Right click on box to control sound My Exciting Escape from Prison I had been here for years. Misunderstood by my family and friends. I had been different as a small child, growing up in a small town, and of small stature. Graduated from High School weighing 126 pounds and five feet seven inches tall. I had tried all my life to measure up to the bigger kids. Only as I approached the end of my teens did my body catch up with my mind. I had done all those things to be accepted, but failed miserably. I began acting up at an early age, trying to become one of the "in crowd". Pride seemed to creep into my life, as I tried to become someone that I wasn't. Wanting to be noticed, I became the "class comic". "Jim was always a funny boy in school", mused some of his former classmates. "He was always very funny! But boy could he get in a lot of trouble." So much despair! So how did I end up in this prison cell? What had been my downfall? I indeed was a prisoner to sin and could not get free. Many of the same sins plagued me over and over again. My cell is not the normal jail cell that you are thinking about. My cell takes place in my mind. A few years ago, I was standing on an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, looking out over the lights of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. I had been here many times before to spend time with the Lord. He brought to my mind the words to the song, "And Can It Be". One verse states, "Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night." The song is playing in the background and you can access the words to the song at this link. Download a Printable Page of these Song Lyrics. Perhaps God has spoken to you as you read this. You might want to worship Him at this link, and ask the Lord Jesus to help rid you of your chains. Sing along with the song as you lift your heart up to God. And so my cell was of my own making. My sinful nature had imprisoned me since my birth. As is the case of most Christians, I had tried to free myself from bondage for years. My Mom and Dad took me to church from birth, and I received a small white Bible on my sixth birthday for six years perfect attendance at the church in Washington, Indiana. I had been baptized in October 1950 at the same church and began my long fight toward freeing myself from this prison. Help Me Lord! Many years ago I had read the book, "Victory in Christ" by Charles Trumble. Other books such as "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life" by Hannah Whitall Smith talked of this victorious life. This concept of victory somehow eluded me, and in the words of the song above, I was fastbound in sin and nature's night. Oh, but I did have times of victory. My life was pretty good most of the time. Mountain top experiences were more prevalent than the times in the valleys. I have been privileged to point many folks toward the Savior. But there is something different now. Jesus talks about "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding". Phil 4:7. But there on that mountain top in Virginia, God gave me that peace. His Light Shines In! You cannot fake something like this, and if you have never experienced it, the concept might seem foreign to you. But just search the words of our Lord if you will. 1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 Chron 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 2 Cor 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. Is there any victory trusting in my words? No way! Can you do anything to earn that victory? No way! Who is the only one who can give you that triumphal victory? >>>>>>>>>>>>Jesus<<<<<<<<<<<< Did you know? If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself. In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that if they look up, they'll find the answer. Please read your Bible on a daily basis. It is a lifegiving resource and will change your life. I memorized vast portions when I was younger, and although I have forgotten many verses, God is able to reach down in my old brain and bring out a gem each time I need it. It is like having an ammunition belt on, ready to load by the Holy Spirit. It does no good to have a weapon, (gun) if you have no bullets. Perhaps you would want to order the Topical Memory System. There are sixty verses that teach you how to make Scripture Memory a lifelong project. It is only $15.00 You can read my short testimony about my experience on the guest reviews. My review was in 2009. The Topical Memory System by the Navigators Jim Young Yorktown, Virginia Read other articles I have written on the Christian Life Email me and ask to be added to mail list for new pages.
