Jesus Saves.
The power of God to save through the death of His only Son, Jesus Christ,
is
no small thing. Every day, people all over the world, in amny kinds of
situations, discover the power and love of God in Jesus, our Lord. Here
is
one man's story...
Excerpts from the personal testimony of Darren Simpson, prison inmate:
I was arrested for a burglary and theft from some jewellers. I received
from the courts a sentence for 4 years imprisonment. When I got this it
did
come as a little shock, but not too much as it was certainly something
that
I was used to. I have actually served about 10 years in total in prison
custody - which is out of the last 15 years. So, rather than it becoming
a
second home to me, it had become my first home and the free world seemed a
novelty to me.
Anyway I came into prison and thought that would carry on much the same as
I
had over previous sentences - fighting, totally against authority etc.
What
really hit home to me the degree of my plight was the fact that I used to
look around at some of the older prisoners and think that I was becoming
exactly the same as them. I am now 30 years of age and I can imagine that
the younger lads are now coming into prison and looking at me and thinking
that I hope I don't end up like him.
I had become exactly what I hadn't wanted to be. Or at least that was the
image that I got of myself. And probably those around me would look on me
with disdain, or even as a lost cause. Someone that would be in prison
for
the rest of their life.
I was still reading the Bible as I have always found it to be very
interesting and I was speaking to a varying number of groups that used to
have some sort of faith or belief system - all of these were not
necessarily
of the Christian kind.
Also on this sentence after coming to the realisation above, I decided
that
I would actually get a job and try and improve the skills that I already
have in computers. There is a prison that is one of only two in the
country, which run a Web-Design Company from inside the prison. I applied
to get transferred there and didn't really expect to be granted a place.
I
thought that my prison record would rule me out.
Contrary to what I thought though, they were willing to give me a chance
and
I was duly transferred to the Wolds prison in York****re. One of the huge
bonuses of this prison was that it enabled the lads who worked on the
web-design venture to have free access to the Internet. Again this is
only
one of two prisons in the country that allow you this privilege.
Whilst I greatly enjoyed this, I used to go on some of the Religious
message
boards and see what was going on out there. What I found initially did
little to help me as it was all just a huge mess that was practically
indecipherable. I didn't realise it at the time but I had a real desire
to
be released from the life I had. I just didn't know how this was going to
happen or indeed even why it should happen. I can probably say at this
point I had no conviction of sin rather that I just wanted to have a
better
life for myself, for selfish reasons.
I contacted all manner of people, Muslims, Pagans, Buddhists, Catholics as
well as others and I suppose that in their own way a lot of these people
seemed to be happy in what they had. I tried to fit in with them and it
just didn't work for me. I didn't want to fit in; I actually wanted
something better than what they had. I wanted to have a real living
relation****p with something that could really help me. At the time I just
didn't know what or who this was.
While I was in this situation I was repeatedly drawn back to the Bible and
I
started praying. And the expression that I have used before - for want of
a
better way of explaining it - is real get down on your hands and knees
"Lord, help me!" prayer. I think at this very moment the Lord gave me
conviction of sin and it was then that I knew that I was a hopeless sinner
and that I needed some sort of redemption.
I was also praying that I be introduced to someone that a clear idea of
what
they believed and on the Internet the Lord (Christ Jesus) sent my way a
good
Bible based believer. This was a direct answer to prayer and at the time
I
probably wasn't able to fully comprehend it. All I do know is that the
Lord
really spoke to me through the words of this man and the various other
people that were introduced to me along the way.
I certainly won't say that my conversion was overnight, rather it was a
gradual stripping away process of the old me, to reveal the new man that
Christ Himself had brought out in me. But the Christian faith is all
about
a process, a stripping down and building up if you like.
Shortly after this, I was severely tested by being attacked by another
inmate and in the past the normal way that I would react to this affront
would be to stab or in anyway attack this guy. But instead I thanked God
that I was given this op****tunity to know that the change that He brought
about in me was real. Also to some degree it enhanced the witness that I
was giving, as people that had known me for any length of time would have
expected me to retaliate against this bloke - this didn't happen and I am
sure that it amazed quite a number of people. Thus giving me the
op****tunity to tell them what had been going on with me.
I am still in prison at the moment having only a very small time left
until
I am released. I have been with Christ now for a total of 2 years and the
changes that He has brought about in me continue to surprise and amaze me.
All the people around me are not able to accept where the change has come
from.
It is often difficult to be a Christian in the prison system, as there is
a
distinct lack of real fellow****p and even firm Biblical teaching. One
thing
that I am confident in though is that the Lord continues to sanctify me
daily, and where I have tried to improve my own standing (and failed) He
succeeds.
The blood that was shed for me on the cross at Calvary is victorious every
time, and I have learned o trust in Him who shed His blood so that I can
be
cleansed from my sins.
It is quite sad when I look around me and see that there is so much
religious confusion and even perversion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. We see the Church being plagued today by all types of weird
doctrines that would have been severely rebuked by the Lord. As a society
that is becoming ever tolerant of liberalism, the greater circles of the
Christian faith are inclining towards a tolerant attitude of most things -
this no doubt is the way that we are headed until the eventual return of
our
Lord.
Me, I don't know what to make of all of this, all I do know is that I want
no part of it. I earnestly desire the Lord to continue to open my eyes to
the infallible Truth that is contained in His Scripture - and that I don't
forget to keep my eyes firmly on Him.
to read the whole story, along with an update since Darren's release, log
onto:
http://www.newtestamentpattern.net/testimonies/darrensimpson.htm
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