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Out of the Pit of Sin

Out of the pit of sin

Abuse in any form may be the most horrendous and appalling condition that exists in the human family, especially when it is perpetrated against a child, since they will form views of God through the lens of their abuse. As a young child, Sabrine’s abusive alcoholic father set the stage for her descent into sin’s dark pit.

“My dad was very abusive to our family. My mother, a Seventh-day Adventist, gave us Bible studies, taught us to pray, and planted the gospel seed in our hearts. We had learned my mom had a brain tumor while I was in high school.

“I felt so worthless because of my dad’s abuse, so around 18, I left home and rebelled by choice. I chose to smoke, drink, use pot, and became a meth addict. I chose to sleep with the kids that dealt in meth to get my fix, and later to prostitute myself for other reasons. If I survived the night, I was fine; and if I didn’t, I would have welcomed death. To top it off, I found out I had bone cancer, and when my neck broke, they put a lot of metal in there.”

Sabrine was in her late 30s when she learned her mother was very sick, and returned home to care for her during her last years.

After losing her mom she thought, I can’t live like this. I’ll move somewhere and get a new start, so she decided to move to Landers, Wyoming. While there, she checked out a local Seventh-day Adventist church, but felt it just wasn’t time. However, a few weeks later, she found 3ABN. “I knew instantly this was an Adventist station, so stayed at home and contentedly watched 3ABN for three years,” she says. “During one of the programs, Pastor John Bradshaw of It Is Written said we needed fellowship with one another, so I got dressed and went immediately to church. I felt so welcome, and soon I was taking Bible studies from Pastor Jason Logan. I was baptized on August 6 of this year, and I can’t thank 3ABN enough for the way they presented the truth so God could reach deep into my pit of sin to fulfill His promise to me, ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.’ ”

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Radio Reaches Out in Michigan

Radio Reaches Out in Michigan

We are convinced that God has ordained every broadcast medium to be used in proclaiming the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 to the world, and the exciting reports coming from a large 3ABN Radio affiliate network in Michigan prove that radio works!

Strong Tower Radio operates both a television station and eleven radio stations, broadcasting a combination of 3ABN and local programming to a huge audience throughout Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Tom Mejeur works for them in production and marketing, and recently sent us these reports. “Pastor Jed Genson of the Manistique, McMillan Northwoods, and Sault Ste. Marie Seventh-day Adventist churches, sent us a first-person report. He told us that of the eight baptisms they had in 2016, seven were as a direct result of Strong Tower Radio. Pastor Genson wrote, ‘Our contacts were well grounded in the truth of the Scriptures after listening to the powerful preaching… and when we studied with them, each candidate was already prepared to make a full commitment and follow Christ in baptism. Thank you for your vision and dedication! Radio waves have enabled the gospel to be shared in areas we cannot reach, and lives have been touched for eternity.’

“Then there’s Diane Kobor, in Gaylord, Michigan, who wrote us, saying, ‘Michelle walked in ten minutes before Sabbath School started, and said, “The Lord sent me here to this church!” Evidently she’s been listening to Amazing Facts, and has already decided to stop her business on Sabbath and let work be done on Sunday! Another Strong Tower listener, who was baptized in 2015, signed her up for Bible studies on the spot, and Michelle plans to be back for Thursday’s study in Revelation!’ ”

Yes, the Lord is using every means possible to reach His children, and we are thrilled to work with ministries like Strong Tower Radio. God’s blessing and favor have been poured out abundantly, and their ministry has undergone tremendous expansion. Please pray for both 3ABN Radio and Strong Tower Radio as we seek to reach a lost and dying world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Charlie’s Request

Charlie's Request

Among the many areas where 3ABN ministers, one of the most amazing is our prisoner correspondence—through our pastoral ministries department. Each week, volunteers and workers read and answer dozens of letters from inmates who watch or listen to 3ABN, and write us, seeking prayer, spiritual guidance, and literature. We recently received a letter from Charlie, who shared a marvelous story of redemption.

