| Radio
New
Jerusalem Communicating the Catholic Faith to a Fallen World |
||||||||
| Home |
Our Lord | Our Lady | Catholic Radio | Christian Shortwave | Catholic
Resources |
Smoke
of Satan |
RNJ Catholic Journal | News |
We Can Win Any Battle By John Hunley III
|
 |
|||||||
|
See
yourself as victorious even before the battles occur. Live your
life knowing Jesus is with you at all times and truly understand that
nothing is impossible for Him. And when you learn to live by this
understanding of truth, you will be a true soldier for Jesus Christ and
hard times will be easily overcome. Remember this always: the
only defeated Christian is the one who quits!
Excerpted from "We Can Win Any Battle" by John Hunley III |
|
The
Trinity: By: Introductory Prayer:
Heavenly Father, your grace
is marvelous and your mercy is everlasting. You have sent your only
begotten Son, whom you love dearly here on earth to die for our sins.
In order that we may become your adopted children. Your Son, our
Lord, has been with you always and He is also God along with your
Spirit, who you have given to us as a gift with your Son, Jesus
Christ. The One has sent, the other was sent, and then they both
sent. “To those who have received a faith of equal value to ours
through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: may
grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:1-2). Amen The Most Blessed
Trinity is God.
The Trinity is God the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in a divine unity of one and
indivisible equality among each other (St. Augustine, De Trin.).
Although, however, only Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and only
the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus (Matt
3:16) and only the Father said, “Thou art my Son” (Mark 1:11). God is
"the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of
all that is seen and unseen. Jesus is our one Lord, the only Son of
God. Eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from
light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with
the Father. Through Him all things were made. The Holy Spirit is
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the
Son. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified."
(Nicene Creed). All three are not three separate gods but one
blessed triune God. They are one deity in three forms with their
own distinct personalities, consisting of the same divine essence. This
truth has been down orally from Christ to the apostles; and also
correlates with the biblical passages in which are communicated
later. The Spirit is
from
both the Father and the Son and is God
The Father is the Father in
relationship with the Son and the Son is the Son in relationship with
the Father an d the Spirit is both of theirs. The Apostle Paul
clearly says that the Spirit is from God and is God when he asks, “Do
you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwells in you” (1 Cor 3:16)? Later he also asks, “Do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who
you have from God, and that you are not your own” (1 Cor 6:19)? Our
bodies are temples of God because they are temples of the Spirit;
thus, the Spirit is God in which He dwells in us. Just as our faith
attests that the Holy Spirit came from God, the scriptures affirm it
as well.
The Spirit is also from the
Lord Jesus Christ and is His Spirit. For instance,”now the Lord is
Spirit, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of
us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord
who is the Spirit” ( 2 Cor 3:17-18). Moreover, two other passages
correlates with Paul's statements which are taken from the Gospel of
john. Where he quotes Jesus in John 14:23, “Whoever loves me will
keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and
make our dwelling with him.” Then later on in the gospel Jesus
says, “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if
I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go,
I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
Therefore, the Spirit is
not only God but very God, who proceeds from both the Father and the
Son (St. Augustine, De Trin.). With the grace of God we can become
like God and live eternally at His side. “Examine yourselves to
see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not
realize that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless, you fail the test” (2
Cor 13:3-5). And, if Jesus is the Spirit and the Spirit is God then
Jesus is God as well, and which I will explain more deeply in the
subsequent paragraphs. However, in order to pass this test,
Christians should let God the Father work in them by the Holy Spirit
through Jesus Christ,with His grace, then we will be able to
transform into that very same image. The Father and
the Son
are Equal (One God)
God
the Father and the Son work consubstantially through the Spirit and
we should worship and praise them (All three) equally as one. “Thus
should one regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God” (1 Cor 4:1). We do not serve one or the other,
but both, because they are one in the same divine essence. After the
betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, the Lord was questioned by the
high priest, “Are you the messiah, the son of the Blessed One?” Then
Jesus answered, “I am; and you will see the Son of Man seated
at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
The Lord clearly acknowledges that He is the Messiah and Son of God. As
St. Paul says, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father from
whom all things are and for whom we exist and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things are and through whom we exist (1 Cor 8:6). All
things were handed over to the Son by the Father (Matt 11:27). They
work consubstantially together in designating our duties as
members of the church, “Only, everyone should live as the Lord has
assigned just as God called each one” (1 Cor 7:17). During their
exodus from bondage, Moses and the Hebrews confided in the Lord. “They
all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same
spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed
them, and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not pleased with
them, for they were struck down in the desert” (1 Cor 10: 4-5).
Therefore, “let us not test Christ as some of them did, and
suffered death by serpents” ( 1 Cor 10:9). For just as the father
raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to
whomever He wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone,but He handed
over all judgment to His Son, so that all may honor the Son just as
they honor the Father (Matt 11:27). The Lord makes it very clear in
this statement that the Son should be honored on the same level as
God the Father and he can give or take life as well, indicating their
equality and indivisibility.
