Beauty for Ashes

Beauty For Ashes

• Please keep in mind there are those that have been saved, but are still in prison.  Some of this lesson is addressing them directly.  However, remember as you read, even though you are not a prisoner, when you got saved you may still have major problems that you are faced with. Therefore, there is much valuable information that you can glean from this lesson to help you in your walk with the Lord.

Introduction

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Ephesians 4:1)

The man who wrote the above words wrote them while he was imprisoned by the state for preaching the Gospel. He called himself the “prisoner of the Lord.” That was his way of saying that even though he was imprisoned by the state, he knew that he belonged to Jesus and that was the main thing as far as he was concerned.

Here is a Christian in prison writing to Christians on the outside because he wanted to encourage them and help them in their new Christian lives. This lesson has been written and given to you for the same reason.

You are in prison, but now you belong to Jesus, and that fact is the most important thing in your life. God has a wonderful plan for your life that includes a joy and usefulness that most people never know. This lesson is intended to help you take your first steps as a new believer in Jesus Christ.

“…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)

I.    YOUR POSITION AS A CHRISTIAN PRISONER

Your position, as far as your physical body is concerned, has not changed since you have been saved. You are still in prison. But your position, spiritually speaking, has been changed drastically.

You are in a different position now in the sight of God more than you have ever been before in your life. When you repented and asked God to forgive your sins, and then when you asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and you trusted Him to save you, God granted you a full, permanent pardon from the guilt of your sin and the sentence of hell that was on your soul.

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12)

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (I John 3:1)

YOU ARE IN A PLACE OF ACCEPTANCE NOW

Ephesians 1:6 is one of the most beautiful verses in the entire Bible. It tells us that God, through Jesus, “…according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace,… hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

There was a time, before you were saved, that you were not acceptable to God. Your sin brought you “…short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of your righteousness then – the very best that you could do was filthy in the sight of God, for the Bible says that before we accept Christ as our Saviour, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” (Isaiah 64:6). But this has all changed now. You have, through Christ, a place of acceptance with God. You are “accepted in the beloved.”

Nothing can ever change this. Your position in Christ and your place of acceptance with God is secure. It is permanent. It is important for you to know this because if, in your mind, your acceptance with God is shaky, then you will not have the good solid footing you need for your walk with God in your new Christian life.

Look at the following verses. These are just a few of the hundreds like them that God has put in the Bible to remind you of how permanent your salvation is:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

If you have heard the Word of God and have taken God at His Word that He would save you, and have asked Him to save you, the verse above says you “hath” (that means you have it right now) “everlasting” (not “temporary” but everlasting) life that lasts forever. And the verse plainly says that you “shall not” (this means never, never, never) come into condemnation.

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)

The above verse says we who are saved will never perish – that we are safe in the Father’s hand. It is like I Peter 1:5 tells us, we are “…kept by the power of God.” If we had to keep saved by our own power, we would be in trouble. But we are not kept by our own strength, will power, or good deeds. We are kept saved by the mighty power of God Himself.

“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” (Ephesians 1:12-13)

These verses make it clear that when you heard the word of truth about salvation, and when you then first trusted in Christ, God sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise. What is that promise? Jesus put it this way in John 6:37, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Romans 6:23 says, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Do you know that the word “eternal” means unending, and the word “everlasting” means lasts forever? Of course you do. You can also see that God’s plan is that everyone who believes in Christ – (meaning he has trusted in, relied on, and is adhering to Him as the only Saviour of his soul) – God’s plan is that they should not perish.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38, 39)

Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Your place of acceptance with the Father is secure because you are accepted in the Beloved. Before you can ever be separated from God’s love, Jesus would also have to be separated from the Father’s love, because you are in Him once you are saved. No wonder God says in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”

Your position in Christ is one of acceptance. Think of the blessings of this. It means:

1.   You are in “the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

2.   You are among His “dear children” (Ephesians 5:1).

3.   You are among “the friends of God” (James 2:23).

4.   You are part of God’s “chosen…royal…peculiar people” (I Peter 2:9).

5.   You are an object of His “delight” and “pleasure” (Psalm 147:10-11).

Yours is a place of acceptance with God. You are “accepted in the beloved.” This means that because of your salvation, you now have:

1.   A new relationship – Once you could not call God your Father, but now you can. You are one of His children, a dear son, and part of His family. What a happy relationship with God is yours! You have a new relationship with other Christians. They are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.   A new residence – Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Heaven is described as a beautiful city with its street of gold, gates of pearl, and jasper walls (read Revelation 21). One of our gospel hymns gives a lovely description of heaven:

No sin is allowed in that city,

And nothing defiling or mean,

No pain and no sickness can enter,

No crepe on the door knob is seen.

Earth’s sorrows and cares are forgotten,

No tempter is there to annoy;

No parting words ever are spoken,

There’s nothing to hurt or destroy;

No heartaches are known in that city,

No tears ever moisten the eye;

There’s no disappointment in heaven,

No envy and strife in the sky;

The saints are all sanctified wholly,

They live in sweet harmony there;

My heart is now set on that city,

And some day its blessing I’ll share.

You have not gone to your heavenly home yet, and you will not actually enter that place until you die, or in the event that Jesus would come before you die. However, it is just as much your home right now as it would be if you were already there. The Apostle Paul said that our citizenship right now is in heaven. (read Philippians 3:20).

3.   A new reason to live – Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

There are millions of people who do not know Christ as their Saviour who live aimless, purposeless, empty lives. However, those who do know Him as their Saviour, even though they may be behind prison walls, can find greater fulfillment and joy in life than those on the “outside” and and those that are unsaved.

The Bible says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II Corinthians 3:17). You can know more freedom and power behind bars in Christ than a person can ever know outside of prison if he is, at the same time, outside of Christ.

YOU ARE IN A PLACE OF ALIENATION NOW

Before you were saved, before you were “accepted in the beloved,” you were alienated from God. That means that you were not only separated from God, but you were also an enemy to Him.

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.” (Colossians 1:21).

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18).

Once you were alienated from God. But now that you are saved – and you must understand this – you are alienated from the world.

Read the following verses and see that the world is not friendly to those who are in Christ. Remember that when the Bible speaks of the “world” in this way, it is not talking about the world of nature – rocks, trees, sunsets, etc. It is talking about the world of men, outside Christ, with all of their values and ambitions and thinking that have no place for God.

“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world…They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14, 16).

The more you are identified with Christ, the more the world will hate you. It is all part of living the true Christian life. Do not expect to feel comfortable being around worldly people or partaking in worldly activities. You will not feel comfortable in a worldly, Christ rejecting, sinful atmosphere, and the world will no longer be comfortable with your presence – especially as it reminds them of the goodness, the holiness and purity of Christ.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33).

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12).

“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (I John 3:13).

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (I John 3:1).

To be accepted in the Beloved means to be alienated from the world. We cannot be accepted in the Beloved and remain acceptable to this world system. It is impossible to have it both ways. James 4:4 says, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy God.”

Understanding these two aspects of your position as a Christian prisoner – Accepted in the Beloved = Alienation from the World, will help you to better understand the difficulties you will face in living the life of a faithful believer.

II.  YOUR PROBLEMS AS A CHRISTIAN PRISONER

We have already spent quite a bit of time looking at the alienation that should be between a Christian and the world. The world in general is not believer-friendly! It is hostile!

The hostility of the world towards principles of godliness and towards those who represent Christ presents a problem for any Christian. This attitude of the world surely presents a problem for anyone seeking to live a Christ-like life behind prison walls, or in the free world.

You will find former friends not to be friendly toward you anymore when you refuse to participate in things that you once participated in. They may assume that you have a “holier-than-thou” attitude toward them. Other inmates may want to test you to get you to lose your temper. They may try to get you to give in to temptation. Deep within, some of these inmates may want to prove, (by getting you to fall to temptation) that the gospel is not valid – not real. Or perhaps, deep down, they are hoping to find that your salvation is real, and that the promises of God are true after all. Some inmates, perhaps even officers and other prison personnel will resent the change in your life because it convicts them of the wrongness of their own lives. They will not feel good until they have dragged you down.

