Answers
By Billy Graham • March 9, 2017 • Topics: Crime, God's Love, Temptation
Q:
I get out of jail in a few months, but I'm not looking forward to it. My wife has ditched me, my family doesn't want anything to do with me, and anyway I'm afraid I'll just end up doing the same things that got me here in the first place. Can God help me somehow?
A:
God not only can help you—but He wants to help you! You may have ignored Him all your life—but He has never forgotten you. In fact, the greatest discovery you will ever make is that God loves you. By a simple prayer of faith ask Christ to come into your life today.
How will God help you? First, He will give you a new reason for living. Right now you don’t have much to look forward to. But when we commit our lives to Christ, we know we are never alone, because He is always with us. We also have a new purpose in life: to live for Him and do His will, instead of living only for ourselves.
But God also will give you a new power for living. You see, when we come to Christ and commit our lives to Him, God Himself comes to live within us by His Holy Spirit. And because He lives within us, we aren’t left to fight life’s battles and temptations alone. Instead we can turn to Him and ask Him to help us—and He will. The Bible says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26).
Finally, God will give you a new family. Every true believer is now your brother or sister in Christ, and they can help you and encourage you. Incidentally, your chaplain may know of churches in your area that have a special ministry to ex-prisoners.