Before
Jesus was born, he was called my Lord by Elizabeth (John the
Baptist's mother) to the virgin Mary (Luke 1:43). The angel Gabriel
even informed the virgin Mary that “she will bear a son, and will
be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God
will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over
the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will have no
end. But Mary said to the angel, 'how can this be, since I have no
relations with a man?' And the angel said to her in reply, 'The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
the Son of God' ” (Luke 1:31-35).
Jesus
Christ is God because God the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the
Father. I confess this because even the Lord says, “Believe me
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe
because of the works themselves” (John 14:11). “Christ is the
visible image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation”
(Col 1:15). This passage is showing that Jesus was the first person
to be baptized; to die; be resurrected; and ascend back to heaven
where we can follow. He existed before anything was created and is
supreme over all creation. Jesus lives co-eternally with the Father,
“whom all are and through whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:6). If all
things were made through Jesus Christ, then the Lord could not have
been created; because everything and everybody that was created was
made through Him, who existed before any creation was made. If Jesus
Christ was part of “all things”, then nothing could have possibly
been made through Him because then He would have been a component of
all
things. Every creature falls under all things. God the Fathers
subsists eternally and the Son is clearly not part of all things;
therefore He is co-eternal with the Father. Thus, once again, Jesus
is one in the same essence as God the Father because whatever is not
the creation is the Creator and everything that is not the Creator is
the creation.
No
where in the Bible does it assert that Jesus was created at some
point of time. And the Lord did not say, 'I was created to do my
Father's will', but He did say “I came to do my Father's will”,
clearly indicating that He was somewhere else, which indeed in fact
is heaven because He also says that He has to go back to where He
came from, that is, back to the Father (john 17:8). He also says,
“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from
heaven, the Son of Man” (John 3:13). We also know that He was not
an angel either because the angels themselves ministered to Him after
His temptation (Mark 1:13). Angels do not minister to themselves but
God. In the letter to the Hebrews, the author quotes the Old
Testament texts, “For to which of the angels did God ever say: 'You
are my son; this day I have begotten you'? Or again, “I will be a
father to him, and he shall be a son to me'? And again, when He
leads the first born into the world, he says, “Let all the angels
of God worship him”, of the angels he says, “He makes his angels
winds and His ministers a fiery flame”. But of the Son: “Your
throne, O God, stands forever and ever” (Hebrews 1: 5-8).
Jesus
himself says that the Son and the Father are One along with the
Spirit when he directs His apostles, "Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you. And Behold, I am with you always, until
the end of the age" (Matt 28: 19-20. Notice that the Lord does
not say in the names of but he says in the name of, coherently
indicating the humanitarian belief that the three are one. In Greek,
the phrase 'baptizing in the name of' denotes that the baptized
person was intimately committed to, or become the property of, the
one into whose name he was baptized (Strong's Greek Dictionary). Also,
the invisible but nonetheless real promise that Jesus gives
when He says, "And behold, I am with you always, until the end
of the age," fulfills the prophecies from the Old Testament and
the birth narratives of the name 'Emmanuel' or 'god with us'.
"But
we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and Greeks
alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the
foolishness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Cor 1: 23-25).
And my persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of
spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom,
but on the power of God" (1 Cor 2: 4-5). Moreover, Christians
ought not to rest in nothing but the power of God, and who is the
power, none but His only Son our Lord, Jesus Christ the power and
wisdom of God. Since you are looking for the proof of Christ
speaking in me. He is not weak towards you but powerful in you. "For
indeed he was crucified out of weakness, but He lives by
the power of God" ( 2 Cor 13:3-4). Therefore, Jesus lives by
His own power, which is the power of God that is in Himself and is
himself from and for whom we exist.
One of
the most straightforward references to the divinity of the Lord Jesus
Christ is in the Gospel of John, one of Christ's direct apostles The
Gospel begins with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. All things came to be through
Him, and without Him nothing came to be. What came to be through Him
was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light
shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it" (John
1: 1-5). We know for sure that the evangelist is speaking of the
Lord because he later says, "And the Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the
Father's only Son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). An
even more unambiguous passage follows concerning the Lord's divinity,
"No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the
Father's side, has revealed Him" (John 1:18). Concerning what
Christ
had Said about the Father Being Greater than Him Jesus
became man for a specific reason; that is, to do His father's will. As
a man, Jesus made Himself into the form of a servant, obedient to
His Father's will. As a form of a servant, Jesus is less than the
father because He Himself had said, "My Father is greater that
I", and He is than Himself, because St. Paul, who Jesus directly
spoke to, said of Him, "He emptied Himself." Rather, He
emptied Himself taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness
and found human in appearance" (Phil 2:7). Jesus gave up his
power and was crucified in weakness and not in power; and by His
weakness and humility He conquered the devil and death in his
resurrection. He did this on His own and is confirmed by Him, which
is written in the Gospel of John, "this is why my Father loves
me, because i lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one
takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the power to
lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I received
from my Father" (John 10 17-18). Then, with His power He
ascended back into heaven where he originally came from and subsisted
in the form of God. As a human, He did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped (Phil 2:6). So "He humbled Himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross; and because He
did this, God the Father greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the
name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:8-11).
