VL - Issue 42 - January 2022

More documents

Info

PUBLISHER’S NOTE Trust His Love; Follow His Way If you’d like to partner with our magazine to deliver God’s hope and to impact the lives of incarcerated men and women, visit victoriouslivingmagazine.com. Every dollar you give sends a copy of our magazine into a prison. Each magazine impacts many lives for years to come. “G od, why did You let that happen?” “Lord, why haven’t You answered my prayers?” “God, why aren’t You doing something about this?” “God, why would You ask me to do that?!” Have you ever asked God questions like these? I know I have. You are about to read stories from people who trusted God’s heart even though they didn’t understand His way. In theory, trusting God is easy. As Christians, we know it’s what we’re “supposed” to do. In fact, it’s often the first piece of advice we offer in the face of a dilemma. “Just trust God, brother,” we say. “Do what He says, sister. God won’t fail you.” But saying it and doing it are two very different things, especially when the wait is long, the circumstances are painful, and our prayers seem to go unheard. In tight circumstances, it’s easy to want to grab hold of a situation (or person!) and force an outcome. Waiting makes us feel out of control. We grow anxious, fearful, and even angry with God. All too often, we find ourselves following our emotions instead of God’s leading. But, as you are about to learn, trusting God and waiting on Him are worth the effort, because blessings come through trusting God. Of course, we usually expect God’s blessing to be pleasant. After all, if God is good, then shouldn’t everything He allows us to go through be good, too? We want the promotion, good health, financial prosperity, freedom, opportunity—all the good things we can think of. And sometimes, God does bless us with those beautiful things. But other times, God’s blessings are the fruit of our persevering in trust through a long wait or uncomfortable circumstance. It’s through those difficult moments that God reveals His treasure, faithfulness, and power in ways that, but for the pain and the wait, we never would have known. After reading this issue, you’ll see what I mean. For me, trusting God became possible the day I realized He loved me. I had heard and recited John 3:16 a million times growing up—“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” (NIV). I believed in the concept of God loving people and sending His Son to save us. I even had faith to trust Him for salvation through His Son, Jesus. But I didn’t understand that God Almighty, the Creator of the universe and everything in it, loves me, myself, as an individual. I didn’t realize He sees me, knows me, cares about every detail of my life, has a specific plan for me, and is on my side (Psalm 139). My life and faith changed the day I grasped that God treasures and delights in me (Psalm 18:19). He delights in you, too! Have you ever realized that God loves you as an individual? That He sees you and delights in every detail of your life? That out of His love, He has crafted a plan and a purpose for your life? And that His plan, no matter how difficult, can be trusted? I pray that, as you read this issue of Victorious Living, you will have a fresh revelation of God’s love and that His love will make you complete. May you, as Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:18–19, have “the power to understand...how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ…[and] be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (NLT). Friend, once you understand God’s love for you personally and root yourself deep in His love, you’ll find the strength to make it through even the most challenging storms (Ephesians 3:17), and you’ll see God accomplish for you more than you can imagine or hope (Ephesians 3:20). Kristi Overton Johnson Publisher & Executive Director PHOTO BY TODD RISTORCELLI 6 Issue 01 / 2022 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
Through the stories of Victorious Living, men and women behind bars meet the God of another chance. Testimonial: Erving I had been incarcerated in federal prison for about 6 months when my wife, Denise, told me about Victorious Living magazine. I began reading the copy she sent me and—wow! The stories were amazing. They helped me see that I wasn’t alone. I wanted to share Victorious Living with the other inmates in my facility. I knew the guys would benefit from the stories. I showed our chaplain the magazine, and then we requested copies for our facility. I was like a kid in a candy store when that box of Victorious Living arrived. I immediately passed them out, and the guys loved them, just like I knew they would! They found hope, help, and encouragement to face each day. Over the next several months, the stories in VL showed me that God still works in our lives, even when we mess up. And that meant He could—and would—still work in mine. I’m back home now and grateful for Victorious Living and the people behind it. My wife is now the ministry’s Hispanic Outreach Director, and I am on the advisory board! Isn’t God amazing? SPONSOR A PRISON IN YOUR STATE AND IMPACT LIVES TODAY. Visit victoriouslivingmagazine.com VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM Issue 01 / 2022 7
Page 1 and 2: REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL H
Page 3 and 4: ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2022 Trust in the
Page 5: ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2022 CONTENTS 8 9
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
Page 19 and 20: PHOTOS BY HALEY MANNING PHOTOGRAPHY
Page 21 and 22: PHOTO BY MARY WHITMER escape the ri
Page 23 and 24: PHOTO BY MARY WHITMER I knew I did
Page 25 and 26: PHOTO BY MARY WHITMER met me. I sud
Page 27 and 28: TRANSFORMED LIVES PHOTO BY JIM WHIT
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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?