VL - Issue 42 - January 2022

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of Koinonia House National Ministry. Not only that, I am married to a beautiful and godly woman. I own a successful HVAC company, and I am the campus pastor at Stateville Correctional Center. It’s the first church plant behind prison bars in the state of Illinois. I get to give incarcerated men the same thing God gave me—hope, inspiration, purpose, and identity. I could have easily fallen into a victim mentality and become bitter over my life If you are still breathing, if you saw the sun come up this morning, then you still have the hope of God’s mercy. All you have to do is ask. PHOTO BY MARY WHITMER Rodney and Manny conversing on the porch of the Koinonia House. (See Manny’s story on page 20.) circumstances. I could have held a grudge against my father and sought revenge. I could have embraced self-hatred and shame for what I had done in my past. But because of God’s mercy, I was able to forgive my father, other people who had hurt me, and even myself. How can I hold a grudge against anyone when I think about what God did for me? And because I chose to be merciful, God has restored my relationship with my father. God’s mercy has genuinely made us new men (2 Corinthians 5:17). Have you encountered God’s mercy? It’s waiting for you right now. Lamentations 3:22–23 promises: “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (NLT). Maybe you gave your life to Jesus somewhere in the past, but your desires have dragged you down the road of death. Even so, my friend— that’s not the end! According to Lamentations 3:22–23, God’s mercy is still there for you. It never ceases; it’s new every morning. If you are still breathing, if you saw the sun come up this morning, then you still have the hope of God’s mercy. All you have to do is ask. No matter how far your evil desires have dragged you, it’s never too late for His mercy to put your life back on track so you can finish where He intended. Your failures are never greater than God’s call on your life. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness and commit to moving forward with Him, in His way this time. I have known many people who have felt like their lives are over. Maybe you feel that way too. Perhaps you’ve received a lengthy prison sentence or you’re facing a divorce or a health crisis. Maybe you’ve lost your job or your kids are out of control. Can I just tell you, God still has a purpose for you? It’s true. It’s never “game over” when you trust your life to the hands of a merciful God. Be strong and courageous and keep fighting the good fight of faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Trust that the God who knows you and loves you will not fail you. He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). His faithful mercies will never cease! Even when you fail Him, His mercy will not fail you. RODNEY MASSEY is the campus pastor of Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois. He finds joy in helping others discover the hope, wholeness, and identity available in Jesus Christ. 26 Issue 01 / 2022 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
TRANSFORMED LIVES PHOTO BY JIM WHITMER PHOTOGRAPHY TRUST AND OBEY: IT’S NOT EASY BUT IT’S WORTH IT IF YOU READ THIS magazine regularly, you know I was recently released after having served 31 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. I’ll tell you, I had lost hope of ever getting out, but I still believed that the God who had given me eternal life knew what was best for me, even if it wasn’t what I wanted at the time. Psalm 37:4 promises, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” The desire of my heart was to get out of prison. I wanted that more than anything else, and I worked hard at it. I filed multiple motions with the court, trying (unsuccessfully) to prove that I was not guilty of the robbery charge against me. God wanted me to trust Him to get me out in His timing. Proverbs 3:5–6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (NIV). I had a lot of learning and changing to do, but as I read and believed God’s Word, He began to use me for His purpose. Gradually, the desires of my heart changed and, as I aligned myself with God’s plan for my life, I began writing articles and stories—hundreds of them. To my amazement, God has used those stories to reach people all over the world and on both sides of prison walls. As I learned to trust Him, God began blessing me in ways that I never dreamed could happen. He had already set me free from a life of sin and bondage, but then, when I least expected it, He miraculously opened the BY ROY A. BORGES prison doors and allowed me to walk out. And now, every day, He shows me His will for my life as the blessings continue. God used circumstances to teach me to trust and obey. Just like a metalworker uses fire to refine and purify a precious metal, God used my circumstances to refine and purify me. Obeying God requires surrender and trust, and it can be hard to do, especially if it means giving up something we want. We shouldn’t expect our obedience to God to be easy or to come naturally, but how we look at it can make a difference. We can push back and complain, or we can try to see how God is using it to stretch us into the people He wants us to be. Genesis 22:1–19 gives us an incredible story of obedience and trust. There, God tested Abraham by asking him to hand over his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice! Most people would consider this request over the top, but Abraham had already learned many tough lessons about obeying God. Though I’m sure he was shocked and in agony at the command God had given him, Abraham gave swift obedience. Seeing his faithful trust, God stopped Abraham from completing the task and spared Isaac’s life. After that, God made and fulfilled many promises for Abraham, all because he was willing to trust God and obey His commands. I had to learn to trust God’s timing and His ability to provide too. God is in control of everything. He changes the hearts of people and the circumstances that surround them. Today, on the outside, I can see how true that is, and I watch and pray for God’s will to be done in my life. Committing everything to Him means trusting that He cares for me more than I care for myself. I had to wait 31 years for God to open the prison doors, but I know that the long wait was for my ultimate good. Many of the things I want to do now take time and patience, and I must trust God’s timing to accomplish them— but I know that He will make a way for them to happen. If you learn to obey Him, God will use your life for something good too. ROY A. BORGES served 31 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, where he realized his need for a Savior. While incarcerated, Roy ministered to others through his writings, over 300 of which have been published. He now lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a member of the Victorious Living writing team. VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM Issue 01 / 2022 27
Page 1 and 2: REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL H
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Page 7 and 8: Through the stories of Victorious L
Page 9 and 10: STEPPING FORWARD SERVE WITH GLADNES
Page 11 and 12: TRANSFORMED LIVES heart to Him and
Page 13 and 14: negative emotions and turned the we
Page 15 and 16: STEPPING FORWARD TRUTHS TO REMEMBER
Page 17 and 18: PHOTO BY HALEY MANNING PHOTOGRAPHY
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Page 23 and 24: PHOTO BY MARY WHITMER I knew I did
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Page 29 and 30: STEPPING FORWARD PHOTO BY TASHI-DEL
Page 31 and 32: PHOTO BY GERI SIMPKINS vious that I
Page 33 and 34: GOING DEEPER: Trust Your Creator Al

VL - Issue 42 - January 2022

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