Prison Chapel Floor

Hello this is Matt slick from the match looked like podcast right defend the Christian faith and lay out our foundation of the truth of God's word for chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network and the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is absolutely transforming and restoring lives feeling her making all things power set my captivity health and delivery to God, Jesus Christ hello and thank you for tuning in podcast just part of the Jesus breaks the chain series of angels Michael Bowen and I pray that the Lord bless greatly received this word in love and in truth, the single greatest decision in my life was my decision to surrender my life. My body and my will to Jesus Christ, to be used by him for his purpose to finally stop living for myself being led by the desires of my addicted flesh and to lay down my old life and follow him as his disciple and become his ambassador to this fallen world. Second Corinthians 517 to 21 says therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation old things have passed away behold all things are become new. Now all things are of God, who is reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ has given us the ministry of reconciliation that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them and is committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God.

For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

I love this Scripture. This is one of the very first Scripture that identified with when I surrender my life to Jesus Christ in the prison in 2013 as a hopeless drug addict laying on that prison chapel floor.

I cried out to Jesus in desperation for him to rescue me. I said please forgive me Lord for all the wicked things I've done.

I'm sorry.

I hate myself for who I become and I hate this world I do not want it anymore. All I want is you, Lord, if I am going to leave this prison and go smoke crack cocaine again and take my life right now, just kill me here. I cannot go another day being a drug addict, but if you will save me.

I will serve you the rest. The days of my life.

I wept. I cried in on that for I felt my soul crack open my spirit being poured out onto the floor like water spilling from a broken vase. When I was finally emptied of myself and all the sadness, hurt and pain that I was caring. I was able to pick myself up off the floor and rise to my feet and that is when I felt his presence.

That is when I became a new creation. That is when love came and set me free. That is the moment that God began to shape and mold me into his ambassador for Christ. Oh what a glorious day that was our member that day for the rest of my life just just the day that I that I experience the love of Jesus Christ for the very first time in the most profound way. It was life-changing. It was what set this drug addict, for 25 years free.

Hallelujah I was eight years ago on a share this Scripture with you. There is a very important Scripture because this is what the process I went through this Scripture details the process that I went through second Corinthians 710 godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death for observed this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner. What diligence.

It produced in you. What clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement the sire what CO was vindication in all things.

You proved yourselves to be clear in this matter brothers and sisters friends minded or listen to this podcast. It all begins with godly sorrow.

Sorrow. We are truly sorry for rejecting God and his purpose for your life like I done for so many years. When I chose the world over him, and I chose the way of the world in the trappings of the world and the desires of my flesh over the things of God.

When you finally realize your best efforts at managing your own life result in being a drug addict criminal alone in prison.

That is when you come to the end yourself in godly sorrow and that's what happened to me that moment on that prison, for I allow the old man Amy die. The man I used to be was destroyed that day on that prison chapel floor. I finally calmed into myself and had nowhere else to turn but to the only one who was left that would listen at Artie pushed everyone else away with my lying, cheating, stealing and broken promises. I tragically burned every bridge in my life and that is when Jesus heard my cry and he inclined his ear to me and he rescued me and he made me his own. I like to think of this Scripture Luke 923 through 25 says. Then he said to them all.

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost in that moment I had to choose to lose my old life for Jesus's sake. In order to be saved. I had to deny my old addict itself in all its desires to give myself to Jesus for his purpose to use by it to be used by him and follow his will. Instead of my own. Second Timothy two 2226 but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay some for honor and suffer dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, but avoid foolish and ignorant disputes noted. They generate strife and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle for all able to teach patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will that day on that prison floor. I became his vessel was cleansed from old life and made new. I chose Jesus over myself in this world and he poured his light which is his love into me and I was changed I was made clean.

Later he filled this new vessel with the Holy Spirit and his power to be able to be used by him as his witness to do the good works that he prepared for me before he laid the foundations of the earth.

God needed me to gather my mother's womb for this purpose, to serve him. The rest of the days of my life to be his witness and tell people the good news of his gospel and how they too can be saved and delivered from addiction hurt anger in all the things that this world will break you down and bring you into hallelujah.

First John 17 says, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin and I needed to be cleansed. I felt dirty. I felt alone I felt abandoned I had done so many things to the people that that I care about in love and I had lied and cheated and stolen from people and I just felt dirty and miserable and and and I just felt like there was no hope. But in that moment when God's presence came over me and any port is love out on me and and and and and I felt his presence for the first time in the most profound way. I was cleansed. Hallelujah and and and I just I hold on to that moment. It was the greatest moment of my life and I like to share that with people that moment when I surrender because we all have a moment, our lives, we need to took to go to our knees and in how that godly sorrow and ask God to forgive us in in in in in repent, hallelujah of that old way of life and repent of those simple ways of the ways of the world in the in the ways of the flesh at a nuclear Ephesians 1326 says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved accepted by Jesus Christ. I was accepted in that moment brought into the family of God was just life-changing and it was the day the foundation was set for me to begin a new life to be a new creation to have a renewed mind and to be able to focus now on what the Lord had created me to do my purpose for him creating me and receiving the power and the love and the hope to be an ambassador for Christ moving forward. Ask 1428 says and being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but the weight for the promise of the father, which he said you have heard from me for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now, therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of these are to Israel and he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the father is put in his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and all Judeo and Samaria and to the end of the earth for me Michael Bowen to be a disciple and ambassador for Christ is the love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love others as myself and to be conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ and show this image as a witness to the world in power and, indeed, Romans 828 to 30 says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, that those who are who are the called according to his purpose for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he predestined, these he also called whom he called these he also justified and whom he justified, these he also glorified. This is what I'm called to do every day in my life.

This is the deal that I may with Jesus when I laid on the prison chapel floor and asked him to save me. I traded my old addicted selfish life of sadness, loneliness, hurt and devastation and for a new life is his servant is his disciple as his ambassador showing the world who Jesus is through me board ambassador originate from the Latin word and backed us which means servant so when I told Jesus that if he saved me, I would serve him the rest. The days of my life. I was really telling him that I would be his ambassador from that day forward, and that is what I am.

What is an ambassador ambassador is one who is sent to represent one country or government to another while in the other country. The ambassador presents and demonstrates all the best that their home country or government has offer. They are a representation to the country there visiting of what people from the country are light. Let's just say I was a United States ambassador to Spain, then I would go to Spain and represent the United States to show Spaniards what Americans are like how we act, how we speak. I would show them the good character traits, morals and values that make Americans who we are in this same way as an ambassador for Christ. I represent Jesus and his kingdom, and I show the world how he is by how I interact with people and share the love of Christ with them brothers and sisters. Friends of mine.

When you give your life to Jesus like I did on that prison chapel floor to become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says that we are at that moment translated into the kingdom of God's son. How wonderful is this how glorious is this colossal 113 through 14 says he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. I was delivered from the captivity darkness in hell of addiction into the kingdom of Jesus and his love.

It was his love that drew me in. It was his love that because my godly sorrow and was his love that brought me to my knees that day was his love that set me free and it's his love. Now that I walk in every day and I share with the people that I come into contact with. I was set free that day free from CN free from the desires of my flesh free from the boundaries in the confines of this world, and free from own self and my own horrible decisions I've made trying to manage my life. John 836 says. Therefore, if the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I Michael Bowen am a citizen of heaven, and I am free.

Philippians 320 says, but we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. Ephesians 219 to 22 says now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit Ephesians 113 in him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise as a citizen of heaven. My heavenly passport has been officially sealed and stamped by Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit certifying were my true identity and citizenship lies in Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven in the household of God where I belong. 12 always belong on that prison chapel floor when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ my citizenship was moved and my identity was changed.

I'm no longer citizen of this world. I'm a citizen of heaven, I'm no longer a drug addicted criminal.

I'm an impact sitter for Jesus Christ to this world.

Oh, that makes me so happy to say you don't know how many years I lived under that identity is a hopeless drug addict, criminal convict, and I carried it with me and I carried all the shame that comes with that when people looked at me.

I just felt so dirty and unloved and just felt like a horrible person and I felt like as they were looking at me. They could see that in me, even if it was the first time I met them.

I just felt that they could somehow see that, that in me that that I was this drug addict that I was this loser and I carried it with me.

It was horrible and I've shed that I have a new identity in Jesus Christ now and I wanted just encourage anybody out there who's listening if you don't feel good about yourself and if you have an identity that you feel worthless.

Give your life to Jesus Christ and let him change to your will be a new creation openings best way all things are become new. Hallelujah.

Now for the rest of my life here on earth. I am not just here from own plans and interest are now representing heaven, doing the will of God and sharing Jesus Christ with those around me like I'm doing right now sharing Jesus Christ with you this podcast. This is serious business being an ambassador for Christ as an ambassador I may be the only real sample of heaven.

Some people ever see my story.

