“I went to the church service in prison, and guess who was
preaching? It was Pastor David Troxell
from Hilltop church where I’d attended for about ten years! Brother David preached a good message that
night, as he always did. At the end of
the message, he pointed his finger right at me and asked, ‘Are you saved,
Brad?’ I looked at him and said, ‘I
don’t know,’ so he suggested I find out.
So I went to the floor a-praying, and some of the fellows with the
pastor got down and prayed with me. I
stayed there praying for awhile, then in my spirit I heard an old familiar
voice say, ‘Stand up and scream for victory that you’re saved!’ And wouldn’t you know it, I said within
myself, ‘Lord, you’re trying to embarrass me. I’m not screaming in front of all
these people!’
But I stood up as I was commanded by the Lord, and when I
did, my brothers and sisters, let me tell you that something evil and wicked
came out of me when I was screaming. I
felt it all come out of me. I believe to
this day it was a demon or demons. And
then all of a sudden I felt this love, mercy, and grace open up above me and I
began to feel the Spirit of God being poured out into my life. I knew there and then I was truly saved! I lasted about a year this time with God
before I backslid.
God did a lot for me during this time before I
backslid. I was leading people to Jesus:
drug addicts, drug dealers, and my family was getting back into church. But the devil got to me through aggravation
this time. It came with a headache that
led me to taking a pain pill. I’ll never
forget what Satan said to me: ‘Do you think God will send you to hell over one
little pain pill?’ I answered him and
said, ‘No,’ so I took one for my headache and before the end of the day I was
drinking and snorting pills again. But I
have to be honest and say my backsliding started way before that. It started by me missing church every now and
then, and I wouldn’t quit smoking cigarettes.
The Lord dealt with me a lot about this; smoking was the hardest
addiction I have had to overcome.
Don’t get me wrong—I know I deserve punishment. I have lost everything during all this. My family is nowhere to be found most of the
time. I have no contact with any outside
friends from home, and I honestly have nowhere to go or anything to do when I
get out of prison to go home.
I’m not trying to sell you a sob story; I’m just warning you
that because of my sins and wickedness from an early age, it cost me everything
in the end. Even though God dealt with
me every step of the way, I kept turning my back on Him. Without a good relationship with God, life
truly is miserable. But I must also tell
you that even though there are consequences to my sins, God has never given up
on me! Amen.
Young men and women, boys and girls, you do not have to
learn things the hard way. People do not
always survive to have a story like mine.
As a matter of fact, most people die in the state of mind I was in. And if I had, I would have lost more than I did: I would be lost for all eternity in a devil’s hell. At least now I have a change to get it all
back. I believe honestly that God has allowed
me to survive all that I have to show others that sin will cost you in the long
run, and this is what happens to a backslider.
Trust me, the Bible verses in 2 Peter 2:20-22 are true; my latter end
became worse than my beginning.
This has been the first part of my life story before
actually selling out completely to Christ Jesus and sticking with it. There are many things I did not write or
describe in detail. Why? Because my life before Christ was meaningless
and of no real value.
But I assure you, that is not my life now, nor ever will be
again! I will tell you about my life
now. Even though I am in prison, I am
freer than I have ever been. If you have
any questions concerning me or someone like me, and need some helpful info on
how to help them, you can write and I will do my best to educate you on how to
really help someone like me.
Please remember me in your prayers and pray for my
family. I haven’t heard from my Davenport family in a
long time; the last time I heard, they weren’t serving God. And please remember I am not proud of my past
life at all! But I am proud of how much
God has brought me out of.
The best way I can describe my life now, until we meet
again, is Psalm 40:2-3:
‘He brought me out of
a horrible pit,
Out of a miry clay,
and set my feet
Upon a rock, and
established my goings.
And He has put a new
song in my mouth,
Even praises unto our
God.
Many shall see it,
and fear, and
Shall trust in the
Lord Jesus. Amen.’
Remember: smart people learn from their own experiences, but
wise people learn from the experience of others.
Until we meet again,
Your brother and friend in Christ Jesus,
Brad Davenport”
If you’d like to write Brad (letters or photographs only) to encourage him or ask for help/advice
yourself, his address is:
Brad Davenport # 12763-032
Federal Correctional Institution McKean
If the Lord lays it on your heart to send a financial gift
to Brad, you must use a money order marked “for Brad Davenport # 1276-032” and mail it to the
following address:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Thank you for praying for Brad and his family; pray that the
Lord will give him a home and gainful employment after he is released. He’d like to get a ministerial degree and
minister in prisons when he’s released.
Copyright © 2015
Elaine Beachy
No comments:
Post a Comment