Proclaiming Liberty to Captives in Prison

Proclaiming Liberty to the Captives in Prison – by Ron Mitchell

On Sunday March 23,1997 while working in the confinement unit of a maximum security prison, God spoke to my heart to witness to a prisoner who had been placed in disciplinary confinement. I was tired from a busy workday and I must admit I was a little hesitant at first but God reassured me that it was the right thing to do. I entered wing #2 and made my way up the stairs to his cell door. I opened a small metal flap located just below the center of his cell door. While kneeling on the floor, I began to feel the presence of God. Joe sat on the floor peering out the door flap at me. I ask if everything was all right and he began telling me about his situation and why he was placed in confinement. Joe was truly in a state of desperation and I could sense that he really needed someone to talk to, someone who cared about him and what he was going through. Joe was a nervous wreck. He couldn’t be still and every few seconds he glanced out his window as though someone was going to burst into his cell and kill him. I had spoken to him on several occasions before, sharing my testimony of Jesus Christ and his goodness so he knew I was a Christian. After listening to Joe plea to be released back into open population with the other inmates, I knew that he was literally dying and couldn’t endure much more pressure of being locked down in confinement. I shared some of my testimonies with him as he and others in the cell area listened. I felt such a sweet presence of God fill the entire area and reassure my faith. Joe looked at me and said " There’s no hope for me", answering quickly I said, "Sure there is, Jesus really loves you". Joe replied "I’ve done so many wicked things that Jesus could never love me". I told him of how Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives and to open the prisons to them that are bound. I explained that while we were at our worst, Jesus gave his life so that we could be saved and he understands and wants to help us. I knew that God wanted me to pray for Joe but he was scared. I ask him why he was so afraid. Looking down at the floor, Joe said, about a week ago I tried to talk to Jesus, but when I began to pray, Satan warned me not to talk to him and told me that Jesus didn’t care about me so there was no use to pray anyway. He said when he finally did pray a demon came through the window and knocked him out of his bed and stood on top of his chest. He said the pain was so bad that he thought he was going to die. Joe alerted the control room officers by pressing an intercom button inside his cell and was rushed to the prisons medical ward where he was held for 24 hour observation and released back into confinement. I told Joe that the demons fear and tremble at the mention of Gods name and that I wanted to pray with him. Joe said, " I don’t know! If God would just show me that he loves me and that he is willing to help me"? I said, he already has Joe. The Lord sent me to pray with you and to say peace be still in the name of Jesus! I told Joe that I would leave and allow him the opportunity to pray. I stretched out my hand to give Joe a handshake, but in my heart I could feel the Holy Ghost rumbling in victory and anxiously waiting for the opportunity to set Joe free from the chains that held him captive! As Joe placed his hand in mine, I clinched tightly and pulled him close to me. Every cell in my entire being told me that the Spirit of God just wanted me to get my hands on him so that God could make an open show of the devil and deliver Joe from the demonic forces that were tormenting him. Joe told me earlier in our conversation that as a child his mom and dad worshiped Satan and many times during satanic rituals children were tortured and even sacrificed! He said "You don’t know, Officer Mitchell, some of the things they did to me as a kid, they sold my soul to Satan"! As my eyes met his, I rebuked Satan in the name of Jesus and told Joe that God did not give the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. {2 Timothy 1:7}. I stood to my feet and walked towards the exit, but God wouldn’t let me leave. The Lord told me to stay on the second floor and pray not only for Joe, but everyone in confinement. As I prayed God honored my prayer and drove back the forces of hell so that Joe could think clearly and pray. As I walked back and forth by Joe’s cell I paused and looked in. I said are you praying Joe? God’s giving you this time to pray. Joe said, "I’m thinking about it! A few minutes later I was called out of confinement to work in another location for the rest of the night. Around 1:30am that night while driving home, the Lord impressed me to stop at my church and pray for Joe. As usual I knelt at the altar in total darkness, just Jesus and me. I poured my heart out for Joe and God spoke to me to fast for him, so I did. The next day while driving to work, I ask God to let me be assigned to confinement so I could check on Joe. When I arrived at work my Captain assigned me to confinement. No one knew the joy I was feeling as I gave thanks to God on my way there. Praise the name of the Lord! I was busy most of the night before things slowed to a crawl. One of my fellow officers advised me that Joe wanted to see me. I made my way up the stairs to Joe’s cell and before I could say anything he slid a folded letter underneath his cell door. I reach down and picked up the letter and slipped it into my pocket just before tapping Joe’s door a couple of times on my way out. That night at the church, I opened the letter, which read:

Mr. Mitchell,

I gave it a lot of thought about what you said last night, about tomorrow’s not promised to any of us. Satan has done his best to stop me from talking to Jesus. He’s told me that if I accept Jesus I can no longer sell drugs for other people in order to get cosmetics or things I may think I need. But I can do without these things. It’s been keeping me in prison longer. I’ve been in prison going on to 24 years and I’m 42 years old now, SO I ASK JESUS INTO MY HEART. He’s got to be able to do a better job with this life than I’ve been doing with it. I’ve been reading about our brother Paul all day and he’s been really ministering to me. Brother Mitchell thank you for taking your time in sharing Jesus and his love with me. In the Institutional Rule book they said that officers and inmates are not to have any type of relationship, so I know you’ve taken a chance by sharing with me but it was a witness in itself, for you did as God bid you to do. I ask that you continue to lift me up in your prayers and have your church to do the same. Now I know I’ve a big family who loves me and is praying for me.