St.
Paul confirms that Christ is God once again in Romans 14:11 when he
quotes, "for it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee
shall bend before Me, and every tongue shall praise to God." "For we
must all appear before the judgment set of God "(Romans
14:10). Then later in this striking parallel, he says, "For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may
receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether
good or evil" (2 Cor 13:13).
In
conclusion, we derive from the Holy Bible that the Holy Spirit is
from the Father and the Son and is God as well. Also, that the Son
Jesus Christ is God and that everything was made through Him and
without Him nothing could of been. The Father and the Son are equal
in bestowing grace; our duties in the church; and giving life and
judgment. The Son lives forever with the Father and He existed
before anything was. All three are manifested in the Bible as one in
the same but yet, at the same time, they have their own distinct
qualities. Even though, however, the word Trinity is not in the
Bible the belief in the triune (3 in 1) God was believed by the
apostles and clearly defined in the Bible. |
| Be
Separate By John Hunley III
We are
surrounded by a world which is ruled for the most part by satan, and as
sad as that may be, it is very true. If we look at the news, we
can see satan's influence every day. And within these walls and
barbed wire fences, the men in here (including myself), were once doing
satan's dirty work for him. Sadly, most men in here still
continue to do his dirty work. No matter where you are inside
these prison walls, or living on the outside, we cannot avoid the
negativity in this world. So the question is, how can we stand
apart?
The answer to this question is found in John 17:17. Here, Jesus is speaking to the Father about all those who would believe on Him. Jesus said, "Sanctify them through your truth." He also said, "Your word is truth." Sanctify means "to separate unto." So Jesus was saying, "Separate them by your word." The word separates! You see, a follower of Christ becomes pure and holy through believing and obeying the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). He or she has already accepted forgiveness through Christ's sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26-27). But daily application of God's Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, it motivates us to confess, it renews our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the right path. We must see Scripture as it truly is, which is God, who is in heaven, coming lovingly to meet His children and talk with us. When you first believed in the Word of God, you made the first step to separate yourself and then, through baptism, you have been spiritually separated from the the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. Now, this is where most people stop. They let the Word of God do the initial separating work and then go right on living like everybody else, and that's where we fail! In II Corinthians 6:17, Paul tells us what God says: "Therefore come out from among them, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord." What we need to understand as believers is separation from the world involves more than keeping our distance from sinful practices, it means staying close to God. It involves more than avoiding worldly entertainment, it even extends to how we spend our time and money. There is no way to separate ourselves totally from all sinful influences, but we are supposed to resist the sin around us without either giving up or giving in. When we allow God's Word to separate us, when we read it and listen to it, we learn what God wants us to do and we are able to make a clean break from sinful practices. If you would just give the Word of God first place in your life, it will continue to separate you from the poverty and the anxiety, the sickness and the hatred and the darkness of your old habitat. There's something else that the Word of God will do for you: It will not only separate you from the things of this world, it will bring you to the things of God. Psalm 48:14 says, "For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and He will guide us until we die." We often pray for God's guidance as we struggle with decisions. God's Word is a map that gives us direction, and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion to make sure we interpret the map correctly. As long as you live by the Word of God, you never have to be in the dark again. You never have to remain in confusion about which path to take. You never have to walk blindly along, struggling to find your own way. As we all know, our lives will be full of various obstacles and problems, some of which seems to be impossible to overcome. But God has all the answers, and all the solutions, and, if you allow it, God's Word will give you all the light you need everyday of your life to plow through the darkness. II Peter 1:10 says, "Brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has chosen. Do these things and you will never fall away." Basically, Peter is telling us that if we stay diligent, we will always be victorious. If you haven't already, you need to realize how important diligence is: You need to face the fact that you can't live a life of victory without it. Separating ourselves from the evil and negativity of the world is a daily thing. Satan is out there 24 hours a day, devising ways to make us fall. Jesus is on the throne 24 hours a day, giving us the power to resist the devil's temptations and overcome all of the obstacles Satan throws our way. So we need to be exercising our faith all the time. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are victorious, and only when we give God's Word first place in our lives that we are able to stand tall in the midst of battle. When we are focused on our faith journey, we are able to be separate. So choose to give yourself to the Word more diligently then you ever have before. Allow God's Word to guide your every action, your every thought, and your every feeling! If you are bold enough to do that, you will have all the answers you will ever need to live the victorious life our Glorious Father has prepared for us to live. Dare to be separate! |
| Leaving
the Past Behind By John Hunley III
We have all
done things in our pasts which we are not proud of, and things that we
wish we could change. And, although we don't have the ability to
go back in time to change these things, we do have the ability to let
loose of all the negativity of our pasts through Jesus Christ our
Lord! You see, brothers, in Christ we are reborn and, therefore,
our past mistakes are wiped away. II Corinthians 5:17 says,
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things
are passed away; behold, new things have come."
