As far as I can remember I had problems with my identity and looking back I always wanted to be like someone else, whether it was some drug dealer gang member from my neighborhood or a gangster rap star even some great sports star. I began to pursue the things of the world; I wanted power, possessions, and money. I thought that I could gain all these things through a life of crime but I soon realized that clearly I was not very successful at being a criminal. I entered into the prison system as a juvenile and it continued to follow me through my adult years. I had to do three stretches in prison with the last stretch looking at six years in which I had served 30 months.
At this point in my life I understood I had to do something different with my life so I got my G.E.D and began to attend church services while still in prison. I ended up getting into some trouble in prison and put in segregation which locks you down 23 hours a day. I met a guy that gave me a brochure of this Christian prison program which was located in central Illinois I read it and what was appealing to me was the welding program so I wrote them and they received me based upon a recommendation from the Chaplin in that particular prison. The Lord had different plans for me, I went to the prison ministry for the welding program only to find out that there was a welding shop but not a welding school.
Although I was disappointed in the fact that there was no welding school for me to attend I heard for the first time in my life the true gospel of Jesus Christ, how the Lord of Glory came from down from heaven, occupied a human body to be the only sinless living sacrifice that would be worthy to take away the sins of the world. I came to understand by His sacrifice and His death in the flesh that I had obtained right standing with God through acceptance of Jesus as my savior. The Word of God changed my life and gave me a great hunger for studying His word. I Peter 2:2-3 says, “ As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby: if so be that you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” Also read Matthew 4:4.
I currently serve the Lord along with a local body of believers here in Aurora Illinois and I have been blessed to have a job at a Christ centered bible based life transforming program. In my job I deal with broken men that come from a similar back ground and life style that I lived. God so mercifully and gracefully has used me to serve Him and the men that have come to the program, and can you believe that I even get paid for doing it?
I can speak boldly to the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ has delivered me from the penalty and power of sin and from a destructive life style and has shown me a way of life that has freed me from all the vices of the world and has given me love, peace, and power. I pray that you will cry out to God and ask that Jesus would come into your life and that His spirit might live within you that you may be saved.
I pray that my testimony may help you find your way out of the world and into the Word of God, because Real Men Love Jesus.
God bless you,
Ray Gordon