Below, is a letter I have written to a prisoner, whose name is, Joseph. He has been in prison for 25 years and there is no chance for him to be paroled. It is of course difficult. He was very young when he was first imprisoned, but over the years he has come a long way. I have been writing him for a few years and my respect for him grows every time we communicate.
He is open about his struggles, how his faith is deepening, and how the Lord is using him there to help others. Grace is always at work and it shows in how this man is growing in to becoming ever more human and Christ like. I am honored to know him. Below is a letter that sent him. I am doing this to show others that there are prisoners, even if they will never be released have gone through a deep conversion experience that is ongoing. Please pray for all prisoners, as well as their victims. Joseph knows that he is in prison for good reason that he has a great debt to pay to society, but also that God’s mercy and grace are available to all of us.
I do believe in the statement: “There but for the grace of God, go I”. I know myself enough that am capable of a great many things that could land me in jail. It is only by grace that I have experience healing, and by grace that healing continues. Joseph has also experienced grace, for God’s love and healing mercy is open to all.
Dear Joseph,
Well, from your last email, I can say, in reality, you are a monk. For instance, your starting to understand 'fear' in your life is a sign of growth in self-knowledge. You have probably noticed that when you pray, it can start off 'good', or even very 'pleasant', filled with consolation. Then after a while, it dissipates and thoughts, memories, as well as fantasies can seem to take over. This is something that has to happen. It is a call to pray for healing and to not be afraid of these 'distractions', they are simply a deeper call to self-love, as the Lord commanded us to do. When we can see our own inner chaos, and still continue, and not tie up ourselves into knots, it is then that our journey truly begins. Purgation is a gift, a time of deep healing, even though it may seem to be slow going. Yet this can lead to having compassion for ourselves, and then it leads to empathy and compassion for others.
Our inner lives too us are deep and mysterious, for there are layers and layers that we need to allow to surface, without fear, but with trust in the Lord's love so that we can be healed. The deeper the healing, the more we find ourselves able to love and accept others, being comfortable with the knowledge that we can change no one, but need to be true to ourselves when we speak to others.
Gentleness and compassion are what draws others to us, it is a grace, Jesus works through us and often we do not know it. When we speak in anger, or in contempt, it is counterproductive, since it is rooted in the judgment of others, as well as self-judgment.
Never give up hope, even in the face of failure, for the Lord sees differently than we do, he sees your deepest desires, and He will focus on those that want to love and serve Him.
There will always be difficulties, and the deeper we go, the more we see that we fail, but the paradox is that we also grow in trust of the mercy and love of God, for God sees it all, no surprises for God, we are the one's who become shocked sometimes when we grow in self-knowledge.
Nothing can stop God's grace at work in your soul my friend. As hard as it is not to have the Eucharist, the Lord is still imparting Himself to you. Keep up the good work with joy, even in the midst of deep suffering.—Br.MD
Brother Mark Dohle, your compassion toward your friend Joseph who is in prison is commendable.
For the Heavenly Father has compassion on those fear Him; Yes, we should all follow closely to His way to be compassionate toward others.
May God continue to strengthen you and your friend in good works.
Here below, I share what the Lord Jesus Christ has taught me:
How long have I been a Christian ?
How many years have I wasted away ?
How shameful I became?
My turning point is that I cannot accept who I became !
I HATE who I became !
This ‘HATE’ I believe is the fear of God, that is, TO HATE EVIL !
For it is written:
The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance
and the way of evil
and perverted speech
I HATE. -Proverbs 8:13
It is RIGHT to hate pride in oneself !
It is RIGHT to hate arrogance in oneself !
It is RIGHT to hate way of evil in oneself !
It is RIGHT to hate perverted speech in oneself !
For many who desire to REPENT or turn from sin to God is :
to embrace THIS FEAR OF GOD !
It is REVEALED in the Proverbs：
By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by THE FEAR OF THE LORD one turns away from evil. -Proverbs 16:6
Yes, ALL can turn away from evil by THE FEAR OF THE LORD.
For it is written:
ALL we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned'every one'to his own way;
and the LORD ( God the Father )
has laid on Him ( Christ Jesus)
the iniquity of us all. -Isaiah 53:6
Yes, ALL have gone — strayed BEFORE — follow our own way !
But that do not stop our Lord Jesus gave Himself up to die for our sins on the cross;
By His steadfast love and faithfulness,
Christ Jesus fulfill God the Father’s purpose
to ATONE our iniquities.