He says, “I am writing you today to see if you can find it in your hearts to bless me with a Study Bible. I was in a very dark place in my life before I got locked up. I cried out to the Lord, our God, repented for my sins, for letting Him down again, and for running away from Him. 

“I asked Him once again to save me from the fiery pits of the realm of darkness before it was too late. 

“Praise God for what a kind and loving Father He is, for He picked me up and cared for me, as always. He opened my eyes to His Glory! I told our Father, I am ready this time, one-hundred percent committed to picking up my cross, letting my old self die, and letting You raise me up from the gross darkness to be reborn again for Your Glory. 

“God is good all the time, and as the Holy Spirit was with me, God told me to let His words stick like grease this time and grow. 

“Once again, I was hoping you can bless me with a Study Bible so I can feed on everything I read and put it into practice—not for my glory, but for the glory of God. Please, and thank you. I hope all of you and your family’s spirits stay strong in love and hope. God’s peace be with you, and faith always in God. 

“I have a hard time understanding, at times, and some Christian literature to read will help me to always have faith in God.” 

Charlie, and thousands like him have sought answers from our small staff, and we’re delighted to help them. Your generous gifts provide Remnant Study Bibles to those who would never have the opportunity to acquire them. Surely God is blessing all our efforts, as we unite with you to bring salvation and real freedom to those who are so desperate for truth and hope.

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How I met God

How I met God

Donna Steele grew up with ten siblings at the end of the Great Depression. They were was not raised in church, and God was never mentioned in their home. “In fact, there wasn’t a Bible in the house!” she says.“But I always knew there was a God, because He came to me in dreams.” After visiting a mansion for the first time, she says her goal suddenly became to own one. “But that night, God came to me in a dream, turned over and sat down on an old bucket, and talked to me about life’s values. I was not to seek the things of this world, but to seek love to spread out to others,” she recalls. When Donna’s parents divorced, she began attending her grandmother’s Baptist church, and at the tender age of nine she answered an altar call and was baptized. After she married, she began attending her husband’s Pentecostal church. “The people were loud,” she says, “and I didn’t like it. But it was church, so I kept going.” Her journey took her through the Nazarenes, Catholicism, and even the Native American beliefs, but there was always something missing. “I look back now and I realize that although I had loved and known about God all my life, I’d never met Him,” she admits. Then, several years ago, Donna moved to southern Illinois to help her daughter Kristina, who works for 3ABN. “At that point, I wasn’t going to church, because I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere,” she says, “but Kristina kept mentioning her co-workers at 3ABN, so I began watching. I liked listening to Shelley Quinn, and soon I fell in love with the preaching of CA Murray, David Asscherick, and Kenneth Cox. Then one day, I met Danny Shelton and suddenly we were talking about the seventh-day Sabbath. I’d been taught that it was just for the Jews, but as I continued studying what Jesus said, everything lined up! Then I knew!”

She began attending the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, and says, “Everything I heard was backed up directly in the Bible, and I’ve been there from that point on.

“It’s an amazing journey, and at 75 years of age, I finally have a freedom I’ve never had. No matter what happens, I just trust God!”

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Sharing Her Joy

Sharing her Joy

Jane Gibbs was raised Catholic, but never really knew the Lord. Growing up with ten siblings, her father’s alcoholism and drug addiction made for a very unhappy childhood, but God made sure she felt His love. “A lovely Jehovah’s Witness family lived across the street, and they were very kind to me,” she says. “However, as I grew up, I began self-medicating, and my addictions kept me trapped for most of my life.

Then, one day, I found a channel I’d never seen before on DISH Network, and as I listened to 3ABN I was hooked! In time, I felt a need to be baptized, so I prayed, Lord, if You’re serious about this, please help me find a church. Then I called 3ABN, and they got in touch with the Oakwood Seventh-day Adventist Church in Taylor, Michigan.

