DECEMBER 2024

Ever precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is my great honor and privilege to share my heart with you once again. It was just a regular day at work for me. I was going from pod to pod, sharing the Word of God, as the Lord would lead. I always have a ton of personal, hand-written studies at hand. Tucked in the back of my Bible is every biblical subject you can possibly imagine. I have compiled them over the last 34 years or so – for just such a time as this.

To the untrained eye, the back of my Bible looks like a rat’s nest. It is not. It is a wonderfully ordered and indexed mine of gold – nuggets galore from heavenly places! I can find any subject matter in the blink of an eye. It has always been my intent to be armed and dangerous with the sword of the Spirit, even the very Word of God. At His command, I have hidden the Word in my heart. I intentionally hone my craft daily in keeping my sword sharp. It is my business, even my Life. More so, it is Life and death to those who hear me; therefore, I must wield it well. Many are the lures in the tackle box of a true fisherman.🙂

Even though I have these studies at hand, more importantly, it is my intent to be led by the Spirit. Every pod is different, and every man is in a different place spiritually. I, therefore, must have an ear to hear what the Spirit says concerning individuals. I must be extremely adaptable. Anything can “jump off” at any time. Fights, situations, meals, medication, doctors, arguments, etc. Yet, I am totally at home and joyful in the madness. I just keep going forward with the Word no matter what is going on around me. The TV is blasting, the cops are yelling, and the nuts are falling off every tree! People are working out and playing cards, even as the whole place smells like your grandmother’s basement! In a very odd way, it still smells a bit like home to me.

This particular day, as I entered the pod, and as is my habit, I yelled (and I can bark) at the top of my lungs, “Bible study up!” Usually, people don’t just come over; they mosey over while uttering some “out-of-the-side-of-their-neck,” smart-alecky comment. To which, by the Spirit, I lovingly retort with great joy. I cannot come across as a delicate flower or it’s over. I have to project strength and confidence all in one breath. I have no fear though; I am just myself.

Unusually, on this day, nobody came to the table. Normally, at this point I would get up and go flitter around the wing, turning over the rocks as it were to see what’s under them.😄 Sovereignly, a man moseyed over. He said, “Are you a Christian?” and I said, “I am.” He said in a stand-offish, aggressive kind of way, “I am a Muslim.” I said, “Cool bro, but you still need your sins forgiven.” He said that he felt sorry for me because no one came over to the table. I invited him to sit down. I said, “I feel sorry for you dude, because by being a Muslim, you have willingly rejected your only hope for forgiveness of sins – Jesus Christ the Son of God.” Boom – the conversation started – spiritual, verbal volleyball at its finest had begun. Such do I seek.

He had never read the Bible before nor had he ever heard the gospel message! Why had no one told him? Beloved, Truth always slays the beast. Salvation is of the Lord, thus God saved him. His name is Esua. He quickly (no pun intended) became a ball of fire for the Lord. He grew in leaps and bounds, sharing with everyone, family inclusive, about what the Lord had done for him. He had never read a Bible. Soon, he would be a walking one (Acts 3:1-9)!

I discipled him weekly. A year and a half then passed, and he was sent to Bayside State Prison to do a few years. I tracked him down and went to visit him this month. He has completely changed from the man I had originally met. He was aglow with the Spirit – studying, praying, growing, witnessing, all involved in the church, etc. I was very encouraged that indeed my labor is not in vain. Sometimes, I need that boost of encouragement, and the Lord always delivers it!

At the end of our two and a half-hour visit, the police yelled at the top of their lungs, “Visit up!” That means the visit is over. With no thought, I stood right up with all the other prisoners. I got in line with them and unwittingly marched with them toward the inside of the prison. They stopped at the gate to go in, and an officer said to me, “Sir, you have to go back over there.” At that moment, I snapped out of it. I was shocked at what had just happened! Some other visitors were even laughing at me. Unbeknownst to me, I was still a bit institutionalized.

It was humbling. I did not realize what I had done. Before then, I had never been on a visit from the visitors’ side. I guess my mind was so programmed after all those years in the trenches that at the sound of “Visit up” I just unconsciously went into “prisoner mode.” Upon reflection, it was sad. I had no idea how deep it was still within me. There is always one more piece of humble pie for me. I ate it joyfully. But, as is my want, I learned from it.

It is written, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

It all happened unwittingly, and such it is in the course of our walk with the Lord. Our old, sinful habits can be triggered by a phrase, a word, or perhaps a song. Our mind can flash back to a fleshly perspective, and before we know it, we are standing in line with the prisoners of sin unwittingly marching back toward the very prison we have been freed from! Gently, the Holy Spirit lovingly chimes in the stillness of your heart, “Sir, you have to go back over there.” At His Word, we snap out of it, not realizing sin was so deeply within us. Yes, we had jumped right back into “prisoner mode”!

Are you still a bit institutionalized by sin? I know, it’s humbling. Upon reflection, it’s sad what sin has done. It is burrowed. Be encouraged, though, because where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Romans 5:20)! It is the very Word of God, the Bread of Heaven Himself Who grows us daily! Make no mistake, there will always be one more piece of humble pie for us. Beloved, let us eat it joyfully, even while we. . .

“LEARN FROM IT!”

JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP