Some friends came out to our home this weekend and over dinner my wife mentioned that I’d just given my testimony to 200 high school football players earlier that day. I added that I was really busy with speaking engagements right now and in fact was scheduled to talk to some inmates at a correctional facility for youth on the next day, (Saturday), and then speak again to some business leaders at a Monday morning breakfast with one of the Tallahassee Rotary clubs.
We’d just taken our friends on a tour of the many recently finished construction projects at our Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa and one of them remarked, “With all that you have going on here with the construction and the plantation, how do you possibly find time to speak so often?”
I just smiled and told her that I just make time for it.
Every time I speak, whoever has invited me always thanks me profusely for agreeing to do it. I thank them just as profusely for the invitation and for providing me with an opportunity and platform to share Jesus Christ with others. Indeed I sincerely consider it to be a tremendous honor and a privilege to talk to people about Jesus Christ. It is sometimes physically demanding and sometimes I have more invitations than time, but I find it to be well worth the effort.
On Saturday I did speak to a room full of young men ranging from ages 12-17 who were prisoners incarcerated for any number of crimes. I stood up to address them and surveyed the room. To a person they didn’t look like typical carefree, fun-loving boys and they didn’t look like the football players I had just addressed; they looked bitter, hardened-tough, and mean. It reminded me of me at that age; (full of pit bull rage and hate).
I told them of my experience with drugs, alcohol, fights, incarceration, seeing death and misery. I then related to them how Christ had completely changed my life and blessed me in a mighty way and how He continues to do so even through today.
I told them that I’d committed more crimes, serious crimes, than all of them put together, and yet God had completely forgiven me for all of my sins. My message was simple, if God would have mercy on someone who was bad to the bone-marrow like me, He would surely forgive and have mercy on them, provided that they take the important first step and ask Him to do so.
OR… they could stay on the same course that they were on and more than likely end up in a ferocious state or federal prison system and experience the literal hell on earth psychopathic violence and perversion within those foreboding walls and possibly die in there and go on to experience an even worse and more torturous existence in hell that will last forever!
After hearing my story most of their expressions changed to a very somber and reflective eye-widening fearful state. I wasn’t giving them a bunch of Christian hype or rehearsed jive; this was the real deal and they knew it.
A very small group of them sitting in the back did remain defiant and were trying to be disruptive and disrespectfully laughing and some even acted as though they were bored and feigned sleeping through my talk. I calmly pointed them out to the rest of them and told them that they were exhibiting behavior that was exactly what life is all about.
“We’ve all been born with a free will and that was given to us by God. We have the God given right to freely decide to go with Jesus Christ, or reject Him and go with the world.” I told them they had a God given right to reject everything I was saying just like those guys, or they could change their lives for the better right now..
I asked in a loud voice, “Take a look around you. Do you like this place? Is this how you want to spend the rest of your life? Or do you want to get out of this God-forsaken place.”
They answered with a roar, “We want outta here!”
I went on to tell them that following the world had just gotten them to first base in this youth correctional facility, and then I asked if they really wanted to continue on to second, third, and then home which would be hell. Is prison after prison after prison what they wanted for the rest of their lives? And then everlasting hell?
“NO!” was their resounding response.
I told those boys that if there were those who were tired of fighting God and wanted Him to change their lives forever like He did mine, then they needed to come down front, confess their sins, ask for forgiveness and turn from following the world to following Jesus just like I did. I told them not to worry what those guys sitting in the back thought. Those clowns just think they’re tough; take it from me, the world is a whole lot tougher than any one of them, or me, or anyone walking the face of the earth. The world without Jesus Christ can and will eat you alive!
Finally I told them in a soft voice, “You do have a choice and you can make it TODAY!”
It was an amazing experience (and one that made all of the guards nervous), because when we asked for those who wanted to choose to follow Jesus to come forward, all but about eight or nine of those young convicts immediately rushed forward at the same time and swarmed the front of the room and stood there in front of our ministry team nervously awaiting their chance to pray and receive Jesus Christ as their risen Savior.
As we all prayed the “sinner’s prayer” together I felt the power of God sweep through that room and it made my hair stand on end. After we prayed I shook hands with each and every one of them and congratulated them on making the right decision.
Judging someone’s heart and convictions is far above my pay scale and not my job, but I truly believe that God’s Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way all through that room and changed lives forever. I could see it in their eyes and I could feel it.
I’m convinced that most of those boys will leave that prison for good and turn their lives around because of what the Holy Spirit did for them on Saturday. Satan will no doubt come calling and maybe win some of them back for a while, but hopefully all of them will remember that day for the rest of their lives and eventually return to Jesus.
Most of you cannot relate to being in prison, but I have a News Alert for you. You don’t have to be incarcerated in a correctional facility to be in prison. If you aren’t within the will of God, you’re in prison my friends. If you don’t know gentle peace and wonderful joy and complete happiness in your life you are not living the life that God desires for you and you are locked up and prevented from entering His peace by unhealthy decisions and lusts for the world and what it offers.
As I told those boys, the one thing we all have in common is that we will all eventually die and then face God and then judgment. Based upon our relationship with Jesus Christ, He will either allow us into heaven to be with Him or banish us to hell for eternity. God doesn’t desire for anyone to end up in hell, but if someone chooses to go that route, then He will definitely allow them to make that decision; that’s what free will is all about. Hopefully that is not your free will decision today.
I’ve raised a terrific family, built great companies, closed mega deals, made lots of money, accomplished huge projects, won awards, and achieved lofty goals, but all of it piled together could not even come close to comparing to the joy I felt from seeing all of those hardened young men standing there with bowed heads, some with tears streaming down their faces asking God to come into their lives in full surrender mode.
I can only imagine what it might be like to see them again in heaven where they will brilliantly shine like a beautiful rainbow after the storms of life have subsided for them. I hope and pray that God affords me the great privilege and honor of being the one who gives them their heavenly orientation tour and will allow me to personally show each one of them to their mansion that has been specifically prepared for them by their loving Creator.
If you have found your peace with God and accepted His Son Jesus Christ as your Savior, glory to the Lord and congratulations to you – I’m happy for you.
And now that we’ve had our little celebration party together, let’s all get busy and go out and begin telling others the good news about Jesus Christ!
How can I make time for speaking on behalf of Jesus Christ?
How can I not?
How can you not?
Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Matt. 28:19
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”