When someone called to ask if I’d like to study the Bible, I was so excited that I blurted out, ‘What I really need is to be baptized!’ They sent Mary Skrobowski, who was also raised Catholic. We had so much in common; and as we studied, I felt so alive and so saved that I wanted to tell everybody!

I remember the day I was baptized. When I came up out of the water, I knew my life was different. I’d quit smoking, drinking, and taking drugs before; but this time it was real. The Lord was holding me up!” Pastor Ariel Roldan had the privilege of baptizing her and says that Jane is a tremendous blessing to his church.
“Just a few months ago I baptized two people who received Bible studies from her,” he says, “and she welcomes and nurtures all of our new members!”

Jane believes that 3ABN is a great tool, since it reaches everywhere. “I know firsthand,” she adds, “because you certainly reached me!”

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Impressed by the Spirit

Impressed by the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is moving strongly on the hearts of our viewers. One of those who have been moved is Roberto Chavez, a retired engineer, who lives in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Several years ago he began watching 3ABN Latino and came to the conclusion that we were preaching a message from the Bible that he’d never heard before.

One Sabbath morning, he felt strongly compelled to enter a church building he’d seen many times before on his way home. As he entered the lobby, brother Ovidio Galindo reached out his hand and introduced himself. He proceeded to ask Mr. Chavez if he was coming for the church service, or if he was just looking for someone, to which Mr. Chavez replied, “I’ve been watching a TV channel called 3ABN Latino, and they talk about prophecy and other interesting topics. However, this morning I was impressed that this is the church they make reference to in their programs.” Brother Galindo was delighted, and after the service, they set up a time for Bible studies.

To everyone’s amazement, Mr. Chavez soon proved that he had a good understanding of the truths held dear by the Adventist Church, and it wasn’t long until he made his decision for Christ and was baptized. Today he is an active member of the Guatemala City Seventh-day Adventist Church! We rejoice that the Lord is blessing 3ABN Latino’s efforts to reach the millions of souls who live in Latin America! Thank you for your support!

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Doing MORE for Jesus

Doing more for Jesus Dennis Fisher

by Bobby Davis

For some, the search for Jesus begins in childhood. A simple love turns into a relentless quest for a closer walk with Him. However, others get started down a different path—until a loving Savior intervenes.

“I was born in South Bend, Indiana, to good parents,” Dennis Fisher begins. “I was one of six kids, and my hard-working father usually held down two and three jobs at a time to provide for us. My mother had been through a lot in her life, but she read and quoted the Scriptures. And although we didn’t attend church regularly, we would visit the Methodist church with our friends sometimes.”

DOWN A WRONG PATH

Young Dennis loved to draw, and did very well at it, but when he was 15 or so he got off on the wrong path. “I began drinking and smoking with my buddies, and I was a little wild in high school,” he admits. “My dad tried his best to straighten me out, but I wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, I quit school during my junior year and joined the Air Force. Then I was sent to Italy—and that’s when I really learned to drink! Soon I began waking up in ditches and rooftops, wondering how I got there. I was even chased by the Italian carabinieri military police, and eventually drank my way out of the service. But when I came home, I brought my drinking problem with me.”

Back in the States, Dennis tended bar for a while, but when he met a fellow who “rode the rails,” he joined him, riding freight trains all over the country.

“Soon I was in bad shape,” he admits, “and I only worked so I could drink. I ended up in Reno, Nevada, tending bar again. They gave me a room and $10 a night—just enough to stay drunk. Eventually I landed in Las Vegas, and that was a whole different fantasy world! I lived to drink, and soon figured out how to get free tokens and coupons I could cash for money and food at the casinos. I didn’t have any living expenses, either, since I lived in an abandoned building. Then one hot July day, after stealing a quart of whiskey, I heard a voice asking me, ‘Denny, what are you doing? If you keep this up you won’t be around much longer!’

