Written by: Dare To Love
Article source: Supplied
How Free Are We On Freedom Day 2021?
This is a multi-layered question. However, true freedom is to be found within the confines of our own hearts, the very breath of life that we have been given by God, our Creator. Galatians 5: 13-14 says“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbour as yourself.” (NIV)
Preparing To Serve
Our visit to Leeuwkop Maximum Correctional Centre on Freedom Day started off with praying and dedicating the day and all the activities to the Lord. We then had Holy Communion in the shade of the beautiful trees under a mainly cloudless blue sky before moving in to serve the staff and the inmates. Our smiles were wide and bright with anticipation as we knew the mighty move that only God could bring about in the hearts of the individuals whom He had an appointment with that day. Only the men went into the actual prison, the ladies remained outside in prayer with hearts full of expectation.
A Divine Appointment
One of our female team members had the privilege of ministering to a lady that lived on the premises and happened to be extremely ill. This proved to be a life-changing, heart altering moment as she was given the opportunity to pray for and minister to this precious soul that was enduring the last moments of her life here on earth as she was succumbing to cancer. She was very, very ill and tremendously frail, and in a lot of pain. While one of the Dare to Love ladies was praying for her and leading her to the Lord her family stood sobbing in the background, grasping the poignant depths of these precious moments. They shared with her that she had been a very hard-hearted person, rejecting God her whole entire life, yet they realized the divine moment that presented itself at the end of her natural journey. The lady was unable to speak so Dare to Love prayed the Prayer of Salvation over her and asked her if she could just manage to say the name of Jesus, which she was able to utter. God had this moment planned and she received her Saviour Jesus Christ. So even though the men were busy serving inside the prison salvation also took place on the property outside the prison.
Testimonies From Inside The Prison
The testimonies given by our male team members after ministering inside the prison were just so deeply touching and confirmed that our Father in Heaven had this day on His heart all along. Here are a few that we can share:
A Message Of Hope
Philip shared: “Success gave his heart to Jesus when he was only 15 years old, he then backslid and ended up committing a murder a few years later. He has been in prison for 7 years. His heart wrenching question was if Jesus would take him back after what he has done. The visible joy he experienced when the answer was yes was just overwhelming. We prayed together and he was free again, ready to serve Jesus and start building a deeper relationship with Him, and share this Good News with others.
Philip further shared serving at the soccer fields was quite intense with some people quite hostile. Mostly, people wanted to know about the red heart painted on the palm of our hands, the meaning of it and what it’s all about. We explained that whenever we looked at it, it conveyed a message of hope that it always reminds us of what Jesus did for us on the Cross at Calvary. This message of hope seemed to be contagious, as many on hearing it, asked for it with hearts on both hands.
A Hunger For The Word Of God
Trevor shared: “It was such a tremendous experience, once again the Lord went before us and the Holy Spirit opened doors. The inmates were very, very receptive and truly hungry, many of them are just so grateful that we visit them in prison. I am reminded of the scripture where Jesus said “when I was in prison you visited me”, when we visit the inmates we are actually visiting Jesus Himself. We really felt the Lord move and shift things in the Spirit, it was a very, very powerful encounter. The prisoners were open to hear what we had to share with them, we valued them and reminded them of how much God loves them and appreciates them, just for who they are. We really felt when we left there on our way home, that something had shifted in the Spirit, God had done something amazing. He touched the hearts of many of the inmates through the sharing of the Word and most of all through the sharing of God’s profound, supernatural love.
