My husband and I just got back from a tremendous ministry trip. I sang at a Winter Campmeeting, sang and spoke at an RV park (over a hundred people!) and spoke at a ladies luncheon. Good response. Good time with/in the Lord.
Now, we're home. I have a son in prison--been there a long time and has a long time still to go. He was saved at Teen Challenge just a few months before he was arrested and I've felt so blessed that all these years he has known the Lord. He sang with the ministry team at the prison, had a little Bible study with his cell mate. Always talked about the Lord in both letters and in person.
The last time my husband and I visited him I knew immediately that something was different. He told us that he had been "seeking" and that he was now into Kabalah (Jewish Mysticism). I've been praying ever since. Today, I got a letter from him and he has become Wiccan. I read his words and thought my heart would just shut down.
This man has been in church since he was in the womb. He attended a Christian elementary and high school. Drugs and alcohol became a heavy part of his life after high school when he went into the military. But after he went into prison, we saw (or thought we saw) tremendous change in him--humility, strength in the Lord.
We are supposed to visit him this weekend. I don't know what to say or do, or how to act. I want to lay hands on him (in more ways than one) and release him from this bondage. This Preacher-Mom is really troubled and totally at a loss on how to deal.
Wow, Revdell. I'll definitely be praying for you & your son. I can only imagine how your heart must be breaking.
The only suggestion that I have to offer (other than prayer & fasting) is to do some research on Wicca so you are prepared. (I was appalled the other day when I went to our local library & found that in the new book section was "Wicca for Dummies," just like all the other "for Dummies" books.) There may be someone here on the board that knows a Christian book that you can get on the subject.
Beloved - I know your heart is aching and I believe that this is a definite call for us in the Body of Christ to join you in prayer and petition to the Lord. I can tell you from experience that sometimes our children do what they do (although it tears our hearts apart) as a survival mechanism for the environment that they are in. I understand that you want to cast the devil out and I pray that as you are petitioning heaven that God will demand that Satan's hold be lifted from your son, but at the same time I pray that you are also seeking discernment about the hurt that led your son away from the Lord. There must have been a major change or incident that caused him to believe that God has forsaken him... No one goes that far from the Lord unless someone or something has dramatically hurt him. Has your son mentioned anything about an abusive situation taking place?
I speak from experience because one of the things that caused my step-daughter to run towards my house instead of staying with the mother who raised her is because she had been molested and she was crying out for her father's protection, this happened years before she finally came to us and long before we ever knew about it, but because of my constant prayer for her the Lord showed me her hurts and I then began to truly understand some of the behaviors that she exhibited before me. I was able (after much prayer) to confront her about it and she told me all about the incidents that took place in her childhood that no one ever bothered to tell my husband or myself about... Of course that was because they knew he would take her away from the mother without breaking a sweat... But God knows how to do and when to do... When she came to live with us, she was able to break free from emotional baggage and wounds that she had never cried about prior to that time... She cried for the first time in five years in my arms after two weeks of being in my home and that release was awesome not only for her but it was challenging to me....
So even as I tell you to pray for discernment, I am also praying that you will be ready to receive from the Lord the truth about his hurts... The announcement that he made that he has become a Wiccan and had tried out other religions appears to me to be a search for a God that handles pain in another way...
Thank you for taking time to respond to my post. My husband and I are going for a visit this weekend. He is way across the state from us. We are hoping to see him Saturday morning, so if you think of this situation, please pray. The idea of the searching and the response to hurt really moved me. Blessings.
Wow. I certainly understand why you are heartbroken. I don't have any incredible spiritual advice for you. I don't have all the answers anymore than you do, however I will seriously pray for you. As you already know, the "free will" thing is so difficult as a parent. You wish you could force your children to do what you know is right...but God gives them freedom to decide for themselves.
I've heard it said that when children are little they step on your toes. When they are big, they step on your heart.
I stand with you on the scripture that ..."when he is old, he will not depart from it." Sometimes it takes time.
Everything the other ladies have said is on target. We'll stand with you. Keep us posted.
This will be my final comment on this (maybe) but I want to thank you again for prayer and your messages of encouragement. My husband I did go and visit him this past Saturday. It is almost like his brush with Darkness has blinded him to the Light. He was very uncomfortable when we talked about the Lord and what we are doing in ministry. Being with him feels so different. This is MY SON and yet I don't know him. We're decided to continue to visit as we have in the past, write, and treat him with respect (not try to talk him out of the deception because that just won't work), and we'll fast and pray. Only Holy Spirit can break through the darkness. It's in His hands.
Again, thank you. And, if it should come to mind, please pray with us.
This week, there was a front page story on "religion" and "spirituality" in the state's prisons. The picture was of a Wicca gathering at the prison where my son is incarcerated. The idea, according to the chaplains interviewed is that even these pagan religions help the person have sense of control over his/her life and give them a moral and family focus. They interviewed a young man who has placed his faith in Thor an ancient Norse god. The young man believes Thor will help him stay clean and sober. He wears a hammer emblem on his clothing.
I have never had a desire for prison ministry. But, I'm going to talk with or write to the chaplains. I'm wondering if this is only in our state prisons or if this concept is nation wide. Any idea what is happening in your state prisons?
I don't know much about the maximum security prisons, but I know that the county jails and the treatment-oriented correctional facilities in my state (MN) are open to having people come in and lead Bible studies, etc. for the inmates.
Most of those guys will to to a Bible study just because it's a break in their routine. They'll read for the same reason!! I know there's some sort of program out there (I want to say it's affiliated with Prison Fellowship, but I'm not positive...) that helps get Bibles and books by Christian authors into prisons. My brother read a lot of Christian literature while he was incarcerated, but it was mostly because my mom kept bringing it to him!!
Minnesota is extremely rehabilitation-oriented, as opposed to punishment-oriented in its approach to incarceration - we've got a lot of really strong "Project Angel Tree" programs throughout the state...ministries where churches and parachurch organizations can bring cookies, etc. to inmates. The state's approach seems to be "by any means necessary," so at least the minimum security prisons and "forced treatment" centers like the one my brother was in are wide open for Christians (or anyone else!) who wants to come in and minister...this is why it's so important for the Body of Christ to stay involved and contribute to and participate in these programs...so as NOT to give the Wiccans, Muslims, or whoever an advantage!!