“I knew it was God’s voice, and that’s the last time I drank! I walked two miles to a halfway house, convinced that if I didn’t stop drinking I only had jails, institutions, and death to look forward to.”

Dennis sobered and eventually landed a job in the gaming industry where he became quite good at keno, a numbers game. He also met and married his wife Carol, whom he describes as a “very sweet Mormon girl.” But although his life and reputation seemed to be restored, he wasn’t content. “I had a void in my life I couldn’t seem to fill,” he says. “I read history books and painted portraits of the Old West outlaws. I even built a large telescope with a 10-inch mirror, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t even want to do keno anymore—and that’s when I found 3ABN! I’d always been interested in archeology,” he continues, “and I was interested in both Noah’s ark and the Ark of the Covenant. So when I found 3ABN’s channel 43, I watched all the time.

“I’d watch Danny Shelton on my little black and white TV, and soon noticed that no matter the topic, they’d always go straight to the Bible! I learned what really happens when someone dies, I learned about the Sabbath, and soon my wife and I started attending the Living Waters Seventh-day Adventist Fellowship. We loved it there, but when Carol’s health began to decline, we moved back to Utah, where she was from. There isn’t a Seventh-day Adventist church anywhere near here, so I bought a Dish Network system and 3ABN became my church!”

“THIS IS THE TIME”

After completing Bible studies from Amazing Facts, Dennis received a call asking if he’d like a visit from a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He said yes, and soon met Pastor Ruben Vincent of the Moab, Utah, church. “I couldn’t believe they would send him from so far away,” he says, “but he kept returning every month or so, and we became very good friends.”

Then tragedy struck. Carol had seemed to be getting better, but one day she complained of a headache and returned to the car. When Dennis returned minutes later, he found that she had passed away from an aneurism. “We never got a chance to grow old together,” Dennis says with deep sadness, “but I know I’ll see her when Jesus returns. I learned that from 3ABN. She is only sleeping in Jesus.”

Dennis says he’s learned most of what he knows about the Bible from 3ABN, and that after listening to Pastor Kenneth Cox talk about baptism, he had the strong impression that he should be baptized, too. “The Holy Spirit really worked on me saying, This is the time,” he says.

By now Pastor Vincent had moved away and Pastor Ryan Hablitzel had taken his place at the Price and Moab churches.

“After learning about Dennis, I drove to Richfield,” he says, “and when I arrived I knew I’d found the right place because the sign on his door read, ‘The Seventh Day is the Sabbath.’ I found a man who was well-prepared for baptism, and that amazed me, since his contact with the church had almost exclusively been through pastoral visits and 3ABN. Dennis knows as much or more about the Bible as the average church member—all because of 3ABN’s influence.”

“I FEEL CLEAN”

December 24, 2011, was an unforgettable day for Dennis and his pastor. “I could see the anticipation on his face as we traveled from Richfield to Price for his baptism,” Pastor Hablitzel says. “Dennis was so excited to worship and fellowship with like-minded believers.”

“Pastor Ryan drove all the way out here to pick me up, and when I got to the church it was a beautiful place,” Dennis recalls. “The people were so warm, and when they introduced themselves I felt like I was home. I remember a lot of their names because they made such an impression on me! After my testimony they all came up to touch me and pray for me. It was almost like being in Heaven! I only wish Carol could have been there and been baptized with me before she went to sleep in the Lord.”

Following his baptism, his pastor says that they met for a moment of private prayer. “That’s when Dennis turned to me and said, ‘Pastor, I feel clean….  I really do!’

“While Dennis can only make the drive from Richfield to Price for church as weather and finances allow, he remains active, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will listen,” his pastor adds. “He tells me that he’s the only Seventh-day Adventist in Richfield, and he’s probably right. But that doesn’t stop him from sharing his faith with the people of his community. He’s even offered his home for people to come and study the Bible—and watch 3ABN.”