First of all, God laid the DCS officials on my heart and not just the inmates, because there are a lot of people ministering to the inmates. Just to see the appreciation of these officials, you know they are all going through a tough time with their families obviously due to COVID-19, at work it’s also not easy. The inmates also feel the pressure of the pandemic, scared that they could also contract the virus. As front-line workers these officials are tired, they’ve had to push through the entire time, they had to continue working without stopping at all compared to the rest of the world. It was so nice to pray with them and even as we left they were asking for one more song of worship, to please not stop playing the worship songs. Even the packs they received as a token of appreciation and encouragement with some coffee, a Bible and a badge that said “You are a serving hero” and “Thank you for serving”. It was such a small thing that we did for them but to observe the gratitude was so deeply moving. They would always ask when we’ll be back, and what about their friends that weren’t there. The appreciation for our visits were truly touching, just being with them, dancing with them and praying with them corporately as well as individually, was a very special experience.
With the inmates it’s always very gratifying to confirm to them how much we have all been forgiven, relaying the scriptures and to share with them that we are all guilty. There’s no difference between us and them, there is no “us and them”, we are all one in God. Yes, they are where they are, but God is doing a new thing there. It is a workshop for God, the way He moves there, we always find people there that are so Spirit-filled and that have really encountered the love of God. From past experience we sometimes go there to serve but it feels as if we are being served by individuals who have so much joy, filled by God and touched by God, ready to go back to society. If society would only give them a chance. This is why we are doing this, so that the community can be aware of what we are doing. We want to encourage people to go there and visit someone, or to reach out to someone who has a family member or friend in prison, they desperately need encouragement as well. It is so exciting to witness what God is doing, the doors of opportunity that are opening in the prison ministry, supernatural doors that are opening in spite of resistance. We have to go and show the physical love of Jesus, not just to visit the inmates, but to give them something and to even say thank you to the officials as well. Some exciting news is that we are in discussions with DCS about baptism happening inside the prisons, so we are trusting God for His intervention and favour upon us in this regard.”
Encouragement Is Found In The Word
Another Member of the team commented “Going to visit and ministering at the Leeuwkop Prison was profound for me. As much as I was looking forward to being with the brothers inside, it was such a watershed moment to realize that yes, as a Nation we are celebrating Freedom Day, but the brothers inside still have such a love and such a need in their hearts for God. Talking to most of them and ministering to them, I was blessed to realize it is not all doom and gloom. They were expecting to receive the Word and a word of encouragement that would spur them on to become better individuals. It was a blessing for me to share the Word of God with them. It was a moment that I needed, also to just be encouraged to see the hunger in them for the Word and for fellowship. It was deeply heart-warming for me, to be honest with you. I enjoyed spending Freedom Day there and sharing not just what I could offer, but also receiving from them. I remember one of the brothers inside telling me that it’s his wish that we could bring some school children and young adults in to see the effects of wrong decisions. Rather than me ministering to him, he sat there and shared with me that he has a teenage son and he would want his son to one day come and learn, so that he may never end up being there. It’s only the Word of God and the encouragement he gets from his fellow brothers inside that is keeping him sane and keeping him going. He was glad to be talking to me on the same level and just encouraging me to go out there and telling the young people not to take their freedom for granted. More than anything else, he wants them to fear the Lord and to serve the Lord, for me that was just such a powerful encounter.”
True Freedom Is Found In Christ
Within the confinement of your own soul, it may feel that prison doors are closing in on you and that freedom eludes you. Believe and embrace the promise that God has a plan for each of us and He will meet you where you are, wherever that might be. He will set you free, if you have been dwelling in the wilderness, lost and alone in your own efforts, embrace the freedom that Jesus Christ is offering you. Only by accepting the true and pure love of Jesus Christ can you love yourself and those around you. He wants you to prosper, He knows the plans He has for you. He already paid the price so you can be free. The condemnation you feel has been paid for by the Blood of Jesus, He shed it on the Cross at Calvary to set you free, to be free indeed.
Galatians 5:1 “At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish the truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.” (TPT)
Hebrews 13:5-6 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said; “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you”. So we can say with confidence, The Lord is my Helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (NLT)
#DareToLove #FreedomDay2021 #TrueFreedom
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Date published: 04/05/2021
Images: Supplied
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