Words of Encouragement For The Ones Incarcerated
Written By Brother Michael
I come to you today to offer words of encouragement and a
special message God placed in my heart to share with my
brothers in the struggle. God has not turned his back on you
on this troubling time of your life. Most times, God gives us red
flags/ warning signs to prevent us from losing site of what’s
important to us and we choose to ignore or toss it up as a
coincidence. Everything in this world has a design/purpose to
it; you are no different. God made you unique and different
from anyone else for a reason that can only be found through
talking with God and letting Him guide you in your thoughts,
perception, situations, and actions. I know all of these from
experience, because 7 years ago, I was in your shoes. Before I
went to jail, I was constantly questioning God for some of the
things that happened in the past. One disaster would hit, then
another; it seemed like I fell deeper into negativity after that. It
came a day that my negative thinking finally caught up to me
and I was put into a negative situation. I reacted negatively
and I got a negative result (six months in jail). When I first got
there, I was having a terrible migraine headache and there
seemed to be no relief in site. I finally gave up and called on
God. I said to Him that I could no longer fight this battle by
myself and I needed Him to love me again. For the first time in
a long time, I felt the power and love of God come inside me
and the spirit told me that I never left and I never stopped
loving you. That was the start to many conversations with God
that has led to many good things happening in my life. Now
that I look back on it, Satan was heavy at work, trying to turn
me against God, so I would become full of the world and not
live up to the potential and purpose God created me for. I
encourage you to start having that deep conversation with
God; let your frustration, confusion, anger, and anything else
that’s troubling you go and listen to your heart to see what
God puts in it. I also encourage you to see and understand that
the more you talk to God the closer your relationship gets to
Him. The closer you are, the more wisdom God will give you
concerning the real reason why you were in jail in the first
place. Most times, God had to get you out of danger, because
your life was going down the wrong path that was never
intended to be taken. When we are in danger, dangerous to
someone, or even ourselves, God will place limitations and
certain conditions on us, so we can slow down and really see
what’s going on. God is our father and just like any parent, He
always wants what’s best for us. I encourage you to not look at
this situation like God punished you, but kept you safe and
giving you the time to change your way of thinking, before it
leads to your death. Let your life serve as a testimony, an
inspiration to someone life. I encourage you to extend your
hand to your brother in the struggle, because when you were in
there, there should’ve been no such thing as color, because
everyone is treated just about the same (like second class
citizens). If you don’t want to keep coming back, it comes a
time in a man’s life where we have to put the past in the past
and start to change our thinking and perception, so that your
journey on this earth may shine with peace, love, strength,
patience, understanding, and anything you desire. The key is
staying positive and on God, So He can bless your life, like you
never dreamed He would. I encourage you to take this extra
time and truly exercise your mind, body, and soul, so you can
be better prepared to fight any negative force that comes your
way. The power and love of God will turn a lot of evil and
negative things away from you. I will pray for you along with
every misunderstood, troubled soul that just lost their way for
awhile. I understand your situation and state of mind more
than you will ever know. I hope this gets you closer to God, so
you can learn from the lessons of living in this world too deep
and not having God in the base of your mind and soul.
Remember, getting out of jail and actually sticking to
somewhat of the same routine of giving your time and energy
to God gets harder by each free day that passes. A lot of men
find themselves in jail (the essence of the soul), but lose it,
because of all the friends and distractions of free world. I
encourage you to always stay true to yourself (the soul) and the
special path God has placed you on (your purpose). If any of us
truly seek God, we will surely find Him.
Traits of Negativity
I pray that God blesses you with peace, love, strength, patience,
understanding, guidance, inspiration, and anything you need in
order to stay true to yourself. I pray that these words touch your
soul and it can shed light in to the tricks of the devil and the ways
we cause our own selves to fall short of our potential. God has
made you unique; there is no one exactly like you. That being said,
I encourage you to let your thoughts, perception, and actions
follow being positive, staying focused on your goals/dreams, and
on God, because you know that He will never lead you wrong. I
would like to show you some of the ways the Devil can trick you
into doing things that gets you caught up and keeps you from
living up to your potential. All these traits can represent a
temporary state of mind. If you can control your tongue/actions
and keep the love and power of God close, He can and will help
you when you feel like you’re under attack. If you truly seek God,
You will find Him. I pray this helps you as much as it helped me
and I encourage you to talk with God about the traits that you
struggle with the most. Don’t ever feel like you’re alone in this
fight, because we are all children of God and all face trials in our
lives.
Being Selfish- What about me mind frame. You are very stingy
with your money, wisdom, and anything else you can offer the
world.
Being Greedy- Don’t feel you have enough and will do anything
to get more. Killing, stealing, and taking advantage of people are
just sources for providing more money.
Being Angry/Spiteful- This is when revenge is the first and last
option; where you won’t stop until the person you feel did you
wrong, feels the same pain as you did.
Spreading Drama- Misery loves company, so you love chaos and
confusion. You take a rumor or something else that will cause a
person to react in a negative way and use it to insight a conflict.
Bitterness- It’s your fault I’m in this mess; the glass is always half
empty type of mind frame. You look at the bad things before you
look at the good.
*Judgmental - Anytime you look at someone past an observation
and start to devalue their worth based on what you see and feel.
Depression- This is when your issues have gotten the best of you
and your opinion is very low about yourself and the world. You
feel hopeless and don’t care about the things you use to.
Pity- This causes you to feel sorry for yourself and to focus on
your problems, but not on any possible solutions.
Envy- This is when you desire something someone has and you
feel they don’t deserve it.
Manipulation- This is when you try to get your way through
dishonesty, taking advantage of someone’s kindness and good
nature, or altering the truth to make a person see things your way.
