VL - Issue 43- April 22
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TRANSFORMED LIVES<br />
God’s Faithfulness<br />
BY ROY A. BORGES<br />
GOD HAS MADE PROMISES TO HIS PEOPLE since the beginning<br />
of creation. Some of my favorites are found in the<br />
Old Testament. The Israelites wandered through the desert<br />
for a lot longer than they needed to, because they were often<br />
ungrateful and disobedient to God. Despite that, however, the<br />
Lord continued to pursue His people.<br />
He had promised to never leave or forsake them, and He<br />
never did (Deuteronomy 31:8). Instead He encouraged them,<br />
protected them, and provided for them during all the years<br />
they were in the wilderness.<br />
Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your<br />
God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of<br />
love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep<br />
his commandments” (NIV).<br />
You know what? All these generations later, you and I aren’t<br />
all that different from the Israelites. Like them, through our<br />
disobedience, sometimes we bring horrible consequences on<br />
ourselves, but when we do, God is the same as He has always<br />
been. He remains faithful to us just like He was back then.<br />
It doesn’t matter which side of a prison wall you’re on, the<br />
challenges you face are great. But God’s promises and everlasting<br />
love remain the same. His greatest promise to us is<br />
eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no love<br />
greater than that.<br />
When I went to prison for the third time in 1989, I was sentenced<br />
as a habitual offender. At the beginning of my 45-year<br />
sentence, I believed I would never see the free world again. For<br />
the next 31 years, I learned many lessons about the faithfulness<br />
of God. The more committed I became to following Jesus, the<br />
more He amazed me with the things He was doing in my life.<br />
Every day, I learn more about God’s promises and His faithfulness<br />
in keeping them. Living on the outside can be as challenging<br />
as being on the inside. When I was first released, I<br />
was at a halfway house, and not everyone there was looking<br />
to follow God. Temptation was everywhere, but God gave me<br />
strength and a way to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Some of<br />
the men actually saw Christ in me, and it was a blessing to be<br />
a good example to others in that way.<br />
The more I live my life to serve Christ, the more He pours<br />
out His blessings on me. He has been faithful to provide for my<br />
every need, just like He did for the Israelites (Psalm 34:10). He<br />
has opened doors and done things for me that I never thought<br />
possible, including providing me with a cozy RV to live in and<br />
my own vehicle.<br />
There have been times when my flesh became weak. I have<br />
failed at some things, but God has been faithful in His grace<br />
and mercy (Lamentations 3:<strong>22</strong>–23). He never fails to pick<br />
me up when I grow weary and to continue with me on our<br />
path together.<br />
I have learned that I can rely on God and His Word to<br />
carry me through anything I am facing. He is a covenantkeeping<br />
God. He cannot lie, and that should be a comforting<br />
TEMPTATION WAS EVERYWHERE,<br />
BUT GOD GAVE ME STRENGTH<br />
AND A WAY TO ESCAPE IT.<br />
truth to all believers. It is for me. I know I can trust God, and I<br />
want to be obedient to Him because of the love He has shown<br />
me. The road I am traveling is not an easy one, but God is always<br />
there to help me on my journey.<br />
You know—this applies to you just as much as it does me.<br />
God’s faithfulness brings peace and victory to His children. If<br />
you believe that Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of your<br />
sins and are willing to learn how to live His way, then you are<br />
a child of God. That means those promises are yours too.<br />
ROY A. BORGES served 31 years in the Florida Department of Corrections,<br />
where he realized his need for a Savior. While incarcerated, Roy ministered to<br />
others through his writings, over 300 of which have been published. He now<br />
lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a member of the Victorious Living writing team.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
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