You will have problems as a Christian in prison, and many of these problems will result from and with the people around you. Even those who come to visit you may be more discouraging than they are encouraging. This is to be expected. Now,  there are two other major sources of problems that you must be aware of and be ready to contend with.

YOU WILL HAVE SATAN TO CONTEND WITH!

Remember how important we said it was for you to know that your relationship with God is permanent? Remember, once you are saved, you can never be lost once you have been born again, you can never be unborn? The devil knows better than anyone else, how real and lasting your security in Christ is.

Satan knows, now that you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour, that there is no possibility that he can ever see your soul in hell. He knows now that you are a Christian; you have unlimited potential for doing good toward the cause of Jesus and bad toward his cause on earth. Satan wants to do whatever he can to hinder you from becoming the kind of Christian that God wants you to be, and that you need to become.

Satan knows that you can never lose your salvation; there is not even the remote possibility of that happening. However, Satan knows that there are some things you can lose. For example, it is possible for you to lose the joy of your salvation. If you get away from reading your Bible and praying regularly, bit by bit your joy in the Lord will begin to drain away. If you indulge in sinful activities, or sinful talk or thoughts, you will lose your joy.

King David was a child of God. He loved the Lord, but he gave in to Satan’s temptation, committed a horrible sin, and then added to that sin by trying to cover it up. He lost his joy in the Lord during this time, and Psalm 42 tells us how miserable he was in that condition. Thank God, Psalm 51 tells us how David finally confessed his sin to God and prayed to God and said, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12).

Notice that David did not ask God to “restore” his salvation. He had never lost that. He could not lose it. Nevertheless, he had lost something very precious to him, and that was his joy. You can lose your joy; too, if you are not careful, and you will be miserable if that happens. If it should happen to you, do not let Satan keep the victory. Do what David did. Confess your sin to God and ask Him to restore your joy.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

You can lose the peace of God in your life. The Bible talks about the peace of God and peace with God. Peace with God has to do with our salvation, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). We cannot lose our peace with God. We cannot lose the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.

But the peace of God is something else. The peace of God has to do with our day to day walk as a Christian. It has to do with our peace of mind, our peacefulness of heart, having a calm and peaceful spirit. Philippians 4:7 tells us about this kind of peace, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Every Christian needs to maintain this peace of God, whether they are in prison or not, but it would seem to be especially important to a Christian who must endure the day-to-day routine, the dangers and the depression that can be a part of prison life. The devil is so wicked and hateful he will rob you of this peace if he can. If you will maintain your prayer life, talk to God regularly, be thankful for blessings that the Lord has given you, read your Bible, and fill your mind with good thoughts; Satan will not be able to rob you of the peace of God in your life.

You can lose your influence, and your testimony before others. It is harder to get this back than anything else; it is not impossible, but it will be very difficult. The devil does not want you to influence anyone else for God. You are in a position as a prisoner (and we will say more about this later) to win many poor lost souls to Christ. You have an opportunity to witness for Christ that people on the outside do not have. There are inmates who may never come to know Christ as their own Saviour unless it is through your personal witness.

Be careful. The devil is going to give you all kinds of problems, hoping to trip you up so that you lose any influence that you might have for the Lord with your fellow prisoners. He knows that once you lose it, it will take some time for you to get it back. In the meantime, those prisoners and others you come in contact with may be removed from your reach and never come into contact with someone who can tell them how to be saved.

You can lose your rewards. The Bible has much to say about rewards that God has promised to His children for their faithfulness. (I Corinthians 3:11-15) Everyone who is saved is going to go to heaven and be with the Lord. The rewards and recognition given to us by our Lord are going to differ – depending on how obediently and faithfully we have lived and how brightly we have let our Christian light shine for Christ. Satan can tempt us to live in such a lazy, careless way that we lose rewards we could have otherwise had.

Satan is our enemy. The Bible says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8) You will have Satan to contend with in a special way as a prisoner. He spends a lot of time in jail for the sake of the Christians who are there.

Satan will try to confuse you with false teaching if he can. Be careful who you listen to and what you listen to.

