VL - Issue 40 - July 2021

TRANSFORMED LIVES
Need to
Change?
Christ
Makes the
Difference
BY ROY A. BORGES
LIFE BEFORE CHRIST WAS A LIFE that I lived for
myself. It was a selfish, sinful life that led me to prison
three times. From behind those prison walls, I felt like a
three-time loser. But it was at the bottom of this pit with
nowhere to look but up that I realized my only hope
was in Christ. I could finally see that I was a sinner in
desperate need of a Savior. On Christmas Eve 1989, I
gave my life to Jesus. Nothing has been the same since.
The moment I put my faith in Jesus, God forgave
me—a sinner—and set me on His right path. I didn’t
deserve His grace, yet He gave it to me freely because
He loved me. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).
Asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior is the best thing I have
ever done. In that moment, He changed me completely and made
me a new man (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now, that doesn’t mean I
became perfect. I still had many bad habits to overcome. I remain
in the process of becoming more like Christ even now. It is a lifelong
journey. Thankfully, God’s Holy Spirit helps me overcome
my weaknesses daily.
Prison life was hard. Many bad things happened in that dark
and evil place. To survive, I had to rely on the promises of God’s
Word and the Lord’s strength. I especially liked the words of the
Apostle Paul who wrote much of the New Testament from prison.
I clung to Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Christ,
who gives me strength” (NLT).
Every day, I had to choose to take my eyes off the pain of prison
and, instead, put my faith in God’s Son, the One who freed me
from hell—a fate far worse than prison. Moses had to do a similar
thing when he faced challenges. Hebrews 11:27 says he
“kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one
who is invisible” (NLT).
I was behind bars for 31 years, but God used that time
to make me fruitful. He built my character and taught me
many things. There, I learned to trust Him. God wasn’t so
interested in my comfort, but in developing my inner man.
During my long prison journey, I prayed Proverbs 3:5–6
daily. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend
on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and
he will show you which path to take” (NLT). God was ever
faithful to lead me. And as I followed, He brought things
into my life I would never have imagined.
He gave me the opportunity to write Christian articles and
stories about my experiences behind razor-wire fences—
stories that lead others to His saving grace. Writing gave
my life meaning and purpose. And many people have told
me that my writing was a gift from God to them.
I didn’t believe it at first, but now I know—I’ve had over
10 Issue 03 / 2021 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM