"Letters from Inside" is a blog series featuring incarcerated women at Minnesota Correctional Facility–Shakopee, where Prison Fellowship® runs one of its Academies. Hear from women who are not only serving time for crimes but are now trying to live their lives for Jesus behind bars.
For more "Letters from Inside," click here.
THE ONE THING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOD IN PRISON
By Kelsey of Shakopee
He grants the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cries for help and rescues them.
Psalm 145:19
I was asked a question today. A question that may seem easy to most but really got me thinking.
The question was, "What's the one thing I need to know about God while being incarcerated?"
After taking time to look back on the last 15 months, I have to say, what I needed to know most was that God always hears me and I'm never alone.
I've known God throughout my life but never on an intimate level. The only time I reached out to Him was when I found myself in a mess and needed Him to rescue me. He did rescue me, many times, but I always returned to what I was trying to escape.
I chose the lifestyle I was living.
ROCK BOTTOM
Before being arrested last year, I had hit my rock bottom. I had an addiction I could hardly feed, friends that became enemies, nowhere to stay, and a duffel bag filled with everything I owned. In my head, I cried out for help. I begged God to help me because I knew I couldn't do it on my own.
God heard my every word and saved me with a 58-month prison sentence.
Coming to prison, I sought out God. I wanted to know my Savior. The intimate relationship we share now didn't happen overnight, though. It took time, obedience, and prayer. The more I opened up to Him, the more I could see Him working in my life.
Through 12 months of the Prison Fellowship Academy™, God has become the foundation of my life, and I trust Him with everything. He hears my thoughts, guides my ways, and never leaves me to go through anything alone. He is with me no matter where I am, what I'm doing, or how distant I may feel.
Sincerely,
Kelsey
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE
HOW I DEAL WITH LONELINESS WHILE SERVING MY PRISON SENTENCE
"I was just doing time—until time began doing me."
CHRISTMAS IN BEULAH
"Times were hard. I was now free from prison, but I was dirt poor and raising my three daughters alone."
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