WHERE GOD NEEDS HIM NEXT

“Watching 3ABN has changed my life in so many ways,” Dennis says. “I feel like you’re all my family, and I’ve noticed that I read my Bible more and understand it a lot better now. I feel closer to the Lord, and even learned to thank Him for my food before I eat!

“I’ve also felt impressed that maybe God wants me to return to Las Vegas,” he adds. “I know a lot of people down there, and I want to help them. Although I enjoy my painting now, I’m 71 and want to do more with my life than what I’m doing here. I’d also love to have a church family to work and worship with. I’m so grateful for 3ABN, and would feel lost without it, but I know God has something more for me to do.”

Dennis is busy planting seeds of truth in the minds of those around him, and we believe that wherever God takes him next, he’ll find new ways to share his love for Jesus.

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The Constant Seeker

The Constant Seeker

Georgie Livingston has always loved the Lord. However, Satan has never been happy about that, and has tried his very best to destroy her chances for happiness and eternal life. But praise God, for “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4. As we talked with her, we quickly realized that her heart has always remained truly in love with Jesus.

“I’ll be 80 years old on February 22,” Georgie begins, “and the only spanking I ever got from my mother was for talking during a sermon at the Church of God when I was four years old!

“Although my mother was a member there, when I was 12, I attended an evangelistic tent meeting, and soon was baptized into the Foursquare Church. They put me to work teaching Sunday School to five-year-olds, but later I became a youth leader, played guitar, and attended church camp. Then, I became very pale from an illness, and the preacher’s wife was concerned that I would scare the children, so she told me I must wear makeup. However, that was a problem, because I was raised not to wear makeup, so I wouldn’t do it! Finally, they told me I couldn’t teach Sunday School anymore, so I left.”

“Georgie is a very warm and gracious lady, and we are delighted to have her as part of our church family here in Amarillo,” says Pastor Richard Dye. (Photo: LaVonne Dye.)

A SHORT-LIVED JOY

After she married her first husband, Georgie attended another evangelistic tent meeting. This one was held by Seventh-day Adventist evangelist M. A. Wyman, in Lindsay, California. She attended the meetings faithfully with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. “What joy I felt as I read Ellen White’s Steps to Christ,” she says. “That book made me decide I wanted to be baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist.

“I remember having lunch with Pastor H. M. S. Richards of The Voice of Prophecy radio ministry, and meeting The King’s Heralds Quartet and Del Delker, who provided music for his programs. Later I attended the Soquel, California, camp meeting, and it was an awesome time!”

But her joy was short-lived because when she arrived home her husband locked her in their apartment and refused to let her go to church anymore. “I even ran away,” she says, “but he found me, so I finally gave up. That was a mistake I paid for dearly, because the rest of my 13-year marriage was a living hell.”

Georgie was only 29 and the mother of little 5-year-old Laurie when her husband died suddenly. Alone and scared, she married her deceased husband’s boss. “He was the first reader in a Christian Science church—the highest position you can have,” she explains, “and I thought he was like a pastor, so I married him and shared some things in confidence that were very painful.” Sadly, instead of keeping her confidence, Georgie says he threatened that if she ever tried to leave, he would share those things with her daughter!

Feeling trapped, she joined his church and even trained as a practitioner. “But after seven years of him abusing my daughter and me, I had enough. So I took that chance and left him,” Georgie adds. “He did follow through with his threat and wrote to my daughter, but his handwriting was so bad she couldn’t read it! God protected us, and the judge ordered him never to see us again.”

ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT HAPPINESS

Georgie says she left that church as well, then was baptized again in the Adventist church, along with her daughter. “My heart was always in the Adventist Church,” she says.

