My turn to write a letter

I just finished packaging 5 photos to send to my boys' momma in jail along with a note that spans the back of each and every one of them. I thought I would share the note here and have you all pray. At the end, I told her I would be glad to visit sometime if she would like. I'm thankful I can rest in His Sovereignty over that, because I'm honestly a bit fearful at the thought. I'm also thankful that He has the power to redeem my words and use them, however disjointed and poorly written they may be. "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." - Matthew 12:34 Lord, please let these words reveal my heart as a testimony to Your grace at work within it!

T,

Know that I am praying for you and will never stop praying. My friend shared your note with me. I'm so thankful that the Lord is using many women to love and encourage you with the Word of God. I was struck by your statement, "I'm really trying." I believe you, T, and I know how frustrating it is to try and try and try to fix the poor choices we make only to keep on doing the very things we're trying to change. The Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is John 15:5, "apart from me (God) you can do nothing."

I've never been to jail, but I have been a "prisoner" of my sinful heart. I have tried with all my strength to do the right thing only to fail again and again. Until the Lord showed me through His Word that I needed Jesus Christ, and Him alone, to forgive me, humble me, and fix my heart - giving life to a heart that was dead in sin, I was completely and utterly powerless. I could do nothing!

When Jesus began His ministry on Earth, He stood in the temple and read these words, describing Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." -Luke 4:18-19

T, my prayer for you is that the Lord will give you true freedom - the freedom that comes from humbly admitting your guilt before a holy God, humbly admitting your inability to save yourself, humbly submitting to His will for your life, however different it may be from your own, and walking in obedience to Him, by faith.

In 2004, the Lord set me free. I pray He will do the same for you through the power of the gospel - that Jesus Christ, who was God, came to live as a sinless man and die in our place that we may be given the overwhelming gift of salvation and the grace to live a new, different, holy life. I love you, T. I will never stop praying out of deep love for you!

Love,

[Me]

I also included these passages and have been praying these for her:

"The Lord bless you and keep you; 

the Lord make His face to shine upon you 

and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

"Jesus said to him, 

'I am the way and the truth and the life.'"

John 14:6

"But to set the mind on the flesh is death, 

but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace!"

Romans 8:6

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 3:23

"The wages of sin is death, 

but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 6:23

"God demonstrates His own love for us, 

in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!"

Romans 5:8

"Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!"

Romans 10:13

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, 

neither angels nor demons, 

neither the present nor the future, 

nor any powers, 

neither height nor depth, 

nor anything else in all creation, 

will be able to separate us from the love of God 

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

Join me in praying for T, and join me in praising God for His perfect plan - regardless of what may happen.