Saving Souls

Right there in that prison of drugs and alcohol I could have accepted Jesus in federal prison, as they wrapped the handcuffs around me, and I looked over and I saw Mom and Dad, who I had literally broke their heart.  They had me in church all my life and prayed for me, that I would have a close relationship with Jesus.  Tears were running down their face. My wife was crying.  My little girl and my son, Chris, who was a 14 year old macho man, I trained him to be an athlete playing second base there on the baseball team.  I looked over at Chris and I saw tears as big as nickles running down his face. And he said, “Daddy, where are you going?”  My little girl, Summer, ran to me — 4 years old, “Where are you going, Daddy? Will you ever be back?”  And I didn’t know how to tell my family where I was going, facing over 150 years in prison. That day they led me out of the courtroom — and I tell folks this all over America — when we sin we don’t sin alone but we take our loves ones down with us, Brother Richard, and I took my loved ones down with me.  Jonah was called to serve God.  He ran from God.  Was swallowed up by the whale and went to the bottom of the ocean. But in the belly of the whale he saw grace, and the Word of the Lord came unto him a second time. I am here to tell all of America, we serve a God of a second chance.  (APPLAUSE)  He wants to reach down into your home right now, no matter what the sin, no matter what you have done, Jesus is able to reach in and touch you today. But Jonah almost took a whole shipfull of people down with him, and he said, “Cast me overboard.”  I almost took my family down.  I broke my mama and daddy’s heart.  I broke my wife’s heart.  I broke my children’s heart.  I broke my pastor’s heart.  They sent me away to a federal prison 500 miles away.  I became a bitter man — in federal prison — I rebelled against the system, continued to smoke pot and do cocaine and drugs when I could get them.

SPRR RICHARD ROBERTS Even in prison.

SPKM DON STANLEY Drugs are very, very available in prison.  I tell prison reform boards this today.  There is no rehabilitation unless a man has been born again, washed in the blood, filled with the Spirit, walking in the application of the Word of God, then he can be an overcomer because his feet have been planted on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ, (APPLAUSE) and he can overcome because greater is he that is within us than he that is in the world.  Praise God.