, who no one cares about.
I am here to tell you that all of that is nothing but a lie!
Society thinks that we would be better off out of sight; And all of our so called friends have kicked us to the curb.
All is not lost.
Isaiah 53:6 says: "All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own way. And the Lord has placed on his servant the sins of all of us."
That servant is Jesus Christ.
He is one, and only one who will NEVER leave us; Who loves us unconditionally; Who will be there for us no matter what!
He will be there when we are lonely and scared in the wee hours of the morning.
He will be there with us every day and every night, giving us comfort, always there to talk to and listen to our innermost thoughts.
He will know what we feel inside, even when we can't find the words. He will know.
He will love us when we goof up and make mistakes. And check this outHe will forgive us for EVERYTHING!
John 3:16 Says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who ever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
That is one of the most popular verses in the Bible. You've seen it written on signs at Football games, on bumper stickers, even T-shirts. Ever wonder why?
Because it tells us that God loves us. It tells us that God gave the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son. His Son died for us; And if we believe in Him, we will live forever with Him!
Here is how it works:
Romans 3:23 says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Boy is that ever the truth!) We have all sinned, some of us countless times and in countless ways. Heck, we couldn't even begin to list them!
Romans 6:23 states: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
But waitthere's more!
Romans 10:9 tells us how: "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
1 John 1:9 explains: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
And again in 2 Timothy 2:10 "So I put up with everything for the good of God's chosen people. Then they also can be saved. Christ Jesus saves them. He gives them glory that will last forever."
Is that the greatest? Being forgiven for all the mistakes, bad choices, and wrong turns that we ever committed, are committing or will commitforever!
What all this means is that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, confess to Him our sins; and ask for forgiveness, we will be forgiven and given eternal life.
Never again will we be alone. Never again will we have to wonder what will come of us. Jesus Christ is the answer.
I am going to share with you something that is quite personal. The reason I am going to share this is so that you can know how far down someone can go and still be lifted up by the love of Jesus Christ.
Here's a little back ground. I was brought up upper middle class, had traveled the world, dined with Kings and Heads of State. I had become one of the top Trust experts in the country and had changed thousands of lives for the better. I was a lecturer, teacher and counselor.
Then, in February 2003 I was sentenced to 3 years in prison. After spending 2 weeks in Joe's jail and another month in Prison boot camp, I received my time comp. For those of you that haven't been there, that is the written date that you will be released. It seemed like forever. I was devastated. I was scared.
Within 20 minutes of that, I also receive a Dear Jane letter and found out that my business partner sold all the rest of my assets, kept the $100,000, and kicked me to the curb. I was devastated. I was angry. I was scared.
I went back to my cell, screamed and yelled, (which felt pretty good actually) and decided that I wasn't going to stay on the planet any longer. I then proceeded to take 50 pills which were for lowering blood pressure. I just couldn't imagine being in prison for over three long years, away from my family, without anyone. I was devastated. I was relieved.
B ecause of the screaming, the guards were called and came in force with cameras rolling. They dragged me out of my cell and after some period of time they walked me to the infirmary. By this time, I was quite calm.
I knew that suicide was a sin. I knew that God would yell at me when I got to heaven, but I also knew that I had accepted Christ as my savior when a teenager. And even though I had often veered way off the path that He had wanted me to take, heaven was where I would end up. I had asked for His forgiveness for this sinful act and I knew I had been forgiven.
I am walking down the sidewalk, knowing that I was going to be dead soon, and quite comfortable with that. I was feeling bad that my mom and family would be very sad and I would miss a lot, like my children and grandchildren.
Then the strangest thing happened.
All of a sudden, another voice was in my head. It said, "I am not finished with you. You will not die today, as you have much to do. You will bring others to my kingdom. This is not your time."
Well, I thought that the lowering of my blood pressure was causing a form of mental hallucination. But that was not the case. It wasn't my mind that said that, it was the mind of God talking to me.
As you can see, I did not die that day. But instead, God used me in the prisons to teach others. He gave me the time to read and study the Bible, (read it twice in fact), along with 300 other books, and write 150 essays. I started and facilitated numerous classes including Bible Study, Math, NA/AA classes, ESL and was the first in the nation to teach The Captivity Series. He used me to plant the seeds of salvation, seeds that He would harvest.
Prison was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. It can be for you too. Use this grand opportunity to get better acquainted with Jesus. Turn over all your pain, disappointment, guilt, shame, doubt, confusion and self loathing to the Lord. He will gladly take it and in return give you salvation, unconditional love and eternal life. Not a bad deal when you look at it.
Does this mean that we don't have to change our evil ways? Of course we do. And it isn't that hard to do. Let me put it this way:
Would you light up that crack pipe if Jesus was sitting on the couch next to you? Well He is.
Would you rob that house if Jesus was on the other side of the door? Well He is.
Would you steal that car if Jesus was sitting in the passenger seat? Well He is.
Would you sell those drugs, if the buyer was Jesus? Well He is.
Jesus is with us always, and when you accept Him as your savior, things change. He gives you courage to stand your ground and do what is right. He allows you to make your own choices, and will comfort you when you make the wrong ones. He does not judge you.ever.
Give your heart and soul to Jesus, put Him in control and your life will change I promise. It worked for me and it will work for you.
If you would like to be forgiven for all the wrongs you've done, if you want a fresh start in life and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, please speak the following words from your mouth and from your heart:
"Precious, Heavenly Father, I come to You today, to declare my undying love and dedication to You. I hereby accept and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is your Son; that He died on the cross for my sins, that You raised Him from the dead in three days and after He made himself known to the many, You took Him to sit at Your right hand. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask for Your forgiveness. I am sorry for all the things that I have done. I know that through Your grace, and through Your Son, my soul is now eternally saved and my slate is wiped clean. I am grateful, I am humbled and I pray that I serve You well. I state this for all to hear, in the name of Your loving Son, Jesus Christ, Amen."
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Hi Star Lyn.Thank you for sharing this well-written piece. It is inspirational and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing this to us.All the best to you and yours,NenitaI thank you very much for your thoughtful comments. I also love what you write. The exquisite way that you put thought into the rhythm is simply beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Keep sharing His wonderful light and life - only Jesus can accomplish anything in our lives!Amen to that! I still don't understand how anyone can get through life without Jesus. We are so blessed that He loves us so much! Blessings to you always!
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