Fighting, Violence And Defending Yourself

The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression. – Proverbs 19:11

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: – Ecclesiasties 3:1

Being in prison is much different than being in society.  You are in there with gang bangers, killers, thieves, rapists, addicts, and bullies of every sort. They are not in there for being nice.  The strong love to prey on the weak in there just for something to do. You have nowhere to run and no place to hide in there to avoid it either.  Face it right now, at some point, you are going to HAVE to defend yourself in there.

Know this, God did not save you to become a doormat for people to wipe their feet on. HE knows where you are at.  If you can avoid a fight, by all means do it, but if you can’t, tear the other persons head off!

It does not matter whether you win or lose, but show the other person that you will not be abused and that you will fight back when and if you have to!

When I was in there, a convict (we will call him Brian) was walking the yard daily, praying and praising God, not bothering a soul.  A Muslim inmate did not like it and put a two pound weight in his t shirt and hit Brian over the head with it, splitting Brians head open!  Be a victor in there not a victim! Defend yourself if you have to!

Use your discretion.  There are some things just not worth fighting over like someone cutting in front of you in the chow line.  But someone stealing your mail and then writing your family and asking them for money ect, you have got to kind of answer that. Someone insults your mother in there and threatens to go rape her when they get out, you have got to answer that too. Someone touches your butt in the shower, you had better slug him. Forget telling the guards or your case manager or the warden about it.  That is called snitching and that will get you killed.  Always handle things yourself as best you can.  Ask God to help you. 

Don’t go looking for it, but do not run away either.  If you run away from a confrontation, you look weak to the other guys in there and open yourself up to a host of problems, like having your stuff stolen, being harrassed,being assaulted repeatedly and possibly even being raped.

During my 15 years in there, I had many fights.  I won some and lost some, but I always stood my ground.  I remember a time when 11 black gang bangers broke my ribs and gave me a head concussion simply because I was white.  I left a few of them on the floor with me.  Imagine what would have happened had I not tried to defend myself?  I might have been permanently injured or been killed.

Being a Christian does not mean you have to be weak, timid or cowardly.  Avoid trouble when and if you can.  If not, defend yourself!

Related articles

• Mexico prison fight kills 31 inmates in Tamaulipas – BBC News (bbc.co.uk)
• 12 Inmates Hurt in Ga. Prison Fight (myfoxny.com)
• Bullies: More Than Sticks, Stones and Name-Calling (education.com)
• The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace (throughchrist.wordpress.com)

Dealing With Fear

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. – 2 Timothy 1:7

For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. – Job 3:25

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. – Matthew 10:28

I hope you are writing down and memorizing the verses in my posts.  These are the very verses that are going to mean something to you during your bit. I pray that you write them down and burn them into your heart and mind.

Now lets talk about fear.  I am not a career criminal.  I had no juvenile record.  My crime was a first offense.  This means that I had never been to jail or a prison before and I did not know a single soul in there.

It’s pretty scary as soon as you are put in population.  You are locked up with rapists, child molesters, murderers, bank robbers, thieves, kidnappers, every sort of criminal and crime there is.  You can believe this, nobody likes you in there.  Nobody.  So how do you deal with this fear?

First thing you do is burn this into your mind until it sinks in. “YOU CAME  IN ALONE, YOU ARE GOING TO DO YOUR TIME ALONE, AND YOU ARE GOING HOME ALONE!” Keep to yourself, mind your own business, and when you can, try to seek out other people who are believers in there.  But be smart, remember that NOBODY IN THERE IS YOUR FRIEND.  THEY ARE ONLY ACQUAINTANCES YOU ARE DOING TIME WITH.

Only a small percentage of all fear is really fear.  Fear is usually a False Event Appearing Real. Whatever you fear, try to stand and face it.  Ask God for the strength to help you face it.  He will help you.  Do not let anybody live rent free in your mind.  In other words do not torture yourself with a fearful situation by hashing and rehashing it over and over in your mind.  Instead concentrate on scripture.” God is stronger than you think.  His word is very powerful, In Isaiah 26:3  it says “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”  This includes you.  This is how you learn to trust the Lord.  You test the scriptures.  Find out what they say about your situation and ACT on them.  Jesus will do the rest.

Related articles

• Overcoming Fear (diligentprojects5.wordpress.com)
• Victory Over Fear Builds Character (menofredemption.wordpress.com)
• Fear is not from God (michaelwright12.wordpress.com)