The Bible tells us that God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). If God is not behind the confusion, who do you think is? That’s right, Satan! He will use men and women who may seem very kind and very sincere, but their teaching will hurt and not help you.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness…” (II Corinthians 11:13-15)

One further thought, dear friend: Talking about Satan and how he tries to trip up and trap Christians, Psalm 91:3 says, “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.” A fowler is someone who traps birds. He traps the birds by hiding his snares. He knows just what traps and what bait is best for different birds. Usually he has a favorite trap that will work when all others fail.

Satan has many traps and knows just what bait some Christians will go for. But he has one very special trap that will snare a Christian and throw him down every time if he is not watching out carefully for this snare that the devil puts in his pathway. The snare you need to be watching for is the snare called sins that are past. When you are saved, all of your past sins are completely forgiven by God and they are forgotten.

“Come now, and let us reason together saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

Perhaps there is a sin or sins in your past that you are especially sorry about. Even though God has totally forgiven it and forgotten it, the devil will drag it up in your mind as often as you let him. He wants you to dwell on it and grieve over it and be cast down in your heart about it. You see, this is Satan’s way of getting you to do something that is not pleasing to God. Satan knows that God in His mercy has dealt with your sin and blotted it out, and God does not want you to dwell on what He has done away with. The devil also knows that if he can keep your mind on your past sins, you will not be able to keep your mind on the things that God wants you to be thinking about.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Did you know that the Apostle Paul had committed many horrible sins before he was saved? He had arrested Christians, put them in prison, tortured them and wanted to kill as many of them as he could (Acts 9:1-2; 26:11). However, when God saved Saul (his name before it was changed to Paul), God forgave all of his past sins.

Many years later, after he was saved, Paul was put in prison. It is easy for a person to get down-hearted in prison. There is also plenty of time to think, and if a person is not careful, he will think about the wrong things – things that will hurt him instead of things that would be healthy for him and helpful to him. Satan probably thought he could attack Paul in his thought life while Paul was in jail. The Apostle Paul was aware of what the devil was trying to do though. Notice what Paul wrote from his jail cell:

“Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Satan wants to burden you down with thoughts of sins that are past – sins that Jesus shed His blood for so that they could be forgiven sins that God has already dealt with. You must not let the devil snare you in this way. Read the above verses again and notice the two things Paul was doing there in his jail cell that helped him get the victory over the devil. These two things will help you get the victory over Satan when it comes to him trying to hurt you by reminding you of the sins of your past life.

NUMBER ONE: Paul forgot some things. He said, “But this one thing I do…forgetting those things which are behind.” The word “forget” in the Bible does not mean that you never, ever remember certain things anymore. The word “forget” in the Bible does mean that you are no longer influenced or affected by those things any more.

In Hebrews 10:17, God says, “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” This does not mean that God loses His memory and does not remember or know anything about the sins we committed before we were saved. It does mean that God is not influenced in any way; He is not affected in any way by any sin that was committed by a person before he was saved. He is not going to do anything else about any sin that was committed by a person before he was saved, because He has already done everything He is ever going to do about it. He has plunged it beneath the blood of Jesus Christ and forgiven it entirely and altogether!

You need to forget “those things which are behind.” Forget them! Do not let yourself be influenced or affected by them any longer. Out of obedience and honor to God, for the sake of what Jesus did on the cross for you, and for the sake of your future life, as a Christian forget what God has forgotten!

NUMBER TWO: Paul made it a habit to focus on some things. It is almost impossible to think seriously about two things at once. You need to do what Paul did in prison. He said, “But this one thing I do…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Get your mind on priority number one – thinking on those things, saying those things, doing those things that are pleasing to God.

Fill your mind up and zero in on those thoughts that have to do with your becoming as pleasing to God in every way that you possibly can. Get some goals in your mind about this, and guard your mind against any thoughts that would creep in and hinder you from “…pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7)

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23)

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind…” (I Peter 1:13)

Ask the Lord to help you forget the things He does not want you to think about and to help you focus on those things that will be pleasing to Him and good for you. He will be glad to hear you pray this prayer, and He certainly will answer.

YOU WILL HAVE SELF TO CONTEND WITH!

