Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the close to 100 male inmates who sat in the chapel at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds last Friday morning received a great blessing.
Not only were they encouraged, but the prison officers who dutifully guarded them were too. In fact, the officers requested encore after encore of the uplifting music of minister Bevan Semple, one of the members of the overseas team of Healing For The Soul Ministries. One officer thankfully prayed for the ministry team before they made their departure.
This time of fellowship was further enhanced with the preaching of minister Judy P. Linton, head of the overseas- and local-based ministry.
In her usual energetic way, Linton told the inmates they were men with great potential and regardless of “what others may say of them, God will never discard, leave or forsake” them.
She told them not to be limited by the walls of Dodds because there was a limitless God who could help them to achieve their dreams.
Linton preached on the life of the Apostle Paul (focusing on verses in Ephesians 3) who wrote a number of his epistles from prison where he was placed because of his belief in Jesus Christ.
She told the inmates that when God was looking for a man to bring revelation and truth to the world he chose Paul, the very man who murdered numerous Christians and persecuted the early church.
She added Paul never allowed his imprisonment to stop him from advancing for the sake of the gospel and urged them not to allow their limitations to hinder their expectations.
“You may be in prison but do not limit yourselves in your minds and think you cannot get over this hurdle. These walls are just the beginning of the greatest part of your lives. These walls shall not restrict you. Keep moving forward with the determination that you will not stop at the point you are currently at.
“The same great God who saved Paul and whom Paul served is [able to deliver and use you].”
New York-based Linton also told the attentive inmates that while they “may never have been selected for anything in their lives or given the chance to be on any team” (of merit), God had already selected them.
The Barbadian-born minister who preached amid shouts of “Hallelujah” from her listeners, also stated: “We select people based on their education and position, but God chooses us for His good purpose [because of His love and grace].
“Your dreams will not be killed, hijacked or turned into some nightmare. Joseph went through a lot and was also imprisoned, but God turned things around in his life and he later became a prime minister.
“All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but God is still looking at what we can contribute to society and to His Kingdom. Where you are today is not where you will be in the future of your lives. You know your present, only God knows your future.
“Somebody may have written you off, friends may have turned their backs on you, but God will never do so. He knows your possibilities and He has written you in the palm of His hands. He favours you. Others will declare you as the least and never live up to their promises but God will never disappoint you.”
The Friday service, which was one of three held by the visiting and local team of Healing For The Soul Ministries during the past week, also formed part of their annual week-long crusade which was held this year at Dunamis and Carrington Wesleyan Holiness churches under the theme Greater Is Coming.
