Tag Archives: Prisoners

July 13, 2012 · 7:10 am

Remember The Prisoners (Part 9)

In India alone, there are 11 million children who have been abandoned, and 90% of them are girls. Three million of these children end up living on the streets. (No Longer A Slumdog, by K.P. Yohannan, 2011, pp. 31)

In India, there are 50 million children who work from age 4 on. They labor from morning until night for pennies, often making 10 – 15 cents per day. (No Longer A Slumdog, pp. 21)

Most of the unfortunate children who beg on the streets of South Asia’s cities, labor in its fields and factories or die a thousand deaths as child prostitutes are Dalits… In India today, there are about 250 million Dalits. (No Longer A Slumdog, pp. 55)

God is grieved over the plight of children in this generation – children who, this very moment, are suffering in circumstances we don’t even want to imagine. He is looking for individuals who say no to themselves and instead care for the things on His heart…  (No Longer A Slumdog, pp. 78)

I received a free copy of No Longer A Slumdog in the mail from Gospel For Asia. I looked at the cover and placed it on our coffee table. It sat there for a month before I picked it up. Then, I read it all in one sitting.

When I finished, I sat on the sofa, just staring off into space. My heart was crushed by Yohannan’s words. All I could think about were those abandoned children and how they were prisoners in a democratic nation, which Time Magazine called, “the next great economic superpower.”

Eventually, I had to look at myself and ask, “What is Larry going to do to help those children?”

If you are interested in checking out the free offer from Gospel For Asia, just click on No Longer A Slumdog.

The first question that the priest…and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the Good Samaritan…reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

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March 30, 2012 · 11:27 am

Remember The Prisoners (Part 5)

A friend of mine, who had spent seventeen years in prison for mainly drug related issues, asked for prayer. Even though he was a Christian and loved the Lord, he suffered depression and felt his life was hopeless. I laid my hand on his shoulder and began praying in the Spirit.

Almost instantly, a  short vision came to mind. In it, I saw my friend sitting on a cot in a prison cell and staring at a solid brick wall. I saw a closeup view of how his face and eyes revealed his desperation of facing one more day in prison. He appeared to be at the end of his rope.

Then, as I watched on, the vision panned away for a panoramic view of the whole prison cell scene. I saw him still sitting on the cot and staring at the brick wall, but I also saw the prison door, and it was wide open. All my friend had to do was stand up, turn around, walk out the door, and he would be free.

I explained to my friend what I had witnessed in the vision which then caused him to jump up and down with excitement. He felt free.

This experience happened fifteen years ago, and yet today, my friend still suffers from depression and dismal hopelessness. The initial joy was soon worn away by the day-to-day grind of life.

Why?

One of the problems with a calling like mine is that I have an anointing to set people free, but sadly, I do not have an anointing to keep people free. (And this is true of all callings for apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher.)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Staying free depends on an individual developing his inner man (or spirit) and resisting demonic influence for himself through faith in the Lord. Yes, people can pray for the person and encourage him in many ways, but eventually, the person has to build his own relationship and trust in the Lord to overcome whatever hinders his growth in Christ.

So, today, I’m praying for those prisoners who are sitting in their own prison cells, staring at hopeless walls, and yet their prison doors are already opened and waiting for them to walk out into their freedoms:

I pray that the  glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give each prisoner the spiritual wisdom and insight so that each may grow in his knowledge of God and each heart may be flooded with light so that each can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called to be His children. Amen. (Based on Ephesians 1:17-18) 

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March 9, 2012 · 1:59 pm

Remember The Prisoners (Part 3)

In 2007, Gallup surveyed adult Americans on their opinions of the Bible. The survey discovered that 31% of Americans believed the Bible was the actual Word of God, to be taken literally; 47% believed it was the inspired Word of God, but not every fact was accurate or needed to be taken as truth; and 19% believed it was ancient fables, legends, and whatever.

Next, decide where you fit in the survey. Are you a part of the 31%? The 47%? Or the 19%?

Obviously, what you decide will determine whether you are a conservative or a more liberal Christian, right?

Now, picture yourself as a prisoner in a filthy prison cell in North Korea. No heat. No air conditioning. No TV. No computer. No Facebook or Twitter or blogs. Little food. Rats. Brutal torture. Sexual molestation. 16 hour work days. No hope of ever being released.

If you view yourself as being a part of the 47% or the 19%, how long do you think your faith would survive under these horrendous conditions?

 

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March 2, 2012 · 9:22 am

Remember The Prisoners (Part 2)

Persecution.com is the website for Voice of the Martyrs. The founders of Voice for the Martyrs were Richard Wurmbrand (1909 – 2001) and his wife, Sabina (1913 – 2000).

In 1945, the Wurmbrands’ lives changed drastically when both attended the Congress of Cults organized by the Romanian Communist government. Many religious leaders came forward to praise Communism and to swear loyalty to the new regime.

Sabina said, “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ.” Richard warned, “If I do so, you’ll lose your husband.”

“I don’t wish to have a coward as a husband,” she replied.

Thus Richard declared to the 4,000 delegates, whose speeches were broadcast to the whole nation, that their duty is to glorify God and Christ alone. (See full story here.)

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was a vessel chosen by Christ to open the eyes of us modern Christians to the pain and suffering which believers are presently undergoing in the world. For this, we thank you Lord.

So, today, I’m fasting and praying for this great ministry in the hope it will continue to be a voice of the prisoners to us.

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