The Prisoner

Humanity is driven by desires—lust, greed, the hunger for power. People strive for recognition and fame, often without regard for how we achieve it. The pursuit of these things blinds us to the cost. When we conform to the patterns of the world, Satan makes us prisoners of many things and faithfully, without shame we commit sin.

In Hosea 4:6, the Lord warns: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you. You will no longer serve as my priest. You have forgotten the law of your God, so I will forget your children.”

Consider Paul, traveling to Damascus, when a brilliant light from heaven stopped him in his tracks, blinding him. It was in that moment Paul was arrested by God. He later said: "For this cause I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles."

Paul, once a murderer, persecutor, and blasphemer, received mercy. Mercy, the undeserved favor, is something we all can testify to. 

Have you survived an illness? That’s mercy. Walked away from an accident? Mercy. Slept hungry but awoke another day? Mercy. Overcome addiction or danger? Mercy. Guilty of certain offenses but forgiven? Mercy. 

These are the fingerprints of God’s mercy on a life that, out of ignorance or rebellion, didn’t yet know Him.

God, in His role as Warden, saw something redeemable in Paul, as He does in all of us. Titus 3:3-5 reminds us: "We were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, enslaved by passions and pleasures. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us—not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy."

God desires to harness the good within us for His glory. If we’re honest, we were all foolish once—or perhaps still are. But God, in His grace, stands ready to arrest us, to bring us under His divine restraint. The day He does, when His light pierces our darkness, is the greatest day of our lives.

I thank God for arresting me, for opening my eyes, and giving me understanding of His word. Now, I can say boldly that in Him I live, move, and have my being. It’s a tough journey being a prisoner because the Word of God limits my everything. Nevertheless, with the set rules and regulations in place, I continue striving to be a better man. No more reckless living, no more empty pursuits—only purpose and peace in Him.

When the Lord approaches you with the message of truth, I urge you to surrender. Allow yourself to be captured, restrained by His Word and governed by a gospel designed to mold you into submission. God's reach extends to the powerful and the lowly alike. He cares not for status or position but seeks to strip us of our sinfulness.

Christ seeks to arrest the world, to bind us in the chains of scripture. God desires to rein in our will, redirect our hands for His glory, transform our speech, and order our steps. He wants to take control of our entire being so that everything we are serves His purpose.

Friends, God wants us to be His prisoners. When we are prisoners, all our outside worldly freedoms are taken away and we enter into a correction facility to be reformed.

Being a prisoner comes with rules. Inmates abide by the warden’s commands—when to eat, when to move, what to wear. Likewise, God has His own divine rules we must follow. It’s far better to be held captive by God than by the fleeting pleasures of this world. Education, work, friendships, and success all have their place, but nothing compares to the value of serving God. Seek first the kingdom of heaven, and everything else will fall into place. After all, as Paul wrote, "We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out."

The Lord is coming for "inmates" baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost. Being an inmate is being under a rule that you have no control over but having God’s will.

Get ready to be arrested. 🙏