The world and Satan present problems that every Christian has to deal with. There is another area, a very important problem that we will need to deal with. This is the problem of self. That’s right! The biggest problem you will face as a Christian is the one you face in the mirror, yourself!  “Self” means the thoughts, aims, desires, and intentions you have that are in opposition to the thoughts, aims, desires, and intentions of God, which He has given you in your spirit when you got saved.

You are going to have a battle with self. Your spirit, which God has given you, is holy – minded and will always want you to think and do the right things. Self, however, will still be wanting to have you think the same old thoughts, do the same old things, and follow the same old paths connected with your old life before you were saved. The Bible calls self the “old man” and our spirit is called the “new man.” These two “men” are fighting with one another every day. Each of them wants to get the upper hand in our lives. Each of them wants to control our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. You need to make sure that your new man is fed better, given more attention, and kept stronger than your old man. It is your personal duty to see to this.

“Put off…the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…” (Ephesians 4:22)

“Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24)

Another name in the Bible for self or the old man is the flesh. The new man is also called the spirit. One of these two is going to take the lead in your life. You will feel the battle going on between the two in your mind and heart. It is the flesh that will make it hard for you to do the things you know are right.

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:17)

Remember the Apostle Paul? He was a great Christian, a preacher, and a missionary. Paul still had to deal with the problem of flesh (self) just like every other Christian. The flesh (self) does not make living for God easy. Paul said:

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do…I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” (Romans 7:18-21)

Evil was still present with Paul, and evil is still present with you even after you are saved. That evil is the flesh – not blood and bone and muscle flesh – but the flesh, meaning that which sets itself against the good that we know we should do.

There is a story about an old Indian chief who got saved. A few days later, the preacher asked him how he was doing in his new life as a Christian. The old chief put his hand over his heart and said, “Since I have been saved, it is like there are two dogs fighting in my heart. One is a good dog, and the other is wicked. One always wants to do good, and the other only wants to do bad. They fight all of the time.”

The preacher said, “Which one of the dogs wins the fights?” The Indian said, “The one that I feed the most!”

You will have a battle going on in your heart every day between self (the flesh) and the Spirit. You can slowly starve the flesh until it is too weak to have its way in your life. Starve it by not letting it read things that it likes to read or listen to talk or the kind of music that it likes to hear. In the meantime, make your spirit, your new man, strong with godly thoughts and by feeding it on the Word of God.

III. YOUR POTENTIAL AS A CHRISTIAN PRISONER

Do you remember, near the beginning of this book where we said that as a Christian, you now have a new reason to live? We also said that you can have more freedom and power behind bars as a Christian than an unsaved person can have outside of prison. This may, in many ways, be the most important part of this book that you will read. You must understand these things. Ask God to help you understand them, and let them sink deep into your heart as you read. Also, ask God to help you put these things into action.

It may seem strange for you as you  read this, and at first difficult for you to believe. As an inmate, locked up, behind bars, you have tremendous potential to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and make a difference in people’s lives at this present time and for eternity! Some of the greatest Christian work that has ever been done has been done by men and women in prison. There are Christian inmates today, who are accomplishing more for the Lord than many of their brothers and sisters in Christ who are not in prison.

One of the  greatest book ever written outside the Bible – the best known, biggest selling Christian book ever written other than the Bible – was written by John Bunyan. John Bunyan wrote ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ while serving a twelve year jail sentence in England. Many men and women were kept in prisons in Russia for years – cold, half-starved and tormented every day by their guards – only because they were Christians. The stories have come out to the free world, and we know how they prayed and helped other inmates and told other prisoners and prison officers about God’s plan of salvation. People have been saved, and some are in heaven right now because a child of God behind bars told them about Jesus.

Have you ever thought, “Now that I am saved, of what use can I be to God?” Let me tell you something about one of the most famous prisoners who ever lived. Learn something from this that will help you start to make a difference for God right where you are. The Apostle Paul went to prison. In fact, he was finally sent to death row and later executed. He was not in prison for doing evil. He was in prison for preaching the gospel. He had not committed any crime, but he was in prison just the same.