It is this truth that should help us all to let go of the negative choices and failures we've made in our pasts that seem to torment us. Instead of dwelling on the past, we should focus on our future and truly understand that we are reborn in the newness of Christ. There are many failures and disappointments from the past that won't seem to go away. Most of us know what i's like to suffer from them, but not many of us know what to do about them. We don't know what to do because instead of putting those failures behind us, we dwell on them until they become more real to us then than the promises of God. We allow them to dictate our mindstate, and we believe and fear that if we try to change, we'll only fail again. I used to think like that. I used to allow all of my failures and mistakes to push me farther and farther into depression and also to believe that since I couldn't change the past, why should I bother to change at all? But thank the Lord, the truth was revealed to me! And I realized that Satan was the one who wanted me to think that way. He wants to use our failures and mistakes to keep us away from being the "victorious soldiers" God made us to be! It is through Jesus' death and resurrection that we have been released from sin's death grip! Romans 6: 5-8 says, "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we also live with Him." So you see brothers, we must focus on the future and allow the promises of God to help us to put these past failures behind us. We must let our faith step out and act as though thge victory is alreadt won! Our future is not dictated by our pasts, it is dictated by the precious promises of God! Once we confess our sins, they are no more. Hebrews 8:12 says, "For I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more." So if God doesn't remember them, why should we? As we read in the Book of Lamentations 3:21-23, "This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." So brothers, if you take God's word, you can wake up every morning and be not consumed by past. So replace those thoughts of pasts mistakes and failures with scriptural promises about your future. We are all victorious soldiers for Christ, no matter the lives we used to live! Do not allow the devil or the mistakes and failures you have done in the past to cripple you any longer. Realize that you are not a victim of your past mistakes, bnut victorious in Christ Jesus! Never again look behind you and say I can't. Look ahead and say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me!" |
| We
Are Victorious Through Christ By John Hunley III
Sometimes, this world we live in and the situations we find ourselves
in can be so overwhelming that we tend to believe that we have no way
to overcome. We see ourselves as victims of the way we were
raised, the people who surround us, or the environment in which we are
currently living. We lose focus on who we truly are and whose we truly are. We forget
that we are Almighty God's children. And, when that happens, most
people tend to accept failure as a part of life. But that is not
true! We are not victims, we are victorious!
Not having a victory filled life is only because we don't see ourselves as the conquerors we truly are. Yet we tend to be afraid and not confident. Second Timothy 1:7 says "...for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It is how we see ourselves that limits our success in all aspects of life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we have been blessed with all the means we will ever need to be victorious; but it is our choice to accept this fact. We allow someone or something to steal our sense of comfort. We allow situations and obstacles to defeat us because of our lack of faith in God's promises. Paul's faith in God is a great example of how we should be. In his letter to the Philippians (4:13), he says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." He wrote these words while in prison and in a situation which would bring most of us to a mindstate of defeat. And yet because of his faith and trusting that Jesus is Lord, he fears no obstacle, nor what man can do unto him, because he knows he is not a victim, but victorious! I find so much inspiration in this letter Paul wrote to the Philippians because no matter his surroundings and the fact that he is in prison, his faith remains strong and he understands that our God is almighty and, because we are His children, we are victorious. The way we see ourselves is very crucial to our success! Many battles that we will encounter as believers will be won or lost by how we see ourselves and approach each battle. Each day inside these prison walls is, for me, full of battles and situations that I must encounter; that if I saw myself as weak or felt I wasn't able to overcome them, they would bring me to my defeat. And I'm sure all of you can relate, due to obstacles and problems that you yourselves face each day that have you backed into a corner or at the point of defeat. But, because we are children of God, we have been fitted with a spiritual armor that will provide us with all of the protection we need, and the grace from God that will help us to defeat anything. In Numbers 13:33 it says, "And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." The Israelites saw themselves as small and weak and unable to defeat the Canaanites. They pleaded with Moses to turn back to Egypt, thus not trusting in the Lord's promises. It was our brothers Joshua and Caleb who were bold enough stay in the faith and said, "Don't rebel against the Lord, and don't be afraid of the Canaanites. We will devour them like bread." The have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don't be afraid of them" (Number 14:9). It is the same kind of boldness that Joshua and Caleb displayed that we as children of God must have. It is only when we truly understand that through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors that our lives will be full of victory. So, my message to you, my brothers, is simple: See yourselves strong and know that through Jesus we have been made conquering soldiers! No weapon, no obstacle, no battle, no situation can defeat us. So stand strong in faith and be as bold as our brothers Paul, Joshua and Caleb. And trust that you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you! God bless us all. |
| "Doing
Time" or "Using Time" By John Hunley III Being in
prison is one of the hardest things to do. The lifestyle is full
of the same day over and over, and you have a sense of loneliness which
stays with you every second of ever day. And for most men in here
"doing time" is their outlook on this experience. But for me and,
because Jesus is our foundation, I and a small percentage of brothers
here look at it in a different light. We see it as "using time."
