Issue 1| 2023

STEPPING FORWARD
Your Pain Has Purpose
BY KORY GORDON
I’VE SPENT MANY YEARS LYING ON
bunks in jails and prisons, staring hopelessly
at the ceiling. At the time, I’d bought
into the lie that I had gone too far and it
was too late for me.
Fear, regret, and defeat convinced me
that I had wasted the best years of my life.
Those thoughts overshadowed any positivity
about my future. The emotional pain
was so intense, I could feel it physically.
I tried to escape the weight of these
emotions with drugs, pornography, and
gambling, but those things only took me
deeper into darkness. I would have died of
an overdose if Christ hadn’t responded to
my cries, but He did. He jumped into my pit
and pulled me out (Job 33:28, Jonah 2:6).
Not once did He chastise or condemn me.
Instead, He wrapped His arms around me
and set my feet on solid ground. He traded
my prison blues for His robe of righteousness
and resurrected my life into one with
meaning. Because of Jesus, my life is now a
testimony of powerful restoration that leads
others to freedom. (See Psalm 40:1–3.)
As a redeemed son of God, I now walk
confidently through gates that once held
me prisoner. I am a seasoned veteran with
many battle wounds, but I am also an overcomer
through Jesus Christ. He alone has
given me the keys to freedom, and I am
committed to sharing them with my incarcerated
brothers and sisters.
It never ceases to amaze me how my
painful past helps me get eye level with
others. They have hope when they hear
what God has done and is doing in my life.
They realize if He could set me free, He can
set anyone free!
With Jesus, nothing in my life is wasted—
not even my biggest mistakes. Every experience
has become an opportunity to learn
and a powerful testimony of the goodness
of God.
Did you know that the Apostle Paul wrote
two-thirds of the New Testament from a
prison cell? Paul rejoiced in his suffering
and wanted everyone to understand that
his time in chains had a divine purpose.
He said, “Now I want you to know, brothers
and sisters, that what has happened to me
has actually served to advance the gospel”
(Philippians 1:12 NIV).
I can relate to Paul here because my
incarceration has also served to advance
the Gospel. Of course, my incarceration
was due to my disobedience to God, not
my loyalty to Him. But God’s mercy is for
people on both spectrums—the sinner and
the saint. He brings beauty from ashes for
His glory, no matter how our ashes were
formed (Isaiah 61:3).
It’s time to look at your past through
God’s lens of purpose. Give Him those ashes.
Don’t buy into the lie that your life is a
waste; God never wastes anything.
Every broken road you have traveled
has uniquely equipped you to help others.
Through your life story, you may reach
people for Christ that others cannot. And
every time you find the courage to share
the goodness of God, your testimony defeats
the enemy’s hold on someone else
(Revelation 12:11).
Purpose, though, begins with surrendering
your broken life to Christ and then courageously
journeying through it with Him.
Despite all the pain you’ve been through, an
overwhelming victory can be yours through
Christ, who loves you (Romans 8:37).
Your testimony holds the key to someone
else’s freedom. Please don’t keep it to
yourself.
KORY GORDON spent 11 years in incarceration,
where he gave his life to Christ. He is now an
evangelist, sharing the Good News that set him
free. In 2021, he founded Damascus Road, a
nonprofit residential discipleship program battling
addiction, recidivism, and homelessness. Email
damascusroad2021@gmail.com for more info.
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
Issue 01 / 2023
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