Walk In God's Grace
Faith for Felons
Praise for Walk in God's Grace
“I loved it so much I bought 10 copies and gave them out to friends and family..” – Heather, Amazon Reviewer
Synopsis
Aaron never saw himself sitting in a cell, looking at twelve years. But even though his mother did what she could to keep him out of trouble, he let the streets raise him. When he thought his son was in trouble, he did what he thought a father was supposed to do. Now, the night that changed his life plays in his head like it is on a loop. Unless God intervenes, by the time he is released, his kids will be grown and his mother will be in her 80s. He wanted to be mad at God for the way it all went down, but it was not God's fault. God reminded Aaron that even though prison is wicked and feels like hell, both physically and spiritually, God is always with him.
You are not defined by your bad actions. You are defined by the righteousness of God. In this 21-day devotional, you'll learn how to release yourself from the guilt that holds you in mental and emotional bondage and allow yourself to be used by God. No matter where you are. No matter how you got there.
Aaron is now letting God undo the damage the devil did in his life for over two decades. He is learning to forgive himself because the guilt was killing him. He is learning how to stay strong for his family because even behind bars, they still need him.
In Aaron's words, "I thought it would be cool to share what I’m living through and maybe it will help someone else. We may be in here for different reasons, but the bottom line is we’re in here together. And I don’t know one dude who wants to make a return trip when he gets out. I needed some peace. Writing this book helped me get that peace. Now I’m passing it on to you. Stay strong and do what I’m learning to do. Let go and let God do what God does."
Excerpt
Believe God Loves You
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8 (NIV)
Barry replayed the judge’s parting shots in his mind after he had been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. “You are a danger to the community. You took an innocent life and I’m going to make sure you never get the opportunity to do it again.”
Barry had glanced around the courtroom and saw tears in the eyes of the victim’s mother, who had lost her only child. Next to her was her only grandson. Barry knew what hate looked like. That was the look he saw on the face of the victim’s father. He kept looking around hoping that someone from his family was there for his sentencing. Then he thought, “Why would they be? They hadn’t been there for the trial.”
He thought he knew what it felt like to be alone. But sitting in quarantine after sentencing, he felt such loneliness that he wondered if he should just end it all now.
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.
— Psalms 27:10 (NKJV)
But God’s mercy is so abundant, and His love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience He brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)
The Bible is full of encouraging verses that tell us how much God loves us. When we have done something so awful that it’s hard to imagine anyone loving us, know that He does. Think about this; all of our sins were future sins when Jesus died on the Cross. He took the punishment for every wrong turn we would make more than two thousand years later. It is up to us to let God in and allow Him to fill us with His love. Whatever anxiety, sadness, or depression we may feel, God says to give it to Him. He cares for us. He loves us. He wants us to be well, no matter where we sit, no matter what we’ve done. God is good to us because He is good, not because
we are good.
Grace Walk Prayer
Lord, thank you for telling me in Your Word that You love me. Thank you that even though I did (fill in the blank), that is still not enough for You to turn Your back on me. Lord, because You love me, I am giving You all of my cares. Because You love me, I will stop worrying about (fill in the blank with whatever is weighing heavily on you) and give it to You. Because You love me, I know that You will continue to protect me. Because You love me, I can live in peace, no matter where I am. In Jesus’ name, I receive Your love for me. Amen.
We love because God first loved us.
— 1 John 4:19 (GNT)
Grace Walk Thoughts
What is one way that God has shown me lately that He loves me?
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