“Soon I was appointed the Sabbath School secretary, even though I was scared to read the reports up front. I would talk all the air out of my lungs and could hardly get any back in! I was constantly going from one class to another, and never had time to sit and learn more about Jesus in Sabbath School. I had just left my second husband, and I was a basket case. I shook all the time, and would lock myself in my house, crying. I thought I’d find help in church, but I didn’t. Instead, after Sabbath School was over I’d just sit in my car and sob. I tried to step down from that job, but they kept telling me I was doing fine. It seemed like no one cared, so I handed in the books and told them they’d never see me again.”

Today Georgie is happy once more, and enjoys spending time with her daughters Laurie Kunert (left) and Nora Richardson (right). (Photo: Gordon Leigh/Photo Reflections.)

“MY JAY”

Georgie finally found some happiness when she married Jay Livingston. “He was a minister’s son, but had never seen the love of God at home,” she explains. He rebelled, and became an alcoholic—just like his father was before he entered the ministry.

“Although Jay was never baptized, he never betrayed my trust,” she says. “We had our wonderful daughter Nora together, and we both put God first as best we knew how. We didn’t go to church, but we prayed, sang, and read the Bible at home. We were not perfect, but we loved each other, and we also loved God.

“My Jay and I had 36 years together that got sweeter every day. But his many years of drinking beer and smoking cigarettes caught up with him. In the end, he came home from the hospital and was given hospice care. He told me he didn’t want Jesus to see his needle-bruised arms from all the medication they’d given him, but I told him that when Jesus comes he will get a new body, that he wouldn’t hurt anymore, and that it was okay to sleep until then. He died at age 78, singing and praising the Lord to his last breath.”

A NEW STATION, AND A NEW CHURCH

After Jay’s death, Georgie’s daughter Laurie, and her husband Richard, brought her to live with them in Amarillo, Texas, and that’s where she discovered 3ABN on channel 17. As she watched, she says she was so blessed by the truths she was learning. “3ABN showed me what the Bible teaches about tithing and offerings,” she says, “and I began looking for a Seventh-day Adventist church. I looked in the phone book and found a telephone number, but I couldn’t find an address. Worse yet, when I called the number, I would get so nervous and confused that I’m not sure I ever managed to successfully leave a message!

“So I saved up my tithes and offerings until I could go. I didn’t know how I could make it financially, but what the Bible says is true! God does supply all my needs. I have enough to pay my bills, and Laurie and Richard feed me, clothe me, give me a home, and take me where I need to go.

“One day, I finally told the Lord, ‘I can’t get through to them at the church,’ and He answered, ‘Today is Sabbath. Call now. They’re there.’

“And they were!” Georgie adds with a laugh.

WARM WELCOME

Her first visit to the Amarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church was wonderful. “They were so warm, and they greeted me with smiles and hugs. It’s been that way ever since, too!”

When she had to have a knee replacement, Georgie says she received an unexpected visit from Pastor Richard Dye. “He came in as I was reading the Bible to a hospital cleaning woman,” she says. “I’d been trying to tell her how to get to my church, but I couldn’t remember. So when Pastor Rick walked in, I knew it was God’s perfect timing!”

3ABN’s Pastoral Ministries Department has been a great help to Georgie, as well. “I’ve gotten to know J. D. Quinn,” she says. “He helped me find peace when my Jay passed away. I remember the first time I talked to him. He told me his name was J. D. and I was so shocked! I said, ‘J. D. Quinn? Shelley’s husband?’ He laughed, and said, ‘Yes!’

“Later, I called 3ABN to ask him whether I should be baptized a fourth time in my new church, and he told me I could join the church by profession of faith.”

“Georgie is a very warm and gracious lady, and we are delighted to have her as part of our church family here in Amarillo,” says Pastor Richard Dye. “Her story is interesting and moving, and I’m glad the Holy Spirit continues to work in spite of what kinds of things take place sometimes!

“A great many of our church members have adopted her and taken her under their wings,” he continues. “We rejoice with her and her walk with God.”

