My favorite verse!

Love,

Jen

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

     I love the Psalms and Proverbs.  It is amazing how although the words were written so long ago, they are still applicable, here in 2009.  Why is that?  Because the Word of God is inspired and God knew what we would need even in the 21st Century. 

     My husband and I have a jail ministry.  I am able to minister to ladies in two county jails and my husband is able to minister to men in several county jails.  We both are able to go in our local prison.  I find that often I go in to be a blessing and I come out being the one blessed! 

     Proverbs 22:3 is a common verse that my husband uses in the jail ministry.  It tells us that ”A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished”.  How true this is.  We see that both individuals are faced with the same thing, but the choice they make determines the outcome. 

     A prudent or wise man will study the situation, think about what the temptation is, and then hide himself from the situation.  He may have to put on his armour (Eph 6:11-18) and stand guard in order to “hide” from the situation. 

     The simple or foolish man is one that will not believe the warnings and will pass on and be punished.  This person goes into the situation knowing what the warnings are, but continues on anyway.  I am glad that the Bible tells us that in times of temptation, God provides a “way out” (I Cor 10:13) if we take it.

     In working with the ladies, I have heard lots of stories about why they are in jail.  One lady sticks out in my mind.  She was in jail due to drugs.  She gave a clear salvation testimony but had backslidden and become addicted to drugs.  She remained in jail for quite a while and we saw growth in her Christian walk.  I forewarned her that upon her release, the devil would tempt her in every way possible to get her to go back to her old lifestyle (physically, through friends, emotionally).  It was not too long after that I saw her back in jail.  I questioned her as to what happened.  She said she was in “that” area of town one day running some errands and came to a stop sign.  To go home, she would take a left.  To go to the old drug house, she would take a right.  She decided in her mind that she wanted to “ride by” to see who was there.  She was not going to stop and doing drugs was the last thing on her mind.  Needless to say, she made that turn, made that stop and did what she thought she would never do again.   “…the simple pass on and are punished.”  I have seen many lives ruined due to just one bad choice.

     There is an old saying that says a fool does not learn from mistakes, a smart person learns from his mistakes but the wisest person of all learns from the mistakes of others.  The Bible is loaded with instruction and warnings for our day-to-day living, and has examples of men and women who made poor choices and those that made the right choice.  We cannot see into the future, but we know Who holds the future, and we have His Word to guide us.   Be prudent and wise when making decisions and facing life’s challenges.