What I mean by this is, when an individual spends his/her time "doing time" they tend to focus on the negative aspects of life and their outlook is never positive. They find themselves in bad situations and the ugliness of this prison lifestyle closes in on all sides. All of the negative things which go on behind the cold concrete walls and barbed wire fences, those individuals are usually in the middle of most of it. And since it is human nature to adapt to our surroundings, that person may begin to mold himself into a negative influence as well. And once that happens, it's twice as hard to get back to the righteous road. But "using time:" It's a positive outlook and you spend most of your time figuring ways to make the best of your situation, which leaves no time for negativity. We must all use time to strengthen ourselves in all aspects of life no matter our situations. That is what "using time" is all about. These same concepts of "doing time" and "using time" apply to those on the outside of these walls as well. So many people have created their own prisons for themselves because of their mind states and lifestyles! For them it is the same day over and over with no growth or progress. And instead of going forward they find themselves going backwards and life is continually beating them down. It is the mind state of, "This is my life and there is nothing that I can do about it." that brings a lot of us to a life with no progress that is full of sadness. But I assure you brother, God wants us all to excel! He wants us all to live victorious lives! Lives which are full of joy, prosperity and comfort. And that's what the "using time" concept is all about. I have come to realize that being in prison has some advantages. That may sound crazy, but it's actually true. Most people's lives are so full of activities and their schedules are so overflowing that there is really no time in the day for a person on the outside of the walls to focus and really look at where their lives are at. But we as prisoners of the state have so much time on our hands that we can truly find ourselves deep within, and give God the time He most definitely deserves. My five years in prison have given me a lot of time to reflect on my life and the choices I've made both before and in prison. And in these five long years I have grown into a man who I can say I am proud of, and a man in which my family is proud of as well! I have come to realize that life is actually quite simple. My mind state now is to focus on the things I do have instead of the things I don't have. Seems simple enough and many of you have probably heard that before, but it is this mind state which has helped me to become someone who can stand tall and look at myself in the mirror proudly! There are many ways to use time. For me, I spend time reading the Word, in prayer and even just talking to God. I have found that my relationship with God is the purest relationship there is! He doesn't know how to fail me! And since the day I decided to open my heart, mind and soul to Him, I have felt a sense of comfort which I craved for my whole life. I didn't know until that time I chose Him, that that's what was lacking in my life since I was young! The thing I was looking for was there all the time, but I had to make the choice to open my eyes and see Him! I went from a lifestyle of destruction to a lifestyle that is rebuilding and uplifting! And it is due to my choosing God! It is so much easier to rebuild and uplift verses to do destruction: Something as simple as helping someone in need. Or listening to him, or even just being there for him in whatever way are some ways of "using time." All of these things are simple, yet have such a positive impact on those around you as well as yourself. And that simple gesture makes life a little easier. Like I said before, it is the small things in life that really matter! Jesus wants us to love ourselves and one another as he loves us. And, although most of us have experienced lives which may have not been full of good times, or may not have been surrounded by love which was true, once we allow God into our hearts and minds, we open the greatest treasure known to man. All of the things we craved growing up and all of the things we crave now as men will be made available to us. I'm not saying that your life will be like a fairy tale, but our glorious God is very real! When you walk with God, you walk a higher path! I was convicted of second degree murder in 2003, and during my stay at the Wayne County Jail, a stranger who was on my rock handed me a Bible and said, "This will set you free!" I laughed at him and yet, I took the Bible and began reading small portions of it every night before lights out. I was raised in the Catholic Church, but never allowed God in before. I'm sure some of you can relate. Anyway, when I began to read the Word and truly took seriously what I was reading, and allowed it to dwell within me, there was a change inside me that was different from anything I ever experienced! A change of thought, feelings, and even in the way I see things I realized the things I held dear to my heart and the things I gave my loyalty to were beneath me It was then that I realized that God had a bigger plan for me. There was more to life than what I was living. I then began to mold myself into a soldier for God. And, although I continue every single day to become closer to God (and I continue to make mistakes), my goal now is to please God and show Him how much I love Him! So my message to you brothers today is simple. If you are for a love so pure and so rewarding, so true and unconditional, then open your hearts and minds today and let our glorious God in! That alone feeling you have from being inside these walls and what you have been searching for is right there in your face. God is waiting for you, brothers! We all have choices to make in life every single day, and some choices are more crucial than others. And I assure you that this is one choice that will change you dramatically! So if you are bold enough to choose the righteous path, then you will find that peace you have been searching for! The choice is yours! Will you "do time" or "use time?" |