My testimony may be the only thing that they ever know about how Jesus can work in someone's life by seeing how he has worked in mine mission. My life has now become this to give people a sample of what it is like to have Jesus working in a person's life to show them the Jesus who now lives in me as an ambassador for Christ to show them what Jesus is like ambassadors come from a wide variety of backgrounds with different personalities and upbringings different experiences and difficulties we all have very unique God-given gifts and talents that Jesus can use to draw others to him. We all have a testimony of how Jesus changed our lives and we need to share that testimony with everyone we meet. If you've not given your life to Jesus Christ. Yet when you give your life to Jesus Christ.

He will take your past and he will you allow you to use that to share with others to help them and that they can see same things that you struggle with.

They can see that in their own life and know that if he changed you that he can change them if he helped you through your struggles, then he will help them through their own struggles that are like yours very very important. Your testimony is, no matter what your story is. It is important and needs to be shared there people out there that need to hear about how Jesus has changed your life. Not everyone is going to respond to my testimony, but they may respond to your matter fact, your story may be the only thing they may ever respond to that is how important you are in the kingdom.

That is how important you are to Jesus and his work in the salvation of souls. The destination of someone's soul may be counting on your ambassadorship brothers and sisters and friends of mine.

Hallelujah. This is why you must always present yourself as a living sacrifice to be used by God for his purpose.

You must repent and surrender to God in this God will take what the enemy in this world meant for evil and use it for good, for his glory your redemption and the other salvation. Hallelujah. Romans 12 122 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is for all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth that Jesus died for our sins so that we can be saved and become citizens of heaven and have eternal life with him and his kingdom. Romans 828 I'll repeat this it's it's one of my favorite scriptures and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. One of those I love God and I am called according to his purpose. So I know that God is working out all things in my life for good. Even now, in my day-to-day life when bad things happen to me or things don't go my way. I don't stress about it. But as I know, and I hold onto the Scripture. This is the word of truth, and I've seen the Lord do this in my life time and time and time again so I know he's gonna take that with the injury meant for evil and what people meant for, hurt and harm is gonna take that and working together for the good hallelujah and it's all for his glory hallelujah and I just want you to stand on that right now. Give your life to Jesus Christ. If you straight away and maybe you find yourself walking more into this world come back to Jesus. Repent you know we can we repent all the time all day long. If we need to. And any time that we may feel the conviction that maybe we've we've sander we've we've done some that might hurt somebody or that wasn't right. Then we can just repent and asked forgiveness and is quick to forgive and to move us through and make that a teaching moment. Hallelujah. When Jesus brings you out of this world, and death. He takes you and makes you his own matter fact you always belong to Jesus and you've always had a purpose, just like me when I was out there committing crimes and using drugs. Jesus had his hand on me, as I belong to him and so do you.

Even when I was a drug addict stealing from people and getting high on drugs. Jesus knew I was his disciple, his evangelist, his ambassador that prison was not the end of my story. The place you're out right now and in if you are in a low place in your life right now. If you're one of those dark valleys. If you are sick if things haven't gone your way. If you're incarcerated. If you have an addiction to anything in your struggling. If you're having relationship problems with your loved ones that is not the end of your story.

Hallelujah Jesus is writing that story and you will have a good ending.

Your story will be used for good. Hallelujah God's will for me and my true destiny and Jesus Christ was for me to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth of who he is and who I am and him that day on that prison floor. When I surrender my life to Jesus.

That's when I finally uncovered the truth and the truth set me free. Truth is not a quality or state of being. Truth is a person and that person's name is Jesus hallelujah. First Timothy 326 says, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

But there is one God and one mediator between God and man. That man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. I will leave you with this. Serving God is a citizen of heaven is our duty and reasonable service. By becoming and being a living sacrifice ambassador for Christ. Our calling is to point people to Jesus and show people's love by walking as he walked when he was here on earth in the flesh so that they can be drawn to him and come to the knowledge of truth themselves and be saved. Jesus has commissioned us as believers as his ambassadors to represent him here on earth and he has given us through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit the right, the ability and the power to fully execute this mission, and now we must all do it boldly, we must love God, love people and share Jesus with them as ambassadors for Christ is one of, thank you so much for listening to this podcast and just tell you that my identity in Jesus Christ is that I am the ambassador for him and it is one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life when I can share him with others and see them respond in a way that sets them free and I just encourage you just to go in prayer and if there's anything in your life right now that your struggling to the Lord, let him move you through it and set you free. And then you will layout in front of you. His purpose for you as his ambassador. I just want to thank you so much Jesus name I pray for everyone listens podcast to be blessed and to come to the knowledge of truth of who Jesus is saved in Jesus name I pray and thank you for listening.

For more information on Michael Billings ministry sons and daughters of thunder sons and daughters, offender.org and remember there is no addiction Jesus Christ Jesus breaks the chains. This is the Truth Network