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!

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Guards, Caseworkers, Wardens, most of them are no better than the prisoners they watch over.  I have seen them handcuff an inmate and 4 or 5 of them beat him down while he is handcuffed.  I have seen them bring in drugs to prisoners.  I have seen them play favoritism for money from outside. I have seen them pit one prisoner against another for the fun of it.  Not all of them are like that mind you, but a whole lot of them are.

Since there are more prisoners than there are guards.  A lot of guards like to use a technique called confusion therapy.  They try to pit one convict against another.  As long as they can keep prisoners fighting amongst themselves, there is less focus on them and therefore it gives the guard better control.

Get one thing straight.  NONE of them LIKE you in there.  If you think they do, you got a rude awakening coming.  They might PRETEND to like you if they think they can manipulate you or get some information out of you.  However, as soon as they get what they need, they will toss you aside like a piece of garbage.

Yet, like it or not, they are in authority over you.  God put them in authority for a reason.  Exactly why is not for you to know, only God knows why. 

When I was in there, I did not get close to a guard.  I did what they told me and that was it.  It is best if you do the same.  You may not like it, I sure didn’t, but lets not forget that the guard did not put you in prison. You did that yourself.

Rebelling against authority is the main reason you are in there.  The law said do not steal,some of you stole.  The law said do not do or deal in drugs,some of  you did that.  The law said not to hurt or kill another human being, some of you did that too.  The law says not to kidnap or rape and some of you even did that.  The law of society was AUTHORITY and you rebelled against it, and as the above verses state, you brought judgement upon yourself.

Be a saved Christian in there. If the guard says mop the dorm, mop it.  If he says roll in on your bunks, roll in.  Don’t whine, cry and complain about it, just do it.  You do not have to LIKE the authority in there, but you do have to respect and obey it.

You will find your time will go much easier and when you get out you will find yourself respecting and obeying the laws of society rather than fighting and rebelling against it.

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Prisoners love tattoos.  Some do it out of boredom.  Some do it because they think it makes them look bad or cool.  Some do it to show people they are in a gang.  The temptation is there every where you turn.

However, no self professing Christian is going to get a tattoo.  Not only is it illegal inside of the prison, God forbids it too.  A tattoo is like a brand.  They often are a sign of rebelliousness and they tend to show who your loyalties are to.  Once you are tattooed you carry it with you for the rest of your life!  Even if it is covered up with another one, the original is still there underneath.  I don’t know about you, but I would not want people to know I was in prison.  Tattoos are a sure sign that you have probably been there. Also, in prison, they are done a lot of times with unsanitary needles and I have seen all kinds of crazy, unsafe and unsanitary ways to make ink.

Your body belongs to God.  Let him have it.  God said in Exodus ” You shall have no other gods before Me.” – Exodus 20:3 If you already have a tattoo, don’t get no more.  Be a man, stand out.  Dare to be different.  Tattoos do not make the man, God makes the man.

I made the dumb mistake of getting two of them while I was in there.  Worst mistake I made.  Today I am ashamed of them.  They remind me of where I came from.  I keep them covered up at all times.  Obey God rather than men. In the end, you will be glad you did!

One of the things you can do in prison is start taking care of your body.  Lets face it, a lot of prisoners come in having abused their bodies with alcohol, drugs, cigarette smoking and a host of other things. 

Why not quit the cigarettes?  Why not quit the drugs?  Why not quit the alcohol? Why not clean your body out and make it healthy again?  A strong, powerful, healthy body will do you much good in there.  And you really have no excuse, as you have nothing but time, so why not throw it into your body and make the time work for you?

What I did was get a basic deck of cards from the commissary.  I would shuffle the deck and workout as follows:

Spades were Push ups

Clubs were Squats

Diamonds were Crunches

Hearts were Back Arms

I would simply flip a card and do that many reps of the exercise for that suit.  For instance, the 7 of spades, was 7 push ups, the 5 of clubs was 5 squats, the 9 of diamonds was 9 crunches, the 7 of hearts was 7 back arms or dips.  I started with the numbers 2 thru 6 of each suit and worked up to doing the entire deck.  Aces were 15 reps and all face cards were 10 reps.  In 3 months time, I had a very strong, very hard body. In 15 years of doing this, I never got bored with it.  No two workouts were ever the same.   It got to the point to where I threw in some isometrics at the end of each workout too.

God said our bodies are HIS temple.  His Holy Spirit dwells in there.  Make your body a good, clean, home for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.  You will thank me for it for the rest of your life.