“3ABN is on my prayer list every day, and I thank God for all those who work there,” Georgie concludes. “I know that when I have a question, or need prayer, I can always go there.”

If you’re in the area, stop in and visit the Amarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church at 8425 South Bell Street! Pastor Rick Dye and the entire church family will love to meet you—and be sure to say hello to our friend, Georgie!

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Hitting Rock Bottom

Hitting Rock Bottom

by Hal Steenson

She was crying so hard I could barely make out what was being said over the phone, so I slowly calmed her down by telling her that no matter what had happened, everything would be all right. That was when I finally understood what she had been saying, “I need prayer; I’ve hit rock bottom.”

I really shocked her when I responded with a resounding “Praise God!”

“What did you say?” she asked. “Did I hear you say ‘Praise God’? I tell you that I’ve hit rock bottom, and you say, ‘Praise God’? What do you mean by that?”

I asked her if she understood what hitting rock bottom meant, and she replied it meant she was finished, ruined; it was all over, and her life was not worth living. Then I shared Matthew 7:24–25: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”

EVERYTHING YOU NEED

The phone was quiet, so I continued. “Everything has been cleared out of the way, and now you have a solid foundation to build upon. If what you say is true, then all you have left is Jesus, and He is all you need to start over again. Allow Him to stand in the middle of all the new construction and be the contractor of every new addition to your new life.”

Then I began to ask her some key questions. “Are you sick, or in good health?”

“I’m very healthy, but I just lost my job.”

“Do you have any children?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I have three lovely teenage boys.”

“Are you married?”

“Yes, I’m married to a wonderful man that I love dearly, but we can’t make it on his salary alone, so we may end up losing our home.”

“Yes ma’am. But do you have food to eat?”

“Of course we do; we have plenty of food. But if I can’t find a job, we’ll have to dip into our savings account before long.”

I asked her if she was a Christian, and she assured me that she and her entire family were living for God. Then she added that this is why she couldn’t understand why this was happening.

“Then let me see if I’ve heard you correctly: You are a healthy woman; you have a husband that loves you, and three wonderful teenage boys who are all serving God? Now that’s a miracle in itself! I also heard you say that you have food to eat, and you still have some money in the bank. Did I hear you right? Is this what you just told me?”

A few seconds of silence passed before I heard her whisper, “Praise God! Yes; yes, I do have all those things—and so much more. I am a blessed child of God!

“So now let me ask you this: When you first called, you said you had hit rock bottom and needed prayer. What is it you need prayer for today, ma’am?”

She responded boldly, “All I need prayer for is a job; everything else is okay.”

We prayed, we praised, and we laughed together. She called me back a couple of weeks later, and guess what? She got a better job, better hours, and more money!

“The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!” 2 Samuel 22:47.

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Captive No More

Captive no more

by Grace Yost

Who is a captive? Perhaps you’re thinking of the one who’s behind bars of steel—but that’s not all. Satan holds billions of people captive—and only a fraction of them are in literal prisons.

Such are the lives of a young woman and a young man in this story. They both had a similar background, having grown up in less-than-ideal circumstances, which made them easy targets for the evil one. But the truth is that we’re all targets of his cunning ways.

How can we guard against his relentless attacks when he leads us down a path we didn’t intend to travel, and the dangers are not readily discernible? First, we must daily submit our lives to Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us by humbly leaving His throne in glory, His royal crown, and His robe, to come to this world. Here He ministered through love and humility, stooping down to touch the life of a perishing soul without ever sacrificing His principles.

This young woman had been in multiple foster homes, and when she turned 18 the state declared her an adult and dropped her off at a city park with her meager belongings! Now homeless, and experiencing what she describes as pure hell, she made a disastrous choice by mistaking a man’s attention in a local bar for love. After years of abuse, loneliness, and misery, she paired up with him, and ultimately they were both arrested.