|
Unending
Protection
By John Hunley III
Wow! What a powerful scripture! This passage from our Glorious God should give us all a sense of invincibility. The beginning of this scripture says, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." That means no battle, no obstacle, no sickness, no circumstance whatsoever can bring us down. We all should receive comfort and peace in knowing we cannot be defeated. However, most of us spend our days worrying about all the "battles" we encounter that this world throws our way. We tend to focus more on those battles than the promises that God has given us. Therefore, we serve the problem and not God! What we fail to understand is that God will always give us the means to overcome anything this world can throw our way (Romans 8:37). But until we truly believe this fact, we will continually find ourselves full of worry, stress and doubt. Ephesians 6: 10-17 says:
We all have been fitted with the spiritual armor to defend ourselves and overcome any obstacle or battle we will encounter the day we accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts and minds and gave our lives to him. But the key is that we must see ourselves victorious even before the battles occur! We must believe with all our hearts, minds, and strength that God has given us all we will ever need to overcome. We must open our "spiritual eyes" and see the truth which has been right in front of our faces: Not even in death are we defeated! Second Timothy 1:10 says, "But (God's grace) is now made manifest by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." And in Hebrews 2:9 it says, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." So you see, brothers and sisters, why should we worry about the obstacles and battles the world will throw our way when death itself cannot beat us? We have been protected from all things! If we allow God's promises to dwell within us, then we will constantly be overcomers. We must choose today to see ourselves strong and protected. We must see the truth that God has given us and stop allowing the circumstances this world throws our way to fill us with worry, stress, doubt, fear and a defeated mentality. We must rise up and see ourselves as victorious. We must not allow the promise of God's protection to go to waste. Put on that armor and stand tall! The spiritual armor belongs to you! It is our rightful heritage as a servant of the Lord. |
|
We
Must Never Hesitate
By John Hunley III
I am sure we all have hesitated to do something God has told us to do sometime during our lives. Maybe we missed an opportunity to preach His Word to someone in need of it. Maybe we missed an opportunity to spread His love to someone in need. Maybe we hesitated to give to the poor when we had the means to do so. Whatever our form of hesitation may have been, we all are guilty of it. And what happens when we hesitate to do something God has told us to do? We give the devil an opportunity to slide his way into our minds! It is a showing of a lack of faith. Hesitation is a habit that non-believers have. Living by faith means never hesitating on what God tells us to do. Hesitation comes from being unsure. The Bible tells us that man who is unsure is "unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels and decides." We as believers must never hesitate in crying out God's plans. We should never miss a chance to live by faith. If we live our lives as "double minded," the decisions we will make will be split in two. It's almost like we are trying to live by faith and protect our fear at the same time. You may hear yourself say, "God is going to heal me." Then your fear whispers in your ear, "Well the doctor said I am not well yet." So this is the classic case of being double minded. If we continue to jump back and forth between faith and fear, we will never make any progress at all! We must get rid of hesitation once and for all. Trusting in God and truly understanding His greatness to the fullest is key. Once we adapt to the fact that nothing is impossible for Him, then the doubt, unbelief and hesitation will leave our own minds and hearts and our faith will be true. We must take a stand and once and for all make the decision to trust and act upon God's Word. When the doubt comes to mind quickly get rid of it, for our God is almighty! Never should we doubt or hesitate! We all know that God has specific plans for us, and we have to act upon His Word in order to follow through on His plans for our lives. It is a constant battle each day to stay focused and determined to keep God first in our lives, but with the God given free will we have we all, as believers, must open our ears and eyes to Him and do whatever he asks of us. To please God is our mission in life and in order to do that we must have true faith and adapt a lifestyle without doubt or hesitation. The book of Hebrews says:
When God speaks to us, we must not waste a moment. Step right out in faith! Never doubt, never hesitate, and trust in the Lord! |
|
How
to Maintain Hope
By John Hunley III