Have we forgotten that we have been CLEANSED from former sins?
Have we been BLIND that we cannot see His steadfast love and faithfulness?
Can we IGNORE SUCH LOVE ?
When I start hating my pride, hating my arrogance,
hating my conduct and
hating perverse things ;
my LIFE began to TURN !
For we have been taught before:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. -James 4:7
I believe in the name of God.
I claim that His power of His name WORK in my life.
For it is written for our instructions:
Through You ( Lord Jesus Christ)
we push down our foes;
through YOUR NAME ( the name of Lord Jesus Christ)
we tread down those who rise up against us. -Psalms 44:5
This is what I SPEAK :
In the power of Jesus Christ’s name, I resist pride !
Amen
In the power of Jesus Christ’s name, I resist arrogance !
Amen
In the power of Jesus Christ’s name, I resist perverse things !
Amen
I have faith in the power of Christ Jesus’s name and REPEAT again and again when the devil start harassing me in my thoughts !
INDEED, the devil flee !
Hallelujah
How awesome is God’s name.
As I have come to learn In THIS STRUGGLE AGAINST SIN is
A GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH AGAINST SIN.
For the words written in the Holy Scripture for our instructions:
In YOUR STRUGGLE AGAINST SIN you have not yet RESISTED to the point of shedding your blood. -Hebrews 12:4
Fight THE GOOD FIGHT OF THE FAITH. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. -1 Timothy 6:12
Yes, we are called to continue to DECLARE OUR FAITH AGAINST SIN !
like DECLARING WAR AGAINST SIN !
Yes, we FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH AGAINST SIN is that we have to make a STAND by proclaiming our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we RESIST the enemy, that is, SIN.
For when we proclaim our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
the Lord is with us, that is :
for the LORD our God is He who goes with us to fight for us against our enemies, to give us the victory.' -Deuteronomy 20:4
or you can say it :
for the LORD my God is
He who goes with me
to fight for me against
my enemies,
to give me the victory.' -Deuteronomy 20:4
Yes, when we REPENT, we have TURN to God like a sheep went
a-strayed, as apostle Peter relate to us:
For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. -1 Peter 2:25
Yes, we have RETURNED TO
our Lord Jesus Christ who is
our Shepherd
and Overseer of our SOULS.
This is what have been PROMISED to us:
And in Your steadfast love You ( Lord Jesus) will cut off my enemies,
and You ( Lord Jesus ) will destroy ALL THE ADVERSARIES OF MY SOUL,
for I am Your servant. -Psalms 143:12
Yes, our Jesus Christ in His steadfast love, will surely cut off our enemies!
Yes, our Jesus Christ will destroy ALL THE ADVERSARIES OF OUR SOULS
because we are the servants of Jesus Christ.
As apostle Paul relate to us:
and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. -Romans 6:18
As apostle Paul have told us :
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. -Romans 6:12
Do not present your members to sin
as instruments for unrighteousness,
but PRESENT YOURSELVES TO GOD
as those who have been brought from death to life,
and your members to God
as INSTRUMENTS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. -Romans 6:13
For sin will have NO DOMINION OVER YOU,
since you are not under law but UNDER GRACE. -Romans 6:14
When we continue to
BELIEVE DAILY in Christ Jesus’ steadfast love and faithfulness, we are under His grace !
Sin will have NO DOMINION over us when we continue BATTLE OF FAITH AGAINST SIN.
As we have heard when the Lord comes again :
And then they will see the Son of Man ( Jesus ) coming in a cloud with power and great glory. -Luke 21:27
Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads,
because YOUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR." -Luke 21:28
Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer, will come soon !
Then comes the end, when He ( our Lord Jesus Christ) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after DESTROYING EVERY RULE AND EVERY AUTHORITY AND POWER. -1 Corinthians 15:24
For He ( Lord ) must reign until He ( Lord Jesus )has put all His enemies under His ( Christ’s ) feet. -1 Corinthians 15:25
As apostle Paul who has overcome sin through faith in Christ Jesus, have spoken:
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and ALIVE to God IN CHRIST JESUS. -Romans 6:11
We are alive to God when we continue to BELIEVE in all God’s promises that He has made for us!
For this is spoken in the Holy Scripture:
This is my comfort in my affliction, that YOUR PROMISE GIVES ME LIFE. -Psalms 119:50
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah.
Let us give God’s name the glory
because of His steadfast love and faithfulness, that we are saved.
Amen