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Prisoners are notorious LIARS.  They tend to lie about everything.  They lie about their lives before prison, they lie about their crimes, they lie about all the girlfriends they have, they lie about their commissary and they will even lie about YOU if they feel they have something to gain from it.

One of the biggest lies that I seen in prison, one that got a lot of people unecessarily hurt was cigarettes.  A inmate would ask someone for a cigarette and the guy would say he did not have any when he actually had a pack right in his shirt pocket plain for all to see.  All he had to do was just say NO, or he did not have a lot.  But he lied and it got him assaulted.

Honesty is the best policy in prison.  If someone asks what you are in for, just tell them “none of your business”.  Do not ever lie about it!  All you have left in prison in your word.  It defines who you are.

Jesus warned about lieing.  If you are saved in Christ, then do not ever lie period!  That was part of your old life, your old man.  You are a NEW CREATION now, act like it. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ” 2 Corinthians 5:17

All liars are scared.  Lieing is fear.  Read my post on fear for further information.

I am telling you how to live as a Christian in there.  If you can do it in there, it will be much easier for you to do when you get out.  Learn from me.  I have been there done that and survived it and walked out and never came back.  You can do the same.

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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.

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You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. – Isaiah 26:3

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.- Romans 12:2

It might be called “The Department Of Rehabilitation & Corrections” but it is far from it.  Often times a person will come out of there much worse than when he first went in.  If any rehabilitation at all goes on in there, you are going to have to do it yourself.

This is done by rehabilitating your mind first.  Changing your bad, unclean thoughts into clean and healthy ones.  The bible says: As a man thinks in his heart, so is he – Proverbs 23:7.  So the first step to getting free and staying that way is to work on your mind.

Below is a prayer.  You have nothing but time on your hands, so start saying it out loud to yourself, every chance you get.  Say it in the morning, say it on the yard, say it after lunch, say it after supper, and most importantly, say it before you go to bed.  Say it, say it, say it.  If the rest of the inmates in there think you are nuts, so be it.  You will have the last laugh when you go home and stay home and they are still in there or on their way back.

Don’t believe what everyone else in there thinks about you, believe what God says about you.  Slowly in the course of time, little by little, day by day you will begin to change inside.  Meet Jesus half way, and HE will do the rest.  I promise you.

Now you are going to have some convicts asking you what you are doing.  By all means TELL  them.  You might be the only bible in there that they are ever going to read.  Forget the namby pamby witnessing techniques.  You are in prison.  Simply tell them WHY you came to Jesus, and what the bible says HE has done for you.  Not many, but a few of them are going to LISTEN.  James says: Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. – James 5:19-20

I spent much of my 15 years inside, reading the bible over and over, I walked the yard speaking scripture out loud and memorizing scripture.  After a few years, I got a lot of respect from other convicts because of it.  If I can do it, you can too.

Ok here is the prayer.  Once again say it as often as you can.  If you are uncomfortable saying it out loud, say it silently to yourself, but say it.

Confession – Walking In Victory
Speak this out of your mouth. Sow this in your heart and build it into your walk.

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. I am born of God and I overcome the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even my faith. [1 John 5:4]

I want to thank You God that You always cause me to triumph in
Christ. [2 Cor 2:14]

And I want to thank You God for giving me the victory through my
Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Cor 15:57]

I thank You Jesus that You are my Savior, that You are my baptizer in the Holy Spirit, that you are my Healer, that you are my Deliverer, and the Provider for all my needs.

I thank You Jesus that I am free, no longer in bondage or slavery to
anything or anyone. I am no longer a victim, but a victor!

Thank You Jesus that according to John 8:36, I AM FREE! And whom the Son sets free is FREE INDEED!

I am not stuck in my life but I am growing and moving and changing. I am free to grow in God. I am growing in Him everyday.

Thank You Jesus that I am free from the following:

I am free from all generational curses, known and unknown.

I am free from witchcraft, psychic powers, and soul ties.

I am free from fears, anxiety, stress, and worry

I am free from all mental and emotional bondages, such as,
depression, oppression, grief, guilt, and broken heartedness.

I am free from all unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, hatred, self-unforgiveness, God unforgiveness, and unforgiveness for those living or dead.

I am free from all fatigue, tiredness, insomnia, and weariness.

I am free from all addictions (food, substance abuse) and destructive habits.

I am free from all sexual problems and impurities. I keep my mind pure.

I am free from all spirits of infirmity, sickness, and disease.

I am free from spirits of death and suicide.

I am free from all poverty, lack and debt. I loose prosperity, and all my needs are met in Jesus’ name.

I am free from all strongholds and bondages in my life

I am an overcomer in every area of my life. [Rev 12:11]

I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. [Romans 8:37]

I boldly declare that I am free!

Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! [John 8:36]

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Here is the first promise in the bible to hang on to.  God often has to strip us bare before we will allow him to work in us and prison does just that.

The first thing that happens when you first enter a prison, is you are stripped naked and your entire body is searched.  Its truly a humbling experience at first, but you will soon get used to it as it will happen often.

Then all your clothes are packed up and shipped home.  They are replaced with an often used set of blue prison shirt and pants and some crappy state shoes.

And then the ultimate humiliation takes place.  They take away your name and give you a number.  No longer are you known by your name, from now on, you will be known by your number for the rest of your bit.  You will come to hate and resent that number as time goes on and if you are not careful, that number will stick with you for the rest of your life!

Lastly you will be sent to a dorm or a cell.  In my day, it was a 5×8 cell with a sink and a toilet with 2 bunks in it.  This is what you traded your freedom for.  Was it worth it?

All is not lost though.  If you have Jesus, you still have hope.  At this time, I would like to suggest that you read the story of Joseph.  Genesis Chapters 37 to 50.  When prison life starts getting you down, read this story.  God made something good come out of Josephs incarceration and HE has a plan for you too.  You may have to go through some trials first, but when and if you do, try to endure it as a good soldier of Christ and remember all that Jesus suffered for you.  God raised Joseph up out of prison and at the right time, HE will raise you up out of your prison too.  The question is, will you be ready when HE does?

Ok so you screwed up and now you’re in prison.  Now what? Well you have some choices to make. God will never force you to do the right thing or to come to HIM. That is why HE gave us the power of choice.  He wants us to come to HIM of our own free will. The choices you make right now, is going to determine to a large degree how you do your time and for how long.

You can sit there and relive your screw up over and over again until you are eaten up and consumed with anger, bitterness, resentment and hate.  I tried this method and within a few years, I hardly recognized myself. My heart had waxed cold, I was bitter, mean, and I hated everyone and everything.  Speaking from experience here, all you are doing is hurting yourself.  There is also a saying that “He who lives in his past is destined to repeat it.”  If you want to keep getting out and coming back, this is the way to go.

Your second choice is much better.  You can own up to what you did, deal with it, put it behind you and move on.  You did what you did.  Whats done is done.  You can’t change it even if you wanted to.  So, put it behind you and work towards getting out.

Go to the Chaplains Office and get yourself a bible.  Read it every day, make it your best friend in there and let its truths sink into you.  Your way is what got you where you are at.  If you are tired of screwing up, change it. You do not have to hit rock bottom before you change.  You can raise your bottom.  You can begin now.  Jesus is there waiting for you to call to HIM, just as HE was there waiting for me.  Don’t wait until you have lost everything like I did.  Come to HIM as you are right now, and let HIM come into your life and change you one step and one day at a time.  It will not happen over night, but it WILL happen if you call out to HIM.

Find as quiet a place as you can in there and pray this prayer: Don’t ask why, just do it.  I will explain more as to why in later posts.

“Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I am tired of doing things my way.  My best thinking has put me where I am right now. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I have come to realize that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.

I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on.

I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Amen.

Now if you meant that with your heart, you are saved and forgiven and your life is never going to be the same again. It is not going to be easy, but Jesus WILL emerge VICTORIOUS if you will keep your eyes solely upon HIM.

If you start doubting, remember this.  If God can forgive and use a man like Paul after what he did, HE can forgive and use you too.  God is no respecter of persons, to HIM sin is sin.  One sin is just as bad at another to HIM.  So no matter what you have done, remember if you have prayed the above prayer from your heart, YOU ARE FORGIVEN!

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Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,  prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God’s commands  and despised the plans of the Most High.  So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love  and his wonderful deeds for mankind,  for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. – Psalm 107:10-16 NIV

I am an ex convict.  I spent 15 straight years in 7 prisons. Why doesn’t really matter.  What matters is I found Jesus and for the past 13 years now I have been free and living in society. I have a nice place to live, a car, a girlfriend and I read the bible daily and am an active, well liked and respected member of my church.

Over the years both in prison and since I have been free, I have noticed that people (especially the younger ones) seem to either like prison or think it is fun because they seem to go in and out of it over and over again like it is some kind of revolving door.

It does not have to be that way and I am living proof of it.

This blog is about finding Christ, getting saved, doing your time as a Christian, going home and STAYING FREE!  I will be using the bible and my experiences from prison to demonstrate this. Learn from me. I’ve been there, overcame it and I did not go back.  You can do it too.

My goal is to show people both in and out of prison that there is a better way and that way is Jesus. 

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