Many of Paul’s Christian friends thought that his usefulness for God was over, and that his being in prison had put an end to his Christian work. The fact is that some of the very best work Paul had ever done for Jesus was done while he was in jail. Paul even said that his work for Christ was helped because he was in prison. He said, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:12)

If you would read the Book of Philippians (written by Paul from his cell) you would see how Paul encouraged so many other Christians who came to visit him. You would see how mighty his prayers were. You would see how he was the reason many in and out of the prison came to know about Jesus and were saved. Do not think that because you are in prison you cannot do anything for God. You can do things for God that others either cannot do or will not do. You can do things for the Lord and become somebody for the Lord that you probably would not do and would not become if you were not in prison.

God’s Word says, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God can make your prison cell a powerful place, and even a pleasant place, because you are there and He lives in you.

YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GLORIFY GOD IN PRISON

It does not matter what your past life has been like. It does not matter how dirty and wicked and hurtful you have been. God can take the worst sinners in the world and save them and work in them to “Give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)

Did you get the last part of the above verse? God wants to make your life joyful and meaningful that He might be glorified! Think of it! No matter what your past, now that you are saved, you can glorify God. He wants you to do it!

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6:20)

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31)

“That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.” (I Peter 4:11)

Do you know how to glorify God? It is by living your life in a way that pleases God. Be as much like Christ as you can possibly be. If you have a question about whether you ought to do or not do a something, ask yourself the question – Would it please Jesus to do it?

“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50:23)

Another way to glorify God in your body is to set out every day with a firm goal in your heart that you are not going to sin. Does that sound like an impossible task? If it does, then pay attention to this, God never tells His children to do anything that it is impossible for them to do!

In I John chapter one, the Bible tells us that even though we are saved, that does not mean that we cannot commit sin. Verse eight says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” We do still have a sinful nature – the “flesh,” “self,” the “old man” that leans toward sinning. God tells us that it is possible for us to sin as Christians, and what we are to do about it if we should sin. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God tells us what to do if we stumble and sin.  He says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” In other words, the primary purpose of everything God has said so far, and everything He is going to say is that we sin not! God does not want us to sin at all. He has given us His Word, the privilege of prayer, pastors, teachers and His Holy Spirit to assist us in this goal – that we sin not.

The main point to understand is that God has not made it impossible for us to sin. If we do sin – and it is likely that we are not always going to win our daily battles with the world, the flesh and the devil, but God has made a way for us to ask His forgiveness, and He promises to cleanse us from that sin that we commit after we are saved.  However, God has made it possible for us to not sin! To not sin is the greatest, healthiest ambition we can have each day to glorify God more and more as we sin less and less. A mark of an unsaved person is that they care nothing for glorifying God:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;… Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God.” (Romans 1:18, 21)

It is not easy in prison (it is not easy anywhere) to glorify God, but there are all kinds of ways for you to do it, and God will help you do it if that is the sincere desire of your heart.

YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW IN GRACE IN PRISON

God wants every Christian to grow in grace. Do you know what that means? It means that we are to get bigger and better as Christians in a spiritual way. God does not want you to stay a little baby Christian, no stronger than when you were first saved. He wants you to grow in grace.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.” (II Peter 3:18)

Can you see how that your growth in grace and God’s glory go together? God is glorified as you learn more about His Word and as you become more and more able to put it into practice and learn how to resist the devil and to serve others.

The best way to grow in grace is by studying the Word of God. Pray while you study. Ask the Lord to help you understand what you read. He is the One who gave us every word that is in the Scripture, and He is able and willing to let you know exactly what He meant when He used those Words.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” (I Peter 2:2)

Just like a baby, God wants you to have the milk, the simpler things of His Word from the beginning. Then as you grow in His grace you should be going on to deeper teaching in the Bible the “meat” of the word.

“For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:13-14)

Another thing that is needed for you to grow in grace is for you to pray. You will learn more and more about prayer the more you pray. Here are three steps to follow in your prayers:

First, Praise the Lord. Begin your prayers by mentioning all of the things about God that you admire and adore – His holiness, His power, His mercy, etc.

“Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Secondly, Thank the Lord. Thank Him for everything you can think of. Thank Him for your health, your food, your family – everything you can think of to be thankful for.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)

Thirdly, Ask the Lord for those things that you need. You will learn much about this as you study the Bible, but you will find out that God wants you to bring your cares to Him.