There are many things which happen in this world that can make the average person lose hope in his life. With so much pain, suffering and sorrow engulfing so many people, it is understandable that the unbeliever would feed into and off of the hopelessness mindstate! But we, as believers, must keep our hope in our glorious God! We must focus on Scriptures, such as the passage of Lamentations quoted above. Like Romans 15:13 says, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." We as believers must keep hope in the face of darkness, no matter how much tragedy we see. We must believe with all our hearts and minds and souls that through Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are victorious over any obstacle or problem this world can put upon us! We all know this world is not perfect by any means. The terrible things we see on the news and the terrible things we see happening around us have the ability to pursuade us to lose hope, but it is in those times when our faith should take over and we remain focused on God's promises. Being in prison, I find myself in a position to allow the devil's tricks to effect me. It is a constant battle every day, as it is for all of us, just to stay obedient and focused on God's word. The mental battles I face can only be overcome with the help of God's blessings, and staying faithful in the face of adversity only adds to my hope in how truly glorious our God is! I don't understand why a lot of things occur in our world such as the mistreatment of children, horrible natural disasters, or diseases that claim so many lives, whether it be adult's or children's. When I hear of those things it makes me wonder. But at no time do I question God's greatnesss, nor do I lose hope! Most prisoners I have come in contact with in here have, basically, given up hope or on the verge of losing hope. They tend to focus on the things they don't have and dwell on the misconception that someone else is to blame for them being locked up. The cold, hard fact that so many men behind these walls have a life in bits and no family support coming from the free world allows their mindstate to become a hopeless one. And that same hopeless mindstate spreads amongst the rest of the men, and before long there is only a small percentage of men here who still have hope. I'm sure you all can relate. Maybe you know someone who has experienced this situation. But, like I said before, it is when we are surrounded by darkness that we must stay focused and keep our hope in our glorious God. Hebrews 13:5-6 says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' So that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'" There will be times in our lives when we as believers witness darkness, but our hope should always be with us. When these things occur, we must believe with all our hearts, minds and souls that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, doesn't know how to fail -- have hope in Him!
|
|
Renewing
Our Minds
By John Hunley III "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." -- Romans 12:2 There
are many battles which all of us encounter every single day. Each
one of these battles is important but the most important battle and the
one we should focus on is the battle within our minds!
It is so easy to become so involved in all the minor problems or battles which we face, and we allow them to control our actions, feelings and thoughts. Battles such as money battles, relationship battles, health battles and so and so on. And it is all of these battles that weaken us and detour our lifestyles from walking the "righteous path." We have all struggled with this mindstate, and even now I sometimes allow that mindstate to come upon me. But when I read Romans 12:2, I focus on the meaning of that scripture, and it is so powerful! The last four words, "renewing of your mind," what does that mean to you? Well, what it means to me first is, seeing myself strong and more than able to overcome any battle that this world will throw my way, and transforming myself and believing that once I conquer the battle within my mind and renew it, those battles will not be even a fraction of what they were before. The renewing of your mind and understanding that God is Almighty is the key. Think of it this way; instead of believing that your problem is bigger than God, believe God is bigger than your problem. And with that simple mindstate, your faith in God will overpower those battles you encounter. It is our job to use the power of the Holy Spirit we have been given as believers. It won't go to work for us unless we put in the effort. Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." Jesus has blessed us all as believers with the Holy Spirit, and he is waiting on us to use that power within us! We must activate the power we have been given and the starting point is "renewing your mind." The Holy Spirit has some things He wants to show you; things that you've been trying to figure out on your own. He's waiting there with the power to overcome every single obstacle in your life. Take time to pray. Pray in the Spirit. Pray with understanding. Pray and activate the power that worketh within you today! |
|
We
Can Win Any Battle
By John Hunley III "Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." -- 2 Timothy 2:3 There are
days inside this prison environment which can drain a person of all his
strength, hope, joy and, saddest of all, his faith. The basic
routines most people who are not behind these walls experience are the
things that most inmates crave on a regular basis: Such as the
ability to show their loved ones that they are truly cared for; to hear
the voices of their families; the affection of a comforting mother,
spouse, or child.
