Mineral Wells Correctional Facility – November 2nd, 2012
I was on a rescue mission... one of our own had been captured behind enemy territory and was now being held under the firm oppression of Satan’s tyranny. His name was Eli, and the Lord had commissioned me to go find him.
You see, Eli was an inmate of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system and I had been sent to this particular prison to rescue him.
When I say rescue however, I’m not talking about rescue from incarceration, what I mean is something much greater than physical imprisonment. I had been sent to recover Eli’s soul from the chains of darkness because the Lord had chosen Eli to come follow Him.
This of course, required crossing over into enemy territory – not an easy task in a prison… luckily, this wasn’t the first time I’d been commanded to cross enemy lines and by now, I was somewhat experienced in the skill of spiritual warfare. Although, I have to admit, something about this mission seemed more dangerous… there was a presence here that seemed more oppressive than in most prisons I enter; nonetheless, I was determined!
With that goal in mind, I entered the prison’s main yard. It was from here that I could see Eli standing far off, so I immediately went up to him to let him know I was here to rescue him... having never met me before, the look on his face was priceless, but I meant it! And I was firmly set on my goal. The problem was, it wasn’t time for that yet, so I left him and told him I’d be back later.
You see, the rescue mission had to be precise… every detail had to fit together perfectly, and for that, I needed time to prepare, so I headed back to the staging area to pray.
It was here the Lord instructed me to put on my armor and then wait for further instructions.
As I geared up for potential combat the words of my Commander seemed to echo through my head.
“I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hands…”
With assurance like that, I knew I had already won; all that was left was to claim the victory.
- Finally, it was time to roll!
So having put on my armor, I headed back to the yard with the other inmates. The instructions were clear – “leave the ninety-nine” God commanded, “and go after the one”
The problem was, first, I had to find him again…and in a sea of two-thousand inmates, it wasn't going to be easy.
After gathering some intelligence, I was finally able to locate the prisoner's sleeping quarters. As I approached his location I could feel the presence of the enemy looming intensely at me from around the prison yard. Every step I took felt like entering a lion’s den and waiting to possibly be devoured, but I wasn’t scared because I knew I had the full armor of God to protect me.
Finally, I reached the hallway of Eli's dormitory – I could feel the presence of darkness begin to mount as I made my way down the corridor.
It was here that I stopped to pray.
“Father, rescue your children,” I implored
Suddenly, I felt the Spirit of the Lord come upon me. I could feel His power coursing through my entire body as He went before me and instantly, the enemy began to flee, hiding and cowering behind the darkness of each room as the Light of the Lord shone forth.
Now with the enemy out of the way, I began to search meticulously for my target.
Suddenly, I came upon a fellow prisoner named Earl – “Hi, i’m looking for Eli,” I exclaimed.
“Eli’s outside” he responded, pointing me to a fence across from the dorm.
As I walked down the narrow pathway, there he came into view. Finally! There he was! Eli, sitting at the fence, waiting to be rescued!
As I approached him, I began to tell him how I had been looking for him the entire time.
“I know…” he responded, “I saw you walking back and forth” he exclaimed, “and I told myself, if this is meant to be, let him come find me… and sure enough, here you are…”
I just smiled and told Him that God knew where he was the entire time… "He just wanted to meet you where you were," I exclaimed.
And it was here that Eli was finally rescued.