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”  (I Peter 5:7)

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)

You have some real advantages and greater potential to grow in grace than some Christians have who are not in prison. For one thing, you have time. You do not have the interruptions, the distractions and the demands made upon you that people on the outside have. You have time for Bible reading and prayer. You have time to think about God and your relationship with Him. Whatever the length of your sentence is – whatever the time is that you have to spend behind bars, it is your duty and your opportunity to “…grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GATHER LOST SOULS FOR JESUS IN PRISON!

(or where ever you are)

There are thousands upon thousands of people in prison who will never know their need of salvation, much less ever learn how they can be saved, unless someone tells them. The Bible says:

“The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

(Romans 10:12b-14)

God wants all of His children to be preachers (to proclaim or tell others) in this way. He wants us to tell others how to be saved. He wants us to win other people to Christ. In order to win someone to Christ, you have to get to know that person. You have to get to the place where you can talk together and to where that other person trusts you and will listen to what you have to say. It may take some time and some effort to get to the place where you can talk to someone about his soul and about Christ, but it will be worth it. It will be a great thing to see people you have worked with become Christians. It will also be a great thing to someday see them in heaven because you led them to put their faith in Jesus Christ and receive Him as their Saviour. There are many people in prison who need Christ. But there are not many people there who will tell them about Jesus.

“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalm 142:4)

The people who work in prisons need salvation. Once when the Apostle Paul and Silas were in prison, their guard asked them,

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:30-31)

If you have friends and relatives who visit you, you can tell them about the Lord. Maybe you could write to people on the outside and tell them about God’s plan of salvation and what the Lord has done for you. You may be the only Christian that many people know. If you do not try to win them to Christ, who will?

“He that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

Not only can you talk to people about their need for the Saviour, you can also pray for them. Paul spent much time in prayer when he was in jail. Remember the guard that was saved? Well, the Bible tells us that on the same night, just before that guard was saved, that Paul and Silas had been praying. You have much time to pray. It is the most important and the most powerful thing you can do. There are no limits on prayer. You can pray in your cell and make a difference in someone’s life that is miles even thousands of miles away.

In your prayers, ask God to send someone to tell people about Jesus that you cannot talk to. Pray for the people in prison that you are talking to, or that you want to talk to about Jesus. Ask Him to make their hearts tender so they will listen to you and believe what you are telling them, and be saved.

Pray and ask the Lord to help you win other people to salvation. Learn to spend much time in your prayer praying for lost people. The best way to talk to people about Jesus is to tell them the story of how you were saved. Just tell them how you came to know the Lord and what being a Christian has meant to you.

Another way to lead people to Jesus is to open your Bible and tell them that God really gave us the Bible because there are three main things that He wants everyone to know. People have to know these three things or they will have no hope, and will die in their sins and go to hell.

FIRST – Show them that God wants everyone to know that every individual is a sinner and needs to be saved. Show them these verses:

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

SECOND – Show them that nobody can do anything to save theirself. How can a sinner with nothing to offer God do anything to save himself? Show them:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

THIRD – Show them that God has made a perfect way for people to be saved. It is by simply believing in Jesus Christ and what He has done on the cross, when he arose from the dead to save us. They only need to ask God to forgive them and to ask Jesus to come into their heart and be their Saviour, repenting of their sin, by faith, accepting what God promised to do for anyone who will do this, and thank Him then for saving their soul.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

Think again of the great potential you have in prison to show your love for God and serve Him by praying for others, talking to them, and living a godly life before those God puts in your path.

1.   You have the potential TO GLORIFY GOD in your body.

2.   You have the potential TO GROW IN GRACE.

3.   You have the potential to help in the GATHERING of lost souls for Jesus.

It does not matter what a person’s past has been or what a person’s present status is as long as Christ is their Saviour. The important thing is to know that as a Christian, your future is as bright as the promises of God and they are all very bright.

Two men looked through Prison bars.

One saw mud and one Saw stars.

God gives “Beauty for Ashes.” He can take your life and any life that is committed to Him and make it a beautiful thing and a blessing.