The detachment from your family and loved ones is the hardest thing to deal with when you're in prison. There are lonely days which are the same no matter what month or year it is. Having the same thoughts, dreams and wishes of being free will never change until it comes to pass. Surrounded by negativity and dealing with inhumane treatment, such as eating food that is unacceptable to most people, enduring animal like treatment from the staff, or being subjected to a lifestyle which only seems to have low points is the normal state of a person doing time in any prison facility. As for me, I find myself in a small percentage of the prison population which looks upon the prison experience in a somewhat different way. Although I encounter all of the negativity that all inmates do, and I crave for the love and comfort of my family and loved ones, and want to be back with them as well, and, of course I want to be free again; it is Jesus love for me and my faith in Him which allows me to endure this hardness as a good soldier (2 Timothy 2:3). There are many obstacles which everyone faces every single day. No matter where you're at or who you are. We all encounter challenges that seem to be overwhelming at times. Whether those challenges be financial, emotional, physical, spiritual or mental they have the ability to break our spirits if we allow them to. But I have great news for all of us! Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, knows these challenges first hand, being that He has experienced them Himself. And even greater news is that He is with us when we face them as well (Hebrews 13:5-6). As a believer, I keep that great news with me at all times! In the good times and the bad times (Psalms 91: 4-15). And it is my faith in Jesus that helps me, "endure hardness as a good soldier." Being a believer in here is mostly looked upon as a weakness! Many inmates frown upon another inmate for being faithful in an environment which is so full of negativity and hate. So it gets tough to preach to someone or testify on Jesus' behalf when so much darkness fills the hearts of men here and the very air around us. But it is in battle that true soldiers are tested. Each man here deals with his own obstacles in his own way. Some men turn to religion, but most turn to more violence, which only adds to the darkness of this place. For the unbeliever this place may become lonely, but in my case Jesus helps me when those dark or lonely feelings come upon me. And He gives me the sense of comfort which I need (2 Timothy 1:7). There are many things which a man in my position wants in his life. And, because most things that we want are not provided, it becomes very easy to allow the devil to take a place in our hearts, minds, and, ultimately, our souls. Through hate, sadness, fear, envy, jealousy, pain and many other feelings, an open door is provided for the devil to creep through. I see it happen every day and I pray for those men to come back to the "Light" (1 John 3:8). Many of you can see that same type of thing happening to people around you. You see a family member or loved one or maybe a stranger dealing with these same type of obstacles and falling into the darkness, or devil's plan. But Jesus has blessed me with the understanding of how to not allow this to happen to me, and I would love and be honored to share it with you. Before these tough times come to you, be prepared! What I mean by that is see yourself strong (Joshua 1:9). God is with you always! When you truly believe and understand that is a fact, those tough times or battles will not be able to overwhelm you. You will stand strong and endure those hard times! By having faith in God and knowing He is with you every step of the way, it will allow you to focus on the positive things in life instead of the negative things. God blesses me every day! I see it happening around me. The letters from my family and loved ones, the comfort I feel inside, and even the simple things such as sight with which to see, the ability to hear, and even the ability to speak. We must be thankful always (Colossians 3:15). The blessing of people seeing Jesus in me is one thing that I focus on! And I believe that if we all adapt this mind state to focusing on the positive instead of the negative our lives will be so much less uncomfortable! Every day we battle with ourselves and others for various reasons, but we have the greatest weapon in our arsenal as believers: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And through Him we are all victorious! (1 John 5:4). So, when the battlefield of life seems dark and you feel backed into a corner, look to the Light which is God, who is always there, and who will bless you with the means to overcome any obstacle (John 1:4-5). See yourself as victorious, even before the battles occur. Live your life knowing Jesus is with you at all times, and truly understand that nothing is impossible for Him. (Luke 18:27). And when you learn to live by this understanding of of the truth, you will be a true soldier for Jesus Christ and hard times will be easily overcome. Remember this always: the only defeated Christian is the one who quits! |
|
Living
by Faith: It's a Lifestyle
By John Hunley III "Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." -- 2 Timothy 2:3 Times of
hardness are inevitable. You need to know that. It's true
that we've been redeeemed from the curse, and there's nothing Satan can
do to reverse that; but he is going to challenge you on it.
So don't be surprised when things get tough. Times will come when you have to stand strictly by faith; when you'll have to speak and act as though what God says is true even when you can't feel it or see it happening around you. There will be times when everything looks terrible. That's when you must endure hardness like a good soldier. So many people hear the word of faith about healing or prosperity and they think, "Hey, I'm going to try that!" Then when the hard times come, they give up and cave in. Let me warn you, living by faith is not something you try. It's a lifestyle. You do it when it's hard. You do it when it's easy. You do it all the time because your not doing it just to get in on the benefits. Your doing it because you know that faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Things may get a little tough at times, but let me assure you, you'll always come out on top if you endure hardness as a good soldier. If you refuse to faint and fall away, you will have the victory. |
|
New
Every Morning
By John Hunley III "This I recall to my mind,
therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are
not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new
every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23)
God is faithful. He's full of compassion. His mercies are new every morning. As a believer, you know all that. But simply knowing it is not enough. For it to do you any good, you have to recall it. You have to remember it again and again in order to rekindle your hope and stir your faith. So make it a point to remind yourself of God's faithfullness every morning: Remind yourself of the benefits that are yours in Jesus! What are these benefits? Psalms 103 spells them out: 1)
He forgives all your sins.
2) He heals all your diseases. 3) He redeems your life from destruction. 4) He crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. 5) He satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6) He executes righteousness and judgement for you against oppression. He sets you free. 7) He makes known His ways to you. 8) He gives you His grace and mercy in times of need. Make a point every morning to say those things out loud to the Lord. Stand before Him in prayer and recall His mercies to you. Keep it up and you'll be stronger in faith and more confident of God's love than you've ever been before. Don't just settle for knowing God's blessings. Remember them every day and watch them come alive in you! |
| Images | Video | News | Maps |
Top