LIFE IN PRISON

Have you ever considered what it might be like to be 21 and facing life in prison with no possibility of parole? Here are a few excerpts from a letter she wrote us after being convicted of murder:

“In the beginning, I didn’t really know what to think of my predicament. I was in shock, but slowly I began to grow bitter. Then one day I just broke down and cried in my bed, and for some reason I began to argue with God—I probably sounded crazy to the other inmates around me. I grew up fighting Him all my life, and you could say I had an enormous chip on my shoulder. Throughout my life I was taught the Scriptures and at 17 I accepted Him into my life and was baptized. I truly believed I was heading in the right direction and felt a touch of happiness. But that feeling was very short-lived, and soon I allowed Satan to take control of me.

“What an argument I had that night with God! When completely exhausted, I began to feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time: peace and comfort. I began to see what people were talking about when they said God knows how much you’re capable of handling.

“At first I fought the reins, believing that life had put me through too much, and this was too much for me to bear. But, I am still alive. I am here and going through this for a reason. And even though I don’t have a clue what that reason is, there is one. We’ll have different trials and tribulations, but it’s what we do with them that matters: who we meet, how we act—it all shows our true strength. I now see this life as a challenge and I want to finish it well. I don’t really understand what happens after I die, but I would really like to learn.

“Thank you again for all you’ve done, and please keep up the good work of ministering to everyone. God bless.”

This young woman’s journey with God has just begun, but let me tell you about a young man who has steadily climbed the spiritual ladder since he began corresponding with us over six years ago. His bad choice of friends led him to become a member of a gang, and after a murder happened he went to trial and was sentenced to life in prison, too. At the time he was first being charged, his girlfriend gave birth to a precious daughter whom he has not been able to see grow up. But look at these excerpts from the letters we’ve received:

“I lost my state court appeal, so prison is looking permanent unless the federal courts (God really) says otherwise. But I’ve come this far, and I’m mature enough to see the reality of the situation; I see more of others’ needs than mine. I’m right where God can use me, and I pray for those I can’t heal (those I’ve hurt), or apologize to.

“I’ve repented of my old sinful ways and genuinely acted out my salvation in spreading the doctrine of the Most High.”

These young inmates have sat at the feet of Jesus, but they’re on different rungs on the spiritual ladder.

NOT AN OPTION

Is Jesus calling you to reach out and touch someone who may be less than desirable in your sight? If so, you may need to sit at His feet and study His character more fully.

Complaints, criticism, and a judgmental spirit are tools of Satan. The tools of Jesus are a meek and quiet spirit. Pride and self-importance must not reside in the heart of a child of God. The Scripture tell us in Psalm 52:2, “Your tongue devises destruction,
like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.”

There have been times in my own spiritual journey when I took the words of Jesus too lightly, but those words have become the stepping stones that today allow me to minister to inmates too numerous to count. In my younger years I would likely have turned down such an opportunity, but God uses life circumstances to change us.

We are called by Jesus in John 13:34 to love one another, as He has loved us. This is not to be taken lightly; this is not an option if we’re seeking eternal life. In Isaiah 61:1 the prophet Isaiah calls on us to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Jesus himself spoke similar words while speaking in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth (see Luke 4:18).

THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS

As I’ve prayed earnestly to see others through the eyes of Jesus, my eyes have been opened to my own shortcomings, and I earnestly desire to have the mind and character of Jesus. If we could truly discern the circumstances that surround each individual’s life, we would be far less likely to speak hasty, judgmental words, and would be possessed of a much greater love! Jesus, the Redeemer and Mender of broken people, willingly came to free all men and women burdened down by the ravages of sin.

Are we guilty of shunning the captives? Oh yes, it can easily happen when we’re in our comfort zone and see no need to step out of it. Our precious Savior had a marked love for the captives and less fortunate. Can we do any less

P.S. 3ABN’s pastoral ministries department did send this young woman information on what happens when we die. Please join us in prayer for her, and all the others we seek to help.