I wanted to share the following with the ministry supporters to see that the finances you have sown and the prayers you have prayed are changing the lives of the men in the prison. Mothers are even sending messages about the transformation their sons have experienced through this ministry. I give God the glory for the testimonies coming forth and I thank you for funding the ministry. The Lord bless you abundantly!
Wallace Pack 1 Prison Unit 07-14-15
We were supposed to begin a new curriculum yesterday, but during worship the Lord instructed me to teach on the progressive covenants of God. When we went through the last worship song the Lord began to give me a prophetic word for the group through Paul's words in Philippians 3:3-11
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul had to let go of what he thought he knew about God if he wanted to know God. He had to lay down all his work to understand God in order to enter into a relationship with Christ and gain firsthand knowledge of the Son of God through a personal and intimate relationship, or covenant, through which came his identity.
I explained to the men the Lord was wanting them to enter into a more intimate relationship with Him. It can only come through covenant because it is through God's covenants that we can obtain our true identity.
For a Christian who has been raised on the doctrine that God promises everything to us in His Word, which is true, it can be difficult to accept that God is really seeking something deeper, a covenant relationship. This requires the believer to participate in maintaining this covenant with God. This may seem more difficult to do than to just believe God keeps His promises, which He does, but the difference I believe is relationship. Biblical covenants were everlasting, meaning that even the descendants of those who entered into covenant were included in the covenant. It was a bond the was to be unbreakable...intimacy being the glue the does the bonding.
I used a teaching on the progressive covenants I was taught by my dear friend Janice Sturkie. Love you Janice! The men loved the your teaching. They got a hold of it and are running with it!
The men asked for a few minutes at the end of the class to do a presentation. Well I was not prepared for this big blessing. The men made a card for both Shawn and I each. Shawn has been going with me on Tuesdays to assist with the class and to pray with the men. Along with the cards we each received wallets hand made by the former Muslim brother who recently converted to Christianity during one of our services! This young brother said he just wanted to bless us and had been anxiously waiting for a couple of weeks to give them to us. One by one the men came up to tell us how much it meant the ministry meant to them and the impact that it has had on their lives.
One particular brother said - Samuel, when you first started these classes you told me that your purpose was to help the men get free from mindsets that have kept them from breaking free from cycles of defeat and I stand here today to tell you that you have accomplished that in my life and the lives of many of the men here today. With the teachings you bring from Jake Frost's ministry and your own teachings that you share from the Word of God and your own life's experiences, not to mention the ministry of Chaplain Nichols, Marleah Baird with Randy and Vicki Sparks, we men are having our lives transformed inside out and from the bottom of our hearts we wanted to say thank you and we love you. - Inmate at Wallace Pack I
One last thing about the wallet. I told the guys it was such a prophetic symbol of what we just studied in class...covenant. A wallet is symbolic of identity, influence, treasure, heart and favor. I felt the Lord was saying it represented everything the men had just shared about the changes they have experienced in their lives. It represents their new identity they have received. Wow!
It was hard, but I kept it together. I just want to give credit to where the credit is due and that is to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Almighty God alone is worthy of the praise, honor and glory.
Thank you Lord Jesus for all the lives you are touching through this ministry.
Samuel,
Smashing Pillars...raising sons
Please pray about sowing a seed to our ministry or becoming a monthly partner. Smashing Pillars International is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible. Your donations will make a difference in someone's life. May the Lord bless you and keep you...
Donations can be made online at: www.smashingpillarsinternational.org
If you would like to mail in a donation, please mail to:
Smashing Pillars International
14403 Walters Rd., #681601
Houston, Texas 77014
Be sure to include your prayer requests.
One particular brother said - Samuel, when you first started these classes you told me that your purpose was to help the men get free from mindsets that have kept them from breaking free from cycles of defeat and I stand here today to tell you that you have accomplished that in my life and the lives of many of the men here today. With the teachings you bring from Jake Frost's ministry and your own teachings that you share from the Word of God and your own life's experiences, not to mention the ministry of Chaplain Nichols, Marleah Baird with Randy and Vicki Sparks, we men are having our lives transformed inside out and from the bottom of our hearts we wanted to say thank you and we love you. - Inmate at Wallace Pack I
One last thing about the wallet. I told the guys it was such a prophetic symbol of what we just studied in class...covenant. A wallet is symbolic of identity, influence, treasure, heart and favor. I felt the Lord was saying it represented everything the men had just shared about the changes they have experienced in their lives. It represents their new identity they have received. Wow!
It was hard, but I kept it together. I just want to give credit to where the credit is due and that is to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Almighty God alone is worthy of the praise, honor and glory.
Thank you Lord Jesus for all the lives you are touching through this ministry.
Donations can be made online at: www.smashingpillarsinternational.org
If you would like to mail in a donation, please mail to:
Smashing Pillars International
14403 Walters Rd., #681601
Houston, Texas 77014
Be sure to include your prayer requests.
