Saturday, June 10, 2000

“Christian Walk With the Lord”

 

I.  How much time does it take to sin?

A.     A person can use bad language immediately.

B.     A person can lie quickly.

C.     One could go out in the streets and look for sin, and find it less than thirty minutes.

 

II.  We choose the road that we want to take.

A.     This is America (a free country).  So we can choose the left fork of the road or the right fork of the road.

B.     Tommy and I once went to the East  Germany.  We talked to a lady who grew up that side. Until about ten years ago, she worked hard for a factory.  Was the money she made her money to take home?  No, it was the government’s money.  The government supplied her with a house with little furnishings and the minimum requirement of food to eat.  They didn’t have specialty foods.  They couldn’t even get bananas.  They would eat what they grew or what the government gave them.  It was a country controlled by Russian Communistic ruling.  We were there in 1994.  There was one telephone that we knew of for the whole town.  It was located downtown at the train station.  To visit this town was like stepping into the past.  Maybe visiting a small town in the 1920s.  These people still, did not even own a pair of curtains for their windows in their homes.  So we didn’t feel like we had much privacy while we were there.   That was the way the government wanted it back when the country was under Communistic ruling.  We have such a good thing in America, and we need to appreciate it.  When you guys get out of prison, you will appreciate it more than you ever have. 

C.     We can choose if we want to be good or choose if we want to be bad.  

 

III  Good times can be  false illusions.

A.  A person could have thirty minutes of what they think is pleasure or a night full of drugs.  This is what they think is a good time.

B.     If the same person has a wreck and is paralyzed from the waist down and they were asked the question: Was it worth it?  They would say no it wasn’t.  They had felt invincible and too, they didn’t care if it hurt their families or whoever. 

C.     Another person goes out night after night on their wife and family.  One day the wife and family are gone.  The question remains the same.  Was it worth it?

 

Read Psalms 51: 10-12

 

10        Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11        Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

(KJV)

 

 

D.    God will forgive the saved man that falls into sin, if he repents and tells God he’s sorry.  But, I do believe this person will be robbed of some of the blessings they could have had.

E.     We must continue to pray for the people we know that keep slipping into sin and can’t seem to get released from it.  These people can’t get released from sin usually on their own, but need the help of God.

F.      David in the Bible would probably have had a really nice, easier, comfortable life if he hadn’t committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed.  David did have some very good things but he also had some tough obstacles to get through.  The Lord loved David very much in spite of the sins he had committed. 

I V.  If you have gotten saved inside the prison or you were saved before you ever got there, it is very important to:

 

A.      Keep your eyes focused on Jesus.

B.      When problems come, and they do, don’t fall back into the same old rut of falling back into sin.

C.      Pray to God to strengthen you to not slip into temptation.

D.      If someone is trying to get you to fall into a snare or trap, tell him you have to have a talk with Jesus or just go have your talk with Jesus and get away from the bad company.

E.       Stay real busy.  If you don’t know how to be busy.  Go find a hobby and stay with it.

1.      Kids many times will say, “I’m bored.  There’s nothing to do.”  There are plenty of constructive things to do.  There’s always ways to beautify something.  Even if it’s mowing they yard or painting your house or planting flowers.  Maybe it’s music.  Write a song or a story.  Discover your creative abilities.  You may have talents you didn’t know you had. 

2.      It might be artwork.  Some people don’t know they’re artists until they give it a shot. 

F.       Read your Bible and stay close to the Lord.  This is God’s way of talking to you.

 

OPEN DISCUSSION:

 

Can anyone name some other ways to avoid falling into the bad traps after you get released? 

 

V.      Another thing would be to find some way to help someone else having  problems. 

A.     Maybe getting involved in youth ministry.

B.     Maybe prison ministry.

C.     Teaching Sunday school.

D.    Maybe helping elderly folks. 

1.      They need inspiration and encouragement also. 

VI.              Ways to Witness:

A.     Some people are shy and don’t know how to approach witnessing.  If someone falls into that category, then they might want to put out salvation tracts in restrooms, or put them on doors, house to house.  They might do that until they can get their courage up to actually talk to someone about their soul.

B.     You might go visiting for your church when they have visitation nights. 

C.     It would be great if they had a program called “Big Brother’s program) which would be where you might have a specific child or children you were trying to help to keep them from going down a bad road.

D.    Another good program would be to go to schools and talk to the kids.  There are groups of people that do this now.  Tell them how it is, after all you’ve been there and done that.  They’ll listen to you.  They might not listen to the man in the suit.  They’ll listen to you. 

VII.           It would be good if every American could visit the prison sometime in their life.  Maybe those that thought they could get away with it, should see how it is. 

VIII.        Remember: For those to love you, you must first show love to them.  The other party will see that you are a loving good person and they will respond back to you.   This goes for your wife at home, and children and parents and the crabby old man next door. 

IX.              To have friends.

X.                 A.  You must first show yourself friendly. 

B.  Choose your friends wisely.  If you choose Christian friends, you will be more likely to have more in common and they won’t be as likely to lead you astray.  They can help you grow in your walk with the Lord.

 

Copyright  1999 - 2005 Sherry Holly