2016
The prayer from my heart was, “Lord I don’t know how much longer I have on this earth, days, weeks, months, years or tens of years. Lord I want to use whatever time I have left to serve you.”
One morning soon after this prayer, during my quiet time with The Lord, I was reading Romans 8v1, a familiar scripture – but not this morning. The Holy Spirit turned this scripture on its head. ‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.’ Then I saw clearly, ‘but there IS condemnation for those who DON’T belong to Christ Jesus.’ I saw in a new way Jesus’ heart for the lost. I just wept for the lost souls under condemnation, “Lord as I look around I see many lost souls.”
I knew from that morning Jesus wanted me to serve Him in reaching lost souls with a greater urgency and in new ways.
One morning, I was listening to Premier Christian Radio as I travelled to work. The programme featured prison ministry, and as I listened, they spoke of a prison ministry conference taking place at Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London. My heart leapt and I knew I had to go. I booked myself a place and went along. Christians involved in prison ministry from all parts of the country attended. The speakers were Spirit filled and shared amazing testimonies of the work of The Holy Spirit in prison.
I came away knowing in my heart that God was calling me to be part of this ministry. My prayer became, “How Lord? When Lord?”
Eighteen months passed and then at a ‘Churches Together’ meeting, Ian, then pastor of an Elim Church, asked if I would join him one Sunday taking a Sunday Chapel Service at a prison. In my heart I knew this was God opening the door which I had waited eighteen months for.
That first Sunday at the prison service I felt I belonged straight away. Speaking and sharing with the prisoners came so naturally to me. It has been a true blessing to be able to share Jesus Christ in prison with such ease.
One day God spoke to me clearly, “Don’t judge these men.” I have never forgotten this wisdom, and I know that it is key in this ministry.
I have attended the prison chapel services with Ian and his wife for six years now. We have shared testimonies and the word of God. At the end of each service there has always been a wonderful time to share and pray with these men.
Preparation for these services for me would begin some weeks before in prayer and meditation, seeking God’s heart for what He wanted to impart. It was on one such occasion that The Lord spoke, “I have come to set the captives free.” I was also given the scripture John 8v36, ‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’
I shall never forget what happened over the next two weeks. The Holy Spirit would wake me up and say, “Write these words down…..” This continued until I had a whole A4 sheet of words. I then asked The Lord to help me make sense of these words. It became clear that these words were for those suffering with addiction to drugs and alcohol.
The Sunday came to share this word in the prison service. At the end of the service, prisoners came forward for prayer, some were in tears. Sadly we ran out of time to pray for all the prisoners. The Chaplain asked if we could stay on and go to the drug addiction wing and continue to pray for those wanting prayer. I saw over one hundred young men aged between eighteen to thirty-five years caught in the power of addiction. My heart went out to these lost men as I stood at the bottom of the staircase in this cell block. I said to The Lord, “I don’t know how I can help these men, but if you are calling me into this ministry you will have to make a way.”
A month later I was involved in ‘On the Move’, a three day annual street evangelistic outreach. It was on Saturday, the last day of this outreach at 14.00hrs, that two men came up to me and asked, “What’s been going on?” I explained ‘On the Move’ to them and they said they were from ‘Teen Challenge’, based in London. They themselves were ex drug and alcohol addicts who had just completed the eighteen month Teen Challenge drug and alcohol addiction programme. They had both received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour during this time. Jesus had changed their lives.
“God,” I said, “these men are the answer to my prayer.”
I shared with them about prison ministry and those suffering from addiction in prison. They gave me their card and said to speak to David at Teen Challenge. I did so, and was invited to visit the Teen Challenge centre. I told David what was on my heart, and he said they would help and support me in this work.
I then arranged a meeting with the then prison Chaplain and shared my heart with him and how God had led me to start work with those who have addiction problems. He was fully supportive and has since helped me in every way.
I have now worked for the past two years, one day a week, assisting those who are seeking help with addiction problems. I also help men who are open to God and are seeking Him further, as well as supporting those men who have already had an encounter with God.
I have found there is a freedom to share Jesus in prison that I have not experienced outside prison. These men know they are sinners. They have time to read the scriptures and supportive Christian literature, and many tell me they pray and need His help to turn their lives around.