Pride- This is when you know the right thing to do, but you feel it
will damage your reputation or diminish your strong/dominant
character
Stereotype- Everyone is different, but you take your experiences
from a certain race or group and assume everyone is the same
based on a few similar characteristics. This can apply to everything
that you place a label on without completely knowing what you’re
looking at.
Procrastination- This is when you put something off (tackling
problems or issues that you know is causing pain or worry) and say
that I will face it tomorrow. The next day never comes and more
problems start to come in and take over your life.
Justification- this can be considered as all of the above, because
we convince ourselves that our thoughts are a reflection of the
absolute truth, even if we know deep down its wrong or only a
have a small piece of information to go by. Your negative
perception will give you good reasons why you should go against
the words of God and follow the ways of the world.
Cycles of Failure and Success
Pattern of Failure
I will demonstrate how several negative thoughts can eventually
land you back in jail or dead
NEGATIVE THOUGHT- This is where it all starts. Ex: Tim
passes by this guy and his first thought is, who does he think he is?
The guy was reading a spiritual book and just happened to have a
smug look on his face.
↓
NEAGATIVE PERCEPTION- After a few negative thoughts
have surfaced, your perception of things you see will have a
negative spin on it. Ex: He thinks he’s better than me just because
(_ ). This can be a handful of things that Tim is insecure with
↓
NEGATIVE RESPONSE- Sometimes the pride in a person won’t
let a small situation go and he/she feels that they have to respond
to what they see. Ex: When this person approaches Tim and
doesn’t speak; Tim automatically assumes that this person is stuck
up or trying to be funny.
↓
THE PROBLEM- This is only a problem, because you’ve
created it for yourself. Instead of dealing with the real problems in
your life, you create trivial ones to take your mind off the big ones.
Ex: Tim has built up animosity for a person that doesn’t even know
him. Tim is really frustrated with a lot more serious issues, but
sometimes he feels that those situations are out of his control.
↓
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE- Every action one takes must
expect a consequence to follow. Ex: Tim confronts the guy with
insulting words and threats. The person comes back, but with
kindness and words of wisdom. This is where the other person is a
key factor. This could’ve been the time where you go to jail or
death occurs, but God stepped in and put something in the man’s
heart, to possibly solve the misunderstanding and the problem.
↓
BIGGER RESPONSE- When you don’t get the response you
were looking for or this person attacks your character, it usually
leads to a bigger response. Ex: Tim was so heated about being
disrespected, that he really wasn’t paying attention to what the man
was saying. Tim was only thinking of other ways to make the man
feel like he did.
↓
BIGGER PROBLEM- This happens when you start to feel good
about your actions. Negativity is at a all time high. Ex: Tim
proceeds to insult this man, but doesn’t get the reaction he was
looking for, so he walks away calling the man all kind of
derogatory names.
↓
MORE STRESS- The world sometimes gives you exactly what
you give it. More issues start to come up. Ex: Tim started to notice
that his finances, peace, and stability took a major hit, because of
his actions.
↓
MORE TIME WAISTED- Depending on your habits or the
company you keep, this can turn into several addictions that create
a temporary escape from the problem. Ex: Tim starts to smoke,
drink, and hangout more. He gets caught up in all of the
distractions of the world.
↓
NOT SERVING PURPOSE- Even though Tim has done his dirt,
he never disrespected or took advantage of a man before. He
helped people when he could, so God always showed favor
towards him.
↓
BECOMING LOST- The path that you were on before, is no
where to be found. You live day by day and don’t have any
ambition. Ex: Tim has forgotten what he was trying to accomplish.
He has no ambition and all of his goals have been erased. The
consumption of Negativity has taken over his life.
↓
NOT CARING ANYMORE- This is when hope is just a word
and you throw your hands up and say “I don’t give a damn
anymore”. Ex: Tim is in a state of mind where robbing a liquor
store to get some extra cash doesn’t seem to be a bad idea. He
doesn’t even plan or think about the consequences. The only thing
on Tim’s mind is the money.
↓
EXTREME ACTION- This is when you actually go through with
the crazy plan and your fate is out of your hands. Ex: Tim puts the
gun towards the owner and demands all the cash in the store. The
owner gives it up and Tim runs out the store.
↓
DEATH OR JAIL- Depending on what you do at this point will
depend on your consequence. Ex: The cops were near the store and
tried to stop Tim. As soon as Tim raises his gun, the officers shoot
him and Tim is dead.
* The key is not letting your perception get the best of you.
When you respond to a person in a negative way, you might
have a bigger problem on your hands then you ever imagined.
I’ve seen and experienced this happening on a small level and
also on a big level. These situations are like a roll of the dice.
Only God knows……………….
Basic Cycle of Success
1. 2.
POSITIVE POSITIVE
THOUGHT PERCEPTION
5. 3.
POSITIVE POSITIVE
RESULTS SITUATION
4.
POSITIVE
ACTION
1. Positive Thought- This can be anything that you are thankful
for, love, or makes you feel good just thinking about it.
2. Positive Perception- This is where the things you observe have
a positive spin on it. You are content on seeing the good in a
person before the bad.
3. Positive Situation- This is when God has placed you in a
certain place/situation to share in an experience that will help
another
4. Positive Action- This is when your spirit gets to come out and
possibly bless someone with encouragement or knowledge that can
send this person on the path God created for them.
5. Positive Results- If you remain and act on positivity, you can
open up the floodgates to blessings God always wanted to give
you. More chances for success and getting your heart’s desire will
open up.
I hope all of this has helped you as much as it helped me. I wish
you nothing but the very best life has to offer you. I wish you
much peace, love, and may God truly bless all of your
days…………………………….