He set the captives free!

As Christ must assuredly came to deliver us from evil and bring glory to His Name, we should find ourselves more "prostrate in the dust" before Him in humble gratitude than we many times are. He tells us that He came that we "may have life and have it to the full" in John 10. In Isaiah, the foreshadowing of His coming presented for us the hope of "good tidings to the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, and liberty for the captives!"

Yesterday I went to the maximum security prison in Raleigh for a training to enable me access on future occasions. Our church is beginning a ministry to share in the lives of women and men in prison whom are so desperately broken. We know our place in this world and as sinners as awful as they, though we've perhaps not gone to the extent that they have in regard to choices, we are equally inadequate before our God as they, and carry the same hope for salvation!

As our hearts go out to them to see the forgiveness that we have been shown, we know we must remember when we are in a prison and they are there for a reason! But we know we've been given second, third and many more chances to repent of our sin and want them to know the same. Their physical surroundings they may not be able to change, but as we know that is not where true joy lays. There lays yet a potential of real and true freedom from what has imprisoned them in the first place, carrying with it the hope of redemption!

THIS is what I hope to help relay and as many other women of all ages, races and religions poured in the room for our elongated textbook training, there was a sense of sweet fellowship that filled the room. The intentions of empathetic hearts attempted to go where they had not gone before, to show a love we are so grateful to know, to a world that has yet to grab hold of what they are so longing for.

We ourselves were sinners, slaves to sin, but set free by the power of the Holy Spirit and His love, His Word, and His work in our lives.

LORD Jesus, thank you for setting us free from the bondage of sin and give us wisdom to to enable others to take hold of this wonderful truth by the power and for the glory of your Name!