Sunday, May 26, 2019 -
Saul was the greatest enemy of the early church. Acts9:1 says he was, after Stephen’s stoning, “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” Hatred of those who believed in Jesus as the Christ so consumed his very being. His hatred of Christians likely would make that of the Southern Poverty Law Center seem tame! But when God miraculously visited him on the road to Damascus, God was not only selecting him as a chosen instrument to proclaim God’s word to the Gentiles, kings, and Jews (Acts 9:15), but to answer the prayers of deliverance for those believers in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Finally, after being forced to hide from Saul’s efforts, they had peace (Acts 9:31). This, after “a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1). Saul ravaged the church, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison (Acts 8:3).
But, if they were like Stephen, they spoke out boldly against the persecutors, not mincing words, yet prayed for them and for their salvation at the same time (Acts 7:60). And so I pray daily that God would do a similar miracle in the life of Janet Jenkins, Judge Arcara, and the attorneys from Southern Poverty Law Center who have seemingly dedicated every ounce of the being into destroying me, my family, Response Unlimited, Lisa Miller, and my fellow defendants – especially Liberty University!
The greatest miracle that could possibly happen is for these people to come to Christ. That would be worth it all!
After I had written this, right before I went to bed, Kathie sent me a message. She’d just found a prophetic message given to me from a friend I hadn’t seen or heard from in years, until just prior to my incarceration. He’d said God had given these words to hold onto and he wanted to encourage me the day before I was to self-report:
1) You will make a big difference in the life of many;
2) Don’t be afraid, God is with you;
3) You will be part of a change – a movement;
4) All wrongs will be righted.
But to be honest, I’d forgotten all about these words, until Kathie reminded me. But the truth is that I hadn’t heard from this friend since – until two days prior to Kathie finding this message. He’d sent me a letter saying he’d been praying for me daily and apologized for not writing sooner. When I read his letter though, I didn’t recall what he’d prophesied over me. But I laid awake for hours that night, thanking God for His timing – that Kathie providentially happened across those words two days after I received the letter from the same man.
And I know the second point proved itself to be so accurate. God has been with me throughout these six months in prison – right from DAY ONE He has orchestrated everything! I had no reason to be fearful. I cannot deny, though, I was very apprehensive. So now I wait on the Lord, especially for the last point of his prophecy. In my heart, God has truly encouraged me through these amazing ways in which His timing has been perfected.