Dear Lighthouse Trails Editors and Readers:
Greetings in the name of our blessed Lord and Savior. My name is Michael ___________, and I am an inmate in northeast Colorado. I arrived here twenty-five years ago, not saved, but thinking I was, after making a “sinner’s prayer” type of “profession” twenty-five years before that. In that supposedly “saved” time frame, I left a trail of destruction that totally ruined the lives of those I claimed to “love.”
In 2003, I was sitting in a solitary confinement cell after being physically assaulted, holding a bottle of pills in my hand that I was going to take, with the intent of ending my life. But, praise God, I heard His “still small voice” telling me that He would take care of me if I would just trust Him completely. Not truly being saved, I took His taking care of me to mean getting me out of a potentially life-threatening situation I was in, and He graciously did that. But, praise the Lord, He had much more than that in store for me. After having me moved to a safer location, He led me to a man who showed me from Scripture the need to repent of (acknowledge and turn away from) my sins and that salvation was not just “fire insurance” or a way to have all my “felt needs” met, but rather a personal, intimate, moment-by-moment relationship with the Savior of the world. Oddly, this man was not only a follower of William Branham but also believed he was Branham’s reincarnation! That just shows you how a sovereign God can use even a cult member to bring someone to the knowledge of the truth.
So, I let go of my idea of Jesus as a blank checkbook, truly repented, and put my trust in His finished work as the source for the eternal salvation of my soul. No, all my troubles didn’t go away (surprise!). As a matter of fact, several things got a lot worse. But, as they did, that just gave me more opportunities to trust Him and to enjoy the strength He gives me on a daily basis to endure whatever trials He allows to bless me with. And, contrary to what my Branhamite friend believed, I didn’t immediately become sinless. To this day, I still struggle with things like lust, anger, pride, selfishness, impatience, and complaining. Also, having a severe phobia of confrontation of any sort, I find it very difficult to share my faith with others. But God is longsuffering and gracious (my favorite phrase in the Bible), so He picks me up and dusts me off whenever I fall and reassures me that I am truly His.
Maybe I should be way more compassionate about this than I am, but it makes me so angry when I see all the New Age, ecumenical, purpose-driven, contemplative nonsense that has crept into the church. This place is no exception, so fellowship (based on God’s truth) here is nearly non-existent, unless you want to be “tolerant” of all this Satanic mumbo-jumbo.
Praise the Lord for Lighthouse Trails and other discernment ministries that continue to “earnestly contend for the faith,” despite their exhortations so often falling on deaf ears. May I be as faithful to the Truth as they are!
Grace, peace, and love in Christ,
Michael
P.S. If you publish this letter and anyone reading it would like to contact me, you have my permission to give that person my mailing address.
LTRP Note: If you would like to write to Michael, please contact us at editors@lighthousetrails.com.
